fragile (thing)

Personnel

• Jon Anderson on vocals
• Chris Squire on bass and vocals
• Steve Howe on guitars and vocals
• Bill Bruford on drums and percussion
• Rick Wakeman on all sorts of keyboards, organs, synthesizers, etc.

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

From the liner notes of the album:

"Five tracks on this album are the individual ideas, personally arranged and organised by the five members of the Band. Cans and Brahms is an adaptation by Rick Wakeman on which he plays electric piano taking the part of the strings, grand piano electric harpsichord taking reeds, and synthesizer taking contra bassoon. We Have Heaven is a personal idea by Jon Anderson in which he sings all the vocal parts. Five Per Cent for Nothing is a sixteen bar tune by Bill Bruford, played twice by the Group, and taken directly from the percussion line. In Chris Squire's The Fish, each riff, rhythm, and melody is produced using the different sounds of the bass guitar. Steve Howe concludes with a solo guitar piece Mood for a Day. The remaining tracks on the album are Group arranged and performed."

My Thoughts

   This is Yes. One of their finest albums, and perhaps the most well received, to date. Steve and Chris chug away throughout whole album, Rick's swirling keyboards are mystifying, Bill thumps as tight as ever, and Jon redefines what progressive rock vocals are supposed to sound like.