FRAGILE

This is my favorite Yes album, merely because it flows so well from song to song, including the solo projects of the band members. This being their first album with rick wakeman, the classic yes line up has come into the world for the first time, and what an album it is.

Roundabout: The stereotypical yes track, an amazing epic, beginning with a nice classical intro followed by one of the best basslines the world has ever seen. Wakeman's synth fills are perfectly timed and executed, adding his own touch to the Yessound. When the song moves into the triplet section in the bass, Bill Bruford Just lets it all go and opens up. It winds down into the intro repeated, which builds into an amazing organ solo by the master Wakeman, switching off with blinding guitar runs from Howe. Whenever I hear this song on the radio, I always get mad when it isnt immediatly followed by...

Cans and Brahms: fits very well in the wake of roundabout, wakemans solo piece as an interpretation of a classical piece on electric piano/organ.

We Have Heaven: Anderson's solo project showcases his beautiful voice and his skills at overdubbing that voice many, many times. A very folky piece, it will be revisited later. It ends with a door slamming shut and footsteps running away, leaving the listener wondering what will happen next.

South Side of the Sky: That question is answered with a pounding drum intro and some harsh guitar and bass from howe and squire, respectively. Even Jon Anderson doesnt sound so cheery anymore. The lyrics tell of an expedition to either the north or south pole, i forget which, and the expedition failing and all the members cheering to death. We are treated to more blistering runs from Howe in the form of ascending chromatic scales. The grand piano solo is one of the best piano moments in history, and wakeman does a fine job of it. This leads into a vocal harmony section that sounds slightly warmer than the beginning, but that too devolves back into harshness, and the song closes with an eerie fade out section.

Five Per Cent For Nothing: A short intro with crazy time signatures, with a little accompaniment by all the instruments, Mr. Bruford's solo piece. a good intro for...

Long Distance Runaround: A beautiful opening line by Wakeman and Howe, each with a slightly different melody, leading into a tricky drum part and some amazing bass lines. The vocals come in nice, a very nice song, leading into...

The Fish: Squire's solo project, filled with all sorts of delicious bass treats, harmonics, mini solos, and all in 7/4 time. we are even treated to some chanting by Jon Anderson, a very interesting instrumental.

Mood for a Day: Gorgeous Acoustic piece by Howe, setting the exact opposite mood for the next song...

Heart of the Sunrise: A blasting intro on Bass and drums, followed by some gorgeous mellotron fills. This repeats a couple of times before the Jam section begins. starting off simple with bass and drums, both instruments slowly get louder and more complex as the section builds into the riff again. Anderson's vocal is the perfect touch of mysticism on the song. The band makes very good use of repetition in this song, alternating the main riff and 3 different piano/synth/organ riffs by wakeman. After a LOT of this, Anderson comes in and sings like an Angel coming out of the Heart of the Sunrise. A huge climax leads to a sudden break, and here is the masterful ending: Door opening, We Have Heaven comes back in for the fade out. When I first heard that, I was absolutely blown away by the genius of it.

Overall, very good album, solo pieces nice showcases for each band member, and a perfect yes album.