CD Review

Stormbringer

Reviewed by Greger Rönnqvist

"one of the best tribute releases I've heard"

Fragile is a Yes tribute band from UK. They have released a CD titled

"Live At The Half Moon" which is recorded live at the Half Moon,

Herne Hill, London in June 8th 2000.

I'm quite skeptic about tribute bands. First of, why would anyone

want to listen to a copy of a band instead of the original? But most

of all, as in Fragile's case, why would anyone want to buy an album

with a tribute band? Personally I would've bought the original

releases instead. Actually, as I'm a big Yes fan (at least their 70's

releases) I already have all their albums in my collection. But the

question is still: why would anyone want to buy this CD? Let me

explain why!

I have to admit that the musicians are very skilled and they get away

with this project very well. After all, to cover Yes songs have to be

one of the toughest tasks a band gets themselves into. The vocalist

Steve Carney is quite close to Jon Anderson but doesn't have the same

strength in the high notes. Jon Bastable is one hell of a bass player

that's for sure, and if ever Yes need a new bass player, Jon could

easily do the job.

The song "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" has been reworked by Fragile in a

much more mellow and sensitive way than the original. It's actually

even better than the much-hated original version. It would've been

fun to hear Fragile do completely reworked versions of the other

songs too. Another highlight is the complex "Heart Of The Sunrise"

which is very close to the original both vocally and musically.

The only weak moments can be found in the opening "Roundabout" where

the interplay between the musicians doesn't live up to the original,

but still it's very good. Especially the keyboard player Gonzalo

Carreras has a lot to learn, not only on this track, but also on all

of them. There's also the "Yes Medley" where the band looses their

tempo in some of the songs.

All in all this is one of the best tribute releases I've heard,

although my criticism. And if you've never heard Yes before this is a

perfect album to start with, believe it or not! It's also recommended

to all the Yes fans that are tired of Yes ups and downs since the

80's. But most of all I think that Fragile may be best experienced

live in front of an enthusiastic crowd.

-Reviewed by Greger Rönnqvist-