yes FRAGILE

it's going to be tough to choose between roundabout and south side

long distance runaround!!!

Voting for South Side because it is such a great song, but so often overshadowed by the bigger hit tracks. Love all of Howe's interjections in the verses, and Bruford's drumming is totally badass. A real gritty, chugging song for Yes.

I probably mentioned it in the classic rock poll thread a few years back but I didn't realize just how heroic Steve Howe's performance on Roundabout was until I watched a live video. The man also has A+++ guitar faces.

https://media.giphy.com/media/oyKYalqZO274KPtm1B/giphy.gif

I remember trying to learn "Roundabout" on guitar and struggling mightily. Howe must have some really long fingers.

'South Side of the Sky' is the one that gets stuck in my head the most from this, so that.

Not that I know a lot of their work, but I still love "Roundabout" 46 years after I loved it on Top 40. Gone, gone, gone--couldn't get a song like that anywhere near the radio/charts/whatever today.

Yeah, it seems almost surreal that Close to the Edge was a top 5 album.

I'm not sure if I have ever listened to the single edit of "Roundabout"! Classic rock stations always play the album version ime.

South Side of the Sky

first time I heard "Roundabout" I wondered why they'd borrowed the intro of "From the Beginning" even though it was definitely the other way around

still weird to have two radio hits begin the exact same way

I've been faked out by that too.

Had to be Roundabout, that bassline is so fun to play. But for the most part I don't think this album stacks up against their other albums from their good era, Yes don't really work in short-form for me. But The Fish is pretty cool, it sounds surprisingly ahead of its time I think, you can almost hear Tool being invented.

first time I heard "Roundabout" I wondered why they'd borrowed the intro of "From the Beginning" even though it was definitely the other way around

The only ELP I know is radio ELP, but I've never heard that song!

Love all of Howe's interjections in the verses

otm but still voted Heart

This album would be a perfect 10 if it lost the solo crap

The Fish is OK but the others are such a drag

True, the Wakeman and Brufors ones are my least favorite, others are fine.

Fine but unnecessary

the definition of filler

Heart of the Sunrise over South Side of the Sky because of the cheesy light entertainment section in the latter.

"We Have Heaven" is one of my favorites

I actually like how those short solo bits work to break up the longer compositions.

heart of the sunrise without a second's hesitation.

Going from Roundabout to Cans & Brahms as to be about the shittiest, biggest letdown first to second track transition ever.

*has to be

Definitely gonna put on either this or Close to the Edge on the way home now. Getting excited.

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Dreamer easy in the chair that really fits you

thought it was “dream more”

Dreamoire

that works

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otm

SHORP

"Dreamer" is what's printed in the sleeve of my LP.

You guys love Steve Howe and really have no affection for "Mood for a Day"? Learning the first part of it from a substitute guitar teacher is among a handful of happy memories I recall from Grade 9.

(Not saying it's a contender for my favourite track here tbc. That's really between "South Side of the Sky" and "Heart of the Sunrise".)

not specific to qualmsley but ppl need to stop with the 'poll closes in six months' shit

no one needs six months to mull over their favo(u)rite fragile track and i can't even remember what i voted for earlier this week for fuck's sake

i mean maybe s/he was aiming for may 11 but that's still way too long

"Mood For a Day" is fantastic. I don't relate to any of this anti-solo-tracks sentiment.

I too shake my head disapprovingly at the solo track haters.

love this fragile-era outtake
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH8x5_CPTIs

you haven't scaled the summits of existence until you've played 'roundabout' on a football field in a marching band

How did this arrangement treat the organ solo? The mind reels.

Wow at the outtake, I haven't really delved into much of that stuff unless it was bonus tracks on an album. Sounds like slightly like the end of Siberian Khatru.

I actually like how those short solo bits work to break up the longer compositions.

― No purposes. Sounds. (Sund4r), Friday, April 13, 2018 5:24 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Me too! The way the shorter tracks offer a little bit of breathing space from the big epics is part of what makes the album what it is. It's part of the character of Fragile.

How did this arrangement treat the organ solo? The mind reels.

ah, i would have to think about it, but lacking a guitarist they gave the opening bit to a flugelhorn soloist, who then soloed later on too in the guitar slot, maybe on trumpet, so i think probably the lead trombone took the other solo

That outtakes' lyrics and melody ended up on Topographic Oceans

no complaints about any of the solo jams, or the "we have heaven" reprise 28 years later

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhpnb5kLRRs

The fish is so cool

Btw I like having the date so far out. In six months we get to talk about this album all over again

I don't care if I am accused of being a popist, it is and will always be "Roundabout."

I was just about to say that I thought this one had been polled already, but then I realised it's the same poll!

Did Peart (or anyone) actually say "The Camera Eye" was an homage or was that a joke?

I don't know how long the Steven Wilson remixes have been on Spotify, but there they are.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Nice

haha wow

both choices are correct

nice

condolences 5und4r

I voted for "Sunrise"! And I like "Roundabout" a lot!

lmao accurate

a little surprised Long Distance Runaround trailed so far behind the other 3

poor 5%, it didn't deserve to tie with cans

schindleria præmaturus deserved slightly better

i always wind up listening to 5% four times in a row

It’s not that the songs that placed low are not good, it’s that the songs that placed high are monuments

Yeah, the top 4 (plus 'The Fish', which I see more as a coda to 'Long Distance Runaround' - can't have one without the other) are the real meat of this record. Anything additional is just highly listenable padding.

'Mood For A Day' isn't as enjoyable as 'Clap' but it's kinda funny seeing it only get one vote when I assume these are some very difficult songs to play.

(listening to them again) ... maybe 'Mood For A Day' is better

happy 47th birthday, FRAGILE!

wheres those tax returns wakeman

According to Anderson, the song is about being lost in the city.[2]

The song is about being the roundabout.

the sunshine -- in mountains sometimes lost
the river -- can disregard the cost

and melt in the sky -- the warmth when you die

cans & brahms 0

About right

Yes was a band that was partly great for reasons beyond the control of any of its members. The corny "give each member a feature" aspect of this album is evidence of just how questionable a lot of their ideas and taste were. I always pictured that as being Jon Anderson's influence although IDK for sure. Jon Anderson himself has a lot of lame tendencies (as does Rick Wakeman) and yet both work exceedingly well over that rhythm section.

i love heart of the sunrise so much

the 'give each member a feature' is a fun aspect of the album imo, and the fish and mood for a day stand pretty well on their own tbh.

it's filler, but sometimes it's nice to have some filler to welcome us into the band's sonic world.

I like all the solo bits, besides Wakemans. Mood for a Day is really pretty and I like The Fish has an extended coda to Long Distance Runaround. Even Jon's is pretty fun.

bruford's is kinda pointless, but it's also 30 seconds long, so it's fine.

the instrumental virtuosity each YES person performs here is more compelling and inspirational than "good taste" imho. i mean "heart of the sunrise", holy fuck

"We Have Heaven" is amazing.

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