Songs:
Roundabout, Cans and Brahms, We Have Heaven, South
Side Of The Sky, Five Per Cent For Nothing, Long
Distance Runaround, The Fish (Shindleria
Praematurus), Mood For A Day, Heart Of The
Sunrise.
Type of Music: Prog/Rock
Comments:
This was the 4th Yes Album and the first one with
Keyboard Player Rick Wakeman who thoroughly enhanced the sound of the band.
Without any doubt this is one of the best and most successful prog-rock albums
in history. And you know why? I’ll tell you. Firstly because it’s one of the
few prog-rock albums that’s not only progressive but also accessible. Just a
bunch of excellent songs packed in art-rock arrangements. And secondly because
Yes scored a big hit single with Roundabout, something very rare indeed
in the Prog-Rock world. But the public loved the short version, went on to buy
the album, adored the original version and liked the rest of the album as well.
It went Gold in the USA.
Is it the perfect album then? Well, No. The
reason is that five from the nine songs on Fragile actually aren’t songs but
rather short musical impressions. Each member of the band contributes with one
such an impression, naturally focused on the instrument the particular band
member is playing.
Thus Rick Wakeman does Brahms. Jon Anderson
showcases his voice on the Chant We Have Heaven. Bill Bruford gives us a very
short percussion based theme while Chris Squire provides a bass riff that’s
called The Fish. Finally, Steve Howe’s Mood For A Day is a very gentle Spanish
influenced acoustic guitar tune.
And while none of them is actually bad, I could
have easily lived without them with the possible exception of Cans and Brahms
and Mood for a Day.
Still they only serve as a link between the four
real songs on Fragile. Of course everybody is familiar with Roundabout. To me
this is the perfect rock song. I simply enjoy it every time I hear it, no
matter how many times it is played on Classic Rock Radio Stations. The
interplay between bass and drums is just great. The song ranks number 2 in my
Classic Rock Top 1000.
The same magic of bass and vocals can be heard on
Long Distance Runaround. And the melody is real strong as well!
The album closer Heart of the Sunrise is
eleven minutes long but it’s worth every second of it. I’m sure you recognise
the Sharp…….Distance part of the chorus if you hear it. The last of the
great four is South Side of the Sky. It’s faster and a bit more furious.
Like Emerson Lake & Palmer on the Rocks!
The Album was Re-Mastered in 1995 and the sound
quality is great!
But do I really need to make propaganda for this
album? You already own it don’t you? What? You don’t? Shame on You!
Rating: ********* (9 out of 10)
Black = Good Songs
Green = Great Songs
Red = Could Be Better
Who should buy this Record: Everyone! This is
Essential Yes and one of the great Prog-Rock Albums of all times.
