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Yes - Fragile CD (album) cover

FRAGILE

Yes

 

Symphonic Prog

4.46 | 4043 ratings

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Rune2000
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
5 stars The first album from this short-lived lineup was, in my opinion, also their best. Controversy aside, it's just one of those Yes-releases that truly speaks to me and I can pretty much enjoy it on any given day!

First off, let me clear up the distinction between Fragile and The Yes Album. I did state in my previous review that it had a few filler tracks and a generally unbalanced mix of material. This might also seem to be the case here, but I would argue that it's not! The five short pieces that are performed in-between the four longer pieces are here for the clear reason of introducing the distinct talents of the individual band members. Cans And Brahms gives us pretty much all we need to know about Rick Wakeman, We Have Heaven is beautifully arranged vocal-driven track by Jon Anderson, Five Per Cent For Nothing shows clear Jazz tendencies from Bill Bruford, The Fish introduces us to the unique sound of Chris Squire's bass and Mood For A Day is probably the best acoustic composition that Steve Howe has ever written.

I might raise a few eyebrows when I say that I'm actually not that crazy about Roundabout. It's a good composition with a catchy riff and a memorable acoustic intro/outro from Steve Howe, but it just never manages to grab me as much as some of the material later on the album. South Side Of The Sky is the first clear followup to Starship Trooper and Perpetual Change. This is easily my favorite track off Fragile, but both Long Distance Runaround and Heart Of The Sunrise aren't that far behind! The latter is one of Yes' most recognizable anthems with Rick Wakeman's Mellotron-performance leading the way for the rest of the collective.

Fragile is a wonderful album that should be a part of every progressive rock music collection just for the cheer enthusiasm that each of the band members bring to the table here. It's a well-deserved classic that only gets better with each passing year.

***** star songs: South Side Of The Sky (8:04) Heart Of The Sunrise (10:34) Mood For A Day (3:57)

**** star songs: Roundabout (8:29) Cans And Brahms (1:35) We Have Heaven (1:30) Five Percent For Nothing (0:35) Long Distance Runaround (3:33) The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus) (2:35)

Rune2000 | 5/5 |

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