FRAGILE

For the record before this one, Yes dropped their guitarist, Peter Banks, and replaced him with Steve Howe. On that album, they discovered their signature sound. On this album, after replacing keyboardist Tony Kaye with Rick Wakeman, they perfevted that sound.

The album is a bit self indulgent, with each band member getting what amounts to a solo track. But of those solo tracks, only Wakeman's (only slightly) diminishes the album. All of the full band tracks are fantastic pieces, becoming concert favorites for the next four decades.

The album opener, Roundabout, was the bands biggest hit of the seventies, showing how different the radio and major label record industries were at the time. South Side Of The Sky and Heart Of The Sunrise are also great pieces, that rival any symphonic prog created since.

Also of note, this was one of my first prog album purchases (I had many singles before that). So I have Yes to thank for my obsession with great music.