First of all I would like to apologize, as everyone knows, English is not my native language and I´m quite basic when describing sounds. Don't take my mistakes into account or be too hard on me guys.
“Fragile” is considered the first Yes album that launched them to stardom and put them in the orbit of progressive Rock, a course they would follow throughout the 70s.
Several issues must be considered that influenced the recording of this album. Firstly, a group of technically very brilliant instrumentalists is formed with the arrival of Rick Wakeman (Bill Bruford, Chris Squire and Steve Howe already formed a solid relationship).
Secondly, the album is built with common works to which small pieces by each of the members are added where the level of virtuosity of that member is demonstrated, including a recording by Jon Anderson that was supposed to be recordings while he did warm-up exercises that overlap in a loop ("We Have Heaven").
The album was produced by Eddy Offord at a time when relations between the band and him were still bearable. Offord always complained that working with Yes meant dealing with 5 producers at the same time and that was a considerable strain on him. The members of the group wanted to control absolutely everything related to their jobs and did not stop interfering in all the work of others.
The versions I have of this recording are the following:
Vinyl original 1973 print.
CD original release from 80s (maybe 1988)
CD remastered from 94
CD version HDCD Japanese edition (90´s/00´s)
CD MoFi 2004
I really want to be able to buy that new Super Deluxe Edition. I never tire of collecting these things even though some of them are just simple complaints. Next buy sure!!!!!!
. Vinyl original 1973 print.
My favorite edition. Listening this album with the DL103R (or DL301) is a pleasure. With newer cartridges (and more expensive like the ortofon 2m black or the BM Silver) it has never seemed so pleasant to me .
The Steve Howe guitars ( I love the Gibson ES-5 Switchmaster) have a very good warmth, neither too low nor too high (just right). The guitar harmonics are a delight.
I miss a little more presence from Wakeman 's keyboards. It seems that the stereo effect is very closed... it doesn't give me the breadth of a Hammond.
As for the Voices, they seem correct to me but with little bass. I know Anderosn's voice is high but I miss a warmer touch.
As for Squire's bass the sound is correct maybe I feel like it needs a little more warm but nothing bad.
The drums, I think the treble of the cymbals and the gong are very well done (listen to the interlude between "Long Distance Race" and "the Fish")... simply unique. Now as for the battery itself, although its sound seems correct to me and the stereo effect is good, so good I think it lacks a little power.
In general I don't see anything wrong with this recording. As I said, I can spend hours listening to it without getting tired.
Note: I have seen vinyl pressings of 80 that are as thin as a sheet of paper
. CD original release from 80s
Just terrible EMHO. Very sharp and noise without the warmth of vinyl, the rest of the sound spectrum is as if flattened. Sharp guitars, Anderson's voice very high, the bass and drums in the background.
I have many CDs from the 80s of recordings from the 60s and 70s that sound as this. I don't know if it was due to the processors of the time, the ADC or what, but the result is not very good today.
. CD remastered from 94
Digitally remastered by Joe Gastwirt at Ocean View Digital
Better than the previous. They have tried to restore the quality of the original mastering and it shows (although from my point of view it has not yet reached vinyl). The noise level has dropped considerably in this remaster.
This remastering makes the recording easier to listen, the treble is less aggressive and the midrange has recovered a little. The presence of some instruments in certain parts has been achieved a lot, for example the bass .
The harmonics of the guitar have improved too they still seem somewhat aggressive to me if we compare them with the vinyl edition but it is clear that they have worked a lot to restore the original sound.
The stereo effect is much better although it seems that the musicians are located very far in front.
For a few bucks it is the best recording you can get.
. CD version HDCD Japanese edition
First of all, does anyone remember the HDCD? It seems that everything Microsoft touches is screwed....
Remastered HDCD by Isao Kikuchi in East West Japan
It is an interesting cd. Isao Kikuchi is a Japanese sound engineer who in the late 90s and 00s worked on several recordings and remasterings for the Japanese market on HDCD and SACD.
The HDCD version is far from the two versions mentioned above. My cd is a Rotel RCD1072, he can naturally read this format and decode those 4 "extra" bits of information. By the way, I would like to see a comparison between Redbook vs. HDCD decoded audio spectrums of this record.
Here there is more presence of the mid-range, something that is noticeable in Howe's guitars or Anderson's voice. I feel his voice more natural, not as high.
The same thing happens with the bass and the keyboard; you can enjoy more hard bass lines and a drum sound with more punch but unfortunately the cymbals sound a bit noisy/distorted and having increased the midrange means that sometimes with all the musicians playing, each instrument cannot be heard clearly. This is a shame because the stereo effect of each instrument separately is good.
I´m very curious to know if the filters applied to the HDCD codification process have something to do with the roughness of the trebles.... although I have hundreds of HDCDs and very few have this singularity.
As a rarity, I would say that it is fine and the recording is enjoyable if one omits the problems that I have talked about previously.
. CD MoFi 2006:
There are Mofi remasters that seem good to me and others not so much... and they tend to be very questionable purchases, especially considering the price at which these recordings are quoted.
In this case I must say that it is worth every buck. In this case I must say that it is worth every dollar. It has the best of the previous recordings and only one bad thing; its price (I paid about 60€ for it when it was just released).
If I said that the best thing about the HDCD was the restoration of the mid-range, the Mofi does everything much better:
Perfect treble (the cymbals sound crystal and clear) Bruford 's drum snare now sounds and they have the bass drum attached, it can be seen present...
The bass finally sounds with nuances (it sounds like a bass and not something with strings) it does not mix with other instruments and marks its lines in a very pleasant. Howe's guitar also benefits from this improvement, it is much more enjoyable and can be heard much more clearly (even when using effects pedals) and the delicacy and attack of the nylon strings on "Mood for a Day" finally appears.
Wakeman 's keyboard and piano appear very convincingly as well, with more of a stereo effect, without being locked in the center. It is especially noticeable in pieces like "Heart of the Sunrise"
A piece that I have used a lot for comparisons is "The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)" That intro with guitar harmonics, the wah pedal, the bass with that hammering chorus, the drum box marking the bars...
"We Have Heaven" has been another piece that I have used a lot, since the loop effects with XXX's voice, the guitar, the maracas, the bells, etc... (damn, each song is full of countless little details) help I have a hard time grasping the differences.
"South Side of the Sky" with that strong bass line, XXXX's keyboard adding details and forming the melody, XX's drums as support and Howe's guitar with that distortion while he doesn't stop playing scales and riffs from above to low...
In short, an album that I really enjoy every time.
