Fragile is the fourth album by British progressive rock band Yes, After "Yes", "Time and a Word" and "The Yes Album". It is best known for the song "Roundabout", which was released in an edited version as a U.S. single and became one of the band's best-known songs. This was Rick Wakeman's first album with Yes and also their first trans-atlantic Top 10 release.
Fragile was issued in the UK in November 1971, but was held back in North America for two months because of the still-growing momentum of The Yes Album.
Unlike Yes' previous releases, this album showcased the band members' solo talents. "Cans and Brahms" is a piece by Johannes Brahms, consisting of extracts from the third movement of Brahms' 4th Symphony in E minor, arranged by Rick Wakeman; "We Have Heaven" is a Jon Anderson solo in which he sings all the vocal parts (a technique he later used on his solo album Olias of Sunhillow); while "Five Per Cent for Nothing", "The Fish" and "Mood for a Day" are solo pieces by Bill Bruford, Chris Squire and Steve Howe, respectively. The remaining songs are all group performances.
Work on the material began while Tony Kaye was still in the band. In a 2006 interview, he said, "I did rehearse Fragile before I left. I left in the middle." Kaye left the band and Wakeman was recruited.
A DVD-Audio version of the album was released in 2002, featuring Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound mixes and other additional features. The bonus track "America" features additional vocals in the last minute of the song which are not present in the 1972 release.
On November 7, 2006, two audiophile remasters of the album were released: an Ultradisc II Gold CD version by the Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, and a 180 gram vinyl LP version by Steve Hoffman, to be released on Analogue Productions.
Track listing
Side one
1. "Roundabout" (Jon Anderson/Steve Howe) – 8:30
2. "Cans and Brahms" (Johannes Brahms, Arr. Rick Wakeman) – 1:38
3. "We Have Heaven" (Jon Anderson) – 1:40
4. "South Side of the Sky" (Jon Anderson/Chris Squire) – 8:02
Side two
1. "Five Per Cent for Nothing" (Bill Bruford) – 0:35
2. "Long Distance Runaround" (Jon Anderson) – 3:30
3. "The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)" (Chris Squire) – 2:39
4. "Mood for a Day" (Steve Howe) – 3:00
5. "Heart of the Sunrise" (Jon Anderson/Chris Squire/Bill Bruford) – 11:27
2003 Re-master bonus tracks
10. "America" (Paul Simon) – 10:33
11. "Roundabout (early rough mix)" (Jon Anderson/Steve Howe) – 8:35
Chart Success
Fragile (Atlantic 2401 019) reached #7 in the UK. It also reached #4 in the U.S. during a chart stay of 46 weeks.
Trivia
Steve Howe's use of harmonics on the acoustic guitar for the intro of "Roundabout" would become one of his most signature pieces of guitar work.
Rick Wakeman contributed to the writing of "South Side of the Sky" and "Heart of the Sunrise", adding piano interludes to both songs, but wasn't credited due to contractual conflicts. He was instead promised more money by Atlantic studio executives, which he claims he never saw.
In the film School of Rock, Fragile is given to the keyboardist Lawrence as he is told to listen to "Roundabout". Jack Black's character Dewey Finn tells Lawrence to listen to Rick Wakeman's Hammond organ solo on Roundabout and it would "blow the classical music right out your butt". On the commentary track for the DVD release of the film, Black states that the solo is his personal favorite keyboard solo.
In 1998 the track "Heart of the Sunrise" was used in the film Buffalo '66.
Personnel
* Jon Anderson: Vocals
* Chris Squire: Bass guitars, vocals
* Steve Howe: Electric and acoustic guitars, vocals
* Rick Wakeman: Hammond Organ, Grand piano, RMI Electra-piano and Harpsichord, Mellotron, Moog Synthesizer
* Bill Bruford: Drums, Percussion
Artwork
The cover design by Roger Dean depicts a tiny planet on the front. On the back, the planet has begun to break up and the population is escaping in a wooden space glider - a concept that was to inspire Anderson's Olias of Sunhillow, as well as the film Floating Islands. The artwork of Yessongs is believed to continue the narrative.
The LP's accompanying promotional booklet contains two additional Dean paintings; the front cover depicts five different creatures huddled under a root system; the back cover depicts a person climbing up a rock formation.
The inside of the promotional booklet consists of several different photographs of the band members interspersed with smaller Dean illustrations and photographs of their wives (including Jenny Anderson and Nikki Squire) and children.
On Wakeman's allotted page he features a photograph of his dog along with a list thanking everyone who helped further his musical career. Notably, he remarks "God Bless Brentford Football Club" (he now supports Manchester City F.C. after a dispute), along with "P.S. One future offspring." (Wakeman has had six children).
Recording technology and production methods
Recorded in September 1971 at Advision Studios in London, the album is an analog multi-track production. Standard multi-track methods were employed, such as overdubbing, including a clever flipping of the master multi-track tape to record the backwards piano, cued by Steve Howe's guitar, for the beginning of Roundabout.
Reissues
1986 - Atlantic - CD
1993 - Atlantic - CD (Remastered Gold Edition)
1994 - Atlantic - CD (Remastered)
2002 - Elektra / Rhino - CD (DVD-Audio with Bonus Track)
2003 - Rhino - CD (Remastered with Bonus Tracks)
2006 - Analogue Productions - LP (Audiophile Remaster)
2006 - Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab - CD (Ultradisc II Gold )
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Yes is a British progressive rock band which formed in London, United Kingdom in 1968. They are best known for 1970's "I've Seen All Good People", the 1972 9-minute US Top 20 smash "Roundabout" and their 1983 #1 hit "Owner Of A Lonely Heart". Despite many lineup changes, occasional splits and the influence of the many changes in popular music, the band has endured for 40 years and still retains a strong international following. Their music is marked by sharp dynamic contrasts, lush harmonies, often extended song lengths and a general showcasing of members' instrumental prowess. Arguably one of the most musically ambitious bands of their genre, Yes manages to use symphonic and other so-called "classical" structures with their own blend of musical styles - including some innovations - in a happy constructive "marriage" of music.
The original line-up consisted of Jon Anderson (vocals), Chris Squire (bass, vocals), Peter Banks (guitar, vocals), Tony Kaye (keyboards), and Bill Bruford (drums). Personnel changes brought musicians Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman into the group in 1970 and 1971 respectively. Steve Howe appears on the cover of Time and a Word, even though soon-to-be-ousted Pete Banks is the guitarist on the album. Alan White then replaced Bill Bruford in 1972. These changes had arguably the biggest influence on their music and subsequent success. The early 1970's saw Yes as one of the few influential mainstream progressive acts.
For some fans, the double-album, four-track 1973 recording Tales from Topographic Oceans - symphonic and oddly mystical, marked a point of departure. It generally received a critical mauling in the press yet went straight to No. 1 in the UK album charts. Those listeners taken by the Tales album would be enthralled by 1974's Relayer - the only album that Patrick Moraz played keyboards on - which mixed progressive rock and a jazz fusion style that at times was very free in tunes such as "The Gates of Delirium". Far from their pop beginnings, this album marked a milestone for the band and for progressive rock as a whole.
During the rise of the progressive genre, Yes pioneered the use of synthesizers and sound effects, gaining large popularity with their unique brand of mysticism and grand-scale compositions. Fragile (1971) and Close to the Edge (1972) are considered their best works - symphonic, complex, cerebral, spiritual and moving. These albums featured beautiful harmonies and strong, occasionally heavy playing. Also, Fragile contained the popular hit song "Roundabout". With the advent of punk in 1977, many considered progressive rock dead in the water. Yes, however, proved them wrong by releasing one of their most successful albums - Going for the One, which contained "Awaken", a rhythmic tour-de-force.
In 1979, Anderson and Wakeman left the band after unsuccessful recording sessions in Paris. Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes (from the new-wave band The Buggles of "Video Killed The Radio Star" fame) were recruited to replace them, and the band recorded Drama, their first album without Anderson on vocals. The resulting sound was much heavier than previous albums, particularly the opening track Machine Messiah, and a strong synth-pop influence due to the involvement of Downes and Horn, which drew some criticism and the dismissive label "Yuggles". While the new Yes was well-received in America, the band encountered more hostile audiences in England. The group split up in 1981.
The band reformed in 1983 with a new lineup featuring Squire, White, South African guitarist Trevor Rabin, and the return of Jon Anderson on vocals and Tony Kaye on keyboards. This line-up, which was eventually nicknamed "Yes West", recorded 90125 and Big Generator and enjoyed a resurgence in popularity. During these years, Yes championed digital sampling technologies and sold millions of records, influencing a generation of digital musicians with hits such as "Owner of a Lonely Heart" and "Rhythm of Love".
By the end of the 1980s, Jon Anderson formed a side project with former Yes members Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman and Bill Bruford, releasing Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe in 1989. This led to a merger in 1990 and the album Union and the following tour with all 8 members. However, while the tour and album were commercial successes, many of the band members were dissatisfied with the album. Union was comprised of a demo recorded by the "Yes West" lineup attached to what was originally recorded as the second Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe album, and was finished using session musicians. Bruford has disowned the album entirely, and Wakeman was reportedly unable to recognise any of his keyboard work in the final edit.
The "Yes West" lineup went on to release Talk in 1994, but sales were poor, and in 1995 Rabin and Kaye left the band. Howe and Wakeman re-joined to produce the albums Keys To Ascension in 1996 and Keys To Ascension 2 in 1997, which featured both live performances and new studio tracks, returning to their progressive style of the 1970s. Wakeman left the band shortly thereafter due to disagreements about the albums and tour.
The band collaborated with Billy Sherwood to produce the album Open Your Eyes in 1998, and Sherwood became an official member at the end of the sessions due to his significant contributions. Igor Khoroshev also performed on a few tracks and performed on the following tour, eventually becoming a full member as well.
Moving through the 1990s and into the new millennium, the band has moved back towards progressive influenced music and today keeps pushing the boundaries by using the latest hard-disk recording techniques.
In 1999 they worked with Relic Entertainment, providing the song "Homeworld (The Ladder)" for the PC game Homeworld. Although Sierra Entertainment later released a CD with the soundtrack they, for no apparent reason, chose not to include this song on the CD. It can however be found on the 1999 album The Ladder.
After the departure of Sherwood in 2000 and Khoroshev in 2001, Yes recorded Magnification in 2001 without a keyboardist, instead featuring a full orchestra. Rick Wakeman re-joined the band the next year, and in 2003 the band recorded five tracks that were added as a 3rd CD in the compilation Ultimate Yes: 35th Anniversay Collection, including acoustic versions of "Roundabout" and "South Side of the Sky".
In 2008, when the band was about to begin their 40th anniversary tour, Jon Anderson suffered from a throat infection and was unable to participate. Benoit David, from Yes tribute band Close To The Edge, was recruited to fill in on vocals for the tour. In 2009, he was named as Anderson's permanent replacement. Rick Wakeman's son Oliver Wakeman also joined the band on keyboards.
The band recorded Fly From Here in 2011, their first new album in 10 years, with David on vocals and Trevor Horn as producer. Before the album was completed, Wakeman was replaced by Geoff Downes, bringing together the Drama lineup and a similar sound. The title track was originally conceived in 1981, and it was refined and extended into 20-minute six-part epic.
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