Fragile vs. Close to the Edge?

[jwr2]

I like Fragile better than Close to the Edge ... I also really like the Yes version of America and I really like 90125

[johnallg]

... I also really like the Yes version of America

From the first time I heard this song by Yes, I've been hooked (Yesterdays album - long version). To me it is the classic lineup really cookin' as only they could. For fun, I play S&G's original then the yes version.

[2112]

YES! The tone that Chris Squire gets from his Rickenbacker in "America" is awesome!

[just_bassics]

YES! The tone that Chris Squire gets from his Rickenbacker in "America" is awesome!

The last thing Bill Bruford recorded before leaving for King Krimson, acc. to Steve Howe

[johnallg]

YES! The tone that Chris Squire gets from his Rickenbacker in "America" is awesome!

The last thing Bill Bruford recorded before leaving for King Krimson, acc. to Steve Howe

Great way to go out. They are so tight.

[gibsonlp]

Close to the Edge (the song) makes me shed a tear almost every time.

So Close to the Edge.

[bob_atherton]

I've come to this rather late, but it just has to be Fragile. CTTE is great but Fragile is a rung or two up for me. Also the recording quality of Fragile is much better, I think there was quite a degree of tape saturation on CTTE.

[jwr2]

Parts of CTTE are brilliant but parts aren't so good ... the part where they plunk simple chords and sing "I get up, I get down" is kinda boring to me ...

Also the bass tone on Fragile is perfect ...

[haw]

The most shocking moment was in 1980 in NYC when after I saw PUBLIC IMAGE LTD play a fantastic set of very crude and raw noise influence music, I wound up at a house party with Keith Levene the guitarist from PIL. We were talking about things and music and somebody interrupted us and said to Keith, “don’t listen to Gallo, he doesn’t know anything about music, his favorite band is YES”. I thought Keith would respond poorly. Instead, he told me they were his favorite band and that Steve Howe was his favorite guitar player of all time. I can’t explain why, but having Keith Levene say that to me, I mean Keith Levene, a founding member of THE CLASH and member of PIL.

Always wondered whatever happened to him. Remember seeing PiL playing "Careering" on an Old Grey Whistle Test DVD. Devastating stuff, Levene alternating between chugging away on a mental Bo Diddly-esque guitar and banging on a Prophet.

Not everyone's cup of tea, but definitely grabbed me.

[seyesbass]

America was released on the New Age Of Atlantic sampler LP before CTTE came out.
Its a really great sound and there are some promo clips of those sessions on youtube.
The re-mastered CDs bring out the best of that track.
I wish record labels would do more albums like those Atlantic and Island Records samplers.
There was a chance of hearing bands play tracks that were either going to be on the next album or better still tracks that were never going to be on an album
but were part of the live show...which America was for Yes.

[haw]

America was released on the New Age Of Atlantic sampler LP before CTTE came out.
Its a really great sound and there are some promo clips of those sessions on youtube.
The re-mastered CDs bring out the best of that track.
I wish record labels would do more albums like those Atlantic and Island Records samplers.
There was a chance of hearing bands play tracks that were either going to be on the next album or better still tracks that were never going to be on an album
but were part of the live show...which America was for Yes.

The bass sound on that one song is absolutely killer, you know that at that moment he's at the top of his game and you can hear that Bruford and him are bringing out the best in each other's playing. It's rare to hear a rhythm section feeding off each other for ideas so successfully and sounding so adventurous. The section before Chris drops in the West Side Story homage is a good example- Bruford play a snare flourish every four bars and Chris complements it by following him reaching the top of the fretboard each time. A total joy on the ears.

Yeah, the concept of Sampler Albums seemed to die a death around the start of the 80's, small indie labels were still sort of doing it up to the mid-80's but I can't recall any bigger labels carrying it on.

I have an Age of Atlantic LP with 'Survival' on it. When I got it about 13 years ago, it was the first time I'd heard Yes without Steve Howe!! It also has an absolutely bonkers cover of a Stones song by Iron Butterfly.

In fact, I'm off to play it now. Not heard it in ages. Might play America first though.

[just_bassics]

I had been listening to "America" for years, when one day the West Side Story quote on Chris' bass just hit me! I'd never caught it before and it cracked me up!

[bassbob]

My vote goes to Fragile, but like the rest of you I think Close to the edge is great too.

[yesmrsquire]

Fragile, i think is mainly lets show the world what each of us can do kind of record.
Close to the edge is lets show the world what we can do when we play together kind of record.
Myself? I prefer Close to the edge.

[pacealot]

A toughie...

I think I prefer the bass sound of Fragile, particularly how it is mixed as far forward as it is without seeming excessive or detracting from the guitar or keyboards. A remarkable feat! (Thank you, Eddie Offord.)

However, I think I prefer Close To The Edge as an overall band artistic statement, and to listen to for deep enjoyment when I'm not merely trying to squeeze out another droplet of insight into to "how he got that sound."

So, in other words, my vote is for The Yes Album!!