Yes - Fragile - 1972

Yes Fragile Record Album 1972 Record Cover

Fragile Yes Album 1972

Atlantic Record Company had a progressive rock band on their hands. This band, named Yes, had a unique blend of music melding both classical instruments with the more traditional rock staples of drums and guitars. That blend is the result of the Fragile album.

The left inside cover has the lyrics to the album. One of the hit songs, Round About was always clouded with incorrect lyrics. Below, is the exact lyrics taken from the album jacket.

I'll be the round about
The words will make you out 'n' out
You change the day your way
Call it morning driving thru the sound and in and out the valley

The music dance and sing
They make the children really ring
I spend the day your way
Call it morning driving thru the sound and in and out the valley

In and around the lake
Mountains come out of the sky and they stand there
One mile over we'll be there and we'll see you
Ten true summers we'll be there and laughing too
Twenty four before my love you'll see I'll be there with you

I will remember you
Your silhouette will charge the view
Of distance atmosphere
Call it morning driving thru the sound and even in the valley

Along the drifting cloud the eagle searching down on the land
Catching the swirling wind the sailor sees the rim of the land
The eagles dancing wings create as weather spins out of hand
Go closer hold the land feel partly no more than grains of sand
We stand to lose all time a thousand answers by in our hand
Next to your deeper fears we stand
Surrounded by a millions years

The right inside jacket noted the song titles.
Side One:
1 Roundabout
2 Cans And Brahms
3 We Have heaven
4 South Side Of The Sky

Side Two:
1 Five Per Cent For Nothing
2 Long Distance Runaway
3 The Fish
4 Mood For The Day
5 Heart of the Sunrise

Meet The Band:
John Anderson - Vocals
Bill Bruford - Drums, Percussion
Steve Howe - Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Vocals
Chris Squire - Bass Guitars, Vocals
Rick Wakeman - Organ, Grand Piano

The back cover depicts the earth, some sort of ship... It reminds me of the album art of Boston's debut album in 1976. they had a giant space ship hurtling away from an exploding earth. I can only describe the air ship as a whale with sails attached to it.

The album protective sleeve advertises the other artists signed by Atlantic records. Some of the famous bands are the Rolling Stones,...

The flip side protective cover offers even more artists signed by Atlantic. I have a good many of these albums and they will appear in future updates.

Until then, I recommend buying the Yes CD or rescuing the old vinyl album from your basement as I have done. Slap it on the turntable and turn the volume up loud and let the album rock. Enjoy!

Yes Fragile Lyrics

Yes Fragile Liner Notes

Yes fragile Back Record Cover

Yes fragile Record Jacket Sleeve

Yes Fragile Jacket Sleeve

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Are We Not Men?

Whipped Em Good

Photographic evidence that aliens controled humankind in the 1980's. The new wave rock band Devo knew of the thought control and attempted to sever the telepathic link to the alien race by donning self made thought screen helmets made from flower pots. Devo had assumed (And we all know what happens when you assume) the lead based paint and pottery would somehow block out the telepathic rays from the aliens freeing them to write and perform their own music.

If only they were aware of velostat, the magical material needed to effectively eliminate aliens from controlling your thoughts.

As we learn from history, Devo's experiment failed. Alas, they were only men.

Duty now for the future.

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LURKING, WHIPPING IT GOOD, ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

Jethro Tull - Aqualung 1971

Jethro Tull Aqualung Record Album Cover

Aqualung My Friend

Jethro Tull released their fourth album in 1971 titled Aqualung. The title song was Aqualung, a song about a dirty old man, or perhaps, about god. Either way, the sound was hard hitting, and the flute haunting. It took some time to follow along with the lyrics as Ian Anderson, lead singer and songwriter of the band, (No, there is no one named Jethro Tull in the band) bridged choppy lyrics changing tempo mid sentence. This is best on Aqualung and Locomotive Breath.

The lyrics of Aqualung, title song from the album.

Sitting on a park bench
Eyeing little girls with bad intent.
Snot running down his nose
Greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes.
Hey, Aqualung

Drying in the cold sun
Watching as the frilly panties run.
Hey, Aqualung

Feeling like a dead duck
Spitting out pieces of his broken luck.
Oh/Hey, Aqualung

Sun streaking cold
An old man wandering lonely.
Taking time
The only way he knows.
Leg hurting bad,
As he bends to pick a dog end
He goes down to the bog
and warms his feet.
Feeling alone
The army's up the rode
Salvation a la mode and
A cup of tea.

Aqualung my friend
Don't you start away uneasy
You poor old sod, you see, it's only me.

Do you still remember
December's foggy freeze
When the ice that
Clings on to your beard is
Screaming agony.
And you snatch your rattling last breaths
With deep-sea-diver sounds,
And the flowers bloom like
Madness in the spring.
Ohhh, Aqualung

The album inside covers had no information about the band or the album itself. The artwork depicted five men, seemingly from old London, in a meeting, one holding a lamp, one a cross, one crouched and looking leftward, one sitting playing a piano, and one drinking wine.

The back ground looks like a cathedral, or large church. Perhaps a monastery.

The backcover has a picture of an old vagrant, sitting almost in the gutter, beard and clothes ragged, with his faithful dog with him.
At the top left, the song titles:
Side One
Aqualung
Cross Eyed Mary
Cheap Day Return
Mother Goose
Wond'ring Aloud
Up To Me

Side Two
My God
Hymn 43
Slipstream
Locomotive Breath
Wind Up

At the top right, Ian Anderson wrote a little verse, a sort of spin off from bibles book of Genesis. He is comparing Aqualung to God. I happen to notice that the CD version does not have this on the back cover. Nor do the releases in the 80's or the 25th anniversary edition. Perhaps the words were to powerful. Here are the verses.

1. In the beginning Man created god:
and in the image of Man created he him.

2. And Man gave unto god a multitude of names.
That he might be lord over all the earth when it was suited to Man.

3. And on the seventh millionth day Man rested and did
lean heavily on his god and saw that it was good.

4. And Man formed Aqualung of the dust of the ground.
And a host of others likened unto his kind.

5. And these lesser men Man did cast into the void.
And some were burned,
And some were put apart from their kind.

6. And Man became the god that he had created
and with his miracles did rule over all the earth.

7. But as all these things did come to pass,
the spirit that did cause man to create his god,
lived on within all men,
even within Aqualung.

8. And man saw it not.

9. But for Christ's sake he'd better start looking.

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Elvis Presley - Love me Tender - 1956

Elvis Presley Love Me Tender Vinyl

The King, Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley, the undisputed king of rock and roll, has had more hit records than any other artist. I found this one, the 1956 release of his number one single, Love Me Tender, piled in a stack of records I inherited from my aunt Libbs and Mary.

Love Me Tender, also the title of Presley's first motion picture, was originally sung on the Ed Sullivan show September 9th, that at the time had a record viewing audience of 54 million people.

This record is not a 33 1/3, or LP, nor is it a 45 RPM, but a 7 inch vinyl single. The flip side song is, Anyway You Want Me.

RCA Victor is the brand label, the one with the little dog looking into the victrolo.

The record touts "New Orthophonic" high fidelity.

I wish I had a record player capable of playing it. Its in OK to good condition. No gouges, a few smudges, but if cleaned, should look and play pretty good.

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David Bowie, Aladdin Sane, 1973

David Bowie - Aladdin Sane

And you thought Marilyn Manson was an original. David Bowie at the height of glitter rock in the late 60's and early 70's.

David Bowie brought plenty of sax, sex, and sass to rock and roll. His flamboyant look from his jet red hair to his gender bending make-up style brought attention to him but his music kept people coming back for more.
Favorite tracks on this album are:
The Jean Genie, who lives on his back,
Lets spend the night together, (Written by the Stones)
Aladdin Sane, great music on this one and you get to know the real Bowie in the lyrics.

David Bowie Album Art

The centerfold is quite remarkable. No words, lyrics, no ads. Just a picture of a very thin Bowie in full body make-up. Sort of looks like the Marilyn Manson costume that he sometimes wears.

David Bowie Aladdin Sane Back Cover

The back cover is a silhouette of bowie outlined in red and blue clearly showing off his famous hair. One look and you would guess Bowie.

Addendum: Rest In Peace Ziggy (January 10, 2016)

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Danny Boy Lyrics - Official Meaning

Perhaps the most popular American Irish song is Danny Boy. Many people here in the states identify Danny Boy to Ireland and its people. It is sung and played at many Irish funerals and the tune can be heard throughout the day at almost every drinking establishment in the United States on St. Patrick's Day. But did you know Danny Boy is really not an Irish tune? That is correct! It was written by Frederick Weatherly who was an English lawyer, in 1910. Weatherly later married the lyrics to an old melody, Air From County Derry, (Londonderry Air) which became the classic song everyone knows today.

But what is Danny Boy about? What do the lyrics mean? There is plenty of speculation that it is about an Irish father watching his son go off to war knowing that he will (The father) will be gone, (Dead) or of the IRA going to battle, or a sickly mother to her son saying goodbye as her son leaves for the states. But, the real meaning is a love song from a woman to man. Even so, the lyrics are written well enough to have several meanings throughout the ages and the Irish have taken this song as one of it's own. It will be sung at my own funeral one day. Hopefully a long long time from now.

What about the revisions of the song the past 100 years. Well, the verses below are what my grandmother Veronica sang to us.

Oh Danny Boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side
The summer's gone, and all the roses falling
'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny Boy, oh Danny Boy, I love you so
And when ye come, and all the flowers are dying
And I am dead, as dead I well may be
Ye'll come and find the place where I am lying
And kneel and say an Ave' there for me
And I shall hear, though soft you tread above me
And all my grave shall warmer, sweeter be
For you shall bend and tell me that you love me
And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

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