Fragile

This album was great. I was surprised by hearing all the subtleties in this record, alone, that modern prog artists rip off. A lot of synth and/or string parts and even little change up's that they do. I guess if you're going to rip someone off, make sure they are worth ripping off. Perhaps ripp off isn't the right word. I don't mean it in a negative connotation. I don't think I really care for the lead singers voice. It doesn't sound as epic as the music does. And it sounds a bit flat... There is one part that I particularly disliked in the song South Side of the Sky (I love the alliteration) - there were a bunch of La's being sung that really didn't add to the song. It almost felt like the singer just wanted his voice to be heard. Roundabout is a staple song that most musicians and/or music lovers know. I don't know anyone who dislikes that song. What a great way to start a record. The strings were fantastic in this album. And the riffs were proggy and awesome! I will definitely revisit this. Hopefully the vocals will grow on me.

Hard to to do better when you start with such a great first song. Everything else was good, but never hit the quality of Roundabout.

pretty good. Some of the really long songs are great if you’re in the mood

The album is interesting, but the pianist and lead guitar are often attempting difficult music that is outside of their playing abilities which I found distracting.

So funky and interesting. I loved it!! Lots of imstruments and interesting melodies and time signatures.

The opening to "Roundabout" is one of the most visceral starts to any prog album I've heard. The listener is lulled into a false sense of serenity before being spiraled into that crunchy, distorted bass groove that drives the entire first half of the track. In typical Yes fashion, this song is chock full of organ, crunchy bass, and occasional ambient passages. I love the whimsical and calming keyboard and electronic tones on "Cans and Brahms" that are followed by the softer vocal layers over the gentle acoustic strumming of "We Have Heaven". The following "South Side of the Sky", when compared to the previous tracks, I don't enjoy as much. I enjoy Jon's lead melody and the little ambient passage and following build-up near the halfway point, but the groove itself is relatively tame and uninteresting. I feel similarly about the following shorter tracks but the song "The Fish" has a psychedelic, groovy, and cavernous nature and is one of the standout tracks on this album. The following "Mood for a Day" is a nice, but oddly placed, little acoustic piece acting as a breather in this album (that honestly didn't need one). Similar to "The Fish", there's something ethereal about the layered synths grouped with that typical Yes groove that kicks "Heart of the Sunrise" off. Honestly, I think the first three minutes of this track take the cake for having the best groove on the entire record. Jon's sentimental vocals grow to a cathartic peak before being snuffed out by the returning groove near the halfway mark. The vocals complement the piano-driven groove during the final couple of minutes, making for a strong finisher. Overall, a very solid Prog record; maybe not as cloudy, colorfully varied, and ambitious as "Close to the Edge". In its own right though, there's a lot to find enjoyment in here, and in Yes' formula and style overall. 7/10

Progressive rock. Lots of musical components and composition requirements. This was a really uniform album. I can see how Yes pioneered and made this genre popular.

Enjoyed it! Added it to my queue.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would

Yes! I think the original album was just the first three tracks. Those tracks were made for me, the perfect blend of rock, pop, psychedelia and jamming. Absolutely love it. The rest of the songs are good too.

I really enjoyed this album.

Don't know the group but I was very familiar with the first song, though I never knew the title.

Rock progresivo. Ni fu ni fa.

Un poco rollo.

Fine background music, but too twee.

Not really my thing. one or two tracks that I would include in a playing list

Always appreciated the band Yes...

No

Good music. "I still remember". I have heard a few of these songs, and really enjoyed them. I enjoyed listening to the whole album.

like the album It’s calming, almost meditative

Purely based on the fact that this album brings together Bill Bruford and Rick Wakeman I would give it 5 stars without having to even listen to it. However, I obviously did listen to it and have listened to it many times before. I think what I like most about this album is that it's so jam-packed with ideas that all seem to be pulling in different directions, but somehow it ends up cohesive. It's a bit like the musical equivalent of an overstuffed suitcase that refuses to stay closed - in a good way. But perhaps the best thing about Fragile is that I know that this is far from my favourite album by Yes and I have the rest still to come. Finally, I see some popular reviews suggesting that this is "Dad Rock" or "not for women". I have to admit that comments like this give me mixed feelings. Part of me is glad that there's so many people who are closed minded and they will probably never appreciate the quality of albums made long before they were born. This somehow adds to my enjoyment, knowing that this is not popular music. However, I also feel a slight tinge of regret that this level of mental laziness exists and that assigning a label to something you don't like is how ignorant people avoid having to engage their brains. This is one of my wife's favourite albums of all time incidentally, also my daughter's (who is in her 20s).

It's exactly 12 minutes of good music and 38 minutes and 38 seconds of the recording engineer's wasted time in the studio.

Wonderful memories

Gute Bassläufe. Typisch progressiver Rock für die Zeit. Einzelne Titel sehr gut.

ROUNDABOUT

This was ok but not particularly interesting or memorable.

Classic bass lines

Not as good as 90125 but pretty good

The yes album was better. 3,5 stars

Brilliant, this whole album is great, every track is excellent. Roundabout to open the album, that bass line is superb. Then taking a hard turn into classical music, completely unexpected. It is the epitome of 70s prog rock, experimental yet approachable at the same time. Great album, could listen to it all day

MASTERPIECE. I LOVE THIS ALBUM SO MUCH!

Uninteresting... unenjoyable music

Bass lines were the best parts of this album

Enjoyed this but I preferred 'The Yes Album'

Hell yea! Great album.

Pretty cool. Some interesting song writing and composition. I think they are at the best when they are playing guitar solos

It's not bad but I expected more.

Pretty good

Classic amazing songs that stand the test of time. Some of the more obscure tunes are forgettable.

Some cool tracks, but a pretty forgettable listen overall

When I first heard this album I thought it validated my taste in music and that it made me very sophisticated. But, in secret actuality, I found it tedious and not that easy to listen to. Now, all these years later, I’m inclined to double down on the sense of sophistication, but I still find it a bit tedious.

It’s cool but nothing mind blowing. Average album that should only be enjoyed from start to finish, and not as independent singles

Was just ok

ret fed! som så mange andre bands har min eksponering til Yes været 100% gennem Guitar Hero og GTA, fedt nok at høre et helt album

Tror sgu det er første gang jeg har hørt en hel Yes plade! Havde en good time.

Der var sgu noget ornli' orgel på den plade, men det var ikke fordi jeg elskede pladen ..

Maybe I'm in the wrong mood for this but I found a lot of it insufferable pretentious noodling. Add in a terrible cover of Simon & Garfunkle's "America" at the end and I'm ready for this to be done.

Epic. Essential prog album.

Gear: Focal Clear (ZMF) Mische: 🎧😘🤌 Mugge: Prätentiös audiophiler Prog Rock ist anscheinend mein Ding. Und das Album hat ne Menge davon. Wertung: 4/5

73/100 - love roundabout and cool tunes but kinda some filler in there, still good

Enjoyable! Good for listening at work.

It's good music just not for me,

Gosh they're trying hard aren't they? The most over produced aggressively irritating wall of noise I've ever heard.

Weird and experimental and off the wall. I liked it, but probably not for a repeated listen.

Un poco raro tipo pink floyd

Yes (pun intended), it's that anime cliffhanger ending meme song right off the bat. Pretty good album, even if I'm more partial to their 80s work ("Owner of a Lonely Heart"). The short songs are a bit odd but there's some great gems, like "South Side of the Sky." Be sure to listen w/ headphones as there are tons of tiny stereo effects to discover.

Typical prog. Don't care for the sound or the lyrics. I'm astonished to see people commenting "this is music from heaven" or similar.

Very experimental but amazingly well done. Showing skill and creativity. Sounds like Queen took some inspiration from them as well. Not really my personal taste but I can appreciate the skill and art that went into making this album.

Such a fun album, but not their best work.

Rock sinfónico recargado y pretencioso, con indudables momentos de virtuosismo técnico interesantes.

Great musicianship, but they can get a little overindulgent.

The percussion is great. Progressive rock, very jammy, chorus singing similar to classic rock bands. Feels Steely Dan adjacent. Orchestral parts are interesting.

This is one of those albums where I'm really reminded that this list was made by a British man of a certain age. Nothing about it stands out or seems interesting or unique to me, but I'm sure it seemed fantastic to the author at the time. It's not bad, just mid, as the kids would say. There are a lot of albums like this on the list, and some of them have surprised me, but most are just as average as I expected.

imo this is the best yes album and maybe the best 70s prog rock album? there are so many excellent tunes here, from the opening to roundabout until the closer, heart of the sunrise. each one takes you on a unique and inspiring sonic journey. the lyrics are creative and mysterious, the instrumentation lush and varied, the vibes immaculate. yes absolutely broke the mold with fragile. favorites: roundabout, we have heaven, south side of the sky, long distance runaround, heart of the sunrise

I love yes’s Yesterdays and Close to the Edge albums more than this one

There were some interesting melodies and other aspects, but not once did I genuinely wanted to listen to any given song again.

Really musically fun and experimental. I can't find myself listening to this with the majority of songs being ten minutes or more. But overall it wasn't annoying. Just not my favorite or go to.

Some great songs.

Obsessed over overgangen mellom Long Distance Runaround og The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)

About what I expected – meandering prog rock. A few catchy hooks here and there followed by endless, pointless, boring improvisational solos. Sadly, I’m just not a classic rock guy. I have now listened to three of the best albums of all time: Disraeli Gears, Station to Station & Fragile. Really didn’t have much use for any of them. Disraeli Gears was gloomy and dark and heavy, Station to Station was cold and emotionless, and Fragile is pointlessly meandering. I need some hooks and melody. I get it – I’m not a particularly sophisticated listener.

•Not owned: Streaming •Never been prone to prog my rock but I listened with an open mind (in multiple time signatures). Quality production/mixing but it just sounds like Hobbit rock to me. Exception: “Heart of the Sunrise,” whose licks and vocal performances I actually enjoyed. • 2/5

Better than 3, not quite a 4. 3.75 stars.

Loved this! Roundabout as the opening theme for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is what got me into Yes and this album delivers.

Pretty fun, reminiscent of Kansas musically.

innovative , captures a specific texture of joy and positivity. sound masters

uno de los primeros del progresico 5/5 genial

Very nice!

On the one hand, I can appreciate the complex arrangements, musicianship augmenting some commercially acceptable melodies. 'Roundabout' for example is a decent track with various catchy vocal and instrumental melodies. On the other hand, it does tend to meander (like a lot of prog-rock) and some of it is a bit lifeless. It's pleasant but unavoidable is the fact a lot of this sort of music is rather dated to modern listeners.

Bit waffly

No

Not good.

I can't deny I caught myself foot tapping along at various points, but overall, it is very bland and largely forgettable.

Oy progrock sucks so much. Roundabout was good until it went off the rails. Like, there’s some good musical arrangements and complex compositions. But it’s lousy to listen to unless you’re really into progrock.

Ok

3.4 enjoyed it

Roundabout is the one everyone knows Very instrumental heavy but quite cool actually. Quite muddy production not sure how keen I am on that and feels almost like it could be cut down quite a lot more. THe America cover is quite cool, slightly Police/Supertramp vibes Mood for a day is actually just a very pretty guitar piece, unexpected but enjoyable. it’s very diverse musically, and quite weird (cans and Brahms) but actually pretty cool 3/5

I enjoyed this! Much more than I expected to. I'm giving it a 3.5 but rounding down to 3 for that cover of America which baaaaarely even qualifies as one.

I hold these men personally responsible as the progenitors of most prog rock

Honestly, not too bad! I was very impressed with their musicianship, but prog rock isn’t my favorite genre.

nah

The best thing about this album is that one of the songs was under a minute long. There are a lot of albums I've drawn from this list that I personally disliked but that I could understand why other people like them, but this album is not one of them. I'm especially unclear why there seems to have been a push to remaster this album and make it available in very high quality. Maybe it's because I'm listening in 2023, but even in the ~70 previous albums I'm sure I've heard funkier jam band jams. Aja felt like the Weather Channel forecast music but at least was fairly cohesive in its "5am rain projection" vibe. Deep Purple was noodley but at least high energy. I just know that tomorrow I'm going to look at the global reviews are going to be full of high marks and I still won't understand why. I'm relieved this site doesn't have any commenting function I've identified because I just know this is the sort of album several die hard fans would pour out of a van painted with a (to be fair, very sick) wizard to tell me I'm wrong for hating. It is true misfortune that I actually liked the first 3:47 (a normal song length) of Heart of the Sunrise but that the track is 11:26.

Ok, 1970 music

Interesting.

No

Some great songs and interesting arrangements.

Highlights: Roundabout, Cans and Brahms, Five Percent For Nothing, Heart of the Sunrise. In a nutshell: Virtuoso prog rock. The band, along with album cover illustrator Roger Dean, build a universe with each song. Without the band’s new direction and the inclusion of Rick Wakeman on keys, rock music wouldn’t be the same. Some songs are long (Heart of Sunrise, America) but will give a free pass because they hold my attention. As for the “one song per member, the rest as a group” concept, it feels fractured to me. Overall: 6/10

Should be listen.

A benefit of beaming these records onto a hotel television is my wife’s opinion on the music and Spotify band photos: “This is “get a grip” as well. Go to the gym. Get a haircut. Go for a run. Go see a dentist. This is not music I could like.” When the band show a flash of groove - like the start of South Side of the Sky - they immediately fidget out of it and thwart fun: they’re awful at flirting, and can only flirt, and were I not under an obligation I would not have stayed beyond hors d’œuvres. Fragile has the constituent components of a passable ZZ Top EP, an alright Sweet LP, a sub-par Shellac letter to friends, and a moderately successful Gypsy Kings single, but tragically they are Yes.

As I've commented for earlier Yes efforts, they sound like pretty basic rock music with extra steps. So it is here - I've got a lot of tolerance for prog fiddling as long as the end result is worth it, but wasn't feeling it today

It’s fine. Pretty forgettable.

I once liked roundabout.

Amazing album, glad i found this gem

Boring tosh. (I know, I know, it's poor form to belittle the artistic endeavours of others etc. Whatever.)

Prog rock…hmm

Favorite Tracks: Roundabout Long Distance Runaround Mood for a Day

Well this was a miserable experience

Okay, this is awesome. Getting some strong Emerson, Lake and Palmer vibes from this. Never listened to Yes before, but this is a really enjoyable record with lovely warm production. Favourite tracks: Roundabout, We Have Heaven, South Side of the Sky, America.

Another album that did nothing for me

Highlights: Roundabout Can and Brahms America The opening baseline on Roundabout is a great start to the album. The extreme variance in lengths between songs makes for an interesting listening experience. While parts in the middle of the album kind of melded together it was an overall enjoyable experience and an album I can see myself returning to in atleast part.

Despite having some solid tracks on the record, there seemed to be something disjointed stylistically between the longer and the shorter ones. Favs: roundabout, south side of the sky, mood for a day

I normally have mixed opinions about prog rock bands, but this was pretty fun. Each song is unique and displays individual talents of all members involved. I wouldn't say any individual song is particularly memorable, but as a whole, it's pretty good stuff.

I love yes, but I didn't get a chance to listen to this album today although I've heard it plenty. Roundabout and Heart of the Sunrise are the standouts.

Super interesting

I am starting to realize that there was a lot of “Musical Theatre” experimentation in the 70s. The sound of this album is fine, for the most part. The super long (and super short) tracks are a tad annoying. I’d probably enjoy this album more if it was the soundtrack of a live stage production.

Solid album.

Was okay but didn't seem like anything special

Ok, it's very good. Like The Who but way more psychedelic and interesting. The actual musicality is great, but as a preference, since playing piano, guitar and bass for a bunch of years, I've weirdly grown to hate keyboard solos, open chords on electroacoustic guitars and slap bass. This has all of those things in abundance - even which the literal perfect levels of distortion and cool as fuck opening track. So while I want to give it more stars, I physically cannot.

yes

I would've been happier if they just played Roundabout for 40 minutes.

Really enjoyed this album. A bit of variety and lots of song-writing/musical talent displayed.

Once again, an underwhelming Yes album. It started off strong with Roundabout, but the song itself began to drag and the rest of the album was so eclectic going from prog rock to baroque to whatever else and I just didn’t understand it. The lack of structure in songs makes it difficult to lose myself in any of them, and the album as a whole suffers with the same issue. It’s a shame as there were lots of really good musical ideas, I just don’t like the way they choose to use them. Prog rock just isn’t for me I think. 2/5

Prog rock not my fave

Really not my thing overall. Some nice moments but much too needlessly flashy and not much substance behind it. Was nice to hear the version of America but prefer the original by a long stretch.

Roundabout- 5/5 Cans and Brahms (Extracts From Brahms' 4th Symphony in E minor, Third Movement)- 3.7/5 We Have Heaven- 4/5 South Side of the Sky- 4.6/5 Five per Cent for Nothing- 4.8/5 Long Distance Runaround- 4.7/5 The Fish (Schindleria praematurus)- 3.9/5 Mood for a Day- 3.5/5 Heart of the Sunrise- 4.6/5 Total- 4.3/5

Sick album

3/5. Really special bass work on this album that really pounds home the idea of more prog rock even in the early 70s.

I did not enjoy this album too much. Beyond their hit "Roundabout" (which is very, very good!), few tracks caught my attention. Favorite Song(s): "Roundabout", "The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)"

אחד מאלבומי הפרוג היותר טובים. הוא הרבה יותר מרק האלבום של roundabout ! האלבום הכי טוב עד עכשיו 10 מתוך 10

I like yes some years ago. Then I got old, I guess...

Decent enough

Store-brand Pink Floyd. Starts with a banger, then it's all classical guitar and not fully fleshed our themes.

yes

Used to not like Yes. Now I kind of do? 3 stars

jojo song. I thought there were some cool cuts, but nothing held my interest for the entirety of a song

Was ok

Roundabout is good

Best opening track of all time. Roundabout is amazing and will always be one of my favorites. Bassline goes so hard. Rest of the album is very prog rock and experimental and its great

This hasnt been awful, again nothing is connecting with me in any real way. Long distance runaround is pretty dope ngl. Okay yeah its for sure dope. 4 stars just to break the streak

I don't see myself coming back to this, but I had a lot of fun listening

First song sets really high hopes for the rest of album. It's base is great and remains unbeaten by the rest of the tracks. Rest is still nice though.

2.5 stars. The leadoff "Roundabout" is great, but the album is all downhill from there. I guess I'm just not into 70's prog rock.

This record lacks the cohesion needed to have a highly rated product. There are as many highlights as lowlights on this record, and in my opinion, Yes would go on to produce a few records better than this one.

4/5 this one, will definitely go back to it. Might become 5/5 with repeated exposure…

1. Roundabout (8:30) => Already loved it before listening to the album. The remaster is amazing. The bass is much more audible than before. (5/5) 2. Cans and Brahms (1:38) => It's alright. I don't really have much to say about it. (3.5/5) 3. We Have Heaven (1:39) => Pretty cool. Novelty wears off pretty quickly. Fairly boring, but the transition is really cool (3/5) 4. South Side of the Sky (7:58) => Much better than the last two. Things are looking up; this is bloody brilliant! I still love this, though. Going straight into my playlist. (4.5/5) 5. Five per Cent for Nothing (0:35) => It's slightly melodic noise. Very disjointed. Es ist nicht mein Bier (2/5) 6. Long Distance Runaround (3:30) => It's far better than the last one, but that is not hard by any means. It's actually really good, I love it. (4.5/5) 7. The Fish (Schindleria Praemeturus) (2:38) => I didn't even notice the transition again. Other than that, it's okay. Would've been better as part of Long Distance Runaround. (3.5/5) 8. Mood for a Day (3:00) => It might be an instrumental, but it's a damn good one! Might try learning it (5/5) 9. Heart of the Sunrise (10:34) => I love this! It's amazing! (5/5) 10. America (10:31) => I get why it wasn't on the original, but it's far better than Nothing. Five per Cent for Nothing to be exact. It's still pretty good, though. The solo is the stand out part of the song. It's very good. Sounds like if Angus Young was a blues guitarist. (4.5/5) 11. Roundabout - Early Rough Mix (8:35) => This is amazing!!! Why wasn't this the original studio version?!?! The early start in the middle eight didn't harm it at all. I see no reason for this not to be the original. The ethereal feel of the bridge makes it much better, as does the slight phase difference on the vocals in the final refrain. This improves on the original in every way possible. (5/5) Overall => Starts off with an absolutely timeless classic, before a few hit or miss songs, and really kicking it into high gear towards the end and bookending it with an even better version of the first track. The highs are really high and the lows are meh at worst. Final Thoughts => Overall, it's a really solid album. Definitely one of my favourites of all time. (5/5)

Favourite one yet, interesting instrumentals. Minimal vocals but not lacking per se

Some good music here. The musicianship was excellent.

Incredibly repetitive.

I don't think I'll listen to this again.

Want to give it 5 stars, but it's not earth shattering good. Roundabout really elevates the album. Like the last long song too. Liking prog beforehand really increases my chances to like this album though

Excellent musicianship, a few great tunes, bit of filler too though

Me rachei na primeira música, que era dos memes clássicos UAUHAHUAHU. Mas muito boa a música. Os caras são bons nos dedilhados. Foi um álbum muito bom de ouvir, e adicionei uma música. Vou dar 4.

Pô essa Roundabout é boa demais, independente dos memes. Os caras usam stereo a dar com o pau. Tem elemento pra cacete nas músicas. Obrigatório usar fone. Mas aí continuei a ouvir o álbum e.... é bem... experimental? Não sei se essa é a palavra, mas não me agradou muito não. Além da Roundabout, que é excelente, tem mais 2 legaizinhas e é isso. O resto todo não foi divertido de ouvir não. Muita música gigantesca que até tem partes bacanas, mas a maior parte é chatinho. Queria dar 2.5 se tivesse. Como as músicas são diferenciadas/ricas e tem Roundabout, acho 2 estrelas meio injusto talvez, então vai 3 mesmo.

What an album, my favourite Yes album after "Close To The Edge". Opens with "Roundabout" and closes with "Heart of the Sunrise", with "Long Distance Runaround" and "The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)" inbetween.

Nice find. ;Loved it !

It's on the Mount Rushmore of Prog Rock for me. Really quite short and sweet at just 41minutes. Not overbearing, very melody driven, great album artwork. Superb

3.9

Yeah, Yes have done it again here. The amount of power chords they produce from their selection of instruments is really difficult to explain. The grooves they get into on each track are flat out addicting, and the influences drawn from other genres are all welcome and interesting. Favorite track: Roundabout

Un poco rollo.

YES!

hey i know the first song, its a meme song! The rest of the album is okay, didn't dislike it, didn't completely vibe on it either.

JOJOS FUCKEN BIZARRE ADVENTURE!!!

I liked this. I recognized some of the songs, but never knew they were Yes. America was my favourite track.

I love this. Fra den første sangen (Roundabout) som er en fuckings BANGER, til den siste. Det er funky og fresh og fitness. (Fitness dick In your mouth) 10/10, jeg elsker det. Fuck you.

Digger 80 %, resten gir meg angst:)

There are some REALLY good songs on here but it’s interspersed with random B.S. for no reason.

Rounabout :D 4/5

I’m Fragile on Progressive Rock. Sorry.

Not my most go-to Yes, but very Yes indeed.

You know those girls who really dig Yes? Yeah, me neither.

It’s a long with lots of interludes. There are good moments but didn’t hold my attention. I like South Side of the Sky 5.5/10

I love Brahms… I want other people to love his music. I guess if Ues is a gateway that’s ok but it makes no real sense on this album. Lyric again mean nothing to me here. I think you could cherry pick the good stuff here and combine it with other nice ones from the Yes Album and you would have a 5 star album.

Jojo

That is peak progressive rock. And in that never boring or too soloey.

Had one Yes album here before that didn't impress that much, and this is not really improving on the matter. On paper I should like them, and I wish I did, but I just don't. I think it's just too much, perhaps. It feels like they try to cram in too many notes in their songs for my liking, and it just gets messy.

Not in the mood for "Yes" today at all. Highly technical but found it mostly noisy. I did enjoy the opening track "Roundabout" (made famous by memers). The rest was quite a slog. Not much more to say except I couldn't wait for it to be over.

The songs range from fun to awful

ROUND ABOUT

No See what I did there! lol Listened to it a few times, I think that was the problem.

There were a few enjoyable songs in this album and I appreciated the funky bass. This would be very mood based for me - and I was not in the mood :( Just too much going on - calm the fuck down Yes, I'm feeling Fragile. Track I'd say Yes to again: Roundabout (which I only learnt today is what is sampled to make a song I really love by Slugabed called 'Mountains Come out of the Sky' - who knew!?!)

So good.

I have heard of Yes but had no idea who they were. I've heard this Roundabout song a million times but thought it was Rush or something. They're alright at times. I pretty much hate all 70s prog but some of this was bearable.

Nice. Roundabout is my favorite. Not a big fan of mostly instrumentals.

Atsit "Supernatural", daudz jamming. :D Tipisks progressive rock.

Legendary first song

Had to really fight myself to not turn off the jazzy tunes. Started very promissing.

pirmā dziesma bija ok

Niet slecht maar ook niet wow m.i.

Musically very interesting, lyric wise, it was just OK.

Roundabout is good. Not much else to say about the rest.

1. The bassline & drums are craazyyy but what's more crazy is that this song is 8 MINS 😭 2. There's a giveaway in the title but it's rooted in classical music - I actually didn't mind listening to it. 3. I like the use of layered vocals. 4. oh my days this song is basically 8 mins too. It was okay though 5. I love that they have super long songs and then a short song. The last song was like 8 mins. this song is like 40 secs. 6. I like the melody of the lines "did we really tell lies, letting in the sunshine" 7. It was okay I guess. 8. I actually appreciate how they give each instrument it's own track. 9. ngl I skipped through most of it bc this song is 11MINS 😭😭😭 Overall it was aight just not for me. Wouldn't listen to these songs ever again.

Listened to this while playing Return to Dark Tower solo. I lost. This album was pretty darn great! The opening track had me hooked from the first bass riff. You can tell these are SERIOUS musicians. I am a pianist and was completely enamored with the keyboardist. I recognized the closing track...but it was because it was sampled in something else...though I can't remember where. Maybe from Girl Talk? Maybe a super early Diplo mix I had downloaded in like 2003? Pretty awesome song though. I kept thinking I was going to give this album a 3 out of 5...but then the last track came in and bumped it to a 4. Totally would listen to this again.

Not my favorite, not ideal for background music, as it goes a bit everywhere

Eh. Yes isn't really my thing. They always sound too polished, like there's no soul in the music. It's good, but just not for me.

3.5

Me gusta el prog rock, pero este por lo que sea no me ha gustado mucho. Entiendo que tuvo que molar escuchar esto por primera vez en 1971 y puedo apreciar la influencia que tuvo, pero no es mi estilo, y no creo que lo vuelva a escuchar por placer. Favoritas: Roundabout, Long Distance Runaround.

3.5

Pretty nice

Amazing find. The sound of Roundabout sounds incredible, even on crappy Shokz headphones. Wonder what they'll be like on David's speakers. Experimental with Spanish guitar vibes, but also like flying through space.

Aww yiss, love Yes and their Prog sound. Couple of bops, a few good ones that didn't get radio play. I've heard this album before, so it was nice to give it another listen after many years

It was fine. Find it interesting that most of the songs are either 8 minutes or a minute and a half. Didn't dislike it but probably won't listen again

Not great. First song was good & it went downhill from there.

A cool mix of funky prog and instrumental classical, and I quite enjoyed it.

Very fragile

It wasn’t really memorable to me. It reminded me of being a kid at the neighbour’s garden party when Józsi bácsi was blasting progressive rock noone heard about from CD-s he collected. All the suburban mums hated it but the progressively drunker dads were kinda living it. Anyway, will probably not revisit, but it was still a good listen. Also, I was tired when listening, so I probably not have given it the fairest chance.

Boring and weird

Mix of short melodic Guitar Riffs and 10 minute musical journeys. Soft lyrics and gentle guitar with drums, heavy riffs inbetween

Intressant - men kanske inte fullt så intressant som man hade kunnat hoppas. Några hyfsade låtar, men dessvärre ett antal skips.

Interesting early album with only one hit that I remember liking a lot more than I did mixed into this album.

Never heard of these guys - pretty interesting sound! Psychedelic a bit... some sounds reminded me of Pink Flloyd, a lot of keyboard, symphony sounds - like a ballet. It sounds like they had a blast making it. Their music sounds like a story ... sometimes trying too hard a bit for me. I'd never seek the album out to listen to personally... but glad I got to experience it.

This album would have blown my mind if I were alive at its release. I really enjoyed it. 4 stars because I simply am not likely to listen to it on my own, but would absolutely jam out to this album if somebody else put it on.

Iconic opening to the album; I can see why it became a meme. The synthesizers and flamenco guitar were nice, but my weird aversion of organs affected my enjoyment of some songs. I would listen casually, felt very bright and went by quickly while studying. Overall not many complaints but nothing I could obsess over. 6/10

Fragile is an absolutely classic Yes album. Roundabout is such a brilliant track, as are tracks like America, Long Distance Run, etc.

It's a really solid 3. Liked it back in the day but some of it sounds a bit dated now. Excellent musicianship all round though. Roundabout and Mood for a Day always brings a smile to my face.

Roundabout!

a huge classic!!love it so much

i mean i’ve seen the fragile line up live and even tho it was 2004 that was momentous.. it’s a literally perfect album

This album immediately overstayed it's welcome. Some of the funky bass stuff had me tapping my foot, but aside from that it really dragged

Stone. Cold. Masterpiece. If I could give it 10/5 I would. Changed the way I appreciate music forever.

Great background music.

If Gentle Giant doesn’t make it on this list, I’m gonna spit.

Not a huge fan of this. A lot of the tracks have cool bits but the lack of any meaningful lyrical direction was a miss for me. There wasn't a single track that really was good all the way through.

Average. Would not listen again.

Some songs I felt were long. First song made me miss the to be continued meme format

Hmmmm. Yes. No longer my thing. If you like prog it will be yours.

Excellent album. Would listen to frequently for reading, study sessions, or driving.

Roundabout is a great tune. Defo one to listen to again.

quite cool! didn't expect to find Roundabout, the source of the "to be continued..." meme here, nice listen, 4

There was this one section in ‘Five per Cent for Nothing’ that made me want to tear my brain out of my skull and throw it against the wall. NO MORE YES. I’m BEGGING YOU, Lord Master Generator.

JOJO

Same as Neil Young Talented group but not my go to genre

I've know for years, especially as a drummer, that Yes should be on my list to listen to and for some reason I've never listened to an album front to back. Today that changed, and WOWZERS, it was something fantastic. Really dug the Simon and Garfunkel cover too. Kept the spirit of the original but added that Yes flavor to it.

Not as good as forts album

Progressive dad rock, eat your heart out. Too many instrumentals and over-indulgent tracks that went for waaaay too long. It’s a no from me. Fav song: America (ironically my favourite song was a cover).

- Roundabout :) - Really cool songs - Not really that type of thing I'd listen to in the backround tho - 8.5/10

hey it's the song from the thing

Banger album

Not my jam

Early progressive rock, apparently they also composed "Owner of a lonely heart". Liked Roundabout out of this album, other songs are... early progressive for sure.

Never heard this band before. Absolutely fantastic album. A lot of the songs do have a very similar sound, but it is a fresh and unique one.

Yes's "Fragile" is a Prog-Rock album through and through. Rounabout is obviously the best known song from the album with the iconic guitar Intro. But the start of the second part of the song is actually the outstanding part of it with an athmosphere that makes you feel like you're floating in space. "We have heaven" has a theme that the song is built around with a quite cool second voice. The song is very short, meaning it wastes room to explore the theme even more or work with the accompaniments established. On the other hand I wouldn´t have been able to stand more "Tell the Moon-dog, Tell the marcher"'s. After the other Songs which include another highlight with "South side of the sky" the last two over ten minute pieces are revealed. After all I get where this got it's status as one of the essential prog albums, but it often failes to transcend any emotional reaction in me.

Already knew Roundabout Liked Heart of the sunrise a lot, and another one too (Mood for a day, I think)

It’s okay

Roundabout is an all time great. Unfortunately the rest of the album is so so.

One hit song that I knew of - album is full of basic riffs with transitions that are lacking. Did not spark any emotions in me at all.

After listening to this, I immediately started it again. The three long tracks (Roundabout, South Side of the Sky, and Heart of the Sunrise) are all pretty epic. I'm not usually big on instrumentals, and there are three here. I didn't dislike them, but thankfully they are shorter tracks. I wouldn't mind seeing more Yes on this list.

Long distance runaround and roundabout are childhood favs. Songs within songs.

Not as “something” as I was expecting, but I haven’t quite worked out what that something is.

Funky

This one surprised me! Some tracks sound ahead of their time, other ones - kind of behind. At times I can’t help feeling I’m listening some 90s college band. Cool and still fresh!

Roundabout, Mood for a day, and heart of sunrise were the highlights of the album for me. I don't care much for the solo songs performed by the individual members of the band. They aren't bad songs, but it does make the album feel unfinished. Overall a pretty decent album.

Uh. Ab

I liked it a lot more than I thought I would.

This annoyed me

top progging from the prog boys of Yes

I liked this although it's a bit generic prog. The best track is the America cover which is a banger.

I'm a huge Yes fan, and this is my favorite album, by a decent margin. Several of the tunes on it are absolutely fantastic, particularly "Roundabout" and "Heart of the Sunrise", also a big fan of "Mood for a Day". Excellent! If somehow someone had managed to live without ever hearing Yes, this is a fine inclusion on the 1001.

Roundabout alone makes this five stars, the rest is just bonus awesomeness.

Good background rock

Average

petit côté zappa sympa roundabout c'est de eux ! incroyable les morceaux sont bcp trop longs parfois

I was expecting a really boring rock album but I was pleasantly surprised by some really unique and interesting production that used classical instruments and some electronic sounds. I especially enjoyed why can’t I be free.

While technically and musically impressive, this music makes me think of goblins.

Fantastic! Roundabout is a classic!

So prog!

Definitely 70s folk psychedelic with the famous roundabout

Good British prog.

Boring

Solid. Unexpectedly cleansing.

I didn't know much about Yes prior to listening to this. Classic prog rock sound. Pretty enjoyable all the way through. Lots of long jam tracks, no real radio singles, so it's more of a patient listen as it shifts style even within songs. Pretty good stuff.

Simply a fire album, I feel like I haven’t been able to appreciate it fully just with the time of the day but it feels like one of those that takes multiple listens to grow ok you and fully impact you so I’ll be keeping it in my library running it again and again

Not à big fan

I don't mind a bit of prog rock and this was good enough to warrant a listen. Slightly interesting in that they changed musical directions slightly by poaching a electronic keyboardist from David Bowie. The musical interludes were a clever way to save a buck in the studio but are a bit boring. The rest is straightforward prog rock. Not very noteworthy but some great performances nonetheless.

Bit strange, some classical riffs and a simon and garfunkel cover. Talented musicians for sure, album felt a bit all over the place- maybe what prog rock is supposed to be?

Most of my teenage years were spent with my dad trying to convince me Yes were the greatest band to walk the Earth. I never once humoured him. Now 20 years later a random generator has forced me to listen. And you know what? Dad, they ain’t all that and their best song is still Owner of a Lonely Heart from GTA Vice City.

This sounded like brilliant musicians who didn't really write enough tunes for an album. I enjoyed Roundabout and Heart of the Sunrise and some other bits here and there but I think I'm missing something with most prog. Not sure I know how to listen to it.

Eh

A masterpiece, definitely need to own a copy!

Classic of prog...Roundabout is such a great song. The rest I can take or leave, don't really move me much. 3/5

Roundabout and Heart of the Sunrise are 5 star songs. It turns out I am not burnt out on Roundabout despite the short version being on heavy rotation on classic rock radio, and this might be the first time I’ve heard the original longer version. I first heard Heart of the Sunrise in a trailer for Buffalo ‘66. The rest of the album is fine but unremarkable.

Really liked this! Prog is a genre that I definitely have to be in the right mindset to enjoy, apparently I was there today. The Brahms bit was a little cheesy but otherwise highly enjoyable

Fuck yeah. I ate this shit right up. I don’t even care. I liked this a 4/5. I loved the bass.

Yes!

Actually really cool stuff

Fun old classic psychedelic rock

Yes. No I will not be going on iTunes to download the back catalog of this band. No I will likely never listen to this band again.

No

It's funny to think about prog from the '70s as being boundary-pushing, out-there music for its time. In retrospect, it has nearly as much in common with the mainstream rock of its time as it does with today's prog. Sure, the songs are longer, and the playing is more intricate, but the songs have clear melodies and are not particularly alienating to anyone with open ears and an open heart. This is probably one of Yes' top three, alongside The Yes Album and Close to the Edge. Many great tunes here, from "Roundabout" to "Heart of the Sunrise" to "South Side of the Sky", but a special shoutout goes to "Long Distance Runaround" -- I recall it was on my first "stoner playlist" in the weeks after I had first tried weed. I haven't heard it in a long time, and it brought back memories of those halcyon days. While this isn't necessarily a perfect album (a few of the transitional tracks, while spacing out the longer songs well, are forgettable), I'd probably give it a solid 4.5, and in the absence of half-stars, I'm adjusting upwards.

Ah yes, yes!

i love YES. one of the greatest prog bands. the big 4 albums from fragile to relayer is just masterpieces. close to the edge is probably the best thing ever recorded. fragile is my phone ringtone. love this band

4.5/5

Bloody amazing

What a fun album, the instrumentals were so expressive like they’re talking with one another. Meme song aside (which the full ver turns out to be killer btw).

I never thought I’d enjoy a prog album this much. My only criticism is that it is simply too long, but I understand that is a feature of prog.

It was… good.

Prog blijft toch een beetje de jazz van de dadrock. Ik vind de eerste paar nummers van dit album wel leuk maar daarna is het toch een beetje de tijd uitzitten geblazen. Vooral het laatste nummer (Heart of the Sunrise) voelt als filerijden na een lange dag werk.

This album was bi-polar. Some songs being a 4-5 with others a 2-1. They have better albums than this but whoever made this goddamn book wanted to include roundabout and that is a solid choice. 3 stars.

I love this album. Yeah it’s full of showy virtuosity but also deep grooves and snappy hooks. That Simon and Garfunkel cover is insane.

Couple of belting bass heavy tunes, not much else. Odd cover of America - not really that interested even after 4 listens

Yes! I was not totally in love with Close to the Edge, but this is some Yes that I knew, and some that was new that I really loved to hear today. Hooray!

I thought I was more familiar with this album than I felt as I listened today. I guess it has just been too long, or maybe I never really knew it. I don’t know, but it is good. I wonder if it was totally new to me if I would have enjoyed it as much. It probably got a bump from the connection to somewhere in my youth or childhood…