FRAGILE

This is the album which catapulted Yes light years ahead of any of it`s contemporaries and into prog-rock folklore. Arguably, along with In The Court of the Crimson KIng, one of the most important works of the genre and a template for further Yes explorations throughout the 1970`s.

From the onset Yes had been creating structured rock music which featured all sorts of classically influenced components with full group harmonies combined with top flight musicianship. Fragile brought this approach to yet another level. Keyboard player Tony Kaye who was adverse to advancements in music technology being made in the early seventies and preferred to be in the background rather than playing in long drawn out showpieces was replaced by Rick Wakeman. Wakeman who was classically trained and had previously played with the art rock band The Strawbs showed up with a truckload of synths, organs and mellotrons which made him more suitable for the more intricate musical ambitions Yes were striving for at the time. Drummer Bill Bruford would remark years later, "...you kicked out the guy you started out with and got a better guy. Terrible isn`t it ? Terrible but true. " This was pretty much the same thing which happened to Peter Banks when he was replaced by the more versatile Steve Howe on guitars on the previous "Yes Album." The framework was set.

Musically and lyrically the album soared over mountain ranges and enabled the members to showcase their individual musical prowess as composers as well as part of a full group effort.While this was over-quoted by critics of the day to be "self indulgent" or "pretentious" the solo compositions gave indications of each member`s musical inspirations and feelings which sort of demonstrated how each interlocked into the Yes concept.

On the solo tracks the listener will hear flamenco influenced guitar stylings ( Mood For a Day), borrowed classical themes (Brahms & Cans ) as well as some tongue in cheek wackiness ( Five Percent For Nothing). Even bass player Chris squire offers a jazz influenced bass composition entitled The Fish ( his nickname ) which gave credence to the importance of this instrument in Yes music while Jon Anderson`s We Have Heaven demonstrates how his beautifully layered voicings became a Yes trademark.

The full group tracks contain movements or sections reminiscient of classical suites which were written in the 1800`s to indicate different moods or settings which occured in each piece. The lyrics feature earthly, mystical and cosmic themes which would become prevelant in subsequent Yes work. The accomanying music covered a wide spectrum from heavy jazz-rock like riffs and melodic interludes and gave opportunity for every one in the band to shine without getting in each others way in the full group format.

The stand out pieces are the bass driven Heart of the Sunrise and of course, Roundabout which hit # 13 on the American pop charts in early 1972 ( albeit in a shortened version ) and remains the most frequently played Yes song from their early years on classic rock stations. Despite it`s mass appeal the complexities of this piece deserve a brief examination. It is essentially a perfect game set & match group piece dominated by an irregular beat pattern with two distinct movements which repeat each other interspersed with some dynamic guitar and keyboard solo work and finishing off with the initial musical idea. The lyrics can be interpreted many ways but the original meaning was revealed by Jon Anderson. They were written by Jon Anderson and Steve Howe while driving through Scotland in their tour bus on their way back to London via Glasgow and make dreamy references to the passing landscape. The title itself refers to a Roundabout ( a traffic circle ) they had to negotiate in order to hook on to the last leg of their 24 hr. journey back to London. Art rock lyrics just don`t get any more artsy.

Also worth mentioning is engineer Eddie Orford`s mixing board wizardry with tape and echo effects which can be heard throughout the work. Roger Dean`s artwork appropriately compliments the music with a sureal painting of an imaginary sailing vessel delicately navigating it`s way over a fragile newborn world, the first of many covers he would create for the band.If you can get hold of an original vinyl pressing it comes with a cool booklet with additional Roger Dean artwork.

Minimilistic and complex at the same time this pivotal album is a hands down 5 star recommendation starting gate for anyone wanting a first taste of this monumental progressive rock band.

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