Fragile

did not expect to love this but it was soooo good. i loved the keyboard and bass and the hints of classical guitar 4.5/5

Yes. No

sometimes unnecessarily complicated muso crack

01) Roundabout - 7,0 02) Cans and Brahms - 4,0 03) We Have Heaven - 5,0 04) South Side of the Sky - 6,0 05) Five per Cent for Nothing - 1,0 06) Long Distance Runaround - 6,5 07) The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus) - 6,0 08) Mood for a Day - 6,5 09) Heart of the Sunrise - 6,5 TOTAL: 5,39 (54/100) Current ranking: 188/212 Another album whose importance eludes me. I have nothing to grab onto here. I can't even define what genre this is, how do songs 2 and 8 fit into the concept of this album? And why is song number 5 even called a song? Take those three songs away and you get 6 boring and too long dad rock songs on an album that sounds identical to a bunch of other albums on this list that I had from that era.

Did I like this? Yes

Surprisingly good. I didn't really love it at first, but that's what makes a good album. I'd probably even give it a 4.5

ugh, prog

My Journalism teacher in high school introduced us to this album which introduced me to prog. Next thing you know Jethro Tull and Moody Blues are in heavy rotation on my turntable.

A classic, never mind that Roundabout has been a meme in modern times.

No.

It's a steep drop-off after roundabout but this is a solid album.

jam band, funky bass lines, this album was kinda all over the place... but that said i enjoyed it more than i thought i would. i actually had a pretty good time listening to it and was grooving along. i don't know how often i would go back to this, but i think that i could easily see myself exploring more of their discography. 3.5 is the true rating, but ill give it a three here.

Pump that weird shit into my veins, I love it.

Ojo bastante bien!

I feel like the music is trying to hard to be progressive and unique. I enjoy the more accessible Yes music and sort of like their more pop y albums. I can hear glimpses of what they ended up becoming.

Minus the first and last songs, I enjoyed it, but those two were basically half the album so can't score it too high.

Loved the first song especially

Tää olisi parempi levy jos kaiken Roundaboutin ja Heart of the Sunrisen väliin jäävän trimmaisi surutta pois.

COME ON! You don't NEED to hear even one Yes Album. Why would you put 2 on the list? If there are 3, I'm forced to belive this whole list is just plain bullshit! ZERO FUCKING STARS!

At first I was into it, but now its annoying

Sweet spot of progressive rock where obscure lyrics and music come together into an awesome sound.

I almost gave it 4 stars, but I wasn't blown away...

other than the meme, it was weird

Pretty good - reminds me a bit of Rush (or... it's the other way around)

Really good. Going 4 but If I get to spend time with it I think it will get better

Love it

An album with a few songs that have stood the test of time, but are far better live.

Love this album. I may pull out my LP copy and listen to it again tomorrow.

I struggle with Yes (I think all my reviews of Yes so far have started with something like that). I'm struggling a bit less with this one though, can hear the influence on later bands I've enjoyed such as Flaming Lips at times, notably on We Have Heaven. Unsurprisingly (to me) it's the shorter, more consistently structured grooves that stand out for me - Fish is excellent for example. I love prog, just don't think the British brand of it is my bag. Bring me the Germans. A few too many abrupt left turns on the opening track for me to get into it, but later tracks like South Side I generally enjoyed. Don't really love it (or really feel that repeat listens would engender that), enjoyable listen though.

Some okay tracks but too many of them I wasn't a huge fan of :)

Wasn't a huge fan of most of the tracks here but - To Be Continued...

Stupid

It's all downhill after the first song Roundabout). Parts of the last song are okay.

- Bestes Yes Album und definitiv eines meiner lieblings Progressive Rock Alben und Roundabout ist und bleibt mein lieblings Progrock Song - Yes schafft es immer super groovy und super easy hörbar zu sein und dabei auch krass anspruchsvoll, das gelingt nicht häufig - Glaube auf dem Album muss man auf jeden Fall mal die Arbeit an den Keys von Rick Wakeman herausstellen - Höre ich immer wieder gern, macht einfach Bock Rating: 4,25

- Yes, einfach irgendwie eine coole Band, die ich trotz großer Sympathien irgendwie nicht in meiner Freizeit höre - Album sehr vielseitig, hat aber trotzdem viel wiedererkennungswert - Es packt mich aber einfach irgendwie leider nicht 3/5

- Echt cooles Album, hat Spaß beim Hören gemacht - viele tolle Instrumentalsachen dabei 3,25 / 5

Day140 - i’m not a big fan. roundabout is a classic and the rest aren’t bad just not my cup of prog tea

Pretty rad, I don't even like prog normally

#231. A few bops in there, but a lot of pretty skippable tracks too though. Not one that I'd ever really put on on purpose to listen to the whole ass album. 2/5: too much meh Song added to playlist: Roundabout I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link

'Fragile' is more concise, but not quite as satisfying as the sprawling ‘Close To The Edge’. Still pretty great though and together these two records would've made a nice double album.

Turns out I like Yes.

Yes

Really funky sounds. Enjoy the fast-paced riffs.

Awesome period end of sentence!

Good prog rock album. It starts with one of Yes greatest songs Roundabout which isn't a great choice as the rest of the songs aren't nearly as good as that one. It's a cool album though but I get why it isn't for everyone.

I would not consider my self a Progressive rock listener but i have listened to a couple of albums during my high school days. This is what i would classify as almost crossover prog(introduction albums, i'm no expert). If you are looking to start listening to progressive rock i would recommend this album, probably not as the very first though. It blends allot of reoccurring themes with solos and experimentation, which make it accessible yet challenging. The songs are longer than pop songs but are not offputtingly long. Strong opening with Roundabout which i think that most people will enjoy if they are into rock music. the middle is a collection of experimental songs and segments. Ending with a nod to Art and Garfunkels song in the end But if you are not interested in getting in to prog rock you probably won't enjoy this album and that is understandable too. Personal favorites: Roundabout, Heart of the sunrise, Mood of the day, America

One of my favorite albums of ALL time!! Loved it!! Love it a million times over!!

probably better just instrumental

2.5

Jes

A somewgat edgy sound for their time. I thoroughly enjoyed this blast from the past.

Such a weird album. “Roundabout” is a great song, but there’s all kinds of instrumental piano, electronics, etc. a really eclectic mix of stuff.

One of the albums I have a physical copy of. But I don't really like Yes. I tried, but what's keeping this rating up here is Roundabout and the sound Chris Squire is getting out of that Rickenbacker.

I don’t know why, but I love Yes. This is the 2nd album I’ve gotten from them, and I just love it. Not as noodly as a lot of other prog rock which helps.

Although very much built around two songs (Roundabout and Heart of the Sunrise), three if you want to include Long Distance Runaround, the fact of the matter is that Yes' Fragile as a whole is one of the most important albums in not just progressive rock but in rock itself. The album being named Fragile seems intentional, for it belied the epic magnitude of the music contained within it as it nods (at times) to classical and would often foretell genres that would upend prog itself in coming years. Fragile's intrepid nature is something that makes it worth revisiting upon first or many more listens, whether it is the first minute of Roundabout, the throttling bassline of Heart of the Sunrise or the charming South Side of the Sky. Although it was made in 1971, it is music made for 2071.

Such an iconic album. What else can be said about it? I loved it.

Love it! Takes me back.

It was okay.

I like it!!! I like all the folky (?) guitar and singing :D

soms heel hard soms beetje mid - moet er eigenlijk nog een keer naar luisteren eer ik een getalletje kan zeggen, maar goed

nice summer vibes similar to Jamiroquai good for studying some are haunted house-type songs

I like prog half of the time, unless it descends into a 12 minute long organ solo, which it didn't fortunately, bit of twiddling but not too much.

This might have been revolutionary back in the day, but it just sounded like generic dad rock to me.

I dig it

Yep, that's prog rock! Not very interesting, but I'm not sorry I listened.

"Roundabout" slaps, rest is just a little better than good, but not quite great.

The run Yes went on in the early 70s is absolutely unreal. The Yes Album, this, Close To The Edge, and I would also throw Tales From Topographic Oceans in there, is an incredible run of incredible records. Giving this a listen today really confirms Fragile as their masterpiece. Such an accessible easy listen for how complex of a record it is. Every member of the group is firing on all cylinders. The versatility of new keyboardist Rick Wakeman and guitar superhuman Steve Howe are the standouts for me, although Jon Anderson is also turning in a great vocal performance throughout which ties things together very effectively. This gets dogged on for the shorter solo tracks, but I feel save for Cans & Brahms and Five Percent For Nothing they work very well and stand on their own as enjoyable listens. In short, masterpiece? Probably. This rips, and I’d be hard pressed to find better bookends in Prog than opening with Roundabout and closing with Heart Of The Sunrise.

It’s hard to like, but somehow even harder to hate. Another grower not a shower album

I like the first track, after that it bores me a bit for the rest of it. Not that its bad, its solid, i just think progressive rock is not for me

Loved this when I was 14 years old and the world was just beginning. Fond memories and still easy/enjoyable.

What a cool band. Album starts off strong with Roundabout (best song) and moves smoothly through. Will definitely listen again.

Some of these songs are famous for a reason - they're good! But as a full album this was too farty / too noodley for me to get into. It just feels sort of goofy and unfocused.

YESSS

ok nothing special

the actual songs are good, although nothing special imo. the stuff in between was not doing it for me.

Cool concept album at times but ultimately not my thing. Roundabout is great regardless

1. round about - 2 2. canz - 0 3. heaven - 0 4. the zky - 0 5. nothing - 6. long diztance - 1 7. the fizh - 1 8. mood - 1.5 9. zunrize - 1 10. america - 0 11. roundabout - 2

JOJO REFERENCE 😮😮😮

Yes. 10/10.

Did you like this Francesca? YES.

An incredible prog album with delightful hooks and gnarly grooves

This album was so good. Their use of piano and keyboards hits all the right marks. The ethereal voices. Loved giving it a new listen.

This album is one of the towering achievements of prog rock. The music is huge, emotional, and soaring, with unbelievable musicianship. Yes, there are some pretentious tracks, but that's the price you had to pay for such brilliance. I was a little kid when it came out, but it was very much in the soundtrack of life for decades after. Hearing Heart of the Sunrise again nearly tore me up. So, so, so many feels. If you don't know this music, this is the one to just sit and listen to with headphones and let it wash over you. A powerful masterpiece.

The first track is supposed to be the best by far, and I didn't like it. What does that mean for the next 50 minutes? Oh no... I mean... hang on... it's not that bad. I kind of prefer some of the other tracks to the opener. It's not really my thing, but it's not bad. It passed by well enough. Plenty of wanky instrument noodling, but it doesn't come across as completely obnoxious, and there are some nice instrumental bits in there. I deem that this album is "OK".

This is genuinely insufferable drivel. I don’t know who likes this kind of music but it’s certainly not for me. It’s just chaotic noise that doesn’t go anywhere.

Got there for the meme song, stayed for a conceptual groovy album.

Crap

Meh

Yes' 3 best songs are on this album, "Roundabout", "South Side of the Sky", and "Heart of the Sunrise". 3 prog classics, and truly remarkable the talent shown in these songs. Should be a 5 star easily, but I can't give it 5. The rest of the album is completely forgettable filler to me. That's 2/3rds of the album. So while The Yes Album and Close to the Edge may be better albums, Yes' best songs are all on this one

Classic Prog at it's finest. Roundabout has to be top 5 songs over 8 minutes ever recorded. Heart of the Sunrise would also be on a best-of list as well. Lots of really great, wacky, prog staples in here that went on to undoubtedly influence thousands of bands to this day. Long live prog!!!

Rahhh JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

I have not heard roundabout since leafy was a thing on youtube. hate that guy he was a specky git rest of the album i don't even know wat da fuk i just listened to

Yeah, nah

Have you ever heard a song kick ass so hard, it makes you wonder how a song could kick so much ass? ...But at the same time still suck a little bit? A song that goes on so long that it's quite possibly the last song you will ever listen to before you expire. The kind of music that drives your girlfriend to the brink of insanity. Well my friend... that's prog rock. 5/5 no notes. fantastic album

Awesome. Good bops

4.25

Didnt get into it

Amazing musicianship all around!

Very boring and slow

Yes…No. I’ve lived my life without having to listen to one of their albums in it’s entirety. And now I have. Was Roundabout always 8 minutes? I never could listen to that entire thing. Long songs, short songs, it’s like riding a roller coaster in a crappy amusement park. Getting older may have mellowed my opinion of YES though…I still dislike them, but not as much.

One of my favorite albums by one of my newer favorite bands. So well written and playful at the same time. Beautiful work of art

Close to the edge är bättre, men det kan bero på att jag har lyssnat på den mer är denna. Några låtar var faktiskt bra men jag trodde lite bättre om Yes.

This album goes to 11.

Really like this one. Roundabout is such a classic. And the organ is all so solid.

not my thing but it was ok

Roundabout is understandably popular, even outside of meme status, although Heart of the Sunrise is my favorite from the album (mainly the instrumental first half, maybe the singing is what I don't enjoy in this album?). Unfortunately much of the rest of the album comes across as a little generic though. It's by no means bad but I think I'd skip most of these tracks if I'd discovered them outside of this challenge.

Really fun in places and pretty meh in others.

Roundabout // Heart of the Sunrise //

don't like it as much as the other big one, but still some good prog rock

Decent release, some good tracks on there

Liked Songs Roundabout Long Distance Runaround

Good Stuff

Как я могу нормально относиться к жанру, где 10 минутные треки - это базис?? Вот и думайте епт Хотя 1 тречок, который оказывается всплыл в мемах, сочный

There's more good songs than just the JoJo One ™ However, most of them struggled to stand out to roundabout

A decent album, but in a roundabout way the majority of the score only comes from one song

How do we explain our music.... We draw inspiration from Rush, but we are sophisticated (Cans and Brahms), spiritual (We have heaven) incorporate some scatting (to be culturally sensitive) and end by doing acid so that the entire thing makes no sense and nobody take knows what they are listening to

Overall, I'm a no on Yes. I can appreciate that their music is complex and interesting but not so much my thing. I like the Fish song. Long Distance Runaround is pretty good. Some great bass playing on that one. I feel like my main criticism of Yes is that it's all kinda too much all over the place. Too many disjointed changes that don't really feel like they gel into cohesive songs (they have their moments).

This album is a little odd. Roundabout is a classic, but the rest was new to me. Some of the songs are too long and drawn out and others are weird interludes. It was a boring listen but might be more interesting on drugs.

2024-04-18...

Lots of really cool ideas on this. Lots of really bad ones too. Hard to give this more than a 2 when I don't think I would put a single song on by choice. Two probably seems a bit harsher than my feelings for this, but I don't think it is a 3.

Just when you think Yes can't find any more ways to be overindulgent wank, they pull put all the wank stops and indulge some more.

Uninspiring songs not worth listening to this.

The members of Yes are obviously very talented. I really enjoy this album. Fragile is a monster of a song. From what I understand, there were many arguments in the studio about which member’s content would appear on the album, and it shows. They decided to add a composition by each member. It kinda makes the album feel… disjointed?

Ein Meilenstein des ProgRocks. Das Nachfolgealbum Close To The Edge kriegt dann 6 Sterne

💖 heart of the sunrise 🗣️ 8️⃣

Amazing musicianship but the vocals sounded flat and almost like I was listening to the same song over and over.

good

Better than I remember. Less wankery more tuneful than much of their later stuff.

This is basically three of the best prog songs ever written with some appetizers spread in between. 'Heart of the Sunrise' might be my favorite vocal recording of all time. Their cover of 'America' included on the CD version is also glorious.

Yes wrote and recorded a few of the greatest progressive rock tracks of all time and the decided to let every member goof around due to budget and time restrictions. Legendary. Bruford’s drumming on “Heart of the Sunrise” is phenomenal and the introduction of the wizard on keyboards doesn’t exactly hurt either.

#artsyfartsy #groovy #2

Decent album. Reminds me a bit of rush, and similar to the supertramp album. Classic mid 70s beginning to experiment with sounds. 6/10

ta buenisimoooooooo

This is my third and final Yes album to review. I've listened to this album from start to finish before, but this is my first time to really give it more than a casual listen. Outside of "Owner of a Lonely Heart" (woof), I'd wager that "Roundabout" is the Yes song that most people are familiar with. The keyboards often get the recognition on this song, and rightfully so; they're played with blistering speed and precision, but they're also arranged beautifully. They're easily most fun part of the song, but Jon Anderson's vocals and Chris Squire's bass guitar deserve some love too. Anderson's lead vocals match the pace of the keyboards perfectly, and the group's harmonies add some rich depth. Squire's bass solo matches the tempo of the rest of the song, while providing a nice contrasting tone. "Roundabout" is not only an S-tier Yes song, it's also an S-tier classic rock song as well. It'd be easy to call it a day on Fragile after "Roundabout," but the rest of the album is really solid as well. Rick Wakeman's keyboards are still present, but not as dominant, as Steve Howe's guitars get some moments to shine, especially on "Long Distance Runaround." The guitar solo that leads into the aforementioned song harkens back to the spirit of the keyboard playing on "Roundabout" with bright tones and a fast tempo. Bill Bruford's drumming never really gets more than some glimpses in the limelight, but his skill is more than enough to provide some great rhythms on this album. While they might seem to be an odd choice stylistically, the shorter interludes are an interesting touch to break up the longer songs on this album. "We Have Heaven" is brilliant, and I honestly wouldn't have been opposed to this being a longer piece of the album; it takes me back to "I've Seen All Good People" in all the best ways. The thing that holds this album back is the closing track "Heart of the Sunrise." This song takes you to a lot of different places in Yes's sound, but I felt every second of its ten minute plus runtime. I'm not even sure if this song would have been better served by being broken into smaller songs, because a good portion of it feels unnecessary, even though it is pleasant and somewhat interesting. Still, this album is bold and adventurous, a feeling well represented by the image on its cover. I'm not the biggest fan of prog rock, but if I'm going to listen to something prog rock that's not Pink Floyd, Fragile would be something that I'd be happy to throw on.

Idk i respect if im just not a giant fan of prog rock

Somewhat clunky but a solid prog album. Roundabout is a classic but Heart of the Sunrise is a showstopper. The individual tracks take it down a notch. Chris Squire's bass lines are mesmerizing. When discussing top bassists in rock, Squire should be mentioned more often. 1971 was quite the year for Rick Wakeman. Hunky Dory and Fragile in the same year. Not too shabby.

As big a fab as I am of prog metal, a lot of classic prog leaves me cold. This undeniable, especially those bass lines.

Nothing special, but roundabout is a classic.

Not a bad album. I was really surprised to hear a classical piece as well as what sounds something like a classical acoustic guitar piece (Mood for a Day), which I happened to really like.

They start with the only decent track. The rest is Wankfest™

already had listened the first song idk where lol like it!

Yes, great. Really love the character of the album, great cohesion.

I liked it more than the Yes Album. 3 all time tunes and a couple of questionable ones. I like Yes.....hope thats it from them tho.

Not the Yes I like

Roundabout is good and the bass player can flat jam! Solid prog rock that either led, or followed, the introduction of the genre in the 70's.

Not for me.

Have I heard this album before? No Highlights: Roundabout, Cans and Brahms, We Have Heaven, South Side of the Sky, Long Distance Runaround, The Fish, Mood For a Day, Heart of the Sunrise, America Rating: 9.2/10 Roundabout is a masterpiece. The musicianship on this album is incredible, each member gets their own chance to show off as well. Amazing prog rock.

Liked this more than I anticipated. The bass lines were great and I liked the variety in song style. 3.5/5

First yes album I heard still sounds good if slight classical overload for me

A decent listen, not the biggest fan on super long songs, but some of them slap Top tracks: Roundabout, Long Distance Runaround, America

I listened to about 75% of the album. Vote probably shouldn’t count but I enjoyed it a lot. Classic 70s rock and I instantly added it to the library. I will go back and listen to it entirely. For now, 3.5/5

This album was super cool! You can see how these guys were classical trained. I liked how the classical bits were weaved in but also had some dedicated songs. I wasn’t blown away but wasn’t dissatisfied either. Solid album. Favorite song was Long Distance Runaround. Did not add to Spotify library.

Roundabout and you’ve seen all good people

Solid album. Nice change of pace. Awesome bass lines. Listened to the whole album twice Their cover of America is really cool and everything displays their intense talent

Angular in a way I didn't love. Massive highlight: Mood For a Day

LOL its this meme song Pretty chill unexpectedly 5/5

This "nerd wizard rock" was delightful. Maybe I'm more drawn to YES because I love RUSH. Either way, this was enjoyable. Make sure you have a pair of headphones on so you can truly enjoy how they experiment with the left and right channels.

Better than the last Yes album, but average overall.

The three album run from 1971-1972, with, The Yes Album, Fragile and Close To the Edge is the peak period for Yes, before things got off the rails and drifted into exercises of self-indulgence and tried the patience of fans with their next releases. Fragile opens with Yes's finest achievement, the over-eight minute masterpiece, Roundabout and was the main reason I bought the album. There's no doubt the song is a classic, but the rest of the record is decent enough to sustain it's status as one of their best. I don't love Yes's music, but at least on Fragile there was enough song structure, melody and superior musicianship to grade it above the average Prog album.

This was a surprisingly fun cruising album. And yet another album where I don’t actually care for the most popular tracks- I may go as far to say that the filler is more fun on this one. This album kept me on my toes, and was absolutely chaotic. We get mellowed out chilling vibes one song, and then get beat in the face with a guitar on the next. I think America has got to me my stand out favorite of the bunch, and I will deff be revisiting this album. (I’ve never heard of Yes before)

This is prog rock and it starts so strong. Roundabout being the Jojo theme song I am fairly familiar with that song but never bother to listen to anything else. It starts strong though. It is weird and hits every genre and the synths and bass are so strong of some of these tracks such long distance run around. Like with the rush album that we heard early on this is good. I think it drags just a bit with the last ballad of a song. America is much better than heart of the sunrise for sure. This is boom prog rock but I enjoy it its just a good 7/10 to me. Five per cent for nothing is one of the worst interludes ever imo

не передать моё умиление когда я поняла что кавер на Саймона и Гарфанкеля и на этот альбом попал! тру фанаты. приятный, интересный альбом, надо продолжать их исследовать

Prog can be a hard pill for me to swallow, but this is a damn good prog record. Highlights: Roundabout, Long Distance Runaround, The Fish, Mood for a Day, Heart of the Sunrise

LP

An absolute prog rock classic and one of my favourite Yes albums. But not my favourite hence only four stars

Excellent musicianship. Beautiful in that way. Lyrically? That's questionable, but I suppose back then you were supposed to listen to it high on something. I like this album very much, but to me, the songs are just songs to listen to, to groove to. There's nothing to hit your soul or your mind, so to speak. "Did we really count to one hundred?" Really?!

not really for me

One of my favorite moments with my mom is when we were driving to dinner and “Roundabout” came on the radio. I cranked up the volume and said, “I love Roundabout!” My mom was vibing too but then paused and said, “wait, how do you know Roundabout?” It came out when she was in high school, and I discovered it when I was in high school. Funny how life comes full circle. I love Yes.

Is the song 1 minute long... Or 10 minutes ? Has it ended, or is it just beginning ? This is musically speaking a great album, and I feel like listening to this live would be a great experience. Perhaps only a musician can truly enjoy this album through and through while sitting on the couch or driving to work. You need to get into it. Ultimately, my reaction was exactly that of the girl trying Kombucha meme lol, Roundabout is a gem but it became too much of a rollercoaster...

I’m not sure this is the Yes album to be on a must listen. It’s ok. Rick wakeman and Chris squire are favourites of mine but they’ve both done better work. (If this is that lineup. I was not bothered to look it up). It’s not bad just a bit dull. 2.5

Impression: a freeform musical playroom. This album is one of (too many) albums on this list that exist almost singularly as indulgent musical experiments. interesting curios you might cover in a documentary. you need deep academic interest in listening to a grown up noodling on their toy Casio and recording sound effects like steps and wind in a soundstage. It should be entitled "look what I can do Mum!". . Deeply nerdy rubbish for lovers of pure eclectic whimsy - a pointless Divertimento

I was never a huge Yes fan, but it was hard not to like I’ve Seen All Good People, the single released earlier in 1971 (& given another life when used by Cameron Crowe in the film Almost Famous). And based on that I got a copy of Fragile, the follow-up album, from the Australian Record Club. Standout track was the opener, Roundabout. Given it a few spins in the last couple of days. It’s aged well enough. I never saw them (although I did see Rick Wakeman when he eventually turned up in 1975). However I have a mate, Dennis Aubrey, who was probably Sydney’s best-known busker in the 70’s, & was always busking outside concert venues before big gigs (which he could then afford to attend with his bundle of coins). I didn’t know him then, but met him in the 90’s at Bob Dylan Appreciation Society monthly meetings. And he was in no doubt that the best live concert he ever saw was Yes at the Hordern Pavlova in 1973. And only a couple of weeks ago, at about 4 a.m. one morning, I heard him confirm that to a dee-jay on 702 who was trying to keep his audience awake by getting them to ring in & tell us all what was the best gig they ever attended.

Anderson, Walkman, Buttholes and How! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCNVIsd0eKQ) I am not a fan of prog, not a fan. This album is regarded as being a precursor to the full-blown prog of their subsequent records. Lord preserve us! This still sounds like a rock band (when they are actually playing as a band), with foreshadowing of the over-arranged clever-clogs, full blown progressive of the 70s that was right around the corner, especially in the "individual" pieces (fragments really) scattered across the record. There are really only four proper songs on the record. As with all prog albums, moments of rock and roll appear, only to be lost in a swamp of tedium. There is some occasional proper rock guitar from Steve Howe, Chris Squire's bass playing is consistently muscular, Bill Bruford is always a star (especially when he remembers to keep the beat moving along) and Rick Wakeman's playing can be helpful when he keeps it under control. While I find Wakeman to be often funny and charming in interview, the pretentious and widdly-widdly synthesizer overkill is not to my taste. When Yes play as a focused unit, it's good, but too much of the time, it feels like less than the sum of its all-too-disparate parts. I did suffer to listen all the way through, but it's all talk and no bloody trousers. And the fast bit in Heart of the Sunrise sounds suspiciously like the fast bit from King Crimson's 21st Century Schizoid Man. As many of the contemporaneous reviews stated; it's just showing off. Prog: it's the emperors new music.

I have always liked "Roundabout" and even prefer the unedited longer version of it. It's just a great song. While the shorter instrumentals can seem like filler, this is a really good album. If you do not like prog-rock or haven't heard prog-rock, then this is an album for you. The introduction of Rick Wakeman really seemed to help the group's sound, though I know it also meant more people were fighting to get their songs on each album. An album that is worth a listen and a seminal prog-rock album if that is your sort of thing.

I have always been ambivilant towards Yes as I like some of their work but don't really care for most of it. This album does not change that as I really like Roudabout but not any of the other tracks. So just barely 4 stars.

first i was scared but then the bass riff started and i was lowkey head bopping. why was it lowkey good. but the singing was ok so kinda made it not as good. instrumentals 🙂👍👍 i kinda liked it, it was also different but i wouldn’t listen to it again sos x

genius

Not bad.

hab irgendwie gedacht des gfallt mir mehr. sehr langwierig & anstrengend manchmal

Solid but not for me

3.4/5 Best Track: Roundabout

Okay

Giving me this album right after I rated Yes’ first album a 2/5 is cruel

Not my cup of tea, not even close to being my cup of tea. It's listenable but drab. It sounds like the sort of music made by middle-aged city workers, when they get home at the week-end and have a cheeky glass of red wine with a line, or two, of columbian marching powder. It gets the 2 star treatment from me.

Honestly, the best prog rock album so far.

Jeg Kunne oprigtigt godt lige de første 2 minutter... For helvede da.. De 3 andre albums jeg hørte imellem sangene var fede.. Det er det her ikke..

Forskellen på Yes og Pink Floyd er at PF engang imellem faldt over en god sang og formåede ikke at ødelægge den i prætentiøs selvforherligelse. Det er ikke sket for Yes på en eneste sang af de tre albums der nu har været med dem. Det eneste de har formået er at skabe en ny yndlings aversion hos mig

3.5 stars. An interesting rock album with lots of different progressions and cool instrumentation

So, I am biased a bit here. I have played bass guitar for 30 years. Chris Squire is iconic. I love the growling tone, the complex melodies, the subtleties of his harmonics. His influence in the progressive rock scene lives on though he has physically passed. Don’t forget the rest of those guys! Fantastic musicianship across the board. Their ability to meld classical and prog catches my ear each time. It’s a great album. Would I recommend it, well, YES!

Progressive Rock was, I though, my thing. Symphonic rock was, I thought, my thing. Syth was, I thought, my thing. Yes is all of these, and it leaves me uninspired. A couple of parts might be of interest, but on the whole, it's not that exciting for me. Lyrics are flamboyant, but the tone of the vocals, it just feels pitched to an uncomfortable space in my ear. The mildly interesting tracks here for me are the instrumental ones where artists are pushing their skills, and work wonderful melody's. I miss a sense of an overall work here is, of depth and feeling, of intricacy to be unwrapped. It's not here for me. Opaque and yes, fragile, but not fun. Let's try more Yes, but no yes to this Yes from me. 1 star.

Some parts of Roundabout seem vaguely familiar. I like the guitar instrumentals and background, but I feel like it’s a bit much. Random classical music. There’s a lot of vocal harmony, which is interesting but in my opinion doesn’t really match with the background music. And it’s a lot of “la la la” and “doo doo doo”, which makes sense if you’re singing a capella, but why not just make those sounds with actual instruments if you are using them anyway? Heart of the Sunrise is amazing. The album really grew on me as time went on. I have my qualms with it, but pretty good overall.

It got my attention with “Roundabout” with some Pre-Queen vibes with the layered harmonies. And then to have a weird, random ass Baroque style piano solo next with “Cans and Brahms”, ok I’m listening…. and then it’s shit. There’s a reason we all know and love Queen and not these guys. Relies way to heavily on the harmonies gimmick. There is some intriguing instrumentation here but they make the cardinal sin of forgetting to make it actually sound pleasing to listen to.

Really like Roundabout but the rest of it wasn’t super memorable. I know I have heard Roundabout before but I don’t know where. I think it must be a song my Dad likes. I definitely associate the familiar part of it with like Chicago or The Eagles. The Chicago part may be similar to 25 or 6 to 4? Idk but I would like to find out. 2 stars for a song I really like on an album that I don’t care for too much.

The first album our group has had that has been name-dropped in School of Rock, and as Dewey Finn promised, it blew the classical music out of my butt. Also the first Prog Rock album I’ve listened to all the way through. The solos and blends of different styles seemed like a new experience, and some of the chord progressions were very interesting and kept you guessing. I really enjoyed listening to this one. Mood for a Day was my personal favorite, with Roundabout coming in second.

When I started collecting vinyl records, my father-in-law gave me all of his old ones. A majority of them were Yes albums. I thought I would give them a listen and maybe it would be a band that we could bond over. I didn't enjoy Yes then, and I don't enjoy Yes now. Not really sure what he sees in them, but I just don't get it. Cool album art though.

as someone who is now intimately familar with the symphonies of brahms i can now on revisitation hate "cans and brahms" will the full scorn it deserves. and i dont even really like brahms. maybe this makes them look intellectual to somebody

Again, no.

Streaming numbers from track 1 to track 2 drop by over 98%. That’s practically Domestos.

to be continued?

Ok rock band, a few good songs, couple of them became hits. Never seemed to have a great run like some of the other rock bands of the time.

naja ..(.

Fragile is an album that struggles to find its footing, veering dangerously close to self-indulgence and monotony. While Yes undeniably possesses immense talent, particularly evident in their instrumental prowess, the album often feels like a showcase of technical skill rather than a cohesive musical journey. The cover of Simon and Garfunkel's America exemplifies this, with Yes failing to capture the essence and emotion of the original, instead opting for overblown instrumentation and flashy displays. Throughout the album, moments of promise are suffocated by lengthy and meandering instrumental passages, leaving listeners longing for substance and restraint. While there are flashes of brilliance scattered throughout, they are overshadowed by the album's overall lack of direction and cohesion. NUMBER OF BANGERS - 0 STAND OUT TRACK - None

First song got cool bass but that's about it for me

Ekki eintóm snilld, en mjög hresst og skemmtilegt progg. Mig langaði að hlusta aftur og ég gerði það. Prófið það líka.

In the words of dad 'i like the idea of Yes, but can't quite love them'

I understand why people like this album. Just not my taste.

Not my favourite of theirs but it's still at the very pinnacle of Prog. The musicianship is beyond belief and it's a pleasure from start to finish. Sit with your headphones on in a darkened room with just the music playing. It's spiritual :-)

Fame is a great song but not enough to make this interesting

This was really cool. Progressive, bouncy, a lot of fun.

classic prog rock! Long Distance Runaround is Yes at their best.

Unlike other reviews, I think there's a sufficient amount of funk infused in here to garner a 4 at least.

A more appropriate name for this band may have been "No"

Mix of weird and wonderful. The musical abilities here are off the charts. I’ll take Long Distance Runaround any day over Roundabout.

Became a YES fan after seeing them live back in the mid 90’s. I was entertained)

YES!? More like....maybe.

Songs do not need to be eleven minutes long. Seriously, what is wrong with people? I thought I liked Yes, but I listened to what I thought was this album and hated it & then I realized I listened to the wrong Yes album from 1971. Then I listened to the actual album and my thoughts are more No than Yes.

Prog dorks are so impressed with themselves for having heard classical music. Who cares?! Get over it. This one is better than the yes album bc there is some cool synth stuff (roundabout) and bc they abandoned the flutey folk sound for something with harder riffs (5%) with bass parts that rip (heart of the sunrise) and even coming close to having a groove (the fish). But good lord this crap is always on the precipice of being extremely annoying. Totally incoherent songs where 30 seconds of a good idea immediately ruined by a hard right turn into some goofy nonsense. Favorites: the fish, the first couple of minutes of heart of the sunrise, the part of America where they're doing an Allman Brothers parody until he starts singing

J'ai vraiment aimée j'ai eu un petit voyage mentale !

Fanominal, would be high on my vinyl list if the cover art was better but it was 1971🤷🏽‍♂️ favorite album of the list so far after court of the crimson king easy 5

One of my favorite albums

These are great songs and every part serves the album and I am not a big prog guy.

As a friendly-faced presenter of One Show segments, I don't want to be mean to Rick Wakeman, but this is the type of prog rock that bores the old man y-fronts off me. I'm sure it's technically brilliant and I understand that beardy Rick is a virtuoso on keys, but it just doesn't interest me at all. Rating: 2/5 Playlist track: Roundabout Date listened: 06/03/24

Enjoyed, but preferred Genesis. Also Asia.

A very calm, quiet album.

Some all time classics on this album. I understand now how yes has influenced and reshaped prog rock, as a band

Favorite album so far. Not my favorite yes album, but it’s up there. Heart of the sunrise is great.

What a great sound they produce . Classified as progressive rock (due to the odd time signatures?) the band is one of the classics of the progressive rock movement. And Jon Anderson's voice is a unique masterpiece.

Classic

Completamente progresivo. No es el tipo de album que escucharía muy seguido, pero es una gran obra.

Awesome album. Beautiful music.

Weird album. 2.3

I generally like the idea of "prog rock", but this one doesn't do it for me and I'm struggling to put my finger on why exactly.

Roundabout still rules, but the rest of this album thinks it's a lot more interesting than it actually is.

My first 2 star. It just doesn't stand out from the crowd. There was some nice guitar but I was pretty bored and glad when it ended. There's just better rock from this era. Hope this is their only album on the list.

In the upper echelon of albums ever created. Absolute peak prog rock.

Yes it's another band I frequently forget about despite really enjoying their music.

Fun

Already know and like this one although it’s definitely stronger with the bonus tracks as ‘America’ is a prog masterpiece that the original is missing.

I grew up with this album, some definite favourites in there.

Quirky, spacey rock. Positive vibe throughout and fun to listen to.

Roundabout: 11/10 THIS SONG GOES SO FUCKING HARD RAHHHHHH, but fr I don't think this song can ever get played too much for me sooo clean. Cans and Brahms: 5/10 We Have Heaven: 6/10 South Side of the Sky: 8-9/10 Five per Cent for Nothing: 7/10 Long Distance Runaround: 9/10 The Fish (Schindleria Praemeturus): 8/10 Mood for a Day: 9/10 clean ah hell Heart of the Sunrise: 10/10 America: 9/10 Roundabout (Early Rough Mix): 10/10 repeat Top 3: 1. Roundabout (obvi) 2. Heart of the Sunrise (nice guitar) 3. Mood for a Day (nice vibe switch) Album Score: 8/10 honestly, with something a bit harder and better on tracks 2 & 3 it would be a 5 star 9.?/10 for me

Banger

I've tried to get into Yes before, but it never clicked for me until this listen.

Good album. Some solo songs don't fit the vibe of the album.

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

It's a typical but not bad prog-rock album. A couple of interesting flourishes here and there, but not particularly memorable.

Flashback to my youth. I didn’t recall all the songs, but the ones I did, still hit.

Over the top musical and lyrical goodness. This album sets such a high bar for accessible prog rock.

Omg it's the meme song. Decent music for trip research but they really like to milk their one popular song. Not a long album and 2 tracks are the same (different mixes tho)

Fun to listen to. Seems like it might be a concept album, but a couple of distracted listens didn’t get to the meat of it.

Love this sound, but Roundabout is really the best of the bunch.

2.5

I have a love/hate relationship with Yes. I've always loved the two records which sandwich this one 'The Yes Album' and 'Close to the 'Edge'. I've never really connected with this one as much, at it's best it's fantastically composed, technically incredible prog rock, but at it's worst it's just all a bit wanky isn't it?

honestly wasn’t my favorite, i could see it growing on me but it was kind of a funky sound that didn’t really click with me off the bat but it’s definitely a unique interesting record

First time hearing this album. Really enjoyed it

Rare experimentele plaat, hakketakkerige popmuziek wordt afgewisseld met een klassiek stukje piano en een verstilde gitaarsolo. Zeker weer zo'n misbaksel uit de koker van Brian Eno, dacht ik nog. Maar kennelijk hebben ze dit geheel op eigen kracht gedaan. En het kan niet ontkend dat de heren kunnen spelen en dat het mooi vol geproduceerd is.

Wat een fijne start met Roundabout. Ik weet niet of ik de volledige versie wel eens had gehoord. Het nummer laat de veelzijdigheid van Yes horen. Het is wat dat betreft representatief voor het album. Ook laat het alvast horen dat er goed nagedacht wordt over de compositie en dat Yes soms wel veel door elkaar laat horen, soms complexiteit biedt en soms bijzondere overgangen heeft. Maar dat het toch telkens heel makkelijk luistert. Het album is dan ook een ware luisterbeleving. Van een repeterend nummer als We Have Heaven naar prettig getokkel op de gitaar in Mood for a Day. Op zichzelf is niet elk nummer 5 sterren waard. Ik zou normaal niet snel een nummer aanzetten dat klassieke muziek speelt met elektrische toetsen bijvoorbeeld. Maar in het album valt ook dit prima weg. Dit is één van de weinige albums waarbij de totaalwaarde groter is dan de som van de delen. 4,5 ster

Wat een heerlijk begin. Roundabout heeft namelijk een van de beste baspartijen aller tijden. Progrock in optima forma. Daarna wisselen de fijne progrock-stukken af met muzikale intermezzo's waarin alle muzikanten even hun skills willen showen. Het ene intermezzo is interessanter dan het andere. Het album als geheel voelt daardoor meer als een verzameling losse experimenten. Of als een showcase van alle losse muzikanten. De nummers waarin alles samenkomt, zijn wat mij betreft het beste. Een echte luisterplaat, waarin je elke keer nieuwe dingen kunt horen, dat wel. 3,5 ster.

Some great music but a bit too eclectic for me.

I'm reasonably familiar with Yes, though it's a band that I really don't like. I find the tracks on this album complex (presumably technically proficient), but rather unengaging. It's not an album I particularly enjoyed - I don't really go for progressive rock on the whole. 3/5

yes

Roundabout slaps so hard as an opener that by itself would give this album a solid rating. But then the rest of the tracks are of almost the same quality, first time listening to this album and can't wait to replay it already. I can see why my dad loved this band :)

Steve Howe is a monster

Yes is good, but not my favorite.

Not my favorite. More keys/piano than expected. Solid, great prog album

I've always liked Roundabout but never listened to any more Yes...fantastic album. Not sure why they aren't hailed as all time greats. 7.5/10

Fun and charming

Another meh album. For someone who enjoys some weird jazz/prog rock I just don’t think this hits as an album. The songs themselves are pretty good but the filler is so bad.

Such a creative, unique band that I always treasure the chance to listen to. Favorite track: Roundabout

Definitely not my style or taste but can appreciate the sound and vibe. Reminds me of steely dan

hell of a lot more listenable than close to the edge

No thanks

This all sounds like the same song to me.

roundabout- why is 8 minutes. wait dude........ omg. i cant take it seriously sorry. 4 cans and brahms- 3 or 4 we have heaven- 2 south side of the sky- 2 go away from me five per cent for nothing- 7 tbh long distance runaround- 3. or 2 the fish- 3 mood for a day- 3 heart of the sunrise- im not doing this favorite track- five per cent for nothing

I loved it. The instrumentals were superb.

Ushering 70s jam rock, which is good, but there’s not many hooks (lyrically), which some may not like

So many changes and so much going on I couldn't really get in to this.

Interesting!

Too much over thinking

Meh

I don’t think it’s as interesting as it thinks it is. But it’s still more interesting than most. And an album being interesting is more important than it being good. 3/5

The 70s were a magical time - when ugly, uncool white men could put out technically proficient, yet nearly unlistenable music and still make a career of it. "Roundabout" is okay, but the rest almost pissed me off. 2.3

Man I'm burnt out on prog thanks to this list. This was okay because it wasn't excessively long. The highlight for me was "Heart of the Sunrise," with its slightly harder sound.

This record has some great songs, and some really not great songs. The first and last songs are great but there isn't a lot more than that.

Many interesting ideas across the runtime of the album. I think I prefer both The Yes Album and Close To The Edge. Nothing in here that would push it to 5 star territory but really good regardless. Favorite tracks are Roundabout, Southside of the Sky, Long Distance Runaround, and Heart of the Sunrise. <====To Be Continued==

Im still not the biggest yes fan but I like some of their music. This also applies for this album. It’s good but no track really stands out here

"Roundabout" is one of those songs I know I've hard a whole bunch but never consciously or really paying attention until now. Man the organ and the overall timbre of the guitars together is a trip back in time. Some great songs, and also some... recordings where they seem to have just dropped acid and then pressed record. Overall it's still good. That bass tone and playing alone... man.

I used to love JOJOs, now i can't stand it.

This is a great album but some songs go on a bit too long

Prog rock is like a younger cousin to me. I can relate to it but sometimes I roll my eyes a bit (fondly). I enjoyed the album! Roundabout is really good. But I can't rate it a 4 in good faith.... I'm so sorry....

I say yes

Unique band with a unique sound.

Best Songs: Roundabout Listen Again: Probably

Solid album with some really great standout songs: Roundabout and Long Distance Runaround are fantastic. Enjoyed this one, especially after my last two album listens, which were duds.

Not my bag, but I respect the players' chops. Also: 1. Google a recent photo of guitarist Steve Howe and tell me he should have been cast as Elrond in LOTR. 2. I've been working on a joke review involving the word "incel" but couldn't get there. Still, I couldn't leave this review without using that word.

I've never been able to really get into any band's prog-rock phase (and some bands never had any other phase, I know), so it's hard for me to enjoy this album as much as I should/could. That said, I enjoy Yes' prog-rock sound about as much as (maybe more than?) Genesis or ELP. This album is kind of a weird one, though, with the way it only had half of the songs as true band collaborations, so it's hard to call it much of a complete album (I did like the story behind "5 percent of nothing", though). I'm not sure it's fair to rank it a 2, but my 3-star rating seems a bit generous, I'll admit.

part of me wants to give this 5 stars because I believe they achieved their intention with this album: it's well executed, coherent, and consistent. The other part of me wants to give it 0 stars because I so much do not care for this type of music. I have no idea why anyone would listen to it. I can't imagine dancing to it and I don't think it's interesting enough to listen to on its own, and it's not ambient enough to be background. I'll cop out and give it a 3.

Nice hints of Hammond organ. Invokes feelings of situations.

Classic Album. A littlel bit dusty but still a masterpiece of Prog Rock.

I can appreciate this for being well done - good musicians. Weird how the album is all over the place - a little classical guitar, Brahms I guess, and some more psychedelic rock. Not really my thing but also not bad.