FRAGILE

This album has been hailed as one of Yes' best albums, and I believe that it truly lives up to that title. It is a great album from start to finish, and every song (including Bill Bruford's "Five Percent for Nothing", although it may be a bit too much Bruford for some people -> see Larks Tongue in Aspic) is a great one.

The first song is the one everyone knows, including just your standard rock radio listener. "Roundabout" really is a fantastic song, though. Chris Squire's fresh bassline never gets old, really. And Wakeman's keyboard solo near the end of the song is fantastic. 5/5 stars.

Wakeman's "Cans and Brahms" is up next. Show this one to your classical-loving friends (I have, he loves it). They will either love it or hate it. A great adaption of the original pieces, and performed so masterfully. The only thing about it is that it seems like filler on the album. And there is almost too much keyboard. 3/5 stars.

"We Have Heaven" doesn't even show off the best of Jon Anderson's vocals, but it does prove for a great transition into "South Side". I really love the part where the key of the song changes, and the slamming of the door at the end proves for a dramatic end, even though the song is only a few minutes long. 4/5 stars.

"South Side of the Sky" is probably the darkest Yes song until we hit Relayer. It really changes moods, even just between the Emin and C and D chords (I believe those should be the chords, not 100% sure). It has one of the best Wakeman performances available, although "Awaken" might take the cake for that. 5/5 stars.

"Five Percent for Nothing". This song is kind of weird for Yes. It may seem like 30 some seconds of random nonsense, but it fact is carefully timed. Not much to say about it. I like it, but not enough. 3/5 stars.

"Long Distance Runaround" and "The Fish". I might as well do them together. This song has such a great forward motion to it. Steve Howe's guitar is gorgeous and Chris Squire's bass during "The Fish" is obviously very unique and groundbreaking. There's nothing bad that I can say about it. 5/5 Stars.

"Mood for a Day" is great, but I don't like it as much as "Clap". "Clap" has a better energy to it. With that said, "Mood for a Day" has some great moments, particularly a pull-off run near the middle. A friend of mine who plays classical guitar said he liked it, as well. 4/5 stars.

"Heart of the Sunrise" was the first song (besides "Owner of a Lonely Heart" and "Roundabout") that I heard. I instantly fell in love, and had only heard the Yessongs rendition (I thought that Yessongs was a compilation). The bassline is simply amazing, flawless. The entire song is flawless. It is probably, in my opinion, the best song on the album, and I'm sure many others hold that same view. Jon Anderson's vocals are inspired, and this might be one of his best vocal performances. 5/5 stars, easily.

Considering every one of the longer songs is 5/5 stars, it seems appropriate that Fragile is given 4.5/5 stars. And it is probably only my fourth favorite Yes album.

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