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Yes - Fragile CD (album) cover

FRAGILE

Yes

 

Symphonic Prog

4.46 | 4055 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

Nucleus
4 stars 4.5 Stars

I spent quite a while deciding whether to give Fragile four or five stars. I love this album. I love the solo pieces, I love the band pieces, and Heart of the Sunrise is one of my all-time favorite songs. This is a nearly essential purchase for any prog fan.

Roundabout (8.5/10) Great song, great keyboards, great bass, catchy lyrics. Yes's second big hit (I've seen all good people was first). Also became Yes's most overrated, overplayed song.

Cans and Brahms (6/10) Rick's solo. Nice adaptation of a classical piece, great musicianship. However, it lacks in lasting appeal.

We Have Heaven (7/10) Jon's solo. Another short song, this one is just Jon dubbing over himself. Very pretty, and serves as an intro to the great SSotS.

South Side of the Sky (9.5/10) Behold what is probably Yes's most underrated, forgotten song. This one's a hidden gem. I love the lyrics in this song, Rick's piano solo is beautiful, and Steve's guitar during the verses is great.

Five Per Cent For Nothing (4/10) Bill's solo. This one doesn't do much for me, especially as a sixteen bar song. Good musicianship though.

Long Distance Runaround (9/10) Great song. Rather short for a Yes song, but good nonetheless.

The Fish (8/10) Chris's solo. Great bass (obviously). This song is good here, but mindblowing on most live releases.

Mood For A Day (10/10) Steve's solo. Steve Howe has one of the most beautiful songs ever in this acoustic piece. I don't know how many times I've put this song on repeat and let it play in the background. One of my favorite Yes songs.

Heart of the Sunrise (10.5/10) This is one of my all-time favorites. Yes shows their heavier side in this song that, in classic Yes style, showcases every one of the bandmembers abilities very well. The live version on Yessongs is the best version out there, so check out that one if you're into this song. Incredible drumming, beautiful vocals, great lyrics.

It was very difficult not for me to give this album the full five stars. A 4.5 star rating would be ideal for this kind of album, but alas...

Nucleus | 4/5 |

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