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Rating: Yes are undoubtedly one of the most representative bands of the so-called English progressive rock of the early '70s, alongside Genesis, King Crimson, and Pink Floyd.
"Fragile," an album from 1972, is certainly their masterpiece, an album that manages to blend rock and classical music with a superb technique, never an end in itself but always in service of the melody and the song.
The opener of the album is the splendid Roundabout, introduced by a delicate classical guitar arpeggio by Steve Howe that explodes into an engaging eight-minute song.
Yes are virtuosos, and you can tell; but the real standouts here are Chris Squire's bass and Rick Wakeman's keyboards, offering us a great Hammond solo in the middle.
Three more songs properly speaking are: South Side Of The Sky where Howe's guitar is much more rock than usual, and Wakeman delights us with a beautiful solo part this time on piano; Long Distance Runaround which is fun for three minutes but doesn't fully convince; but the true masterpiece is the concluding Heart Of The Sunrise: eleven minutes of offbeats, almost jazzy parts, and instrumental intertwining that will leave you dizzy but never fall into self-indulgence.
The other tracks are little more than solo showcases for each member. In this context, Steve Howe certainly makes the best impression in Mood For A Day where he becomes a modern minstrel, crafting sweet guitar arpeggios.
Wakeman, on the other hand, tackles a reinterpretation of a classical piece by Brahms, Anderson plays with his voice in We Have Heaven while Bill Bruford grants a few but amazing seconds of offbeat drumming in Five Per Cent For Nothing. Chris Squire in The Fish (which is a sort of coda to Long Distance...) experiments with distortions on his bass.
Ultimately, Fragile is a masterpiece of '70s prog rock of the English school, and I recommend it to anyone who unfortunately hasn't yet had the pleasure of listening to it, and I think it can be a good starting point for those who want to approach this genre without being disappointed.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 Roundabout (08:35)
I'll be the roundabout
The words will make you out 'n' out
I spend the day away
Call it morning driving through the sound and in and out the valley
The music dance and sing
They make the children really ring
Spend the day away
Call it morning driving through the sound and in and out the valley
In and around the lake
Mountains come out of the sky and they stand there
One mile over we'll be there and we'll see you
Ten true summers we'll be there and laughing too
Twenty four before my love you'll see I'll be there with you
I will remember you
Your silhouette will charge the view
Of distance atmosphere
Call it morning driving through the sound and even in the valley
In and around the lake
Mountains come out of the sky and they stand there
One mile over we'll be there and we'll see you
Ten true summers we'll be there and laughing too
Twenty four before my love you'll see I'll be there with you
Along the drifting cloud, the eagle searching down on the land
Catching the swirling wind, the sailor sees the rim of the land
The eagle's dancing wings create as weather spins out of hand
Go closer, hold the land, feel partly no more than grains of sand
We stand to lose all time, a thousand answers by in our hand
Next to your deeper fears, we stand surrounded by million years
I'll be the roundabout
The words will make you out 'n' out
I'll be the roundabout
The words will make you out 'n' out
In and around the lake
Mountains come out of the sky and they stand there
Twenty four before my love and I'll be there
I'll be the roundabout
The words will make you out 'n' out
You spend the day your way
Call it morning driving through the sound and in and out the valley
In and around the lake
Mountains come out of the sky and they stand there
One mile over we'll be there and we'll see you
Ten true summers we'll be there and laughing too
Twenty four before my love you'll see I'll be there with you
02 Cans and Brahms (Extracts From Brahms' 4th Symphony in E minor, Third Movement) (01:42)
03 We Have Heaven (01:39)
(Jon Anderson)
Tell the moon don't tell the marcher
Tell the moon don't tell the marcher
Tell the moon don't tell the marcher
Tell the moon don't tell the marcher
(OR: Tell the Moon Dog, Tell the March Hare)
He is clear
He is clear
He is clear
He is clear
Tell who don't tell the marcher
Tell who don't tell the marcher
Tell who don't tell the maracher
Tell who don't tell the marcher
(OR: To look around)
We have heaven
We have heaven
We have heaven
We have heaven
04 South Side of the Sky (07:56)
(Jon Anderson/Chris Squire)
A river a mountain to be crossed
The sunshine in mountains sometimes lost
Around the south side
So cold that we cried
Were we ever colder on that day
A million miles away
It seemed from all eternity
Move forward was my friend's only cry
In deeper to somewhere we could lie
And rest for the day
With cold in the way
Were we ever colder on that day
A million miles away
It seemed from all eternity
The moments seemed lost in all the noise
A snow storm a stimulating voice
Of warmth of the sky
Of warmth when you die
Were we ever warmer on that day
A million miles away
We seemed from all eternity
The sunshine in mountains sometimes lost
The river can disregard the cost
And melt in the sky
Warmth when you die
Were we ever warmer on that day
A million miles away
We seemed from all of eternity
06 Long Distance Runaround (03:30)
Long distance runaround
Long time waiting to feel the sound
I still remember the dream there
I still remember the time you said goodbye
Did we really tell lies
Letting in the sunshine
Did we really count to one hundred
Cold summer listening
Hot colour melting the anger to stone
I still remember the dream there
I still remember the time you said goodbye
Did we really tell lies
Letting in the sunshine
Did we really count to one hundred
Long distance runaround
Long time waiting to feel the sound
I still remember the dream there
I still remember the time you said goodbye
Cold summer listening
Hot colour melting the anger to stone
I still remember the dream there
I still remember the time you said goodbye
Did we really tell lies
Letting in the sunshine
Did we really count to one hundred
Looking for the sunshine
07 The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus) (02:42)
(Chris Squire)
Schindleria praematurus
Schindleria praematurus
Schindleria praematurus
Schindleria praematurus
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Other reviews
By paloz
"Fragile" is the first Yes album I bought, and I'll never forget it because it made me fall in love with the band.
I find that this album is the best way to get close to the band because it showcases the band's great abilities and doesn't feature overly long tracks that might bore someone on the first listen.
By Progressive86
"Fragile is indeed the fourth album by Yes and the second in chronological order within the trilogy of their milestone albums."
"To appreciate this album and progressive music more generally, one should listen and listen again (perhaps even with closed eyes) to receive from the organicity of the sound sensations."
