Listening to Fragile
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Recommendations/Featured albums
Forum Description: Make or seek recommendations and discuss specific prog albums
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=126680
Printed Date: February 21 2025 at 06:36
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Topic: Listening to Fragile
Posted By: AlanB
Subject: Listening to Fragile
Date Posted: June 16 2021 at 12:36
| I haven't listened to this album for years. I recall being underwhelmed. So I thought I'd give it another chance. Still underwhelmed. The Yes Album and CTTE are far superior IMO. |
Replies:
Posted By: omphaloskepsis
Date Posted: June 16 2021 at 15:37
| Different strokes for different folks. |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: June 16 2021 at 19:38
| For me the underwhelming one is The Yes Album. I find Fragile brilliant, and it goes toe to toe with CttE... both having the same line-up, my very favourite from the band, and any prog band at that... actually, any band overall, well, it makes the listening experience more complete if I hear them both toghether (actually, I usually hear them in my IPod, and in the list I just left out 5% for nothing, and changed Cans and Brahms with Catherine of Aragon, which actually basically has the same line-up from these Yes albums). |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: June 16 2021 at 19:53
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And with me I have loved Fragile (four star album for me, probably three these days, but I once adored it) and really liked The Yes Album (three star), but Close to the Edge never grabbed me. Close to the Edge is a two star album for me (although I'd give it a three if I reviewed it at PA). I like the title track, but not the rest. It really does take all kinds. Every ten years or so I try to play Close to the Edge once, and every time it is really hard to get to the end. Maybe one decade I'll "get" it. I won't say it's strange that it's so high rated, I just don't feel the love. Close to the edge may well be superior, but I just don't like it much. But hey, most of the people wouldn't like a lot of the music I like, and the Symphonic Prog category is not one of my favourites. |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: June 16 2021 at 20:14
| Fragile seems to be very underappreciated these days. Sorry, I just don't get it. In the old days it seems this was the more popular one out of this one and CTTE but now CTTE is far more appreciated it seems(at least among prog fans). Regardless of what anyone says it's still in my top five Yes albums. |
Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: June 17 2021 at 01:56
| I'd probably rate Fragile third out of those 3, and I prefer GRTO, TFTO and Relayer. It does have Heart of the Sunrise which is one of my top 5 Yes songs but I've heard Roundabout too much and the solo tracks don't really help the continuity of it all as an album. |
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: June 17 2021 at 02:10
I kind of feel the same, although I still really like Roundabout and South side of the Sky. Apart from those tracks and HOTSR The album feels a bit disjointed and thrown together, from whatever they had lying around the studio. Fish is ok. ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
chopper wrote:Posted By: Frenetic Zetetic
Date Posted: June 17 2021 at 02:14
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The Yes Album is the most underwhelming popular entry for me. Fragile through Relayer are 10/10 records for me. ------------- "I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021 |
Posted By: dwill123
Date Posted: June 17 2021 at 04:43
I agree. While I like Fragile, I don't think its in the same league of either The Yes Album and CTTE. In fact there are days where I think The Yes Album gives CTTE as serious run for its money.
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Posted By: AlanB
Date Posted: June 17 2021 at 04:53
| I like the first and last tracks on Fragile. The ones in between do nothing for me. |
Posted By: Argo2112
Date Posted: June 17 2021 at 07:41
| The big pieces on Fragile are great but some of the solo stuff does drag it down. |
Posted By: HolyMoly
Date Posted: June 17 2021 at 08:46
That said, I still would never call Fragile underwhelming (per the OP). Most Yes albums are quite brilliant in the grand scheme of things. ------------- My other avatar is a Porsche It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased. -Kehlog Albran |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: June 17 2021 at 08:58
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Great lp, but the shorter pieces do interrupt the flow for me...would have preferred another 9 -10 min piece to sit along the other longer ones. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: dougmcauliffe
Date Posted: June 17 2021 at 10:35
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The Steven Wilson remix from the vinyl boxset changed my perception on the album, it seriously might be the best sounding record I’ve ever heard from the 70s. I don’t think it’s a masterpiece, but it’s a nice album to just throw on and enjoy. I have always felt there’s room on side one for just one more great track. Also, I think Heart of the Sunrise is pretty overrated, I think the vocal parts really kill all the momentum of the intro, which is where I think the song peaks. Besides that, I think it’s a little too all over the map structurally. Like I said, it’s a strong and relatively easy listen. 11th best prog album of all time? Well, no. I think the real overrated Yes album is Going for the One. Besides the first several minutes of Awaken and parts of the title track, it’s just so wimpy and yes-lite. Really missing the grit and bite of the preceding albums, and the production really isn’t there either. ------------- The sun has left the sky... ...Now you can close your eyes |
Posted By: miamiscot
Date Posted: June 17 2021 at 12:39
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Strongly disagree. ------------- The Prog Corner |
Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: June 17 2021 at 14:22
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My second favourite Yes album, after Close to the Edge and just over The Yes Album. The solo efforts don't ruin the album imho, but the highlights are South Side of the Sky and Heart of the Sunrise.
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Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: June 17 2021 at 14:30
Yep. That's exactly how I feel. Roundabout is probably at least as good as SSotS but for me personally it's been ruined by being played too much. Also, I can't imagine anyone listening to Long Distance Runaround without the fish afterwards. Even the live version on yessongs had LDR go right into Fish. Speaking of Fish it always struck me that it probably wouldn't have sounded out of place on tales from topographic oceans. Anyone else think that too?
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Posted By: Grumpyprogfan
Date Posted: June 17 2021 at 15:00
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Posted By: progaardvark
Date Posted: June 17 2021 at 15:04
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I don't stay folded for very long. ------------- ---------- i'm shopping for a new oil-cured sinus bag that's a happy bag of lettuce this car smells like cartilage nothing beats a good video about fractions |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: June 17 2021 at 15:07
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What I used to think: "tell the moon to tell the marcher." The reality: "tell the moon dog, tell the march hare."
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Posted By: dougmcauliffe
Date Posted: June 17 2021 at 15:13
Don't you worry, that was certainly also in mind when I typed that! Elegant Gypsy can get a good nod too ------------- The sun has left the sky... ...Now you can close your eyes |
Posted By: Grumpyprogfan
Date Posted: June 17 2021 at 15:33
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^I'm worried you don't realize Aja has a perfect mix. It can't get better for my ears. Anyway, love Fragile, but haven't heard it in 40 years. 
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Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: June 17 2021 at 16:25
Is that because you don't currently own a copy of it? If you don't want to buy it again you could probably listen to it on youtube.
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Posted By: kenethlevine
Date Posted: June 17 2021 at 18:34
agree with this completely
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Posted By: TCat
Date Posted: June 17 2021 at 18:50
Have you tried dry cleaning yourself? Many dentists would agree. Out of the classic Yes albums from The Yes Album to Going for the One, Fragile lands somewhere in the middle while, even though I like it, Going for the One is on the bottom for me. While all of the others in that group of albums are 5 stars each, GftO is a 4 star, mostly because of "Parallels". It's hard for me to put the other ones in order though as it depends on my mood. ------------- https://ibb.co/8x0xjR0" rel="nofollow">  |
Posted By: progaardvark
Date Posted: June 17 2021 at 21:01
I'm 1 in 5 dentists. I've been speaking to people who are moons. ------------- ---------- i'm shopping for a new oil-cured sinus bag that's a happy bag of lettuce this car smells like cartilage nothing beats a good video about fractions |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: June 18 2021 at 01:17
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Fragile is a messy album but the three best tracks (Roundabout, South Side Of The Sky and Heart Of The Sunrise) are just unbelievably good. Prog taken to a new level <tick> but it needed another outing for the band to hit the bullseye. |
Posted By: essexboyinwales
Date Posted: June 18 2021 at 04:44
This. Although for me it's the title track that I struggle with most. I've stopped trying now actually, there's so much music I do love that it's just not worth trying to "get" albums that I think I should just because other people do!!!
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Posted By: Intruder
Date Posted: June 19 2021 at 11:00
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Fragile has always seemed better taken in parts than as a whole - maybe it's the solo approach to the writing; maybe it's that Side 2 is so much more listenable than Side 1; maybe it's Wakeman getting settled in; maybe it's 'cause they left their version of America off the LP (a personal favorite of mine).....whatever it may be, it just doesn't hit the heights of peak Yes as a whole. Some of it's parts even exceed material from other LPs of the era, but as a whole, it's always been the classic era Yes LP I put on the least. With that said, it's still an excellent album! ------------- I like to feel the suspense when you're certain you know I am there..... |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: June 19 2021 at 21:22
Perhaps if they could have used what became Catherine of Aragon instead of Cans and Brahms the album could have achieved it. I have been listening to it that way and it makes perfect senses. |
Posted By: Progishness
Date Posted: June 19 2021 at 22:57
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I rarely tinker with album running orders but for Fragile I have my own playlist. I omit the 5 shortish solo tracks, and instead include their version of Paul Simon's 'America' which was recorded at the time they were making Fragile, but was originally issued on an Atlantic Records sampler album, and now included as a bonus track on more recent CD reissues. Thus: 1. Roundabout 2. South Side of the Sky 3. Long Distance Runaround 4. Heart of the Sunrise 5. America Which in my opinion makes for a much more satisfying listen. ------------- "We're going to need a bigger swear jar." Chloë Grace Moretz as Mindy McCready aka 'Hit Girl' in Kick-Ass 2 |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: June 20 2021 at 22:04
| ^ I have never warmed up to the song America, either original or with Yes (or with The Nice). However, I do like Mood for a Day, and even more so, The Fish (specially if I consider it part of the same Long Distance Runaround, which sounds incoplete to me without it following). |
Posted By: Frenetic Zetetic
Date Posted: June 21 2021 at 00:00
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It's very, very interesting to me that CTTE is too much for some people to grasp/get past! After Trout Mask Replica for years and years, most top 5 prog bands/music is/are pop w some sparkles ontop by comparison LOL. ------------- "I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021 |
Posted By: iluvmarillion
Date Posted: June 21 2021 at 00:43
I totally agree with you this one. Normally I don't like additions to the original recordings on the reissues, but in this instance America is a great way to finish off the album. Comparing The Yes Album, Fragile and CTTE is like saying which Van Gough painting you prefer. What criteria do you choose?
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Posted By: Progishness
Date Posted: June 21 2021 at 02:14
Or (as a PF fan) trying to choose between Meddle, DSotM & WYWH - all of which I adore, but are totally different listening experiences.
------------- "We're going to need a bigger swear jar." Chloë Grace Moretz as Mindy McCready aka 'Hit Girl' in Kick-Ass 2 |
Posted By: Progishness
Date Posted: June 21 2021 at 02:18
The Nice covered Leonard Bernstein's 'America' - a totally different song! ------------- "We're going to need a bigger swear jar." Chloë Grace Moretz as Mindy McCready aka 'Hit Girl' in Kick-Ass 2 |
Posted By: Progishness
Date Posted: June 21 2021 at 07:02
I like bonus tracks if they originally appeared on singles, samplers and the like from around the time the album was released, or odd tracks that were more or less finished (apart maybe for a final mix down) but were otherwise unreleased. Where I do draw the line is at demos, alternate takes, or other work-in-progress stuff (what I term to be the 'left-over rubbish').
------------- "We're going to need a bigger swear jar." Chloë Grace Moretz as Mindy McCready aka 'Hit Girl' in Kick-Ass 2 |
Posted By: miamiscot
Date Posted: June 21 2021 at 07:58
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The two best-sounding records I've ever heard are Aja and Fragile. But that's just me!!! ------------- The Prog Corner |
Posted By: TheLionOfPrague
Date Posted: June 21 2021 at 09:24
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It's excellent, third best after Close to the Edge and Relayer. Could be above Relayer if you take out Five Percent for Nothing, Cans and Brahms and We Have Heaven and replace them with something else. Five Percent for Nothing is just pointless, it's not even filler as it barely occupies space, I see no point in including it in the album. I like Cans and Brahms and We Have Heaven is ok, but they're just too short for them to develop into something, and they fact that they're together in the album doesn't help. It's like Roundabout ends and I'm just waiting for South Side of the Sky to start. They could have just developed Cans and Brahms a bit more and gotten rid of We Have Haven. Having two songs that don't reach a minute and a half together is pointless. These songs just make the album less cohesive, but the three main tracks are superb, especially Heart of the Sunrise which is a TOP 5 Yes song. Long Distance Runaround and Mood for a Day are very good and the best among the shorter pieces. ------------- I shook my head and smiled a whisper knowing all about the place |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: June 21 2021 at 09:41
I may be missing the bigger picture point, but in my case it's not that I really mind it, more that I get bored with it (on the title track too, actually). I don't hear it as this masterpiece of music that many others do, but then most here wouldn't like an awful lot that I enjoy (from my more experimental tastes to exotica). Of course I'm happy for others to love it. I have compared it with Bubu's Anabelas as another three piece album, and Bubu's is far more interesting and exciting to me. I love lots of sci-fi and fantasy, yet the very popular Star Wars is not a favoured film of mine (for a big name, give me 2001: A Space Odyssey over it which many find boring). I love Art Zoyd, for example, and for many that would be a slog and/or tough-going. |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: June 21 2021 at 10:12
That wouldn't fix it for me as it would still be a messy album!
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Posted By: Catcher10
Date Posted: June 21 2021 at 11:12
I did not buy the LP box set, two main reasons. 1) For CTTE, I have the 2012 reissue that is cut by Chris Bellman from original master tapes and pressed at Optimal Media GmbH. The SQ is amazing, so much detail, separation and dynamics as compared to my original 1972 US Atlantic version mastered by George Piros. I also have the 2008 Friday Music reissue which is not very good, cut from a digital source half speed by Joe Reagoso. 2) For Fragile, I have an original 1972 US Atlantic 1st press cut by George Piros (PORKY stamped) which is -AAA/-AAA plates and sounds absolutely amazing!! Sure there is a wee bit of surface noise being that its a 50yr old record, but I have taken care of it. I would grade in NM-/VG+++ I have always enjoyed Fragile, I play it often. The solo stuff is distracting at times, but to me it just shows how talented they were in 1971 when it was recorded. -------------   
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Posted By: Sacro_Porgo
Date Posted: June 21 2021 at 21:55
To be fair, Star Wars is much less science fiction and much more space wizards. ------------- Porg for short. My love of music doesn't end with prog! Feel free to discuss all sorts of music with me. Odds are I'll give it a chance if I haven't already! :) |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: June 21 2021 at 23:10
Agree, which is why I mentioned loving sci-fi and fantasy. It had a significant effect on sci-fi/ space and fantasy type programming. |
Posted By: Frenetic Zetetic
Date Posted: June 21 2021 at 23:17
Agree, which is why I mentioned loving sci-fi and fantasy. It had a significant effect on sci-fi/ space and fantasy type programming. [/QUOTE Oh I totally get it! My experience comes from just having my sense of sound warped from so much avante and fusion, that CTTE is fairly time by comparison. It's like swinging two baseball bats to warm up LOL. ------------- "I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021 |
Posted By: Catcher10
Date Posted: June 22 2021 at 09:12
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Star Wars rules...... -------------
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Posted By: Ronstein
Date Posted: June 22 2021 at 09:53
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I'm clearly odd man out, as my two favorite Yes albums are The Yes Album and Time and the Word. Everything after that sound to me as if it's clever for the sake of it rather than for the sake of the music. There again, I like Tom Waits :-)
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Posted By: Rednight
Date Posted: June 22 2021 at 11:18
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A great album through and through. ------------- "It just has none of the qualities of your work that I find interesting. Abandon [?] it." - Eno |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: June 22 2021 at 17:02
damn that Rick Wakeman guy and his new fangled harpsichords.
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Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: June 22 2021 at 22:08
 OK, I have only heard the Nice one once or twice... I have it on a compilation called Pink Floyd and Friends, or something like that. I just remember it didn't do much for me, and I think I barely knew the Simon and Garfunkel song either (neither from themselves nor Yes). So I just remebered the song didn't do much for me, but not much else. If I had heard The Nice one now, at least I would have been able to identify it was not the same song.
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Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: June 22 2021 at 22:13
As I have said before, I read that Wakeman had written what later became Catherine of Aragon for this album (it even features this line-up of Yes on 6 Wives), but wasn't able to do so because of contractual stuff, so he had to go with a cover. For me, this one simple thing would have been enough to make the album greater (it still is a 5 star for me, though). The other songs are really so short that don't bother me. And We Have Heaven sounds very cool as an intro to South Side (and the Fish for me is just like a part of Long Distance Runaround, making it for me as a single longer piece). |
Posted By: Progishness
Date Posted: June 22 2021 at 23:04
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Yeah Wakeman was still under contract to A&M at the time from his days with The Strawbs so he wasn't allowed a composer's credit on Fragile. ------------- "We're going to need a bigger swear jar." Chloë Grace Moretz as Mindy McCready aka 'Hit Girl' in Kick-Ass 2 |