FRAGILE

One of the many characteristics I love about Yes' music is that it blended classical elements into the rock format. It did take a while for Yes to catch on, as its first two albums were commercial failures and it was their third that basically ensured their lengthy career. The band's fourth, "Fragile" is one of their best for many groundbreaking reasons. It was the first to feature keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman (one of prog's best keyboardists ) and the first to introduce Roger Dean's surrealistic otherworldly artwork (after all, the two go hand-in-hand). A brave record, "Fragile" contained individual pieces that gave each member a chance to shine, as well as the group efforts such as "Roundabout" and "Heart of the Sunrise". The instrumentation was superb; I especially like Chris Squire's distorted bass on "The Fish" and Steve Howe is an exceptional guitarist whose instrumental showcases never cease to awe. "Mood For A Day" is a notable successor to the previous set's "Clap". "Fragile" deserves a place in every prog rock fan's collection and keep tabs on that splintering planet. for a fitting conclusion I say this, In the movie "School of Rock" a parent furious with the teacher (Jack Black) holds up a CD copy of Fragile and says "How is this homework". I would say because its a classic prog album that children around the world should hear. 4.5

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