FRAGILE

This album seems to be built around 5 pieces, one dominated by each member of the group, and several full band efforts. The problem is, the individual contributions are not that interesting, and the collaborations too often sound like they were rushed into production, as if they had limited time and just had to show they could play together too. Very few are captivating although some are jam oriented enough if that is your thing.

"Roundabout" is a bit hard to evaluate anymore after almost 4 decades of overplay. I really don't ever need to hear it again but, that said, it is a good track if artificially elongated. Probably the most noteworthy individual performance is that of Squire in "The Fish", which follows very well from the weak "Long Distance Runaround". Another unappealing work in spite of its wonderful title is "Heart of the Sunrise", as it purposelessly meanders through its pastiche of abrupt riffs and vocal snippets, but it is great compared to the monumental failure "South Side of the Sky".

While it may have been groundbreaking in its day, Fragile is a non starter today unless you are committed to complexity for the sake of it. It's interesting how much better the sequel "Close to the Edge" has held up.