BTO Bachman Turner Overdrive - Not Fragile 12" Vinyl LP Album

- Heavy Riffs in a Wooden Crate: BTO’s Anthem of Unbreakable Rock

Bachman Turner Overdrive Not Fragile 1974 German LP front cover showing a rugged wooden crate filled with mechanical gears and stamped with the words Not Fragile and an upward arrow with a maple leaf

  "Not Fragile" is the third album by Canadian rock band Bachman-Turner Overdrive, released in 1974 . The title could be thought of as a response to Yes' Fragile. Some feel that the group achieved a more original sound in this album; it has been described as a cross between Black Sabbath and early ZZ Top. It proved to be the group's most popular album. "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" and "Roll On Down The Highway" were hit singles.

BTO's 'Not Fragile': A Canadian Rock N' Roll Riot
Album Description:

In the rock and roll arena of 1974, Bachman-Turner Overdrive was a force to be reckoned with. Riding high on the success of their previous chart-topping album "Bachman-Turner Overdrive II," the Canadian quartet was poised to solidify their hard rock dominance. "Not Fragile," their fourth studio album, was their answer to the call, a bold declaration that they were not about to soften their edges.

The album was a product of its time, a snapshot of the mid-70s rock scene where guitar-driven anthems and blues-tinged riffs reigned supreme. Recorded at the legendary Sound City Studios in Los Angeles, the same stomping grounds as Fleetwood Mac and Neil Young, "Not Fragile" was produced by Randy Bachman, the band's chief songwriter and guitarist, ensuring their signature sound remained intact.

"Not Fragile" opens with the iconic "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet," a song that needs no introduction. Its stuttering vocals and infectious riff became an instant classic, topping the charts and cementing BTO's place in rock history. But the album didn't stop there. Tracks like "Roll On Down the Highway" and "Free Wheelin'" kept the pedal to the metal, delivering a non-stop barrage of hard rock energy.

However, "Not Fragile" wasn't without its controversies. The album's title and cover art, featuring a truck crushing a fragile package, were seen by some as a macho statement, a defiant rejection of sensitivity. Yet, the band maintained it was a metaphor for their music, a testament to their unyielding rock and roll spirit.

Music Genre:

  Canadian Hard Prog Rock

Album Production information:

Produced by Randy Bachman

Recording and Mixing Supervision by Mark K. Smith

Recording assisted by Buzz Richmond

Mixing assisted by Richard Dashut

Mastered at Kendun Recorders by Kent Duncan

Equipment: John Austin and Weasel (Greg) Morgan

Direction: Bruce Allen Management, Vancouver, Canada

Photography by John Brott and Bruce Larson

Cover Construction by Parvis Sadighian, Photographed by Tom Zamiar

Art Direction by Jim Ladwig/AGI

Design by Joe Kotleba

Record Label & Catalognr:

Mercury AA 6338 516

Album Packaging:

Gatefold/FOC (Fold Open Cover) Album Cover Design.

Media Format:

12" Full-Length Vinyl LP 
Album weight: 280 gram 

Year & Country:

1974 Made in Germany
Band Members and Musicians on: Bachman Turner Overdrive Not Fragile
    Band-members, Musicians and Performers
  • Randy Bachman - guitar, vocals
  • Robbie Bachman - percussion, drums
  • Blair Thornton - guitar, background vocals
  • C.F. Turner - bass, vocals
  • Frank Trowbridge - slide guitar (on Blue Moanin' )
Complete Track Listing of: Bachman Turner Overdrive Not Fragile

The Song/tracks on "Bachman Turner Overdrive Not Fragile" are

  • Not Fragile (Turner) 4:06
  • Rock Is My Life, and This Is My Song (Bachman) 5:00
  • Roll on Down the Highway (Bachman, Turner) 3:58
  • You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet (Bachman) 3:54
  • Free Wheelin' (Thornton) 3:45
  • Sledgehammer (Bachman) 4:34
  • Blue Moanin' (Turner) 3:44
  • Second Hand (Bachman) 3:24
  • Givin' It All Away (Thornton) 3:49

Bachman Turner Overdrive Not Fragile Album Photo Gallery:

Album Front Cover Photo
Bachman Turner Overdrive Not Fragile 1974 German LP front cover showing a rugged wooden crate filled with mechanical gears and stamped with the words Not Fragile and an upward arrow with a maple leaf

Front cover of Bachman-Turner Overdrive's 1974 album "Not Fragile", German gatefold edition. The image presents a rugged, square wooden shipping crate set against a solid pale blue background. The crate is reinforced with thick planks and large black metal bolts at each corner, conveying durability and industrial strength.

Sitting inside the open top of the crate are various oversized interlocking gears and sprockets, made of brushed metal. These gears vary in size and type, some spiked and some smooth, arranged chaotically but with purpose—symbolizing power and machinery, a visual metaphor for the band’s hard-driving rock sound.

The crate is spray-stenciled with the words NOT FRAGILE in bold, black uppercase letters, slightly tilted and weathered to suggest wear from shipping. Beneath this, there’s a black stenciled upward arrow enclosing a maple leaf, a subtle nod to the band's Canadian origin. The crate’s wood grain, nicks, and abrasions are clearly visible, adding texture and realism.

At the top of the cover, the band name BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE is printed in blue, while the album title NOT FRAGILE appears in black to the right. In the upper right corner, the classic Mercury Records logo is displayed in black.

Album Back Cover Photo
Back cover of BTO Not Fragile German LP showing live concert photos of band members in action arranged in collage format with tracklist and Mercury logo above

Back cover of the 1974 German gatefold LP of "Not Fragile" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive. The design features a vibrant collage of eight high-energy live performance photos arranged in a bold grid format.

Each photo captures a different member of the band in the heat of a concert. One drummer is caught mid-strike behind a glowing cymbal. Another shot features Randy Bachman in a dark green "Michigan State 77" jersey, playing an electric guitar under dramatic lighting. A third image shows C.F. Turner in a wide stance, passionately singing into a mic while gripping his bass.

The photos range from up-close facial expressions to full-body action shots with crowd interaction and stage lighting, immersing the viewer in the energy of a BTO live show. The band’s performance attire reflects the fashion of the era—fringed jackets, satin pants, and embroidered shirts.

Above the collage, a simple tracklist is printed in blue and black text on the light cyan background, listing all songs from Side One and Side Two. The upper corners include the Mercury Records logo on the right and catalog number "6338 516" while a stylized BTO gear emblem appears centered at the top.

Photo One of Inside Page Gatefold Cover
Live stage photo of Bachman Turner Overdrive performing in front of a giant metallic gear logo with BTO initials, spotlighted and energized

Left side of the inner gatefold sleeve from the 1974 "Not Fragile" LP by Bachman-Turner Overdrive. This full-color photo captures the band in the midst of an electrifying live performance. The members are positioned beneath a large stage-mounted gear emblem featuring the initials BTO painted in bold yellow at the center, symbolizing the band’s industrial rock identity.

To the left, a guitarist—likely Randy Bachman—stands at the mic, pointing outward into the audience while gripping a white electric guitar adorned with a small Canadian flag sticker. His embroidered shirt and confident stance project authority and charisma.

Center stage features the drummer mid-performance, arms raised and sticks ready, framed by a bass drum with a white circle and red dot. The cymbals glint under colored stage lighting.

On the right, another band member plays a black Rickenbacker bass, wearing a denim shirt with a studded leather vest. The lighting from above casts a warm glow, and multiple colored stage bulbs hang overhead, adding vibrancy and energy to the scene.

Photo Two Of Inside Page Gatefold Cover
Right inner gatefold of BTO Not Fragile LP showing guitarist in red leather outfit and printed credits, tracklist, and production notes on black background

Right side of the inner gatefold sleeve from the 1974 German LP edition of Bachman-Turner Overdrive's Not Fragile. The layout is split into two vertical halves: a vivid concert photo on the left and detailed printed album credits and tracklist on the right.

The performance photo shows Blair Thornton, clad in a striking red leather outfit, mid-guitar solo under stage lighting. His wide stance and upward gaze amplify the dynamic energy of the shot, with the neck of a second guitar entering from the left edge of the frame, suggesting another band member beside him.

The right half of the page features a complete listing of tracks from both sides of the LP. Each track includes writing credits and publishing details, formatted in crisp white type against a solid black background for readability. Below the song list, band personnel are listed with their roles, followed by full production credits including studios, engineers, and designers.

At the very bottom, small-print copyright and manufacturing information confirms the record's 1974 release under Phonogram GmbH and Mercury Records, with printing done in Germany.

Close up of Side One record's label
Close-up of blue Mercury label on Side One of Bachman Turner Overdrive's Not Fragile LP, showing tracklist, catalog number 6338 516, and GEMA mark

Close-up of Side One record label from the 1974 German pressing of Not Fragile by Bachman-Turner Overdrive. The label features Mercury's signature blue design with white text and clean, geometric layout.

Centered at the top is the white Mercury logo, followed by the word “STEREO” in a bold box, alongside the speed indicator “33 1/3” RPM and the stereo interlocking circle symbol. The catalog number “6338 516” and matrix number “AA 6338 516.1 Y” are printed in the top-right quadrant, with “Made in Germany” noted beneath.

The label displays the track titles for Side One in bold lettering: Not Fragile, Rock Is My Life, And This Is My Song, Roll On Down The Highway, You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet, and Free Wheelin’. Songwriting credits are included for each track.

At the bottom, the artist name Bachman-Turner Overdrive is prominently featured in uppercase, with © 1974 PHONOGRAM Inc. copyright marking below it. The GEMA licensing mark is printed in a boxed section to the left, indicating this edition’s compliance with German music rights.

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