[.ca] Fragile (DVD Audio)

With the 1972 release of Fragile, Yes established themselves as one of the most progressive rock bands on the scene. With the recent addition of towering, silver-caped Rick Wakeman on keyboards, they raised their innovative brand of music to even dizzier heights. "Roundabout," which is still a standard on classic rock playlists, is an unusual track, coming in under four minutes, while "Heart of the Sunrise"--with its varied constituents molded together perfectly--goes on for as long as it needs.--Paul Clark

From Amazon.co.uk:
With the 1972 release of Fragile, Yes established themselves as one of the most progressive rock bands on the scene. With the recent addition of towering, silver-caped Rick Wakeman on keyboards, they raised their innovative brand of music to even dizzier heights. "Roundabout", which is still a standard on classic rock playlists, is an unusual track, coming in under four minutes, while "Heart of the Sunrise"--with its varied constituents molded together perfectly--goes on for as long as it needs.--Paul Clark

One of Yes' Best Works:
The reviewers below really hit it dead on: this is not Yes' most cohesive or best album, but it still is one of the essential albums in any rock collection. Every member of Yes is incredibly talented: Jon Anderson's raspy voice sounds like two people singing at the same time; Chris Squire plays bass as if it was a lead instrument; Steve Howe's guitar at times rings with classical underpinnings and at other times rips out overwhelming lightning fast rock riffs; Wakeman's only peer on keyboards is Keith Emerson; and I suspect Bill Bruford is one of the few drummers who could possibly anchor this much talent. Without reviewing the songs individually, the music is some of the most complex to be produced by a mainstream rock band with extended instrumental passages which paint great musical landscapes. The lyrics are pure poetry, the meaning of which is not always ascertainable. In a way this enhances the band in that it allows Jon Anderson's voice to be a musical instrument communicating pure emotion without the necessity of resorting to the meaning of the words he is voicing. Amazingly, 30 years after this album was released, YES! can still fill the 2500 seat Universal Amputheater in Los Angeles, with seats going for an average of $... a pop. That says a lot for the quality of the musicians and their compositions. And that is why this album is essential to a music collection. Why buy the DVD-Audio? CDs are harsh and brittle. They produce listening fatigue in minutes, and have always left me fiddling with the trebble in a feeble attempt correct the uncorrectable sound. Nothing worked. So, for serious music appreciation, I needed to resort to the long playing vinyl album. These have their own problems such as limited dynamic range, transient distortion, poor pressing quality, tape hiss and noise, scratches and thousands of pops and ticks, rumble, wow and flutter, and expensive playback equipment which needed care and tuning. And worst of all, I had to get up to flip the album half-way through! DVD-Audio and SACDs fix these problems. Initially, I put on the CD of Yes' "Close to the Edge" just to assure myself that CDs aren't for extended listening. I then played the DVD-A and the vinyl of Fragile at the same time and flipped back and forth. The stereo track on the DVD-A revealed instruments which were burried on the vinyl: Steve Howe's guitar has a beautiful warmth to it which is missing on the vinyl -- the ring and sustain of the guitar notes at the beginning of Roundabout held on longer; the echo from the room in which Anderson was singing became more apparent; Wakeman's synthesizers sounded crystaline without harshness; and you could hear with clarity the wood of Bruford's sticks as they hit the rim of a drum. The 5.1 track reveals even more, most notably in "Cans and Brahms" when Wakeman hits a deep bass organ peddle and the room vibrates. A must have album. If you have a DVD player, I also recommend Yes Live at the House of Blues and Keys to Ascension.

Yes's third best LP:
Some very well written reviews already appear in this list. As a long time Yes fan (Yes, I remember when this one hit the shelves), Fragile stands out as a classic LP. The only other two that top it for me are The Yes Album (1971) and Close to the Edge (1973). And, I would have to rate the compilation album "Yesterdays" a fourth best. I too feel that Kaye was underrated. It may have taken this album for Wakeman to get comfy in Yes. By the time Close to the Edge rolled around, he had found himself. For that reason, I would say that Fragile was a transitional ablum for this group. Its too bad that they went down the tubes just a few years later with Relayer in '74.

in Top 10 of Best Rock CDs ever:
To "Duran Duran's Greatest Fan" (the ONLY fan they had)...Justin Timberlake is better than Yes? What are you smoking? The only thing Timberlake will ever be known for is the Janet Jackson debacle. And yes I am old and proud of it...music from the 60s and 70s was way better than the junk that passes for music these days. Spears & Aguilera have no talent except for taking their clothes off, but musically, forget it. YES rules!!!!

Some Highs But Other Fragile Moments:
Many people revere Fragile by Yes as the groups crowning achievement. I do admit Roundabout is a stunning piece of music. In addition, there are other notable moments such as the compelling Southside of the Sky,Wakeman's delightful Cans and Brahms the pretty acoustic number Mood For A Day, and the radio friendly Long Distane Runaround. However, there are way too many filler pieces. We Have Heaven is just plain annoying with Jon Anderson's repetitive vocals. Five Per Cent For Nothing has potential but 35 seconds does not a song make. This song surely could have been ellabroated into a three minute jam while the slightly overlong Heart Of The Sunrise should have definitely been cut down. Chris Squire's The Fish is a bit on the drab side. The good does slightly outweigh the bad. However, I definitely prefer The Yes Album to this inconsistent release.

In A "Roundabout" Way:
Like most Yes Fans, Fragile is what made a believer out of me! The first time I heard "Roundabout" was at a 70's party about 2 years ago.I was instantly hooked on that song and thus began my quest to collect this disc and other Yes recordings. Fragile rocks like no other album! "South Side Of The Sky" is prime prog-rock, "Long Distance Runaround" is both catchy & clever, but the album closes with one of the many Yes long-form classics, "Heart Of The Sunrise"! That track alone is worth the purchase of this disc! They Just Don't Make Music Like This Anymore!

• Roundabout
• Cans and Brahms
• We Have Heaven
• South Side of the Sky
• Five Per Cent for Nothing
• Long Distance Runaround
• Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)
• Mood for a Day
• Heart of the Sunrise
• America \o*\c