Customer Reviews

Not Fragile

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

following the success of the 1973's "II", bto put out "not fragile" in early 1974. the album marked a slight change in direction as the band's already heavy sound turned more directly toward metal here. it also marked the debut of blair thornton as a second lead guitar, something that would eventually cause one of many rifts within the band over the next couple of years. randy bachman didn't like competition! this album rocks from start to finish with the powerful title track leading to the driving road song "roll on down the highway" and then moving on to the band's only no.1 hit, "you ain't seen nothin' yet," featuring randy's stutter vocals. there are some oddball elements as well: a duane allman tribute (the instrumental "freewheelin'") and a song featuring a pedal steel guitar ("blue morning"). the album closes with a great power boogie "givin' it all away." all in all, it's a lot of fun and a good example of better than average 70s hard rock.

After a few false starts , Bachman-Turner Overdrive deliver the goods big time! Randy Bachman had been knockin' around different Canadian bands for years. As guitar player for Chad Allen's Arrows he befriends a teenage Neil Young (who's band The Squires usually played the same gigs), buying Neil one of his first Gretsh guitars. Bachman stays with Chad Allen as that band evolves into the Guess Who, pumping out hit after hit after hit.Bachman has always been a very professional musician with chops galore, he bristled at the sloppiness that success and substance abuse brought to his band so he quit. He goes on to form Brave Belt and then Bachman-Turner Bachman until these aggregations finally evolve into Bachman-Turner Overdrive.Their first two LP's contained some very interesting songs along with some songs that seemed premature. However , this , their third album nails the blueprint of rock 'n' roll for all to hear. Perfect from beginning to end , this album shines in ways we had not thought of before. From the opening chords of "Not Fragile" to the jazz stylings of "Rock Is My Life" to the thundering C.F.Turner track "Roll On Down The Highway" , this album promises so much one wonders "can they sustain this?". It does not let up , just continues to snowball , Blair Thornton Trading guitar licks with Bachman in some very tasty left-right channel duels.
Side two of the original LP crushes the competition with the 1-2-3-4 punch of "Sledgehammer" , "Blue Moanin'" , "Second Hand" & "Givin' It All Away". Givin' it all away indeed! This album rocks from beginning to end , brilliant production. One of my all-time favorite rock instrumentals closes out side one , "Freewheelin'" contains a guitar duet worthy of Clapton & Allman. No wonder as it is dedicated to the 'Skydog' himself. The band would never return to these hieghts , some great songs would be in their future , but no more great albums. This was their diamond , and it truly sparkles.

This is an anchor album in any classic rock collection. BTO has never duplicated the greatness of this effort.

A friend gave me this album in 1974 for my 13th birthday. I'd heard Roll On Down the Highway and You Ain't Seen Nothin'Yet on the radio and really liked these songs, but I hadn't heard anything else on the album. I didn't have my own stereo at the time, so I waited until the next day when I got home from school and my parents were still at work to listen to it. I put the record on the turntable of my Dad's stereo (one of those self-contained console furniture looking things), cranked up the volume (it had massive wattage - volume went to 11!)and then proceded to get slammed against the wall by the opening track - Not Fragile. I wasn't expecting this; it was heavy, and all of a sudden, a whole new world of hard rock opened up to me. I still love that song - pure thunder. Sledgehammer also has that "in your face" punch and is also great cranked at full blast. The album as a whole is very strong. Some excellent guitar riffs and leads, some with pop-oriented hooks, some really heavy, and all foot-tappin' rock and roll. The only song I never really got into was "Givin it all away", but that's just my personal thing. I have this album on vinyl and will be getting the CD so I can blow the windows out of my car.

NOT MANY PEOPLE GIVE B.T.O THE CREDIT THEY DESERVE BUT I BELIEVE THAT THEY HAD A BIG HAND IN GETTING HARD ROCK STARTED.IN 1973 WHEN THIS CAME OUT,THERE WERE NOT MANY BANDS PLAYING HARD ROCK LIKE THIS.NOT FRAGILE, I BELIEVE IS B.T.O`S BEST CD.NOT ONLY WITH HITS LIKE ROLL ON DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND YOU AIN`T SEEN NOTHING YET BUT GIVIN IT ALL AWAY IS A GREAT SONG ALSO.TITLE CUT IS A VERY HARD DRIVIN SONG ALSO.IF YOUR LOOKING FOR A EARLY HARD ROCKIN CLASSIC,THIS IS IT.

My first exposure to this album was hearing "Roll On Down The Highway" and "Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" on my dad's 8=track player in his '63 Chevy pickup when I was 4. OK the album was already out a couple years by this point but as I sat on the passenger end of the bench seat (before the Safety Police demanded seat belts and kiddie seats) I could see the 1970s/80s Mercury Records logo on the cartridge label and it looked like a smokestack on a train! I was instantly impressed, as only a 4-year old train connoisseur could be. I didn't care too much for Fred Turner's voice at the time; he sounded angry, but I let it slide because the rest of it was cool.

Shortly thereafter my dad wanted to listen to Sweet's Desolation Blvd. or Frampton Comes Alive or something, so he pulls out the BTO and I get a look at the cover art with that box full of gears and that pretty much summed it up in my 4-year old mind.I was held mesmerized by the sheer toughness of it; the wooden crate, the gears sticking out the top, and stenciling: NOT FRAGILE.
Keep in mind most people get an impression of what music's supposed to sound like by looking at the album cover and making their purchasing decision based on the visual. I've been burned a few times on that like anyone else, but if this album were to come out today I can almost guarantee that the inside content would match the outside descriptor perfectly. Especially if you're listening to that first song, the title track and studying the cover at the same time.

This album was put together as good as it gets IMO, Great art, good lyrical content, songs that have identity and instantly recognizable riffs, good production. I've read almost everyone above has a fond memory to share, as I've come to acquire the album for my own I find myself agreeing with the previous reviewers who mention how underrated an album this is. This one should be right up there with "where you were when Kennedy got shot" as a landmark album of the 70s, foreshadowing some future Canadian heaviness in the guises of Frank Marino, Triumph, and Rush along the way to boot. (Sorry I didn't find a lot of meat to "April Wine's Greatest Hits" album)


I've recently rediscovered BTO and in particular this album, and I find myself staring at the cover artwork that appears on my Media Player all over again!

This is truly the album that defines the finest work by BTO. The line in the title track says it all: "You ask do we play heavy music...well, WE DO! NOT FRAGILE, straight at you." At one magical time in rock history, rock bands couldn't rely on anything except raw talent and great songwriting, rock bands really rocked and sweat dropped to the floor of the studio while guitars crashed out power chords that shattered our parents' eardrums..this gem comes from that magical time.
Want to buy only one BTO album? Skip the Greatest Hits CDs for now and snag this one. Remember to ground your speakers, 'cause sparks'll fly!
Undeniably the best BTO album of all time. All other BTO albums are generally measured against this one. Timeless heavy chainsaw rock.
And Canadian, eh?

NOT FRAGILE is the first BTO album to purchase. It is chock-full of terrific songs, and is a unique blend of English rock, Southern rock, and Texas boogie influences. Standout songs include the title track, "Roll On Down The Highway", "You Ain't Seen Nuthin' Yet", "Sledgehammer", and "Blue Moanin'." Compared to this one, Poison and Soundgarden sound about as dangerous as Al Stewart.

Fred Turner gives us two of his all-time best vocal performances with "Roll On Down The Highway" and "Not Fragile", and Blair Thornton's guitar prowess turns BTO from a good band into the best damn band of all-time! I listen to this album now and am still impressed with its power and heavy overdriven sound. BTO Rocks!

I've been listening to BTO since 1974. I had this when it was on a vinyl record. If you could own one BTO album to own, this or BTO I would be the albums. This is heavy music that rocks, but not heavy metal. This is music, not noise like today's heavy metal.

If you young people want good, hard, heavy music, buy Not Fragile along w/ BTO I.