“Fragile” by Yes - album review

features in: Album Chart of 1971Album Chart of the Decade: 1970s1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die external-link.png

TJR says

Arriving in November, 1971, was the second album of the year from the ambitious and hard-working Yes. Spurred on by the success of “The Yes Album” in February, the Londoners wasted no time in producing an expensive follow-up, keen to explore new opportunities afforded by an attractive range of synthesizers, new to the market. Hammond man Tony Kaye wasn't up for it and he got the boot. As luck would have it, Rick Wakeman had recently parted company with The Strawbs, and he was drafted in toute-suite. The virtuoso applied his skills to the Hammond organ, grand piano, RMI 368 Electra-Piano and Harpsichord, Mellotron and Minimoog synthesiser. AND he was a showman. Bonus! It's expected that Punks like me will give the likes of Yes a good kicking, but I enjoyed 2 or 3 tracks on this set, all at the end of side two. Once again the album did well, placing in the UK Top 10. It seems that progressive-psyche-jazz-sci-fi albums in the UK Top 10 were now a normal occurrence. It's now their stated mission to become the world's number one band. Who will save us?

The Jukebox Rebel
27–Jan–2016

Tracklist
A1 [08:30] 3.6.png Yes - Roundabout (Jon Anderson, Steve Howe) Prog
A2 [01:38] 3.3.png Yes - Cans And Brahms (Johannes Brahms) Classical
A3 [01:40] 5.5.png Yes - We Have Heaven (Jon Anderson) Cerebral Pop
A4 [08:02] 3.6.png Yes - South Side Of The Sky (Jon Anderson, Chris Squire) Prog
B1 [00:35] 2.5.png Yes - Five Per Cent For Nothing (Bill Bruford) Prog
B2 [03:30] 4.3.png Yes - Long Distance Runaround (Jon Anderson) Prog
B3 [02:39] 7.2.png Yes - The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus) (Chris Squire) Trance Rock
B4 [03:00] 6.5.png Yes - Mood For A Day (Steve Howe) Contemporary Classical
B5 [11:27] 6.3.png Yes - Heart Of The Sunrise (Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Bill Bruford) Prog

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