Fragile

Artist: Yes
Album: Fragile
Release Year: 1971
Genres: progressive rock

1) Roundabout; 2) Cans and Brahms; 3) We Have Heaven; 4) South Side of the Sky; 5) Ten Per Cent of Nothing; 6) Long Distance Runaround; 7) The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus); 8) Mood for a Day; 9) Heart of the Sunrise.

Best Song: Roundabout

If you ever wanted to acquaint yourself with both the best and the worst aspects of progressive rock, I see no better candidate to demonstrate them than Yes. During their "classic" period from 1969-1974, they released seven albums, all of which (except maybe Time and a Word) tried to be "epic" on some level, featuring amazing song lengths, frequent and unpredictable time-signature changes, dizzying instrumental passages, and Jon Anderson's mind-screwing lyrics. Yeah, these guys have gotten their heads up their collective ass plenty of times, but I actually applaud them for doing that when they produce something as good as Fragile.

The very best progressive albums have a concept, a unifying theme, and I've heard at least a few people call Fragile an environmentalist project. Yeah, okay, there's a picture of Earth on the front...but where else do they get that idea from? If you ask me, there are no consistent lyrical themes, because Jon Anderson doesn't write lyrics for their literal meaning. Instead, he uses them as another sort of instrument, arranging them for their composite sound, their effect on the listener when combined with the music. No, this album's theme lies in the music itself. It's hard to pin down, so I'm going to borrow George Starostin's take on the recurring motif: movement. The music is always moving, but it's more than that: it's taking us on a journey around the world, giving us as many vantage points as possible, and it's never, ever boring.

There's a lot of diversity in the melodies and structures, which makes the album such a joy to listen to. A band like Yes runs a great risk of becoming tiresome if they play the same way for forty minutes, so I'm sure glad they decided to mix it up on here. We start with the sunny, enthusiastic "Roundabout," make our way to the desperate "South Side of the Sky," hit an amazing groove with "Schindleria Praematurus" (I love how musical they make scientific names), and reach a warm, rousing conclusion with "Heart of the Sunrise." The sense of ascension (toward "the chair that really fits you," then to the sun itself) in that song is really nice, even if it is a bit overlong.

Oh, and the members each have their little solo spots on this album too, like the bittersweet acoustic guitar workout "Mood for a Day" (my second favorite), or the brilliant vocal layering of "We Have Heaven." Maybe the solo spots are what make this album so good: they gave the individual members a chance to vent their huge egos in preparation for the larger collaborations. I mean, this is still a Yes album, so it's going to be at least a little pretentious. Some of the atmospheric and instrumental passages may or may not seem too long to sit through, but I don't mind them because they work as a part of the larger piece. So rock on, Yes, and remember not to devolve into a lame new-wave band. Oh, wait...

Rating: 8.5