Yes: 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=116275
Printed Date: February 23 2025 at 11:37
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Topic: Yes: Fragile
Posted By: SteveG
Subject: Yes: Fragile
Date Posted: September 10 2018 at 06:50
| The album that helped make Yes a household name. After all these years how do you view Fragile? |
Replies:
Posted By: Chaser
Date Posted: September 10 2018 at 07:13
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The first Yes album that I bought and the one that got me into them Absolutely classic album and one of their four finest, even though, for me, CTTE and Relayer tower higher. ------------- Songs cast a light on you |
Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: September 10 2018 at 07:20
| To be honest, I listen to Long Distance Runaround and Heart of the Sunrise a fair bit, the other tracks not so much. Probably heard Roundabout too much. Great album but I also rate CTTE, Relayer, TFTO, GFTO and probably The Yes Album above it. |
Posted By: irrelevant
Date Posted: September 10 2018 at 07:24
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Far from my favourite, but it's very good. ------------- https://gabebuller.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow - New album! http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=7385" rel="nofollow - http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=7385 |
Posted By: Argo2112
Date Posted: September 10 2018 at 07:44
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Great album but it falls behind the Yes album, CTTE & GFTO on my list. Still, one of their best & a water shed album for Yes.
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Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: September 10 2018 at 08:57
I really thought the previous album was much more important, since it got everyone's attention to the band and helped the next album, which, of course, had a monster hit in it, which the previous album did not. I think that some folks have this notion that Rick Wakeman is the one person that made the band better, but I think that the visions, and idea were already in place. For all the brouhaha, there are at least 3 or 4 songs, that continually show up in YES shows, and they came from THE YES ALBUM. That ought to specify things a bit better in my book. And it was "I've Seen All Good People" that got me into this band, and also a hard to find (at the time) version of America by Simon and Garfunkel they did which was rather nice! ------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
SteveG wrote:Posted By: The.Crimson.King
Date Posted: September 10 2018 at 09:29
I view it as an oddity because of the "solo" songs. That said, they make it an interesting album. We Have Heaven, 5% and Mood are cool, never cared much for Fish and Cans & Brahms is just a boring waste of 1:42. I know Wakeman couldn't put an original track on Fragile because he was still contractually bound to A&M, but that was the best he could do? Years later, even he called it "dreadful". Shoot, anything from Wendy Carlos Switched on Bach kicks it's ass  At the same time it has some of Yes' best songs: Heart of the Sunrise is the first "perfect" Yes track. South Side of the Sky is a wonderful aggressive rocker, Long Distance is cool and Roundabout is...well...it's been played to death on radio...but it was their big breakthrough song and still sounds great today...if you play it loud enough  I don't listen to it nearly as much as Tales/Relayer but these days I give it more spins than CTTE so go figure... ------------- https://wytchcrypt.wixsite.com/mutiny-in-jonestown" rel="nofollow - Mutiny in Jonestown : Progressive Rock Since 1987 |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: September 10 2018 at 13:12
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One of the holy trinity for me....Yes, Fragile, and CTTE....,while many like Relayer and TFTO better...those 3 will always be my favorites. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: September 10 2018 at 15:22
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My second favourite Yes album, just over The Yes Album and behind Close to the Edge. No bad tracks, only Cans and Brahms is sort of filler and 5% little more than a jingle, unfortunately. Best tracks: South Side of the Sky, Heart of the Sunrise and Mood for a Day.
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Posted By: Squonk19
Date Posted: September 10 2018 at 15:55
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Close to the Edge, The Yes Album and Fragile remain the classic trilogy for me too. ------------- Living in their pools, they soon forget about the sea. |
Posted By: Catcher10
Date Posted: September 10 2018 at 16:07
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I spin Fragile more than any other Yes album, including the lauded CTTE. Which is more of an iconic album now than it is a joyful album to listen to. Production wise, Fragile, is much better than CTTE......I have 3 copies of CTTE including a 1/2 speed mastered, and my original 1971 Fragile blows it away. It's a more funner record to listen to. -------------   
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Posted By: dwill123
Date Posted: September 10 2018 at 16:08
| "The Yes Album" is the album that got my attention in 1971. And still does today. |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: September 10 2018 at 21:22
| This was my first Yes album too... I don't remember if together with CttE, or if I bought that one a bit later. And they are both the only albums from the band I would give 5 stars. Even the solo songs don't really drag it down, even if Cans is indeed the weaker one. I have read Wakeman had written what ended up becoming Catherine of Aragon for his spot on this album, but well, he couldn't contribute songwriting... yet indeed that would have made this album even better. |
Posted By: Mortte
Date Posted: September 11 2018 at 02:14
| At the moment my favourite Yes-album, even better than the Yes Album, although heard this some years later than the Yes Album. Love it all, even Cans. never loved CttE as much, it took many years I even started to like the first side (second side has been great from the beginning). |
Posted By: Mortte
Date Posted: September 11 2018 at 02:17
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Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: September 11 2018 at 21:55
| ^ Well, since it's all piano... however, that middle section is one of the hooks that kept me coming back to the album in the beginning, when I still couldn't make any sense out of their music. |
Posted By: Mortte
Date Posted: September 11 2018 at 23:57
| ^Also to me with Roundabout South Side was the first songs that really hit me and that middle part is really a "salt" of that song! Maybe best composition he has made. |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: September 12 2018 at 21:24
| ^ Yeah, the middle sections of both Roundabout and South Side of the Sky for me helped me to come back to those songs, and the album, over and over. As well as the organ section on Close to the Edge... and I guess mostly all of And you And I. |
Posted By: TiddK
Date Posted: September 13 2018 at 13:24
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I'm going to speak heresy now. I used to like Fragile a lot (my second Yes album) but actually I thought they went downhill just a teensy bit when Wakeman joined. To me their acme always was - and still is - The Yes Album. There are some nice things on Fragile - Heart Of The Sunrise is epic - but I'm not sure the idea of allowing each member of the band their own little virtuoso spot ever quite worked as well as it does on paper. Roundabout is also classic but possibly overplayed (by me), and there is some clever use of stereo separation. On the whole though, ditching Kaye for Wakeman wasn't the greatest move, even though Wakeman is a superb keys man.
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Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: September 13 2018 at 23:48
| I would argue this has the best Yes tracks although a bit rough round the edges at times. Best prog line up of all time imo. |
Posted By: Mortte
Date Posted: September 14 2018 at 02:02
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Posted By: Maruder
Date Posted: September 14 2018 at 02:14
| For me, one of the best (like little more of also great Close). Anderson's vocal in large quantities is very tough. Instrumentally - virtuso. |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: September 14 2018 at 20:53
Indeed 
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Posted By: bender99
Date Posted: September 14 2018 at 21:00
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Fragile is the album that got me into Yes, but I'd rank it behind CTTE and the Yes Album in my own personal order. In terms of individual tracks, it undoubtedly has some of their best, but a number of the solo spots let it down in my opinion - as was already previously said: a bit rough round the edges
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Posted By: Fischman
Date Posted: September 15 2018 at 05:58
That matches my experience and thoughts almost exactly. |