Fragile

I don't remember owning this but I must have because I could predict the start of every next song. My husband hates the song Roundabout due to the bit about the mountains standing there. I love it though with the opening "pling" and the aggressive bass and the rock organ. I love the rest, too. Takes me back to somewhere I guess I don't remember.

Roundabout is an incredible song. Every time I hear it I pick up something new. The bass playing is off the hook, the organ fantastic, and it is filled with incredible guitar work. It's a perfectly constructed masterpiece. Yet this is another instance where my enthusiasm for a song never translated into investigating any further than a Greatest Hits collection. I'm excited to listen to this album. Given Roundabout as the opening track this album is a shoo-in for a 4 or 5 rating. Yes would really have to go off the rails to dissuade me. As expected, I loved the rest of this album! Delightful classical interpretations. Glorious harmonies. Incredible musicianship. Phenomenal!

Nice!

yes' fragile delivered! i suppose their music isn't as progressive as other artists, or as progressive as their later music became. but i enjoyed it a lot. for being a song that was possibly overplayed on classic rock stations in my youth, "roundabout" still slaps and is a great album opener at eight and a half minutes long. the instrumentals ("cans and brahms", "five per cent for nothing", "mood for a day") grabbed me in particular. the first had more of a classical touch, the second experimental, the third folk-y, but they were solid and showcase yes' range.

Progressive rock, indeed! I was baffled that this came out in 1971, and yet it seems so ahead of its time. It's experimental, but not in a "trying to be different" kind of way -- more like, they knew and influenced the direction that some rock music would take. Really cool! Many of the songs seemed to contain multiple ideas or "motifs" in one song -- like a separate song within a song. Yet it never felt forced nor out of place. This was a diverse album with lots of interesting stuff to hear; there was certainly never a dull moment!

Nostalgia is only worth something if it is a valuable album that is still valid today.

Ja jes kuului mekkölöisen suusta aamusella.. jessiä saa vinguttaa tänään.. ei siis päivökodissa heh..

Pre-listening thoughts: Ok so I obviously know Yes from Owner of a Lonely Heart, but really crazy thing is I know their song Roundabout from when it was a meme and people would freezeframe it. But I don't think I ever listened to the whole song because it's legitimately nine minutes long. It's one fifth of the whole album on its own haha! But I know what kind of music Yes makes so I think I'll enjoy this well enough. Post/during listening thoughts: I lied I've heard ALL of Roundabout. I must have had it on like a meme playlist or something but I know the entire song. It's a damn good song tho - that synth in the back and the guitar is entrancing. Cans and Brahms sounds like video game music but like the kind in the back of like a match 3 style game or like one of funkyland's escape rooms (niche reference). Despite its repetitiveness, I really love We Have Heaven. Yes seems to love SUPER long songs or really short ones - South Side of the Sky is like 8 mins. Good song, 8 mins is a wee bit long tho. And America is like over 10 mins.... my GOD but if I'm not mistaken in my hearing it's a cover of Simon and Garfunkel so that's kinda cool. This album kinda all blends together, none of it's necessarily bad, but it's all kind of mid tier. 6/10. Fav tracks: Roundabout, We Have Heaven

Funkier than I expected but also a bit all over the place for me in terms of folky noodly bits!

"Fragile" by Yes is a progressive rock masterpiece that showcases the band's virtuosity and creativity. Released in 1971, it's a symphonic journey into intricate compositions and dazzling musicianship. Tracks like "Roundabout" and "Long Distance Runaround" highlight Yes' ability to blend complex arrangements with memorable melodies.

A beautiful funky album. Prog rock was never my forte, but Yes does it very well. I enjoy most of them as long as they aren’t instrumentals or too lengthy. 4/5

Pretty cool

This album had no business going this hard. Yes indeed. 3 1/2 but I'll give it 4 because it was pretty solid the entire way through.

Nothing Notable

great prog-rock record. ahead of its time. enjoyed the guitar,drums, evryrhing. this record was a huge step for its genre at the time. 9/10.

yeah, there's a reason why this is considered a classic. very consistent and interesting throughout, the musicianship on this album is terrific! very complex and coordinated things going on. i am a fan of this era's sound, and this is one of the more iconic bands, to me, in terms of sound. i was never much of a prog rock fan but have been more open to it recently, this is one that i will definitely listen to again.

en general el álbum estuvo bueno. se podría decir que el álbum consiste en 4 canciones ya que las otras se sienten mas como un puente entre estas canciones, de igual formas hay algunas que están bien. canciones favoritas: long distance runaround, roundabout, heart of the sunrise 8/10

Groovy

yeah pretty good.

As much as I want to like prog rock, it is too much like wanking.

Too long, overblown and indulging in bad traits. Not horrible but not good.

Less convinced by this one than by their earlier offering that we had. This one doesn't seem to have evolved from that much, in the way that Pink Floyd and Genesis evolved and changed going into the 70s. There's not enough that really grabs your attention, and the prog bits are really, really prog in a not particularly good way. The America cover on the deluxe edition is the worst of the bunch, taking a wonderful song and stretching it out to 3x its length with a load of noodling that adds nothing. 2/5.

Great album overall, no standout hits unfortunately, but good composition throughout the album.

To call this eclectic is a bit of an understatement, even within a song, there's nothing to set your aural compass to. It's the early 70s with a 60s hangover. The musicianship is great and the harmonies are gorgeous but it's ultimately all over the shop.

More than I expected from Yes. Cool mash of genres.

Do 4 of these songs really need to be 8+ minutes long?

I liked about half the songs. The other half annoyed me

First song is good, long, but good. The rest kind of is just there.

Horrible!

This album is further evidence that prog rock is not my jam.

The first song was good & that's about it. This is a NO for me.

The music changing every 10 seconds made this a difficult album to get a fix on. I really liked Heart of the Sunrise, especially the last sung part. I also liked South Side of the Sky.

Nope

Great

Im not gonna lie. apart from roundabout, i dont understand the hype around this album. from looking at the tracklist, there are a few long songs that make up most of the runtime and a couple of shorter songs. having multiple 9+ min songs on your album makes the whole album a slug to get through. so far i liked roundabout and thats really it. this album is kind of boring. i like the keys on south side of the sky. im also liking the second half of south side of the sky. long distance runaround is a fun track, sounds like a song id here in a video game. the fish is a short song. its fine. so far my raitng of the album is either a 4 or 5. it just feels bland. yesterday i was excited to see my next album, after listening to the masterpiece that is paranoid. but now im just disappointed. imo the best songs on the album are roundabout and heart of the sunrise. omg im so glad the album ended. it was really boring. i rate this album a 5/10

Thoroughly executed piece of music history. Old, but modern.

Classic and best Yes line up

Roundabout inspired by the druve from Aberdeen to Glasgow. 'Cans and Brahms' is Wakeman's adaptation of an excerpt of the third movement of Symphony No. 4 in E minor by Johannes Brahms.

Used to listen to this album all the time. A true classic. Sometimes the keyboard sounds seem a little dated, but you need to keep in mind how new the technology was at the time.

Un classique de chez les classiques du rock progressif, entremêlant expérimentation sonore et solides bangers

Very proggy.

Prog: Where capable musicians meet nerdy nonsense. And nerdy nonsense prevails.

Super album

Shoutout JoJo.

Cheesy, geeky prog rock. Not for me, but can’t question their talent, deserves to be on the list

There's a lot going on. I don't like all of it. It has really good parts to listen to and parts that are just for showing off their skills, sometimes both in one song. The good parts are really good, the showing off is not very annoying most of the time. Favorite song: the fish

Isch jetzt nöd so mis. 3 bis 4 Sterne. Cooli Bassläuf. Aber echt zfescht Hippie. 3 Stern.

Un poco rollo.

People who like long songs 🤝 people who like short songs

La prima non mi dice nulla e a quanto pare è la più conosciuta. 2/3

As much as I did enjoy listening to it, can't help but feel like it would be much better if it was put together similar to 'Close to the Edge'. That album was just 3 epics packed in with no room for filler. With Fragile it feels like despite having 9 songs on the tracklist, only 3 or 4 are actually full length songs, not some kind of interlude. Those actual songs are great, especially the closer, but I really don't see the point of the filler tracks. Could've removed those and just given us another full length track.

Another review said the discovered a flaw in this 1001 albums list and called it "sheer proliferation of forgettable dad rock". And yeah, I agree. There are so many rock album which kinda sound the same. Sure they were probably a great album at the time. But it does not hold up today.

Yes? Yes! This was an excellent early 70's prog rock album that was just catchy and fun to listen to throughout. Roundabout is an undisputed banger (For the record I heard it in GTAV before I heard it in JoJo!) and I thought Heart of the Sunrise was excellent too. Just an all-around brilliant album. Favourite: Roundabout

Not the worst, but certainly music that leaves me indifferent. I would argue the [only] Yes album that truly belongs here is 90125.

One of the best prog albums ever. My favorite is Heart of the Sunrise.

As usual, great to hear the deep tracks. “Roundabout” is great but has been played to death. “Long Distance Runaround” gets played a lot, too. But “Heart of the Sunrise” was a revelation.

Self-indulgent claptrap.

I've listened to a bunch of Yes albums before but somehow I never tried to listen to Fragile. This is the best Yes album I've ever listened to - prog, but also with some blues groove to it. It doesn't feel too long or jammy, it's a really nice experience from front to back. The America cover is pretty good too.

Haven't heard a lot of Yes.

the horrors i felt when jojo's ending song started playing are indescribable

Very fun start

This may not be a fair shake but I'm a bit burned out on 70s prog rock

Very mixed sounding album. Enjoyed the meme

If Close to the Edge is the long-orchestrated masterwork, this is the grab bag chock full of big ideas. It doesn't have quite the cohesive beauty of its follow-up, but it shines just as bright all the same.

I think Yes might be one of my favorite of the Prog Rock groups. Especially considering this album seems a little more disjointed than its follow up, and I still loved it.

A good album, showing direction Yes were heading in and which would peak with Close to the Edge. Roundabout remains a classic and has a surprising funky rhythm, South Side of the Sky and Long Distance Runaround are also very decent tracks, again supported by strong rhythms rather than hugely complex time signatures.

Ein weiteres Yes-Album. Ich kann man mir das ja immer anhören, bezweifle aber, dass , selbst wenn die Band mir sehr gut gefällt, mehr als ein Album in dieser Liste sein müsste.

Yes is one of those bands that were in my periphery growing up. There are some amazing songs on this, but a little too much noodling for my taste.

Roundabout is a Vibe. The rest a yawn.

No.

There's some great momentum behind many of the tracks here. They start at 50mph and don't slow down. Polly Harvey has a great technique at building up songs. You feel like you're being carried along with them. I love the voice and the way it matches the music effortlessly. I raised a smile when Thom Yorke waded in singing in a higher key.

Roundabout is a great song and its so underrated for how popular the guitar riff is. The rest of the album is also great although some of the longer song get a bit repetitive.

So, those first few chords. I used to teach geography back in the day. When we used to watch videos sometimes - you know, actual video tape, taped from the schools programmes on the tele (we used to colour in as well, of course). Those chords remind me so much of the sad music chords that were on the classic Skyscrapers and Slums video (I think it was that one - might have been one about the Tropical Rainforest). Took me back to days in warm 90s classrooms. But, well, after that all a bit meh really. I quite like prog rock, but I've never been ablate get on with Yes. The pseudo-classical stuff is a particular issue and there's no way I'm ever going to listen to this again. It's not dreadful, but it's really not OK. So, despite those first few chords taking back to another time and place, it's a 2 here.

Maybe

Who is listening to this after playing Breath of the Wild, and feel like monsters are going to come out? Lol! But seriously I’m not really into progressive rock, but this band might have changed my mind a little. I hear the influences from Jazz. I like the piano solo in “South Side of the Sky”. It was a nice break from the common trips of this genre. Also, I think Japanese video game music is heavily influenced by progressive rock.

Very long album for a short number of songs. The songs were good, or at least every song had a good part, but the length and changes in tone for every song left me feeling confused.

excellent

HL: “Roundabout”, “Long Distance Runaround”, “Mood for a Day” Little classical flourishes in “Mood” & “Cans & Brahms” are neat, and “Roundabout” is probably their best song, but I didn’t take as easy to Fragile as I did for the Yes Album & Close to the Edge. The mix of grand, multi-part odysseys & little song fragments demanded different levels of attention, and switching between them wasn’t always a simple task June 26, 2023

Great album - great classic rock. 4/5

Roundabout is a great song and I really appreciate the talent of Yes but I couldn't get into this album at all.

Trååkigt

Some really enjoyable stuff on this

What an amazing album. Each song feels like a journey, with some breaks along the way to catch your breath. All the instruments are on point. Just great. Highlights include Roundabout and Heart of the Sunrise for me, but they are all amazing in their own way.

Early prog masterwork

I have a theory that prog like this died out because the boys that were making it and listening to it never got any sex. A tedious album in all respects.

Classic/10

Prog, proprio il mio genere. L'album è un capostipite del prog rock e non c'è da domandarsi il perché, album fantastico (forse cala un pelo sulla fine ma trascurabile) in combo con la intro di basso più famosa di sempre. Top

Kind of sweet, not too self important and perhaps prog rock can be - some good tunes, some experimentation, doesn't overstay its welcome. Pleasantly surprised.

Roundabout is an all time banger and the rest of the album is pretty good too. I wish i liked the vocals as much as Rush

Decent prog rock, wizard vibes

-oh i know this song! (roundabout) -cans and brahms sounds like the music in a play when the king walks on stage -its cool stuff just not for me personally -are people gonna get mad at me if i say this feels like middle of the road rock 🫤 -okay love five per cent for nothing. just a bunch of funky sounds! -fade in from long distance runaround to the fish was cool as hell

Hard Yes to Roundabout, South Side of the Sky, Long Distance Runaround, Heart of the Sunrise, America. No thanks to the occasional over-indulgent prog-wankery that appears here and there marring an otherwise incredible record.

Freakin sweet!

prog rock meh

I like this album! I feel like there are a lot of musical tropes that are quoted by other musicians, and influences on bands like Genesis, Rush, ELP, etc.

So the first thing I thought when I saw the name of the album, is this going to be in French? Get it? A Christmas Story? Nevermind.... And that is what I got form this album. Me thinking bout a Christmas movie. Roundabout is a decent tune, but when you're putting out 10 minutes songs, you're taking your music and your band way too seriously. To quote me, from my last Yes album review, Yes is a big No. I'll score 2. Just because it wasn't outright annoying. And now, to finish off my self proclaimed Prince week. On this beautiful Friday afternoon, 69 day no less, I'll leave you with my final lyric that I hope will inspire you on this wonderful holiday. Yes, 69 day is considered a holiday in many places, but you have to be a true believer to find those places. Fellow Prince fans know that place! Anyway..... Let's go crazy Let's get nuts Let's look for the purple banana Until they put us in the truck, let's go!

Has roundabout 5/7

2.5 20 years ago, a preparatory school substitute teaching under the name Ned Schneebly put this album in the hands of a young keyboardist, assigning him to listen to the keyboard solo on Roundabout and assuring it would “blow the classical music out of your butt”. In hindsight, there’s an extra layer of humor to that quote having now listened to this album. Yeah, the keyboard on Roundabout is pretty cool, but the second track on the album is quite literally classical music. No idea if that line was written with that in mind, but either way, poor Lawrence had to put up with more of that bullshit, and subsequently, I did as well. That’s not to say that classical music is outright bad by any means, but listening to an artist of a genre I don’t love put their spin on a genre I like even less… it’s like if Creed did a cover of Achy Breaky Heart. We all lose in that scenario. The rest of the album is pretty mid prog rock with an acoustic solo or two thrown in there. Look, I’ve never claimed to be the biggest fan of the genre, but Rush or King Crimson have a way of making their music feel epic and exciting, and this… this just doesn’t get me there. If you like the song Roundabout I get it, it’s pretty good, but I could live without it, and that was the high point of the album for me. Didn’t hate it, but it didn’t do much for me. Between this and The Yes Album, it seems I’m just not much of a Yes fan.

I love this album and this style of music. It’s probably not my favorite Yes album but it’s close to perfect. There’s just a couple of moments here that seem a bit too unrelated to the overall song rather than progressing the track, therefore making it feel disjointed at times. But it’s a small issue and songs such as Roundabout and Heart of the Sunrise are so good.

Roundabout, Cans and Brahms, South Side of the Sky, Long Distance Runaround, Mood for a Day and Heart of the Sunrise (best song). Amazing bass and vocals. This album would be even more perfect without Five Cents for Nothing.

good version of pink floyd roundabout, mood for a day, heart of the sunrise

Classic album. Great guitar, drums, bass, keyboard, everything really. The three short under 2 min songs feel a little out of place and are pretty meh but the six main songs are all fantastic. 4.5/5 FS: Roundabout, South Side, Long Distance, Heart of the Sunrise

This was so much fun to listen to!

One of my favorite prog rock albums. The shorter songs are kinda goofy but they add character. The longer songs are dynamic and interesting and actually earn their length. Roundabout especially is just a masterpiece.

Loved it. Highly recommend a nighttime listen.

Roundabout is the "to be continued..." meme! It's also a really good song, I've never heard the whole thing! As an album, it felt determined, but in a sad and melancholy way. Like, the protagonist of a story who was fighting for something they knew they had already lost. I really enjoyed it, 5/5. Favorite Tracks: Roundabout, South Side of the Sky, Mood for a Day. Maybe Heart of the Sunrise.

Amazing album through and through and they managed to fit more than 4 songs on this one!

dang, opens with a ridiculous bass line. pretty epic jams on this one. would be worth many re-listens

First time listening to Yes, only knowing Roundabout before. That track, South Side of the Sky, Mood for a Day, and Heart of the Sunrise are great. The rest feels a bit like filler. But these tracks and the virtuosity of the musicianship easily elevates it to 4 stars.

Jatkuvasta tiluttelusta ja keskiaikaflirttailusta huolimatta olen kuulevinani monipuolisuutta. Tiluttelu melkein pudottaa yhden tähden, mutta olen armollinen.

Rockmusiikissa "progressiivisuuden" suhde edistykseen on sama kuin juoruilun suhde moraaliin: edelliseen turvaudutaan, kun jälkimmäinen on kateissa. Mutta antaa heidän kilkutella menemään. En usko, että siitä koituu kenellekään paljoa vahinkoa.

Not my thing, but I really appreciated it

Fragile strikes me as a stepping stone to 1972’s Close To The Edge. “Roundabout” seamlessly merges Yes’ more experimental, proto-post-rock instincts and interest in classical music with the band’s earlier, pop inclinations. (The softer section around 5:30 reminds me hugely of The Flaming Lips in a cool way.) It is an essential track. Those that follow are not. But provide good background for a follow-up record that I very much treasure and hope we get to listen to someday as a part of the 1001! My other favorite moments on Fragile are the tape effects and cheeky panning in “We Have Heaven,” and the nice, low-stakes instrumental moments like “Mood for a Day.” Also, the album art is so good. B/w 3 & 4 but I’ll round up.

Good album! A bit overwhelming. Wow that first song is a hit. I think I would have loved this kind of progressive stuff, if I was younger when it first came out. It’s a bit hard to get your bearings, as it’s developing, changing so often. But yeah, it’s like ear candy… almost irresistible. I had fun! 3/5

No!

What a masterpiece! Incredibly interesting

Genres: Progressive rock Formed: London, England in 1968 Run time: 11 songs, 59 min, 13 sec I enjoyed Track 1, “Roundabout” which has over 115M plays on Spotify. The other tracks are nowhere near as popular, however, they all have over 2M plays. Tracks range from a 35 second instrumental to a couple of 10 minute epics. The album features five solo pieces by each band member. The good news is they are all relatively short and not too self-indulgent, unlike some later Yes tracks. The album isn’t my taste so I will not be listening again, My Rating: ***

Okay so I dug the first song but a couple of songs after but the album as a whole wasn't really for me. At times it left like a chore to finish the album, like I said I did enjoy some of the songs on here but didn't enjoy of the concept of the album it was too velvet underground with a couple of hits. Still i finish it

very good album, enjoyed it a lot.

Decent 7

Yo, this has the Jo-Jo "To be Continued" song on this. Roundabout is the only song I know this band from, and it's a great song but suffers from being a song from the 70s in that it is about 2 or 3 minutes longer than it should be. Looking at the runtimes of the rest of the album I can see that this is the case for most of the songs... I want to like this, and I do, but having songs this long and not doing much with the extra time is not ok. It has some good songs on here, but they just drag on for far too long and sometimes don't seem to have a good central theme. This had potential to be a 4, but it is a low 3

first track mid. i just don’t think i like prog rock tbh. we have heaven is cool actually… 10/10 side note why the f is every song 8 mins ?!?

Way more fun than I was expecting. Sounds like the drummer and the bassist are having a great time. Groovy psyche rock with only a whiff of the pretention I thought I was going to get. That said, the cover of 'America' was pretty dumb, drop the singing and it's an unrecognizable instrumental!

A couple of killer songs and some that fall pretty flat. Would be a great single.

This was a good album with a fantastic opening track.

Not my sound, but the opening track is the meme.

"Roundabout" is a long time favorite of mine!! "We Have Heaven" stands out to me as well but the instrumentals at the end of the album go on for a bit too long in my opinion.

Fine

Outstanding early prog-rock

A classic prog album, straight from the first few seconds of the iconic ‘Roundabout’. That and closer ‘Heart of the Sunrise’, with its great bassline, are the two best songs here. Not much to say except i enjoyed it a lot.

Nisam sve stigla poslusat ono sto jesam je bilo dosta dobro

Love it! 5 stars!

Last song tooo loooong

There is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Is Yes good? Sure. Do they have to show off how good they are on every song? Probably not. They are jamming 10 lbs of notes into a 5 lbs bag.

This was good but not great. Have you ever tried to recreate an amazing meal? You use all of the same ingredients. Same everything... but something just isn't right. Me too, Yes. Me too.

Yes is on my mind a lot. The base, the harmonics, the voice, the fact that I sing roundabout, sometimes out loud, every time I take a roundabout.

Classic AOR rock

The shape of classic Yes line-up has formed! In addition, Chris Squire performed one of the best rock bassline in "Roundabout" (My favorite of all time!) Fav Track: Mood for a Day

I really like the acoustic interludes in some of the songs. Roundabout is definitely the highlight of the album.

Wel aardig

Yes are the audio equivalent of Pringles to me. Once I start listening, I can’t stop. I listened to Fragile twice today. Then I put on Close to the Edge. Then I listened to the first and last track of Tales From Topographic Oceans (had this been a single LP with those two songs, I think it’d be more fondly remembered than it is now) and finished up with Relayer and bit of Going For the One. I don’t have a problem, YOU have a problem.

Best one so far

Opening track is a classic in the genre

“Roundabout” and “Long Distance Runaround” feel like the standout tracks here. If there were more like them, the album would approach excellence for me. But this album doesn’t want to be a pristine, well manicured collection of songs. There are oddball prog experiments and nerdy diversions into medieval-influenced folk in addition to the more elaborate numbers. And I find that loose, scattershot approach kind of charming. The album makes for a surprising, active listen. Side note: I’ve always loved the indie band Grizzly Bear and thought of them as being a bit prog-rock. The more bands like Yes that I listen to from this list reaffirms that label. I’m enjoying listening to bands that my favorite bands were influenced by.

What a great opener- not even a minute in and you get this whole little landscape of sounds, and tones. The synths at 1:30 are really special too; to me it sounds like they are coming into your ears and saying "oh btw we got fancy synths coming too!". I've written a lot on here about how I like the "track 2" of most rock albums to be an upbeat one but I like how this one is not as prog-crazy as the first track. It's a nice relief after the very energetic first song. I really appreciate how cinematic and dark the piano part is on track 4, "South Side of the Sky" and how it goes from classical into a bluesy/jazzy/chromatic tonality towards the middle of the song. It's a cool evolution. I love this album cover. It's like a world from a Final Fantasy game. Nice album. It's not my favorite genre but I think i'm fairly weighing my own personal tastes into these so this one is a 3/5. Roundabout is a classic but none of the other tracks are at that level in my opinion.

pretty guitar and memes

Absolute breathtaking album! This record definitely cemented their status in the scene and brought them great succes for years to come. The addition of Wakeman is a great one, and the songs breathe a whole new level of life! Bruford is amazing too and the melodic interplay between Howe and Squire is phenomenal! Anderson is in a class of itself, although the lyrics often make no sense at all, but that's part of the charm! Favorite lyrics: - We stand to lose all time, a thousand answers by in our hand. Next to your deeper fears, we stand surrounded by a million years. - I still remember the dream there. I still remember the time you said goodbye. - Love comes to you and you follow. Lose one, on to the heart of the sunrise. Favorite tracks: - Roundabout. - South Side Of The Sky. - Long Distance Runaround. - Mood For A Day. - Heart Of The Sunrise. 8,5 out of 10

3,5

No.

If you'll excuse me, I need to go airbrush a wizard on the side of a van.

No really my thing

Tryin to be FUNKY

This is a headphones favorite Yes brought Jazz to rock I never dug into the meaning of Jon Anderson’s lyrics, but thought of his voice as another instrument This lp was the first time I heard a cover version of a favorite song done completely different and loved America

Another prog masterpiece

Too much prog-rock meandering and not enough good songs. Close to the Edge was great, this one is just tiring after the first few minutes.

i can't

first song is the meme song, its pretty good but then the album falls off

I'm going to go for Topographic Oceans as the ultimate yes album over this, though Roundabout is an absolute banger. Very listenable, though ultimately not my kind of thing.

This album is a trap. It lures you in with "Roundabout" - oh boy! An entire album of songs like that famous classic! - Guess again fuckface!! All you're getting is an album full of scrapped Super Mario 64 music and weird experimental jams! YOU FELL FOR IT FOOL! THUNDER CROSS SPLIT ATTACK! You know what the kids love? Random minute long instrumentals. Let's make an album that has like 3 actual songs and the rest is weird goofy noises. It's like they were trying to create the greatest album of all time but their studio got hijacked by goblins. 3/5, because "Roundabout" and "South Side of the Sky" are that good. "Heart of the Sunrise" is pretty good as well, but Yes has better prog medleys. The rest is goblin slop.

I didn't hate this at all but I'm just not sure I can get to total love with Yes. 3.5 stars

3 stars - not usually a fan of prog that much but this is a good album.

Amazing mixing, love all the sounds in the background

Roundabout is obviously a powerhouse of a tune. Rest of the album is a bit too much. Strong closing track though.

The songs are fairly well written but the production and mixing is so flat and lifeless.

Glad I wasn't hangovered when listening to this. Not too familiar with Yes, now I know why; but wankish.

3.5

i don’t think i love prog rock- but heart of the sunrise is a perfect culmination of the entire album - a fitting final song. I wish I could give half stars- would give 2.5.

Peak Yes, for my money. It’s a close race with The Yes Album but this is my favorite of their albums and their many lineups.

I won't lie, I kind of laughed upon hearing the bass riff in Roundabout mainly because I wasn't expecting it. Love the instrumentals and vocals. Fave track(s): Roundabout

The first album by Yes’s classic lineup (Rick Wakeman having joined not long before), Fragile is a gorgeously composed and eternally fresh triumph. The band is at the very peak of their power, creating songs that are both accessible and musically complex in ways that intrigue and delight the ear.

Great musicianship! Innovative solos etc! Cool analog synths! The cover version of America was really interesting. Def enjoyable though not super inspiring to me.

Better than I thought, cool Bass throughout

so so so much better than I expected and the sole reason is that the songs are a regular length. everything that works about yes works, except nothing is 10 minutes long. Best tracks: roundabout, long distance runaround, south side of the sky

Roundabout- I’m not all too familiar with the meme or the song, even though I guess its big? This is such a generic prog rock song I’m surprised it can even be this generic Hearing the rest of this, I’m just not taken with it. I guess it was influential.. ngl I don’t like prog rock that much bc it just tends to be a bunch of self satisfied white dudes performing drawn out songs with esoteric lyrics. also why do all prog rock frontmen have the same voice. Anyway I’m a bit tired and cranky so I’m gonna give this the benefit of the doubt so 2/5 Downloaded track: South side of the sky. Think a track about polar expeditions could be cool, and it intrigued me

aight

I was introduced to Yes when my older brother drew their iconic logo over and over on his notebook in elementary school. Fast forward I was gifted a copy of Atlantic Record 40th anniversary collection. On cassette! Since first hearing Yes on that collection I've enjoyed their music, but never took a deep dive into their catalog. Yes straddles the prog line somewhere Jethro Tull and early Genesis. Rick Wakeman's entry to the lineup starts to firm up their credentials of Prog Rock powerhouse and early rock and roll influence. Fragile has the well known Roundabout and Long Distance Runaround, but the nearly 12 minute Heart of the Sunrise is such a sonic wall of sound that is a great reason, even with all of my sensibilities. 4/5.

Hab ich irgendwie gar nicht gefühlt

Ich sollte mehr üben...

Ultra komplexer shit, ziemlich krass für 70er Jahre, aber wie bei den meisten Progressive Sachen nichts zum entspannt mal anhören.

An album that starts absolutely fantastic with Roundabout, then lulls around for a bit, but brings itself back by the end for an album that while certainly not perfect, feels like a solid little package. Nothing elevates above that opening song, though.

Make it stop

The album had glimmers of interest here and there but I struggled to get through it even after multiple listens. I really don't want to listen to it again. 2+/5

What the fuck

Fun and punchy. I like to groove to it.

roundabout is a cool song the rest are meandering jam band rock songs

Didn't enjoy this very much. First album getting a three in a long time. Think i got a case of listening fatigue.

Not for me but not bad. There was a riff in Mood for a Day that I really liked.

More psychedelic rock I'm just getting sick of it I keep switching to metal after. Can we get a change please

Memes aside, this album explores instrumentation and time signatures in an effective way, while much of it doesn't really draw me in for a second listen, I can appreciate that this is a competent and comprehensive offering.

This is a tough one. The album includes three of the best songs of the 1970's in Roundabout, Long Distance, and Heart of the Sunrise. However, the album's other tracks don't do a good job of propelling the momentum. 4.5 stars, rounding up on the strength of the main tracks, but still falls a narrow second to Close to the Edge.

yeah sure it might be flaunty and over technical and wayyy too artsy at times but it has roundabout.

Progressiivisen rockin parhautta. Rentoa ja miellyttävää

Like it more than I thought.

This one reminded me of good high school memories, when I was jamming a lot to this album. The long tracks here are outstanding with Roundabout and Heart of the Sunrise being the highlights. The shorter interludes range from forgettable to good, with Mood for a Day being the highlight. Great prog 8,5/10

idk

Megatiukka avausraita! Muutenkin aika miellyttävää progeilua. Ei mee turhan kikkailuun vaan pysyy musiikin puolella. Kiinnostuin ja kuuntelen varmasti lisää. 4/5

Hyvää lukionostalgiaa taas. Progenörtteilyn kulmakiviä. Moni biisi toimii oikein hyvin edelleen, mutta vähän liikaa tiluliluttelua, että enää jaksaisin useammin kuunnella.

Yes ei oo mitään omaa suosikkiprogea mutta hyvä levyhän tämä on. Olin kokonaan unohtanut Simon & Garfunkel-coverin mukanaolon kyllä. 3/5

Vraiment dommage pour la voix du monsieur

a la bourre et peu inspirée mais c’etait sympa

J'ai toujours eu un faible pour le rock progressif. S'il y a bien quelques moments qui semblent cacophoniques, j'ai bien aimé le dosage de l'ensemble.

That‘s a tough one. It is just before the terrific „Close to the Edge“ (which I rated much too low) and one can really hear the progress going on to achieve the sophomore masterpiece. „Fragile“ instead feels a bit like a bloated result of a gifted overachiever who did not dare to kill some darlings - which would have shaped this album by a lot. I still like it very much and once in this game I feel the urge for compensational rating. 4.0

The bizarre instrumentals were the interesting bit in this self-indulgent mess of a record.

jaja el meme de vine !!!

I have never understood why some people are obsessed with Yes. After listening to this album, I still don’t. One decent song that is too long and a cover song that is an abomination. No, Yes, no.

I don't care for the incessant noodling and I tend to zone out during the longer tracks, but maybe there are enough interesting bits and pieces here to warrant a 3. They got the formula just right with Long Distance Runaround - it's inventive and technical and weird but with accessible hooks. Good job their butchering of 'America' isn't part of the original release though as I'd be forced to knock this down to a 2...

My first Yes record, not,bad.

I've never listened to Yes before. Huh. Interesting.

Roundabout is a goofy song. There, I said it. But I think I’ve finally come around to this one. I’m a Close to the Edge diehard, but this quirky little record is worming its way into my heart. My tepid response to Roundabout has been holding me back from enjoying this album. South Side of the Sky is that shit. All the short solo pieces contrast beautifully with the group numbers. Yes’ brilliance is rooted in the fact that it’s 5 virtuosos pushing each other to higher and higher peaks. Fragile lays out that competition plainly for all to see. And when they choose to cooperate, the results are transcendent.

Love Yes and their 90125 album is getting a high score, but not this. Five percent for nothing - 35 seconds of uberbobble

NO Where's owner of a lonely heart when you need it!? Five percent for nothing has to go down as one of the worst songs ever produced?

Interesting and varied sounds, but they’ve been put together in a bloated hodgepodge of uninteresting songs. Roundabout is great, and Heart of the Sunrise was a bit mental (in a good way) but overall, one’s pickle was barely tickled.

Best bass riff going on roundabout. Pop Prog without that Journey nonsense. SOT Roundabout 2/5

High school, beach, days & nights.

Alright

Not that special

Weird one this. I went into this with high hopes, I'm a fan of prog-rock and i've heard a handful of Yes songs in the past and enjoyed them all, however this didn't really do it for me. The album is bookended by two great tracks, both very enjoyable despite their lengthy runtime, however I am not too impressed by the rest, and much of it feels a bit all over the place without any proper coherence, although this is definitely a characteristic of progressive rock records. Overall, I'm a bit disappointed by this one, but I can certainly appreciate it for what it is, it just simply isn't for me. Favourite songs: Roundabout, Heart of the Sunrise

3.5 Very good

I'm into prog usually, but this one was kinda just average to me. Roundabout is a banger, but the album kinda dragged for most of it. Standouts: Roundabout, Long Distance Runaround

Great fun

I was just listening to this one before it was revealed as my album of the day. One of my favorite yes records they just on it

Yes is probably one of the first bands people think of when they think of prog, and this album probably has a lot to do with that. As prog albums go, this is wonderfully accessible and easy to digest, with some top notch musicianship. Fave Songs: Long Distance Runaround/The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus), Roundabout, Heart of the Sunrise, Mood for a Day, Five per Cent for Nothing

Nope

I hadn't listened to this for five years or so, but I'm impressed as ever upon revisiting the record. Yes possessed a ridiculous level of talent within its membership. In one band, you've got Jon Anderson's unique elvish voice, Bill Bruford's jazzy \"off-beat\" drumming, Steve Howe's insanely tasty guitar, Rick Wakeman's crazy classical keyboards, and of course, Chris Squire's peerless bass-playing. Forget the senseless lyrics. What really rocks here are the long full-band jams in 'Roundabout', 'South Side of the Sky', and 'Heart of the Sunrise', all of which are complex yet catchy enough to receive mainstream radio play. The brief and bright 'Long Distance Runaround' provides a bit of a break from the \"epics\", but it's just as good. In a curious display of democracy, each band member also gets a chance to display his own skill or interests with a unique \"personality\" song. Unfortunately, most of these little sketches feel out of place in the sequencing of the record. Fortunately, they're all very short! I'm awarding the record a 4/5 for the sake of the great collaborative compositions. Imagine if the band had scrapped the solo song concept and replaced those bits with another full-composed classic like 'Roundabout'? In the alternate earth depicted on the album's cover, \"Fragile\" is the prog album to end all prog albums.

Honestly more interesting than I expected it to be. I thought it was just going to be a technical show-off, but it was actually good.

No. But in the album's defense, it's better than the Genesis albums on the list. Probably closer to a 2.5 than a 2. And Long Distance Runaround is something of a banger.

The good songs were played out on classic rock stations for years and years and the rest is pretty ho hum. Definitely not a fan. Somewhat difficult to revisit. Not earbleed painful, but not great.

Great riff on that South Side of the Sky track, but the electric organ signature sound of Yes has always been a turnoff. Five Percent Nothing sounds like it was written by Mike Watt. Not sure if that's a lute but some of these tracks make me think I'm at some overpriced dinner theatre watching yawnable Shakespeare plays. Though there are some familiar tracks here and also some likeable characteristics of the album like those riffs and unexpected pauses, Yes's Fragile is a big no.

“Fragile” opens with “Roundabout,” which proves that, Yes, 70s organ-driven prog rock can be great. Things then get a little weird, before turning it back around with “South Side of the Sky.” “Long Distance Runaround" and the instrumental “The Fish” both build on the feeling of “Roundabout,” and “Heart of the Sunrise” brings it back after the detour of “Mood for a Day.” Overall, a pretty cohesive and enjoyable album from a band and genre that didn’t always deliver.

No. Prog rock is not my thing. The Brahms was an unexpected surprise.

This album must be Italian or something. As of this morning I had only listened to two songs, but I finished it just so I could make that joke. This was decent. Liked Mood for a Day.

There are quite a few aspects that are enjoyable on this album. The opening track, Roundabout, was a solid start. The crunchier guitar sounds of South Side Of The Sky work for me. The vocals on Long Distance Runaround hit the spot. Surrounding all these moments are superfluous forays to newt explored sounds. I’m not a fan of the repeated chanting in We Have Heaven nor The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus). Cans And Brahms and Five Percent For Nothing are all fine and good, but not what I’m looking for on a rock album. And this is where I come to the realization that prog rock has some experimental parallels to improvisational jazz, which I’ve established that I despise. Prog rock is a genre I can generally listen to, while some I love, but I’m turned off by the more varied experimental versions of it.

Progressive rock classic.

Thoroughly enjoyed this. Refuse to believe its age. Massively innovative and unbelievably influential on lots of bands I love, without having ever listened to them before. Not a single song passed without me thinking ‘this is class’, or at the very least ‘this is interesting’. Although I am soft for odd beats / angular riffs / general chaos in songs

Wow, Yes are mint. Exactly what I've always wanted from prog work, so many ideas, roundabout sounds like Mars Volta, We Have Heaven sounds like Battles, think it's one of those bands that influenced loads of stuff I like without me knowing. And Amazon suggests it's nowhere near their most popular album, got loads of Yes to listen to!

Roundabout is one of my favourite songs ever. It's insane, I've enjoyed it long before it acquired the meme status. I don't think the rest of the album quite lives up to Roundabout, despite being thoroughly listenable and clearly influenced by heavy drug use.

Had never heard of these guys but I really enjoyed this. The prog rock sound on the album had an enjoyable funky sound. The album is bookended by two great tracks but "Roundabout" is definitely the highlight. It's a shame the rest of the album never quite reaches those heights.

More prog rock! Never heard these before, thought some tracks were really good, the opening track in particular. Others didn't do anything for me. Overall didn't mind it but only so much room for rock like this Jamie isn't going to like this... Dad rock! 4

I have written once before about my love/hate relationship with prog rock, so I will try not to repeat myself. This is my favorite Yes album. Part of it has to do with my fondness and profound respect for Bill Bruford's drumming (not to mention he is the only person to be in iterations of Yes, Genesis and King Crimson) - he even wrote a 35 second instrumental song. Fragile also balances the members need to solo with solid songs (always a tenuous balance). Roundabout was even an AM radio hit back in the day. The excess is present on the edges, but the good far outweighs the bad.

Very solid progressive rock album. Musicianship is excellent. As with a lot of this genre lyrics aren’t always great but still a couple of classics here

Proficient yet pretty inaccessible to me. These guys are obviously great musicians but I didnt really feel anything listening to this. Close to the Edge is better.

Exhausting

Welly welly well well well i unexpectedly loved this album. A little dad-rocky, but enjoyed the constantly changing progression. I kept picking up details that could’ve influenced a ton of the music I listen to, across different genres. Heart of the Sunrise is where this album truly sends it for me.

Have been looking for an excuse to listen to this album for a really long time, but it sort of failed to live up to my expectations of it. Lot of “Journey/Foreigner” vibes that I can’t really get on board with. Really loved all of the instrumentation though, and the last track was an undeniable banger.

I had a lot of fun listening to this album. Short and sweet with lots of little guitar and keyboard solos. Some dank chamber music interludes as well. 4/5

This was pretty awesome! Lots of cool guitar and bass riffs. At certain points, however, it seemed like they completely forgot how to play their instruments and a cacophony of sounds permeated my eardrums. 3.5/5

Yessss another Yes album!! I am LOVING them! Didn't know I adored prog rock so much until I started this project.

My introduction to YES. Jazz fused rock, with amazing pacing

First song was good. Groovy

Everytime I was starting to get into it, they went in another direction.

ok. sem muitos comentarios

A bit rambly at times, but good variety between songs and great instrumentation

Brings back such great memories of my school years!

I like "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" Yes more than I like "Roundabout" Yes which is probably a sin, but it is what it is. I find myself enjoying some of the breakdowns in this album more than the rest of the song. No doubt the instrumentation is impressive on a lot of the songs too, but when it comes to repeated listening this isn't an album I would find myself going back to. I think it's the "minstreliness" of some Yes records I just can't get behind.

On paper, Yes should tick all the boxes for me, but in reality ... they don't. Nothing speaks to me here. There is definitely a progressive vibe, but to my ears it sounds so generic, without anything standing out. Perhaps this particular band just isn't for me. 2/5

One of the most accessible and greatest prog rock albums of all time. A record that has followed me from my teenage years through my early 50's.

songs are either very long or very short jojo reference

Super schönes Album mit vielen Klassik Elementen. Aber heraus sticht der erste Song!

This is a musical constant in my house and has been since I was a kid. I can probably sing the whole thing front to back without needing to think about it.

I'm sorry but I just don't have the patience for this.

Beautiful album. Most of my favorite artists wouldn't exist if it weren't for this band and this record.

This just isn’t what I listen to music for. All the digressions and unusual rhythms and chromatics and other gimmicks are very jarring. They make it impossible for a song to establish a mood, let alone lead anywhere. It’s almost worse that they sometimes flirt with building a serious groove, because it is such a let down when they then pull the rug. This album really is a chore to listen to. If you’re wondering why other reviews mention a cover of America, apparently there are different versions. If you were spared like I was, I think you can consider yourself lucky.

That was a tasty sandwich! Wait, the song is still playing? Does it really take 8+ minutes to tell a story through song? Or have we gotten to the point in civilization where we can't pay attention for more than 4 minutes?

Roundabout is great. And mood for a day has a classical vibe to it. Unfortunately much of the rest doesn't really work for me. The vocal layers and harmonies aren't pleasant (occasionally dated and it even sounds out of tune) and the prog-rock nature of it emerges and gets a bit boring.

My dad loves this band. The song Roundabout is good but it doesn't really resonate. I feel like "you had to be there". Chaotic, just like Emerson, Lake & Palmer. The track lengths are strange: 11 minutes, 8, 8, 3, 3, 2 and 30 seconds.

Endelig nåke bra!!! Hørte på da 4 ganga før lunsj hehe. Obsessed over overgangen mellom Long Distance Runaround og The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)

I tried listening a couple of Times now, still can't get behind it.

Extremely prog so take that either way.

Yesss! This must be one of my most played albums of 2022. I discovered Yes early on in the year, became obsessed with this album, and then started a really deep dive into Prog. I love the mad fusion of rock, jazz and classical. There's no bad songs on here, my favourites are Roundabout, Mood For a Day, and South Side of the Sky. Although the songs all flow together so well I find it difficult to remember specific pieces I like. The production is fantastic as well, I listened to this one on the good speakers on my lunch break.

Only now, thanks to this challenge, I'm learning how ignorant I am to some bands or genres. In general I tend to be a little dismissive towards the older music, but this time it is different. It is the first time I'm listening to "Fragile" ever, however I could very quickly recognise the main motive from opening song "Roundabout". After few minutes it clicked - I know it from the "To Be Continued" memes. And my ignorance hurts as ever, because this is much more than a nice jingle, it is also a great song, progressive rock with countless great riffs and complicated melodies, but still coherent and enjoyable. Jon Anderson provided great vocals on the whole album, fitting great into the slightly psychedelic structure of the songs. Unfortunately, only "Roundabout" and "Heart of the Sunrise" were great - the rest of the songs were basically fillers, trying to hit at least 40 minutes to fill the LP. But well, you can't deny the greatness, even if it's surrounded by blandness. It was definitely the best Yes album I have heard so far. And it definitely has a place on this list.

Would be a 5 if there wasn't 2 min long randomness that imo breaks it up

Rock progresivo. Ni fu ni fa.

Full disclosure, Yes is my favorite band. I have a tattoo to prove it. I get why people don't like prog. It's long, it's weird, it's pretentious. But Fragile is a great argument against all that. It's fun, it's catchy, it's a little deep. And there is a song for each member to show off their instrumental chops. And, in case you didn't know, every single member on this album is an actual rock god. Even Jon Anderson, the little weirdo.

Meh.

All time favorite

Good but not my jam

Standard Prog Rock fare, nothing too mind blowing. Reminds me of a gateway to jam bands

To be continued...

Its a good album, its musicly very interesting and these are very talented musicians. It leans heavily on the prog aspect which does both good and bad, it is very progressive and sounds good, but with the 10 minute songs they sound like Pink Floyd but without that speciall something

Confusing as shit

Not for me. Thanks.

Not my thing.

4/9, 44%

Surprised to hear a yes album with tracks shorter than 10 minutes, this thing is great though not as good as close to the edge though but still great (if America was on the main album it would’ve beat it).

Fajne

muito bom

Calming and upbeat. A good Monday morning album

Full disclosure: I did not listen to the deluxedition. And I will never do so unless I love this. Strong start. I could listen to Roundabout several more times. That bass work, brother. Jeez. And yeah, okay, yeah, sure, yeah, this is fine, this is just fine! Just fine indeed! Every song is either pretty snappy or good background. I'll go along with this, sure! Not listening to the deluxedition though.

Insane how unfairly maligned Yes are in some quarters. Sure they can, and do, indulge in lengthy virtuoso workouts but it's always with a focus and discipline. It's also crazy just how much of this album I know without owning it. There are some really, really strong melodies at play here, and the kinds of hooks that wouldn't be out of place on a more straightforward pop record. Time for Yes to enjoy critical reappraisal. As for Fragile, what a triumph.

Listened to this loudly in my car and it sounds better than like 99% of all recorded music. “South Side of the Sky!” Jesus, that song. This is my Steely Dan.

Big fan of this album. Roundabout alone goes a long way. But otherwise a really nice mix of proggy stuff. Also liked the more classical feel of Mood for a Day. I think it's a strong 4.

-S Tier- Roundabout South Side of the Sky Long Distance Runaround -A Tier- *none* -B Tier- The Fish -C Tier- Mood for a Day -D Tier- Heart of the Sunrise America AVG SCORE: 3.14 / 5 (Note: any track under 2min doesn’t get counted) - - - Always a fan of Roundabout and Long Distance Runaround, I got a thrill out of South Side of the Sky and even enjoyed The Fish. The rest of the album was a tad masturbatory for me.

whoever called it "wizard nerd rock" was right

Own the vinyl. One of the best by Yes!

1 legendary song and a lot of somewhat goofy and dated synthy-sounding guitar picking

Best Song: Roundabout. A song I'd heard the opening riff to without realizing it. This feels like a prime example of the best elements of this era of classic rock: broad, sweeping, with every instrument (including keys) given an opportunity to stand out. Worst Song: America. Too long, with that prog-rock tendency to never stay long enough on a particular musical theme for it to make an impact. Overall: The music feels thoughtfully produced and technically impressive, but, like a lot of classic rock, favours grandiosity and scope over passion and soul.

Sure

Probably as good as prog rock can be, with lots of rich textures and interesting vibes, and Anderson's memorable vocals, But then there is just enough of the worst of progr, too – frequent and jarring shifts in mood and tempo. Roundabout” a great opener followed by the absurd (not in a good way) “Cans and Brahms." Similarly, "Heart of the Sunrise" is compromised by arty effects and excess sophistication. "Long Distance Runaround" is among the best Yes ever did. One is surprised – and not a little embarrassed – to have any affection for this band. Really, one should loathe them, but there are hooks and melodies enough to overlook the prog guilt-by-association effect.

A few hits and some amazing musicianship.

Kinda genre defying. So many strange instrument solos. Oddly, kinda works...