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Yes / Fragile remixed and expanded

By Paul Sinclair

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45

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Fragile, the fourth album from prog rockers Yes, is the next in the reissue series to be remixed and expanded.

The 1971 album has been mixed for 5.1 surround sound by Steven Wilson and unlike the recently announced XTC Oranges and Lemons reissue will still offer the choice of CD+Blu-ray audio or CD+DVD-A. Both sets will house new hi-res stereo and surround mixes, a hi-res stereo flat transfer of the original mix, and six additional tracks – as follows:

  • • We Have Heaven (full mix)
  • • South Side of the Sky (early version)
  • • All Fighters Past (previously unheard)
  • • We Have Heaven (acapella) mixed by Steven Wilson
  • • Roundabout (rehearsal take/early mix)
  • • Mood for Another Day (alternate take of Mood for a Day)

Thanks to its larger capacity, the blu-ray version offers the following content exclusively:

  • • Full album instrumental mixes by Steven Wilson
  • • Two additional, alternate takes
  • • A full album needle-drop of an original UK vinyl pressing
  • • US promo singles edits as needle-drops

These two new double disc editions of Fragile will be released by Panegyric on 30 October 2015.

pre-order

CD+Blu-ray

CD+DVD-A

track_listing

CD:

1 Roundabout
2 Cans & Brahms
3 We Have Heaven
4 South Side of the Sky
5 Five Percent for Nothing
6 Long Distance Runaround
7 The Fish
8 Mood for a Day
9 Heart of The Sunrise

Bonus Tracks:

10. We Have Heaven (full mix)
11. South Side of the Sky (early version)
12. All Fighters Past (previously unheard)
13. We Have Heaven (acapella)
14. Roundabout (rehearsal take/early mix)
15. Mood for Another Day (alt take of Mood for a Day)

Blu-Ray (Region 0, NTSC):

– Album mixed in 5.1 Lossless Surround from original multi-track sources.
– 2015 Album mix and original album mix (flat transfer) in High Resolution Stereo
– Six additional tracks

+ Numerous exclusive audio extras

DVD-A (Region 0, NTSC):

– Album mixed in 5.1 Lossless Surround from original multi-track sources.
– 2015 mix and original mix (flat transfer) in High Resolution Stereo
– Six additional tracks.

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45 Comments

45 thoughts on “Yes / Fragile remixed and expanded”

  1. I’m really late to the game, as I’ve only recently become a fan of Yes and recently purchased this CD/Blu-ray package. But is anyone else having an issue with the Blu-ray Disc? It doesn’t seem to change anything on the menu screen when I’m trying to select something. I can press the arrow keys up or down a million times, but there’s no way of knowing what I’ve selected until after I press “select.” Was there an official recall/replacement for this menu screen issue? Thanks! :)

  3. Pingback: Saturday Deluxe / 14 Nov 2015 | superdeluxeedition

  4. With compatibility problems with the Bluray and Sony BD players, I think I’ll just go for the DVD. One question for anybody out there. Is The DVDA an actual DVDA disc that needs a special player or is it a DVD Video disc with audio on it? Thanks.

    1. It’s a DVD-A as far as I know, but you can play it with DVD-Video players anyway, just not in full audio resolution. But a DVD-V can’t hold hi-res 5.1 anyway, so that’s not a difference for you then. By the way, all computers with a DVD drive can access the DVD-A files and play it e.g. via foobar2000 with the dvda plugin. The trick is the folders – normal DVD players can only read the “VIDEO_TS” folder, and DVD-A players as well as computers can also read the “AUDIO_TS” folder (which is empty for normal DVDs, but contains information on a DVD-A). Hope that helps.

  5. Trying to make sense of the USA pre-order link. The UK one looks as it should…with the “This title will be released on…” blurb. But that US one *almost* looks as though it’s now available (and at a ridiculously high $53.99). Amazon is notorious for inaccurate or incomplete listings, but this one is just puzzling. ???

    1. Amazon US only have it via a third party seller and probably as an ‘import’, hence the high price. It should come down and be available via ‘amazon’ if you’re patient. Or you could order from Burning Shed.

  6. I love Big Generator for what it is, but it requires me to remember not to think “these guys used to be a prog rock band,” if that makes sense. When a lot of the British 70s prog bands made their transitions to radio-friendly stuff in the 80s, people scoffed but taken for what they are – simple, catchy arena-rock classics, BG is actually quite a fun album. I could say the same for post-PG Genesis, Styx, Kansas, or Asia too. They weren’t trying to be cerebral progressive rock bands anymore, so if the mind can switch that off and listen to that stuff for what it WAS trying to be, then there’s actually a lot of brilliance to be heard in them. I remember roller skating to “Rhythm of Love” and thoroughly enjoying the experience, not even connecting the dots with stuff like “Roundabout” or “Siberian Katuru.” So for that alone, I thank them.

    Another note – while SW is no stranger to pop music (he remixed some Tears for Fears), I can’t see him doing some of the later Yes albums with the same degree of enthusiasm, which could possibly be why the remixes of “King Crimson 3.0” albums are taking so long… Or maybe not. Maybe it’s just Fripp being Fripp. :-)

  7. I’m very stoked about this release. Odd, the order in which they’re coming out…but I’m not complaining.
    These Yes/Panegyric /Wilson DE’s are the benchmark by which all DE’s should be measured. And by that I mean the CD/Blu versions (both for extra Blu content AND superior mini-LP packaging).
    Oh, and FWIW, my vote for upcoming releases are TFTO, Drama, 90125, & Big Generator.

  8. I agree with Rodney regarding the “full album needle drop” mix of any album… “such a pointless waste of time and energy. If they have access to the master tapes then why bother”… if you want to hear the vinyl, go and buy it. I don’t want to hear snap crackles and pops out of a Blu-Ray and if they have the space, make room for visual content (concert footage).

  9. Does anyone else have the quandary of which format to buy? I’m more likely to listen to a 5.1 mix in my car these days (I have an Acura TLX which has an amazing sound system for factory default). My car is basically my man cave as the wife/kids own the house. So it’s where I turn up the music and listen most. Therefore a DVD-A is what I need to be able to use it there. But, I’m also always about the bonus features, and the Blu-Ray gives us more of that. A previously unheard track? I can’t pass that up. Wish they had a solution that gives me the best of both worlds (without having to buy both). Has anyone seen if they are putting Blu-Ray players in cars for music listening purposes?

    1. James: I almost bought the Acura TLX for that reason ALONE. A car with *DISCREET* surround sound??? I’m there! Ultimately though the 100+ freeway miles per day that I drive mandated something with much higher miles per gallon, though not without a bad sound system: The Jetta TDI SEL is rated at 46 mpg (if I drive like Grandma I can push it up to 48 mpg), and it comes with the “Fender Premium Audio” system, which is basically a Panasonic integrated system that Fender supposedly tuned for pulling out mid to high range, and it sounds good (though it’s stereo reproduced through 8 speakers, not discreet surround channel reproduction like the TLX). Anyway, I’m glad there are people out there who bought the TLX and actually know what their sound system can do!

      I’m very curious about this release. I’ve heard the old DVD-A stereo layer, and I wasn’t too impressed. What I’ll be comparing to Wilson’s treatment is the old MFSL CD release, which by my estimation is the BEST stereo edition to date. It has that warm, punchy vinyl sound to it that I adore, which is lost on most commercial remasters. But if I know SW he will top expectations, like he’s done with the JT and previous Yes releases.

  11. Yes Rik, I have it too, and I’m very fond of it. It has “America” as a bonus (both in surround and in stereo).
    But I’m looking forward to this new version by Steven Wilson and see what he came up with.

  13. I own one of the early 5.1 DVD-A’s of Fragile, issued by Elektra/Rhino in 2002. The surround mix is rather clumsy (for lack of a better word), but I have a sentimental attachment to this old thing and am unsure I want to “upgrade” to this new edition. My DVD-A is in a 5×6 latched jewel case, with a reproduction of the original vinyl’s booklet and some cool video extras like a photo gallery and a Yes timeline.

    Anyone else have one of these?

    1. Rik, yes I have the Fragile surround sound DVD-A. Of the 30 or so albums I have surrounded-sound mixes of (mostly Mike Oldfield, Depeche Mode, Genesis, Queen…), I actually think it’s one of the best! Usually with these surround mixes, there’s at least one bit that I find hamfisted and sticks out like a sore thumb, but sounded great in stereo… or else the whole thing is just a bit unexciting. But the original Fragile surround mix has no such faux-pas and really sounds great.

    2. Yes I have it . I dont think its to bad . And for the first time in 5.1 it was great , Im sure the new mix will sound even better .
      Ive got Fleetwood Macs Rumours as well , one of the best DVDAs I think .

    3. Don’t have this, but do have others from WEA. those early dvd audio discs are expensive to replace. DVD audio discs didn’t last long. I remember seeing some and passed. A few weeks later they were gone. The surround audio section of the stores got smaller all the time.

  14. It will be interesting to see what’s next, everyone has their fave Yes years,
    can’t say i like everything they’ve done, choice wise and they are all different with all the feedback i’d wouldn’t mind 90125/Talk, but we will wait and see

  15. The next remix should be TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS!!! In the hands of Steven, this masterpiece will shine with a new light… Of course I want to hear also Going for the One, but FIRST: TALES!!!

  16. I would say buying this from Burning Shed is a no brainer compared to the price on Amazon and i know the price will probably drop on Amazon before the release date but if it drops below £20 there will be postage to pay. I have stopped buying any new releases from Amazon as their prices are shocking thank god HMV came back online.

  17. After reading many of the comments for the Steve Wilson Yes & XTC reissues it appears that many SDE readers, like me, like Blu-rays with high quality sound, lots of extras, and and minimal, yet high quality packaging, at a reasonable price. Universal, Sony, & Warner PLEASE take notice.

  19. Rodney – a needle-drop usually implies taking a mint copy (hopefully new / sealed) of the original vinyl, and ripping it digitally using high-end equipment. The finer reissue teams will then reduce noise and remove as many vinyl-related artifacts as possible. Sometimes the result is difficult to distinguish from a regular CD unless you know what to look for. That’s what we can reasonably expect from the people involved with this project.

    But sometimes they just rip a used vinyl copy and clean up the sound minimally, and there is plenty of noise and artifacts. I’ve bought a few of those CDs, but in some cases it’s still preferable to the album not being reissued at all.

    And while it’s not classic Yes by any stretch, Big Generator is pretty cool for what it aims for – a bomastic 80s arena-rock album with big drums and guitars, with a few prog overtones thrown in for good measure. Trevor Rabin’s guitar work shines on several cuts, especially Shoot High, Aim Low. I already have the Japanese iteration, but a deluxe set with demos and alternate mixes would be cool.

      1. Rodney – people are just interested to hear what the original vinyl album actually sounded like, for historical reasons if nothing else. After all, it was the vinyl album that people actually were listening to for about 15 years before any digital formats were available, and which all Yes’s commercial success was dervived from. And since there’s oodles of space available on the BluRay to include it, why not?

  21. Steve Wilson is an undisputed genius and visionary. The Yes and XTC remasters have all surpassed expectations. The Bluray editions have had more high quality content than many box sets costing over 4 times the price.

  23. I’m sorry if this is a stupid question but what is a “full album needle drop” mix? Do we seriously need a mix that contains scratches and pops like an old vinyl??

  24. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Rabin years getting the deluxe treatment. And maybe that means Rabin is directly involved and not Wilson if that era wasn’t of strong interest to him.

    What I’ve found with some of these deluxe versions from different bands is a fresh evaluation of the material, not to mention unreleased or live material from that era. Maybe I didn’t give it a chance years ago, but now listen to it with a different perspective.

    I like a few songs from BG, but I’d actually prefer a deluxe edition of Talk before BG. (And I may be the only one.)

    I’d love to see Drama deluxe next, especially since they’ll be doing that album in full next year, but suspect Going for the One will be next for the deluxe treatment, with Tales as my dark horse pick.

    As long as Wilson keeps giving us instrumental versions of all these albums, I’ll be happy.

    1. “I like a few songs from BG, but I’d actually prefer a deluxe edition of Talk before BG. (And I may be the only one.)”

      No, you’re not the only one. Tales first then GFTO or Talk. Better yet, where is that 5.1 mix of Chris Squire’s “Fish Out of Water”? That last re-issue did not impress, unfortunately.

  25. William: Are you nuts?!?! Here’s hoping that don’t waste their time with that rubbish. Next release will be “Tales from Topographic Oceans” followed by “Tormato” and “Time And A Word.”
    I believe “Going For The One” and “Yes” will be the end of the Steven Wilson remasters.

  26. Adam I am with you on this one if i can use a term Yesssssssss!!!!!!! After
    buying their previous 3 double cd/bd, and what a superb and outstanding job Steve Wilson has done with the full support of Yes and the untimely
    passing of the legendary Chris Squire i am sure this will also be dedicated
    to the bass player, and what i really enjoy about these revisited/remastered albums, we have up to 6 different versions of the original album and plenty of extras while the sound quality is amazing,
    same as the recent Tull albums. After the above 3 albums were complete
    and released at their various times, what was going through my mind, i wonder if i can use a pun from The Who, “Who’s Next”and even better
    the release date is during my birthday week, i’ll have to repeat myself
    Yesssssssssssss!

  28. Cant wait !
    The other Yes albums done by Steve are fantastic with great sound , good bonus material and shows how much can be put on a Blu ray , its what fans really want .

  29. Will the Blu-Ray packaging be the same as the DVD-A this time? I believe with the previous releases the Blu-Ray was in a vinyl replica sleeve whereas the DVD-A was a standard digipak. That’s the main reason I went with the DVD-A versions as much prefer a digipak.

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