There are so many albums and musicians for us to be thankful for. One of the albums I am thankful for has had heavy rotation on my turntable since I first heard it over 50 years ago.
Fragile was released 53 years ago today. Prog rock has its seminal albums by luminaries such as Genesis, Rush, ELP, and King Crimson. But if I could choose only one prog rock album to take to a desert island, it would still be Fragile by Yes.
Fragile has so many OMG sound-collages. Of course, the blockbuster is Roundabout. Steve Howe’s absolutely brilliant guitar work with Rick Wakeman creating a Moog tapestry of sounds set the stage for those ethereal vocals by Jon, Chris and Steve. And lest we forget the truly unique Chris Squire’s memorable bass lines and the drumming of a 22 year-old Bill Bruford. Truly an exceptional classic rock song on every level.
Next, Rick does his Brahms thing followed by Jon doing his voices of the angels impression. But then we get the second blockbuster of side one, South Side of the Sky. It’s one of those songs that I feel sorry for people who have never heard it. Want to know where Floyd got the idea for the sound effects in Breathe and On the Run? From those iconic footsteps and barrages of wind on South Side of the Sky. Where did Jan Hammer get inspiration for his iconic piano work on Spectrum? From Rick’s motifs during the quiet section of South Side of the Sky. Trippy music made by true virtuoso, classically-trained musicians.
Side two of the album is just a notch below the first. Long Distance Runaround is very good and Mood for a Day is, along with Little Martha and Bron-Yr-Aur, my favorite acoustic guitar instrumental from the 1970s. Side two, though, closes with another extended masterpiece, Heart of the Sunrise. It never gets old listening to songs where the instruments seem to be in a race with each other, but done tastefully. There are moments of magic in this song, one being when, in the final chorus, Jon starts singing, “How can the wind with its arms all around me,” after which Steve goes flying up the neck while the rest of the band blends into a pastel of sound.
There are far too few studio albums with three exceptional extended tracks. But when a really talented band brings on a really talented new member, they often synthesize to create their best work. Stones added Mick Taylor, we got Sticky Fingers. Moody Blues added Justin Hayward, we got Days of Future Passed. Jefferson Airplane added Grace Slick, we got Surrealistic Pillow. Eagles added Joe Walsh, we got Hotel California. AC/DC added Brian Johnson, we got Back in Black. When Yes added Rick Wakeman, we got Fragile.
Thank you, God.
