RMR

Yes Fragile- 1971
RMR Album Rating- 9


Yes released 7 long-format epic songs during their “Main Sequence” of progressive rock albums, but before the release of those 7 seminal prog epics, they focused on mastering the short-format epic.

There are 4 short-format prog epic songs on “Fragile,” and they are all completely flawless in every way; however, these main songs are mixed in with 5 solo spots— one from each band member.

Personally, I’m not a fan of having solo spots mixed in with the main songs on any album. To me, an album is a complete work that I listen to from start to finish, and by mixing solo pieces in with the main songs, it typically gives an album a very disjointed flow, and solo spots can ruin the sequence and pacing of an album, and this is definitely the case with “Fragile.” The addition of the solo pieces on “Fragile” come very close to ruining the entire record for me, but the other 4 songs are so extraordinary that they save the album, and they are all 10-star tracks.

I do want to make a clear point that my disdain for the solo pieces is not because they are bad songs; I actually enjoy quite a few of them. My criticism toward them, as mentioned, is that they just don’t fit in with the rest of the album, and they simply destroy its flow.

Of the solo pieces, Howe’s solo guitar spot “Mood For A Day” is my favorite. It is a baroque piece that is intricate and shiningly beautiful. I also love Anderson’s spot, “We Have Heaven,” which he performs using his voice as the only instrument. It is comprised of four lyrical verses, but all the parts are sung and recorded separately by Anderson. Then, the separate vocal pieces are layered on top of each other and sung in the round. Here are the four verses:

Tell the Moon-dog, tell the March-hare
We…have…heaven
To look around, to look around
Yes, he is here; Yes, he is here

The weakest solo spots are from Wakeman and Buford. Wakeman contributes a classical piece from Johannes Brahms played entirely on what was then current synthesizer technology, and Buford contributes a 39 second advent guard drum piece that sounds like a completely disjointed mess to me.

The other solo spot is Squire’s “The Fish.” Chris Squire wrote it individually, and it is driven by his bass, but it differs from the other solo spots for two reasons. First, it really functions as a full band effort, rather than a solo spot. And second, it is tacked on to the end of the track “Long Distance Runaround,” as the second movement of that song (there is no gap in between the two songs, and they function as one long track), and its addition to “Long Distance Runaround” takes that song from being a simple 4-minute song to a 7-minute short-format progressive rock epic. In fact, the live version of “Long Distance Runaround>The Fish” from “Yessongs” is extended to almost 14-minutes.

So again, it’s not that I hate the solo pieces, but they put a murmur in the heartbeat of the album and really break up the flow of “Roundabout,” “Southside of the Sky,” “Long Distance Runaround>The Fish,” and “Heart of the Sunrise.”

Roundabout
“Roundabout” is one of the most well known progressive rock songs from any progressive rock band. It is certainly progressive in nature, but it also has enough classic rock appeal to make it a crossover hit with both progressive and classic rock fans alike. It is the opening track on the album, and it immediately sets the complex and progressive tone for the album.

Southside of the Sky
“Southside of the Sky” is a great showcase for the band’s playing as well, and it features a great classical piano interlude from Wakeman mid-way through the song. The lyrical content, although straightforward, is very vivid. It describes death due to freezing but feeling the soft warmness of death right before you die, and this juxtaposition of freezing, yet feeling death’s warmth has always had a very haunting realism to me.

Long Distance Runaround>The Fish
“Long Distance Runaround>The Fish” starts out as a fairly simple, upbeat, and catchy song, but once the song transitions into “The Fish” (which as mentioned, doubles as Squire’s solo spot on the album) it gets much more complex and comes across as an improvised jam session for the band, especially on the 14-minute “Yessongs” version.

Heart of the Sunrise
“Heart of the Sunrise” is the album’s most intricate and complex song. It contains several different sections, twists, and turns. Every player shines, but I have to pay special mention to Chris Squire and Rick Wakeman. Squire creates one of the deepest most menacing bass riffs ever laid down to tape. Meanwhile, Wakeman laces the track with complex and atmospheric synth jams, and he adds several classical piano interludes as well. All in all, “Heart of the Sunrise” was Yes’ most progressive song to date, and it still stands as one of the best tracks in their entire catalog of music.

To wrap this up, the solo pieces on “Fragile” absolutely destroy the flow and coherence of the album, but the other four songs categorically define what a short-format progressive epic should sound like. So although I can’t award “Fragile” a 10-star rating, it is an absolute must own for progressive rock fans.

Lastly, in a perfect world, here’s my “Fragile” track list:

Roundabout
South Side Of The Sky
Long Distance Runaround>The Fish (extended, like the "Yessongs" version)
Heart Of The Sunrise

This imaginary version of Fragile would have given listeners a coherent 42-minute album that flows seamlessly from one song to the next, and it would have been a completely flawless album.

SOUTH SIDE OF THE SKY


LONG DISTANCE RUNAROUND>THE FISH (FROM YESSONGS)

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RMR
My music reivew site: RMR Music Reviews

Howard the Duck

Heart of the Sunrise ftw

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Malaise is THE dominant human predilection.

RMR

Help me out on my acronyms... what's "ftw"

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RMR
My music reivew site: RMR Music Reviews

RMR

[QUOTE=Personally, I’m not a fan of having solo spots mixed in with the main songs on any album. To me, an album is a complete work that I listen to from start to finish, and by mixing solo pieces in with the main songs, it typically gives an album a very disjointed flow, and solo spots can ruin the sequence and pacing of an album, and this is definitely the case with “Fragile.” The addition of the solo pieces on “Fragile” come very close to ruining the entire record for me, but the other 4 songs are so extraordinary that they save the album, and they are all 10-star tracks.[/QUOTE]

What is everyone's take on the solo pieces on Fragile. Love them? Hate them? Don't care?

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RMR
My music reivew site: RMR Music Reviews

Unknown Soldier

I think your review of Fragile is spot on unlike the Slayer one Fragile was never a Yes album that I ever raved about, despite its big reputation, as you said its saved by about 4 songs that are very special, but the solo spots ruin much of the feel for the album, especially the Rick Wakeman ones. I always thought much of the album felt rushed and remember reading years later, that that was the case, as Yes needed to release an album to help put money in the coffers, in order to pay for Rick Wakeman's very expensive and lavish eqipment. Fragile is an important part of the classic Yes era but a tarnished part.

Howard the Duck

"for the win"

used to mean "**** the world"

basically means "awesome"

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Malaise is THE dominant human predilection.