This Day in Music History: Yes/Fragile (11/26)

Fragile is the fourth studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released in November 1971 on Atlantic Records. It is their first album recorded with keyboardist Rick Wakeman after the departure of Tony Kaye earlier in the year. It consists of nine tracks, four of which are group performances while five are solo features written by each member.

It marked the band's first collaboration with artist Roger Dean, who would design their logo and many of their future covers.

Fragile was the band's greatest commercial and critical success at the time of its release. It peaked at number 4 in the U.S. and number 7 in the UK. "Roundabout" was released as a single in the U.S. and is one of the band's best-known songs. The album is certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling over two million copies.

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This Day in Music History: Jon Anderson/Olias of Sunhillow (07/24)

When YES was on hiatus in 1975-76 each member of the band (Howe, Squire, White, Moraz) released a solo album. All would fail in comparison to Jon Anderson's Olias of Sunhillow, released on this day in 1976. Actually, in my opinion, this is the best of all of Anderson's solo albums to this day.

Olias of Sunhillow is a progressive rock concept album which tells the story of an alien race and their journey to a new world (the story printed in the LP jacket calls it "the earth", lowercase 'e') due to a volcanic catastrophe. Olias, the title character, is the chosen architect of the glider Moorglade Mover, which will be used to fly his people to their new home. Ranyart is the navigator for the glider, and Qoquaq (pronounced 'ko-quake') is the leader who unites the four tribes of Sunhillow to partake in the exodus.

The album's concept was inspired by the cover art by Roger Dean (!) for the 1971 Yes album Fragile, which depicts a tiny planet breaking apart and a glider escaping into space. Another link to Fragile lies in the fact that both albums have pieces (Fragile's "We Have Heaven") consisting of multiple vocal parts, with Anderson singing all of them. Anderson has stated that works by J.R.R. Tolkien and Vera Stanley Alder were also an influence, underlying the epic scope of the narrative compressed into the album. The album represented 8 months of physical work, but it took two years from conception to release. Anderson used more than a hundred tracks in putting the album together, overdubbing strings, organ, harp and percussion.

Since Anderson produced Olias soon after Vangelis had auditioned to be a part of Yes, there has been widespread speculation that Vangelis contributed to the album, with some fans going so far as to say that Olias represents the kind of sound that Yes would have created if Vangelis had in fact joined the band. However, both Vangelis and Anderson have denied that they collaborated on the album.

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Music Monday: Yes/Close to the Edge (Side One)

Well now we have reached the point where Yes is well established and start to expand their horizons. They have progressed to the point where some of their songs have gotten longer and longer (Heart of the Sunrise was over 10 minutes). This time, they created a piece of music that took up the entire length of side one. But first, the album cover:

Music Monday: Yes/Fragile (Side 2)

So now it's time to head on to Side 2 of Fragile. The back side of the album has even more artwork from Roger Dean, where the fragile planet is breaking apart and a ship (space ark?) is orbiting above it. This will come in to play on future album covers. The painting looks like this:

Music Monday: Yes/Fragile (Side One)

OMG! Fragile! I've been waiting to get to this one. This is one of my desert island albums. To me, this is when YES became YES. After upgrading guitar by Steve Howe on their last album, they upgraded keyboards a million times over with Rick Wakeman. Fragile is an album with four group efforts along with solo pieces from every member of the band. This is also the first time they used graphic artist Roger Dean to do their covers. I mean, look at it! (oh, that's what's on that t-shirt you wear all the time...) All the album covers from here on out tell a continuing story, beginning with the fragile planet here cracking up and exploding.



 He also did illustrations inside the album covers as well.

Now, on to Side 1 of the music. I was cruising some old country back roads in my old Plymouth Valiant, just enjoying some quiet weekend time when this first song came on the radio. I was captivated and had to find out who it was. This started my fascination with Yes.

Music Monday: Yes/The Yes Album (Side One)

Time for another weekly installment of Yes music. At this point we have moved forward to their third album, The Yes Album, which is their first to go platinum. To me, this is their first "modern" sounding music and basically every song is included on most greatest hits compilations. The main difference in sound can be attributed to Steve Howe and his outstanding guitar talents. Yes did a tour where they played this album in its entirety. This also started their tendency of fewer, but longer compositions with multiple sections. Side One has only three songs, but three classics.

The album cover is kinda weird, though it was 1971.

This Day in Music History (09/20): Yes/Tormato and Yes/The Ladder

On this day in music history, Yes was at it again (they love the month of September apparently) with not one, but two different albums released on this date.

First, in 1978, Yes released Tormato, which had a few decent ideas, but overall was basically crap.

The original album title was to be Yes Tor, referring to a geological formation in southern England. The photographs taken by Hipgnosis for the album cover were seen as so unimpressive that Rick Wakeman (RW!), in frustration, threw a tomato at the pictures. The cover and title were adjusted accordingly. No, really. That's how it got its name.

Friday and the Random 10 (Year of Hell Edition)

So if there was any good news at all coming out of 2016 it was that three of my favorite bands made it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Not that it matters much anyway, the place is a sham, but to be inducted this year are YES(!), Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), and Journey.

This week's countdown, and the first for 2017, will be 16 random songs from these bands and no one else. It's the only way to send out the Year of Hell*.

Let music take the pain of 2016 away!

Friday and the Random Ten (Chris Squire Edition)

It was a sad week in music for me as Chris Squire, bass player extraordinaire for my favorite band YES, passed away suddenly from Leukemia at the age of 67. Since he was the only member who played on every album, this week's randomness will center solely on their music. Even though the Top 10 list from last week sent them to Exile Island, I am going to flip that around as the only music to be featured this week. It's my tribute to a great musician.

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Music Monday (The Ladder, Side 2)

So after covering side one, and trying to sort through the whole John Lennon/Yoko Ono thing (whut?), it is time to move on to the second half of The Ladder.

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Music Monday/Close to the Edge (Side 2)

Side 1 of CTTE was the title track that took up the entire side of the album. You can listen to that here, and also check out the lyrics over there to the right. Side 2 only contains two songs in itself. If you think only three songs on an entire album is weird, wait until next time when there's only four songs on a DOUBLE album, one on each side. But I digress...

When you unfold the outward cover of the album, this is what you find inside. More beautiful artwork from Roger Dean. I've read where this depicts a part of the planet from the Fragile cover as it's breaking apart. Another fantastic image.

Now onto the music:

1) And You and I - Another song with multiple parts. It describes Martin Luther (sad preacher nailed upon the colored door of time) and what I believe is a reference to Isaac Asimov's Foundation series (as a foundation left to create the spiral aim). Also, TV producer and writer Joss Whedon allegedly named his production company Mutant Enemy Productions after the line in this song (they'll be no mutant enemy that we shall certify).

I. Cord of Life

The song opens with Steve Howe tuning his guitar, and his voice can be heard at the beginning of the track, then playing mostly natural harmonics, played around what will become the central melody, using a 12-string acoustic guitar which quickly forms into a simple chord progression over distant organ chords. Then, the Moog enters for a simple solo, presenting a subsequent phrase, albeit differently arranged. The vocals begin at about 1:40. The line "All Complete in the sight of seeds of life with you" is sung, which is repeated throughout the song. At about 2:50, there's an distinct change: Anderson sings a sharper melody, accompanied by a second vocal track by Anderson harmonizing with himself, plus Chris Squire and Steve Howe providing a counter-melody and alternate lyrics.

II. Eclipse (Beginning at 3:47)

"Eclipse" is the slowest part of the song based on a measured and deliberate melody reminiscent of Sibelius. It is led by Rick Wakeman's epic Mellotron and Minimoog synthesizer. The lyrics are all from the first stanza of "The Cord of Life", but are sung in a different melody, which is also epic and slightly sad. Finally ending with the 12-string acoustic guitar leading into "The Preacher, The Teacher".

III. The Preacher, The Teacher (Beginning at 6:16)

The melody and lyrical structure is very similar (for the most part) to that of "The Cord of Life", with some variations. The exception is that "The Preacher, The Teacher" has a fast synthesizer solo by Rick Wakeman at one point during the song. The last stanza again consists of lines from "The Cord of Life", now sung in a different order and a completely different mood. At 8:34 there is a reprise of the previous section "Eclipse", which lasts until 9:12. The section ends with a cadenza-like orchestral statement, on Mellotron and Moog, reminiscent of neo-Wagnerian compositions from Strauss or Bruckner.

IV. Apocalypse (Beginning at 9:26)

"Apocalypse" is the shortest piece of the song, only about 40 seconds long, it consists only of four lines, accompanied only by Howe's guitars. The lyrics are taken from "Cord of Life", but are sung in the key of B, making them more upbeat:

And you and I climb, crossing the shapes of the morning.

And you and I reach over the sun for the river.

And you and I climb, clearer, towards the movement.

And you and I called over valleys of endless seas.

 2) Siberian Khatru - Shortest song on the album at 8:55. Pretty straightforward with the usual cosmic lyrics. Even to this day I don't know what a khatru is.

And that's it for Close to the Edge. Three cosmic songs that you have to really listen to over and over, especially because two of them contain multiple parts. To many, this was Yes at their peak and this album is considered their crowning achievement. I would put it behind the album that is coming next week. Until then...

Sound Chaser

This is a song that was recorded around the time of Fragile and/or Close to the Edge. I've already covered Fragile, here Side 1 and here Side 2. America shows up as bonus tracks in different versions on both of the re-mastered albums. It was another one of those songs taken by the band and "Yesified". The original is by Simon and Garfunkel and lasts 3:38. The Yes version is slightly longer at 10:32!

 

P.S. And do not forget to recommend this blog continues.

My Top 10 Favorite YES Album Covers

10) 90125 (1983)

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9) Classic Yes (1981)

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8) YesYears (1991)

Yellow City by Roger Dean

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7) Union (1991)

The Guardians by Roger Dean

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6) Close to the Edge (1972)

Inside cover (unfolded)

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5) Drama (1980)

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4) Relayer (1974)

Unfolded

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3) Fragile (1972)

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2) Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe (1989)

Blue Desert by Roger Dean

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1) Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973)

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