Reviews (page 7 of 14)
Trash or Pass
finds a way to make keyboards cool without being ironic. 79/100 gecs
Excellent album. I was already familiar with Roundabout from Rock band and the song just gets better with every listen. This is my first sit down with the rest of the album and I was not disappointed!
what an adventure this album is
Put me on edge in the best way. 8/10 F.t.: Heart of the sunrise
Great musicianship that really sells the album. In terms of prog rock songwriting, the album starts out strong but dips in form afterwards.
Surprisingly little rock but lots of instruments and "easy listening", reminded me almost of a rockier version of Steely Dan. Not bad but lacking anything outstanding or memorable
Has it's moments. Not a bad record at all.
A seminal record in progressive rock history. The band’s use of electronic keys, thick basslines, and inventive guitar parts make the music unique and interesting.
Good, nothing particularly notable though
For Roundabout alone, this has earned its place on the list. The other stuff is okay too.
I was surprised by this album several times thinking I only knew Owner of a Lonely Heart...and then Roundabout and Long Distance Runaround played... Noice. Turns out I am not as musically illiterate as I expected here.
Oh! It's their Roundabout!
Proggið, sko. Elska þetta!
I tend to be wary of progressive rock, as ostentatious noodling and cosmic lyricism tend to throw me off. What I like about the genre are its challenging compositions and virtuosic instrumentalism, but it’s a fine line between impressive and gaudy. I was pleasantly surprised by this record, although I could’ve done without most of the shorter songs. My favorite tracks, easily, are the three big ones which take up more than half the runtime: Roundabout, South Side of the Sky, and Heart of the Sunrise. Yes, the lyricism is primarily comprised of otherworldly gobbledygook, but it’s mostly unobtrusive. Yes, the group can occasionally wade into showy grandiosity, but for the most part they manage to keep it relatively tame. In the end, there’s more to like than there isn’t. Plenty of lush melodies, pleasing harmonies, and high-octane riffing satisfy the music lover in me, and the kick-ass guitar/bass combo of Steve Howe and Chris Squier will keep me coming back.
I owned and listened to this album obsessively in my early teens. I didn't realize it until much, much later -- decades later -- but I see now the early sprouts of my passion for and interest in music with varied textures and complexities. No matter; I enjoyed it thoroughly and was blown away then as I am now with the musicianship and creativity evident in this lineup. Ridiculous. I don't always love each track on their albums, including this one, but I can still appreciate what they are doing, even when they go places that just don't click with me or catch my interest the same way their other pieces do. Not sure how to put it, but maybe best I can put into words is they can be "a bit much" for me at times. Much as I usually shrink away from generalizations, I do find that's my consistent experience with so-called "progressive rock" -- some of the most amazing music I've ever heard is often categorized as such, and also sometimes the bands who specialize in that style can go over the top for me, although like all experiences with art, that is merely my own subjective experience with it. So on we go. This album holds up well. Some incredible work here. And, dang, I always loved Roger Dean's album covers he designed for them.
Roundabout is a banger. This album is also really good - Yes can be a bit annoying for me at times, but the prog experimental stuff on this is actually measured and doesn't run away with itself. Good good
One word: GREAT!
Hot dog
Such a great album! Takes me back to Funke Fusion :>
The longer tracks are really good, the shorter ones - not so much
Delightfully odd.
More fun prog by Yes
When I was in high-school Yes was my favourite group so I reckon I've listened to this album several hundred times and can play all of the songs on air guitar with my eyes closed. This is close to peak Yes, their Zenith would be their next album Close to the Edge, but this is still pretty damned good. Get 'em while you can because unfortunately they go to shit in the 80s starting with Drama. However, I can thank Yes for opening my mind and ears and allowing me to appreciate Jazz, Classical and experimental music. I also like how on this album, each band member composes at least one track which naturally highlights their extraordinary musicmanship. Standouts are South Side of the Sky, The Fish, Long Distance Runaround, and Heart of the Sunrise. Roundabout isn't a bad single either.
El bajo está increíble. Poquito largo para mí gusto pero en general discazo, de esos que te hacen querer saber más de la banda. Songs: Roundabout, Heart of the Sunrise, America
4.25
Might increase this rating later
It's been awhile and for some reason I thought this album was going to drag in certain spots. Oh, it has its bloated moments but overall, this is a cohesive album with two of their iconic songs, "Roundabout" and "Long Distance Runaround." And it didn't drag for me. The album is really two sides with two songs anchoring each side, starting and finishing songs. There's interludes/instrumentals in between leading to the bloatedness but, hey, this album is one of the cornerstones in the Prog Rock catalog and that's part of it. I don't know if there is an overarching theme, other than nature and driving around..eagles, sailors, the wind. Technically, the musicianship is top notch; this album may be worth getting just listening to Chris Squire's bass on "Roundabout." Three out of the four big songs (the exception being "Long Distance Runaround") have similar structures with the songs starting and ending at the same spot with all the Prog Rock instrumental craziness in between. Think of the acoustic guitar start/finish in "Roundabout." Overall, I enjoyed this listen but understand all the criticism this type of music gets and its detractors.
The explosion of prog rock in the late 60's and early 70's has lead to Yes doing quite well for themselves, especially after The Yes Album which came out just a few months prior to Fragile. So with a keyboardist Rick Wakeman added to the lineup, what would Yes produce? A great prog rock record, that's what. Opening with the iconic Roundabout, Fragile can easily be divided into four "big" songs with some interlude tracks to splice up the pacing. I don't think Yes needed every interlude track to be included, but I appreciate the effort to spread out the "big" tracks. Even then, some of the interludes server as a medley than anything else which is still nice. Yes are extremely good at writing music in the prog rock format. Ideas are fleshed out without dragging on for too long, and songs continue to feel fresh throughout the runtimes. I mostly enjoy the bookend tracks though.
Sprawling prog rock epics interspersed with some short little filler tracks. But, it all ties together sonically into a great album with some superb musicianship!
Amazing material that would be worthy of a 5 if not for tracks like Cans and Brahms, and We Have Heaven - which just break momentum. Everything else this album offers is stellar progressive rock that really set the bar.
this the one that got the meme song
I listened to this album a few years ago as part of a Yes marathon. It's a giant wank but I do like this kind of prog rock. It's cool to see how something as shit as the Beatles kinda turned into a style of music that I like. 4/5.
Very prog, very odd instrumentation at points, very enjoyable for the most part. Roundabout mostly famous from GTA V, which made it odd hearing it in its original context
listened to again some great prog
Lots of really short songs but the long ones are really good 4/5
Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Roundabout,
This was good. I enjoyed it. Pretty straightforward rock.
I really liked this! I had heard of Yes before, but never listened to them. It reminds me of those math rock bands, like Maps & Atlases and (early) Foals. The songs were a bit long for me and not sure any stood out enough for me so that's why I'm not giving it the 5, but it's close!
It's amazing just how many great prog albums Bill Bruford has touched.
Quite the blend of genres: jazz, hard rock, progressive rock... I feel like there are echoes of what would become post-punk in certain spots? I was obsessed with this album in high school (yep, nerdy, I'm aware), but I'm glad it still holds up. The bass playing is insanely impressive. Favorite tracks: "Roundabout", "We Have Heaven", "South Side of the Sky"
Fun and somewhat chaotic album which brings a lot to the table.
Jak wczoraj byl niszowy albumik z alternatywy progowej, tak dzisiaj z troche innej polki, wiec mainstreamowa uczta dla sluchacza kompozycji tak symfonicznych, ze ciezko ogarniac kto jak i co gra, fragile to czwarta plyta w dyskografii yesa, wiec brytyjskiej bandy, nagranany w 71 i tym samym roku wypuszczony, jest to takze pierwszy album, ktory featuruje pana Wakemana, ktory przynisol ze soba do zespolu potezna roznorodnosc klawiszowa i synthowa, ktora zarowno na fragile jak i kolejnych materialach stala sie niejako cecha charakterystyczna ich tworczosci, sam album to 41 minut i 9 kawalkow, ciekawa sprawa jest to, ze jedynie 4 z nich byly tworzone jako caly zespol, natomiast pozostale 5, to solowe utwory kazdego z czlonkow ekipy, kolejna sprawa jest podzial na traki instrumentalne, a wokalowe, bo tutaj rowniez utrzymuje sie podzial 4 do 5, nie bede ocenial pojedynczych trakow, bo pewnie zbaisowany bylbym do tych zawierajacych wokale Andersonowe, bo jest wsrod nich chocby legendarny ending pierwszego parta jojowego, wiec roundabout, ktory tak mocno wpisal sie w dzieje memologii, a jednoczescie jest swietnym openigiem tego krazka, wiec chociaz nie jest to material tworzony pod jeden motyw i idee, to jednak nastroj jaki emanuje z calego albumu utrzymuje sie jednaki przez caly odsluch, malo jest tak przyjemnie wesolo spokojnych krazkow, ktore znam, tylko pozytywne wibracje, jest dobrym okresleniem tej plyty, czasem dziwi praca dzwieku na kanalach, jak zaglowanie w niektorych momentach, nie wiadomo czy wynikajace z wizji artystycznej, czy dziwnego balansu sceny, ale sa to bledy wybaczalne patrzac na caloksztalt brzmienia, na plejke nie mam za bardzo co wrzucac, bo album juz wielokrotnie zakatowany, ale chyba uda sie gdzies wcisnac jeszcze long distance runaround, im wiecej slyszalem i wiecej wiem na temat danej plyty, tym mniej mnie nachodzi na lurkowanie lorowego i jakos zostaje przy tym co wiem, wiec same notatki albumowe rowniez sa mniej sensowne w takim wypadku
This was a nice mellow rock album that felt very 80’s I digged it!
Opens with a meme song, hell yeah. One of those bands you hear about as a monolith, but I'd never really gotten into them. Prog group with undeniable talent. I love all the instruments at play here, especially the acoustic guitars. Would definitely listen to this again, and mark me as a "yes" for more Yes albums. Favorite tracks: Roundabout, Long Distance Runaround, The Fish, Mood for a Day. Album art: Pretty simple '70s rock cover, but the art style is nice. I like the font a lot too. Can't say I remember seeing it before, but very emblematic of its time. 4/5
okay don’t get me wrong, I LOOVE prog rock, and this album certainly had some bangers, but most of the songs just kinda sounded like throwaway stuff, like you listen to Cans and Brahms or Five Per Cent for Nothing and you just gotta wonder what the point of those songs are? like obviously every song doesn’t need to be amazing but I think there were a disappointingly high number of throwaway songs and I’m not saying I hate those kind of songs, I love The Beatles, Revolution 9 and King Crimson, Moonchild, but the point is that on an album full of hard hitting songs, you only have one or two of these weird throwaway songs to reset the mood for what’s next anyway, I really loved Roundabout (Obviously, who doesn’t?) and Heart of the Sunrise America and South Side of the Sky were also pretty cool overall it is a great album, I just had the one critique, 8/10 for me
7/10
7. They kept it funky fresh, interesting mix of songs
8/10. Another Yes from me. Especially liked Roundabout, but everything was good.
I wonder if at any point recording this album they realized they should make more bangers instead of random minute-long instrumentals. 8/10
Rock. Muy bueno!
Yes, here, move past sufferability into the good zone. This reminds me why I like prog, this is fun, this is playing with the medium without sticking one's head where it doesn't belong, this is a sound capable of sincerity even after being adopted as a meme.
Jag är lättköpt och mitt pris är 3-4 goa bass lines. Five per Cent for Nothing är bästa låten. Album som gjorde mig lite glad och det är värt 4 * såklart
Not big yes fan, but good tracks in here and they paved the way for future proggos so I feel comfortable with a 4 here
OoOO love it!
far from the best Yes album. 3.5
Very good album. Interesting dynamically and musically dripping with talent. I like this sound a lot and the balance between hits and ballads is really good on this album. Very ahead of its time
Pretty good - didn’t know this one…
Yes is a cooler band than I think that I've previously given them credit for. This album is good from the opening and holds up to the end. It's big and dramatic as a lot of prog rock is, but it's also fun with solid riffs 4/5
Yes! Roundabout
I say yes to yes
Brings back memories so when I saw what it was I thought it was going to be 5* but it’s actually 4
Cohesive album with great parts throughout and some iconic songs
While I'm a big fan of prog rock in general, Yes isn't my favorite. I was already familiar with this album, but gave it another couple listens. Obviously Roundabout and Long Distance Runaround are great, however the rest of the album doesn't do much for me, thus dropping to a 4.
It was a good listen, loved roundabout and heart of the sunrise but wasn't as good as the yes album. Opinion might change in the future. Would give it 7/10
That lilac wine
Will listen to more
It's Yes so of course you get masterful musicianship and staggeringly incredible compositions. I can't help but wonder if this album would be a 5/5 if 'Roundabout' didn't lead it off. As its constructed, the album can't ever reach the highs its lead (and easily most famous) song hit. It's still incredibly well done, interesting prog rock, but it doesn't land as well after hearing one of their masterpieces.
Brilliant progressive rock, and I'm surprised I have never heard this whole album. I'll be spending more time with Yes in the near future.
Roundabout, that's it mang.
Pretty good, great musicianship. Definitely prog but more to the rock side. Enjoyable listen and I'll probably try out their outher stuff. 4/5
Surprisingly good. Enjoyed and will listen again
Good, distinct album with a little spice of industrial.
PROGPROGPROGPROGPROGPROG. Best Tracks: Roundabout, South Side of the Sky, Heart of the Sunrise
classic album, real good too
meme
A quality album. 2RS
Fantastic album. Calls and eclectic Yes.
“Fragile” by Yes (1971) From the opening sounds, this album grabs the listener’s attention. Steve Howe on guitar and Rick Wakeman on keyboards dazzle with innovative arrangements, cementing their reputations as pioneers in progressive rock—PURE progressive rock in “Heart of the Sunrise”. This is intelligent music. What it lacks in soul and profundity of message it more than makes up for in technical perfection. For 1971, this record set the pace for much of what was to come in the 70s and 80s. The running footsteps across channels on “We Have Heaven” preceded those on Pink Floyd’s “On the Run” by two years (for those who like to keep track of such things). Squire and Bruford’s rhythm section is solid solid solid. Squire even gets in on the harmonic coloring (“Heart of the Sunrise”) and jazz improvisation (“Five Percent for Nothing”). Jon Anderson’s lead vocals are pure and disciplined if lacking sonority and steady vibrato—but with excellent diction. He provides solid melodies and the group chimes in with mesmerizing harmonies, rivaling Crosby, Stills and Nash (in the studio, that is!). Chord progressions and time signatures that simply prohibit the simultaneous chewing of bubble gum. Exemplifying recording wizardry, this is a clean and crisp mix, with excellent separation that simply must be heard on studio headphones (or Klipsch equipment, but for us mere mortals . . . ). As an album, “Fragile” demonstrates that one can produce a record that starts with a leading track lasting 8:35 and sustains interest throughout. And the end of the closing track welcomes a replay of the opening track, and over and over and over again. These are great musicians who clearly enjoy making great music. 4/5
60s soul
ok
Very instrumental. More songs I recognized than I thought I would. A dope anime intro I've always looked for was on this too. A chill album, good for background music while doing art or cleaning
Roundabout, Rock sinfónico!
Mye gøy. Er ikke så fan av prog, men likevel en underholdene. Du får inntrykk av at de er gode til å spille instrumentene sine og liker hvordan flere av sangene er komponert. ironisk nok likte jeg albumets nå-meme intro-track best, den gav lytteren et godt bilde av hva som lå i vente. Likevel skulle jeg ønske at albumet kunne være litt tyngre? Vet lite om mixing og liknende begreper innfor musikk, men syntes bassen ikke var "digg nok". Den manglet en sonisk dybde jeg skulle ønske var der. Virket som om musikken kunne flagre vekk i en sommerbris, på en spinkel, nerdete måte. Kanskje smaken min er ødelagt av år med Kanyes basstrommer etc. Svak 4, eller sterk 7/10
Endelig litt progrock. Spillingen på dette albumet er jo helt fenomenal. Alle instrumentene får tid til å vises, og alt er i verdensklasse nivå. Låtskrivingen er heller ingenting å kimses av. Roundabout er en heftig åpner, og det blir ikke dårligere videre. Stemningsfullt, fengende, imponerende, innovativt. Det er vanskelig å forklare hva konkret det er som trekker meg til dette albumet, men jeg kan si at det er bare helt sykt kult. Ikke en personlig favoritt, men det går mest på smaken. Ekstremt sterk 4. Kunne sagt det var en 8.9/10.
Really interesting listen totally mood shifting, great transitional tracks 4.2
Not a desert island album for me, but one that was thoughtfully and skillfully put together, with a lot of unique and pioneering sounds.
Excellent album. The full band tracks are better than the individual ones, although Steve Howe's Mood for a Day is a great one.
This album is surprising. There’s piano solos and rock and just all kinds of stuff. It was such a variety of music on this album that it kept me interested.
Surprisingly good for 1971. Great instrumentals
A very specific sound but also mostly fun
Amazing Prog album with issues. Because of money/time problems the recording of the album had to include solo compositions of each band member. Those were not that good. The rest however is top prog, especially Roundabout.
Familiarity: 4/10 Notes: listen, when you start your album off with a song like Roundabout, you know shit stays at that high of a bar until the last measure. One of their most recognizable albums, due in part to the opening track, Fragile is a funky prog rock classic Real Rating: 8/10
incorporates classical in a way i sure like fav track: cans and brahms
Banger
One of the best prog rock bands
3.75
I liked this album
A pretty impressive feat and some incredible guitar and keyboard skillz but didn't rouse me up as much as I thought it would.
Roundabout is great. Rest of the album is pretty solid, but not as put together. So much jamming.
It’s another Yes album, YES!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again- I always have a soft spot for the records my dad played a bunch when I was a kid. This is one of them.
It was ok
Was it a rock album? A symphony? An acoustic exploration? A masterpiece? I have no idea. If I could give it 3.5 I would
Some bangers. Some duds. Yes, a 3.
⭐️Roundabout
Who doesn't love roundabout? Above all else, it was interesting. Occasionally I would perk up and be like "what is that?" And that is what I want from an album
What is this guy on about? Like genuinely what is this guy on about. I don’t really like this. Funky guitar but other than that meh. Really crazy guitar work actually. I don’t think these are playlist songs but they’re enjoyable songs. Favourite: Roundabout Least favourite: The Fish (Schindleria Praemeturus)
Love the fuller songs, not so much the little interludes
Nice tunes but not unique
Heavy classical bend to this album. Not sure I really like this one, I liked their other one better. This one feels heavy on the self-flagellation. 3.
NON RIESCO AD ASCOLTARE “ROUNDABOUT” SERIAMENTE, PER COLPA DI QUEL MEME. VABE IL RESTO DELL’ALBUM NON È MALE. “AMERICA” LA MIGLIORE. AHIMÈ SOPRATTUTTO PER IL PROGROCK UN SOLO ASCOLTO NON BASTA, PER ORA UN 3 MIGLIORABILE. 3/5.
4 for the instrumentals, 2 for the vocals, and minus a star for repetition and kinda sounding like all bands during this period. But not a bad hangout album.
I am not a huge fan of the lead singer's voice. The instrumentals were very cool at times, and got a little too progy at others.
This album wasn’t terrible. It also wasn’t great. Sounded like it was either influenced by or could have influenced a lot of other music of this era. But because of that very little stood out.
This just hits my brain as a series of musical phrases that I can't really assemble into anything meaningful. They get bonus points for the nice piano lines, though
i hate to say it because i do love some of these songs but i think they overdid the whole guitar + organ thing
The well known tracks are good, but even then I struggle a bit to carve their lane that would justify a placement here. Its not bad by any means, but it sounds like a tone of other bands and I didn't see much to set them appart from other dad rock. They however probably influenced other bands, so I won't be too harsh
Man. This album is really growing on me. Proof that multiple listens really does change how you hear an album. The first time through, I really wasn’t there for… idk 70-80% of this. I realize it’s the synths. Way, way too upper range. And the harmonized vocalizations really kinda annoy me too. That more because of Crosby Stills and Nash, honestly, but I feel like they ruined it for everyone. Anyway, this time? I was enjoying more, at least 50%. Still not going above 3. But I know they might break me. I will admit there IS something here. Normally I wouldn’t go digging for it. But I put myself into this project the way I have for a reason. 3 Boolean: True
Roundabout is decent, def an album good for having on in the background/focusing
haha le jojo ending cans and brahms sounds really out of place? we have heaven is VERY disjointed south side of the sky has really good guitar grooves 5% is interesting but goes nowhere dont like anything about the long distance runaround the fish has really good bass/guitar grooves LOVE the classical guitar on mood for a day heart of the sunrise is very bombastic then turns into a slow, mellow prog rock(redundant, I know) song? no wait it switched up again america is the best song on the album. No bias, its the most coherent. Haha, its the Simon and garfunkle lyrics 6.5/10. I still dont like prog rock, and theres some really middling tracks that dont seem to go anywhere or have any place here, but theres a lot of interesting grooves and sounds from the bass and lead guitarists
Had some REALLY good songs, but can't give a 4 because the random, short, almost random, but between good songs
It's alright. Feels a little long at times.
3.8
Ah, the meme song. I was already familiar with several of these songs from many years of "classic rock" radio stations being on in the background. It's (from what I understand) a genre-defining prog rock album and to me illustrates both what I like and what I don't like about the prog rock I've heard. The last song is 11 minutes long for pete's sake! But I do like it just fine, just middle of the road fine I guess. I added "Roundabout," "Long Distance Runaround" (a long time favorite of mine), and "Mood for a Day" to my music library. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Not my jam. And yes that's a pun
roundabout is an all time banger, but it doesn't make up for most of the rest of the album being a bit of a snooze. 3/5.
Great first track, and then a few other interesting pieces... I can't imagine myself going to purposely listen to it again.
I really wanted to enjoy this album more than I did, because the first and last songs are so good. But the rest feels very skippable. Best I can do is 3/5.
Si j’avais pas déjà connu roundabout j’aurais pete un cable dessus, comme pour LOVE par exemple Le reste de l’album me laisse plutôt indifférent, même s’il y a des bons passages 6/10
3.5/5
I wasn't enjoying this very much for most of its runtime, but things turned around for me at the end. "Mood for a Day" is pretty great—I could live to 1,000 years old and never play like that, as is "Heart of the Sunrise," which I vividly remember from Buffalo '66. I'm sure I heard this album a bunch of times while living with my Yes-obsessed college roommate, but didn't think much about it. Not sure I'll come back to this, but I did end up enjoying it.
Yes doesn't really do it for me, but someone on here referred to it as N64 music and that kinda makes me like it a bit more. I've heard Close to the Edge before and that one really didn't do it for me. Fragile I enjoy more than my memories of that album.
Very very good album cover, one of the best. The music is a bit of a hodgepodge but mostly decent prog rock - it mostly bores me though. 2.5 rounded up.
OMG NOT ROUNDABOUT!!!! (it's really good tho) it started well but then the songs lacked of vocals?? wtv I liked the first one mostly (and kinda liked heart of the sunrise)
It’s not rlly my vibe but I can see why ppl would like it.
Best Track - "Roundabout"
Nice album
It was okay.
Great album but didnt resonate with me as much as their self title did.
I was semi excited for this one, until I clicked play. The only songs I enjoyed were the 3 tracks I actually knew, and they were just enjoyed like old friends. The remainder of the experimental instrumentals left me feeling ambivalent.. but it's a Yes for me.
Interesting, especially the classical bits, but probably not something I'd listen to again. Wildly incohesive.
a bit lacking outside of the three long tracks, but they do account for over two thirds of the album, so i can forgive that. Roundabout is iconic (i'm a Jojo fan sue me) but i think i'd give the highest mark to South Side of the Sky. not my favorite Yes, but it does the job. deserves to be one of the 1001? i could understand cutting it, but that doesn't strike me as necessary
Yes
Roundabout is the only notable song. Rest feels like filler/music-school kid jerk-off session
Prog rock isn’t something im particularly fond of, but this album pleasantly surprised me. I have an issue of prog being virtuosic for the sake of virtuosity, but this album doesn’t do that enough to the point it annoys me, so it’s okay in my book even if not really my thing.
This kind of yacht rock isn't really for me. I appreciate the talent but I'm lukewarm on the music.
Nice, but not a lot is memorable.
fine
It's okay, but not interesting enough to be as pretentious as it is.
El bass work es impresionante 7/10
A lot more fun than other prog rock I've heard, takes itself less seriously. Also easy instrumentals to get behind Highlights: "Roundabout", "Five Per Cent for Nothing", "Heart of the Sunrise"
There are 2 songs on this album that I always liked Roundabout and Long Distance Runaround. The rest is standard prog rock fare that is not really my thing. It sounds to me like these are talented musicians who are having fun making overly complicated music. I am happy for them but it doesn’t do much for me.
Even if you like Yes, this is not a great album. The Yes Album is their best album, but for some reason -- I think because this has Rick Wakeman on keyboards, which made them a bit more of a supergroup, and because it includes Roundabout, which is perhaps their best song -- people tend to focus on this album as their peak. But aside from Roundabout, Long Distance Runaround is it for songs that hang together. I like Chris Squires' bass playing, so for me The Fish works well as an extension of Long Distance. And Steve Howe was a talented guitarist, so I enjoy Mood For a Day. But ... Heart of the Sunrise? More like Heart of a Trainwreck. The musicianship shines within hook-driven songs, but can't carry sprawling, formless material. Not a satisfying listen, even if you like Yes. And they are obviously not for everyone.
Like Andrew, this album brought me back to the LHS rock band years. I think my brother and Aaron Tapp were in a band together -- Black Attic -- that played in our church basement. I am certain they would have covered one of these songs. My brother had a bunch of different band logos painted on his bedroom wall and I'm pretty sure this was one of them. He also shared the music he loved with me - Yes, Rush, etc. - and although it wasn't my jam, I listened.
Very mellow. Not a lot of vocal elements and very instrumental. Not a huge fan because of the lack of interesting vocals or sounds in general. A decent album nonetheless, it could be worse.
This is not my usual jam as I'm not a fan of Yes, but I enjoyed this album, especially the acoustic guitar parts.
I think rock isn't for me right now
Rokki levy jossa välis oittoissa mukana klassista kamaa, akustista kitaraa. Vähän ehkä liikaa kaikkea kaikille
Solid, last track is amazing
pretty flippin cool hectic asf
The first track is musically interesting but I feel it gets the point across in the first five minutes. Brahms helped a lot with this second track. The vocals standout on the third track. South Side captures most of what Roundabout does but the guitars are more emphasized. Track five I don’t understand the point of when they are so short like this. They might as well make it an intro or an outro but why make it its own track? By track six the music is just washing over me. I didn’t even realize I was on track seven while listening to the one before. The transition is too smooth. Mood for a Day has pretty acoustic picking but that’s about it. They turn things up to eleven on the last track which I appreciate. This shows things to come for their next album.
hAHA trodde ikke det skulle være så funky - helt kreisi til tider, men gøy - blir en treer - long distance runaround er høydepunktet
Total 70s rock Some of the instrumental songs are enjoyable Most of it sounds pretty forgettable, though that synthesizer or whatever is pretty distinctinve.
It’s Yes! My husband says “NO!” I say “Maybe?” 3 Boolean: true, yes,
This was my second time listening to this album. I liked it a lot more than the first listen. I'm actually a big fan of 70s prog, but I haven't fully clicked with Yes I guess. This relisten encouraged me to go check out more of their discography though and I'm optimistic I'll find some good albums.
Really good. Very 70's.
wow it's the jojo meme song. and the rest of the album is pretty good too. it's not exactly my area but it's a great deal better than most rock
Mood for a Day is a standout and raised the overall album to a 3 for me.
i would so listen to this if i was smoking a blunt at 11am in may 1971 on the rooftop of the random guy I spent the night with
So… on here we have four proper songs and some random stuff Yes cooked up in the studio. I loved it on my first listen, on the second listened it showed its flaws. What exactly the idea behind including Cans and Brahms as well as We Have Heaven on the album was is beyond me. But damn - Roundabout, South Side of the Sky and Long Distance Runaround are hard hitting bangers.
jojos🩷
Long songs and long interludes but I really like the music
Starts out with one of the great opening tracks on any album, but gets a little lost after that. The longer songs allow the band to find grooves that are the real highlights of the album. The bass and keys are exceptional. 3.5/5 Probably will listen again
Meh
As much as I would like to enjoy this album, it just doesn’t speak to me. There may have been a time when I could have, but that ship has sailed. For what it’s worth, Fragile is a masterpiece of progressive rock music, maybe even the gold standard. Roundabout is a great track. Just not for me. So this is a masterpiece: a 3 star masterpiece. 3 stars
Groovier than I thought it would be
A classic, but a bit pretentious.
Yes but not yes wow. Always felt that Yes was not really my cup of prog-rock tea. Too much emphasis on the high pitch vocals of Jon Anderson and less on structuring a good song. Also this release felt somehow disappointing. Some good passages, but also, for me, typical Yes songs which were not really engaging.
it's okay. i was very surprised to hear that a very familiar internet sound came from the first track - the more you know.
More like a maybe for me
Brilliant musicians playing brilliantly, but so obsessed with the prog that the songs get lost
Shoutout to Prog albums that do their own variation on a classical piece, I love seeing stuff like that. What I don't like is albums where the singles are incredibly obvious and over 50% of the album is filler. The three obvious singles are great, though. As much as I love Jojo's Bizzare Adventure, I do think South Side of the Sky is a better song, if only by a little. I think it would've been better to do what they did with Close to the Edge and just expand the crap out of the three main songs so they don't need to fill the whole thing with filler, although that would probably make it more like One Piece. I don't know, the only thing I know about Close to the Edge is that it has three long songs.
I personally think that if songs are going to be long, they should be interesting. I like Roundabout, but a lot of the rest of this feels like sitting in the room during an aimless albeit delightful jam session. The cover is great though. Rating: 2.5
Compared to the other prog I've been subjected to thus far, this sounds more like they're trying to do a lot of things at once, rather than just trying to overplay. I didn't dislike it, but I'd certainly much rather listen to someone playing one genre with clarity than indecisively cycling between four.
Starts out with a great song in Roundabout, but outside of one or two others songs, the album seemed more experimental. They added a new keyboardist and a few songs seemed like they were just trying to show off his skills. Even with all that, still a decent album.
Much better than expected. Not going to be a regular listen but Roundabout and We Have Heaven are great.
One of these days I’ll get Yes. Extra point for “Roundabout.”
It's fine, but prog rock isn't entirely my thing.
Pretty enjoyable for the most part. Decent ratio of parts that were cool to parts that sucked.
Yare Yare Daze... Roundabout is an all time classic immortalized by JJBA, to the point where everything else feels extra and not up to par.
I don't think I've ever listened to this album in its entirety. Two of the most classic classic rock songs known to man are on this album, "Roundabout" and "Long Distance Runaround". Everything else is filler. Masterful musicianship but I can see where this wouldn't resonate with today's listener. Such a disparity with 1:39 minute songs sandwiched between 8 min and 11 min songs. "South Side Of The Sky" is just not catchy at all and "Five Per Cent For Nothing" was cutting room floor stuff. How does "90215" not make this list? It's an 80's masterpiece of songs/hits, production work & is still relevant today. "Owner Of A Lonely Heart", "Hold On", "Leave It", "Changes" are all radio songs. 3 stars, outside of the two megahits it's kind of a miss songwise.
omggg album que tem a música do to be continued de jojo hiiii
I was so prepared to have a clever one word review that just said "no", but I actually enjoyed parts of this album. I mean, the cover of "America" was terrible, but it really had its moments.
Proggy rock with psychedlia in places. Roundabout is fun - noodly bassline, harmonics played on the guitar, and is that a moog? It does drag on a bit though Lots more instrumental work here than the previous Yes album on this list, e.g. harpsichord. Not sure it's better for it - does it want to be prog rock or an orchestral piece? Vocals are also not strong enough.. maybe a better singer or stronger in the mix would elevate things. The Fish starts nicely, bringing together the rock and some alt instruments. Bit short though, doesn't build into anything. Best track - The Fish 3 stars - it's fine, but doesn't evoke much feeling in me. Feels too technical but not fun.
I know the first song to this cause it’s a the anime ED to Jojo. Im such a Weeb. Its actually a really good song though. Damn these songs are long but they got some real good instrumental though.
*Roundabout is awesome, but unfortunately the album doesn't continue to sound like that. The keyboards and bass are cool, but they don't elevate this album to more than a 3.
6/10
Talented musicians for sure but I just can’t get into Yes. Voice is annoying too
I like Yes. But it all sounds the same.
awesome band name. I wrote so many notes about the individual songs omg I am so sorry if you are reading all of this lol. roundabout - 4/5 (omfg its that songggg!! its actually good tbh) cans and brahms - 2/5 (quite a switch up lol) we have heaven - 5/5 (the end freaked me out so much omg but why is this lowkey kinda giving alice in wonderland vibes) south side of the sky - 5/5 (so cool that the songs mix together I love that sm) five per cent for nothing - 3/5 (okayyy give me nothinggg) long distance runaround - 2/5 the fish - 4/5 (was not going to write that latin part in the song name) mood for a day - 2/5 (okayyyy medivalll) heart of the sunrise - 1/5 america - 2/5 roundabout (early vers) - 5/5 ( i kinda like this better than the og 35/55 = 3/5
Alright. But not something I think I could love.
This record was great. Roundabout is an iconic track. Favourite Track(s): Roundabout, Heart of the Sunrise Least Favourite Track(s): The Fish
Me gustó más q close to the edge wawwww. 3.5
a comparación del otro álbum de yes no me encantó este, aunque la guitarra de mood for a day estuvo muy buena
I realize now that I didn’t know what Yes was about.
I had a visceral reaction to the opening of this album. It was like the world stopped (get it haha). Anyway, I liked this for the most part. But I can't say it'll really stick with me tbh. I wish I found this more engaging, but I just don't fully gel with it. Good stuff, not mind-blowing but a couple of the tracks are pretty good. Fav Track: Roundabout
One of the most up and down albums I've come across. Starts out hot out of the gate with the great tune 'Roundabout', then goes immediately into back to back 90-second long twinkly neo-classical, ren fair songs. It keeps going back and forth like that for the whole album. Didn't care for the short weird tracks, but I enjoyed most of the other ones that had actual structure and lyrics. This is a 3/5 if I've ever seen one.
Good classic vibes. Not sure I'd come back for this but it was an overall enjoyable enough listen
if the whole album was like roundabout that would actually rock
Sounds like s lot of other things from that time. It is okay but not special.
Better than I thought and could well be a grower. Will probably return to it at some point.
This is my first Yes album. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like there are only about 4.5 actual songs on this. I do like Roundabout and South Side of the Sky.
Man, if you've got all album with funk, theatrical musicals, and you're not really sure what genre your band is, then l have a list for you.
A mixed bag
Some fun songs and you can really see the influence it had on future prod rock.. Little bit long though. Didn’t actually finish it
Roundabout is one of the first songs I remember being obsessed with as a kid. I don’t feel like the rest of the album lives up to it though. Very prog-y. Too prog-y perhaps.
The album was better than I expected, but I've heard Roundabout way too many times from Jojo.
Maybe!
Did it like it? The band name!
Thought I would hate this surprisingly likeable.
Thursday, 21 May, 2026 Chris Squire on the bass carries this album. Howe gets the attention, and Wakeman is great on the keys, but it is the rhythm section of Squire and Bruford.
Muy bueno, no conocía la banda.Me gusto que era una mezcla medio jazz.Muy movido
This album was okay. I’d heard Toundabput and Long Distance Runaround when I was younger. I was never a Yes fan. I would classify this as experimental. Lots of jumping around from one genre to another. I’m sure my dad is still listening to this on his way to the store…
Good classic prog' rock
I don't know what to do with this one. I mean, like, FUHHHHk I hate prog rock. But! ☝️ Roundabout SLAPS. I'm calling it a 3, but I am capital-C-Conflicted about that. Tell the moon dog Tell the march hare Tell the moon dog Tell the march hare I need to go listen to some punk to reset.
At times Yes can bring all of their talents together to produce music that is exciting and inspiring. When they indulge themselves individually or go on some sort of Beach Boys harmony expedition, the album becomes annoying. Chris Squire’s bass sounds like a rubber band being stretched and bounced around like a basketball. His huge sound on the big hits “Long Distance Runaround” and “Roundabout” go a long way towards making up for Jon Anderson’s vocals and overly earnest fantasy lyrics. Bill Buford contributes a similar energy as Squire in allowing the band to thrive instrumentally. I find Steve Howe’s and Rick Wakeman’s playing interesting when they can harness their classical bent into the flow of a song. The instrumental passage of “Fish” displays an interesting discipline compared to the rest of the album as for once the musicians do not overplay; at least until Anderson has to multitrack his voice halfway through the song. Too often this is not a band, but individuals seeking to outdo one another. The interludes scattered throughout the album add little, other than wow, “Steve Howe can play classical guitar. Rick Wakeman knows Brahms.” The same can be said for many songs as incredible passages of interweaving sounds then fall prey to an overdone soloist or vocalist. The closing track “Heart of the Sunrise” epitomizes this mix as its King Crimson opening jacks up the listener, but then the faux classical-fable elements cause the song to crash. A band of members who may be too good for their own good.
Enjoyable throughout, but likely because of the long tracks, things blended together, and it was hard for me to pick songs out of it that were favorites. I liked the groove of everything and the voice was pleasant, but it was general in the middle. But yes to Yes. Boo me off stage now.
Great early prog rock album. I only knew two tunes from this album. The classical and jazz influences are obvious. I love the early synth sounds. Musicianship is off the scale among these guys. I will definitely listen to them again.
Ganz okay, irgendwie eine komische mischung von songs
pretty good, i liked the guitar and songs are good length, some songs repetitive but still the guitar songs are good
Not really for me, but I can see the appeal for the funky psychedelic sound with classic rock vocals
It was me, Dio!
Good stuff! ★★★
Roundabout is a hell of a way to start an album. Following it by a quaint classical piece was certainly a choice. It picks back up again by track 4, but nothing can quite match the opening track.
Good
Their most accesible album. 'Roundabout' is up there as one of the most iconic songs of progressive rock. 8/10 [KEEP]
Elaborate noodlin'. Impressive musicianship, song writing and creative passages and set pieces, even if at sometimes it sounds too elliptical and tiresome. Shout out to Paul Simon's America cover.
Prog rock album. Pretty good listen, couple of good car friendly tracks mixed with some longer tracks that might not be suitable at least for a short drive.
Not my cup of tea .. Objectively speaking, it’s diverse, and I like the voice.
Sounds like Zelda music
I like it
Roundabout whips ass
a good album I'll never listen to again
Feels like a concept album wiht a story to tell but also musically just not my vibe.
The cohesiveness of this album is lacking but I think it adds to an interesting and unique artistic expression. Yes, as a whole feels so ahead of its time. Jon Anderson’s vocals should be placed in the late 70s and 80s, and their use of such complex time signatures is wacky. The bass is also is also way more at the forefront of the songs here, which makes it feel very groovy.
Great background music
muy chill, de este álbum sale un meme, me gustó
One big single and a bunch of experimental "trippy" music. It's a fun ride, but nothing I would listen to regularly.
Roundabout gave me crazy flashbacks to internet memes
älska yes, hade klarat mig utan superduperdeluxeremastered men bra prog-rock.
3/5. Läskigt långt album, skönt att det bara var 9 låtar. Bra dock, även om jag skulle säga att det var en väldigt annorlunda progrock än den jag är van vid
well i already listen to ir tbe logn songs are rellaygood very you knwo pyscodelical the change of rhytm and all of that but its not that goos but its not bad well roudnabout is a temazo but heart of the surnise is better its not an album i would revisited only the songs not the album
I felt like there were a lot of filler songs on this album. But instrumentally, this album was fantastic. Favorite track(s) Roundabout
Prog rock. Great for a bit, but just too much after a while. I nearly finished the album, largely due to the fact some of the tracks were thankfully under a minute in length.
Oh, I don't know. Roundabout is great, some of the rest is okay, and there's a few moments that are just Monty Python-ass clown music. Self-indulgent, yes. Fundamental? Eh. It's fine. Kinda makes me wanna watch anime.
this is a definitional reference for dad rock
Coincido con una review que vi con que es medio una trampa. Me sorprendió mucho el arranque con Roundabout, pero después me terminó pareciendo un poco larga la canción. En general es un disco muy experimental, fue hasta casi divertido escucharlo. Siento que te tiene que gustar mucho para escuchar esto en la diaria. Para escuchar una sola vez, me gustó bastante.
I'm SO excited fr, since I watched Jojo's Bizarre Adventure I got obsessed with roundabout and listened to it after every episode, which is pretty rare since I normally skip intros and outros completely. I really hope the rest of the album can keep up at least somehow, so I can give Yes a big yes in ratings. Sooo after finishing the whole thing I have to give a 3.5 but since I can't rate half points I will round down to 3 - sorry yes. I liked it, but not quite enough to give a 4.
A strong opening with ‘Roundabout,’ but the rest doesn’t quite reach the same level. There are some great tracks, but I didn’t really enjoy the interludes
Random, muchos instrumentales, algunos moooy largos, buenos ritmos me gustó la musica
This is an album I’ll remember forever. Listened to it multiple times in one day.
Phenomenal keyboard work with a song dedicated to Brahms
It wasn't bad.
Strong start with Roundabout which I love. The rest of the album is interesting, but doesn't reach the same height. The America cover was a fun surprise. Favorite songs: Roundabout, The Fish, Heart of the Sunrise
279/1001 Yes - Fragile Heard before? ❎ Revisit? ✅ I did enjoy the noodly psych of this and was constantly engaged, definitely one I'd be happy to revisit
Musical masturbating?
Love me some Jojo
I'm not a huge fan of Yes. It was alright prog, but not my particular style.
So pretentious. I typically really like "prog" but Yes has always been a "No" for me... More like a 2.7. I think it's Steve Howe that I don't like.
There were moments of guitar and bass brilliance and Roundabout is an all time song but the album as a whole felt like it was made up more of musical ideas and not complete songs. My dad has been challenging me to learn "Mood For A Day" on guitar for 20 years and I still haven't.
2.5 - I’m not a no on Yes, but I’m not a yes on Yes either. I enjoyed some of the prog rock moments, but not the mixing with classical music.
Musically complex, intricately composed, and not for the faint of heart. I've always been impressed and challenged by Yes, and that is on display here. They'll tease you with a catchy hook, and then bury it in layers of prog rock sound. Definitely influential in the genre.
No conocia ninguna cancion del album, sabia que existia una banda llamada Yes pero nunca le di bola. Muy buen sonido muy charly epoca seru y maquina. canciones agregadas: 4/9 album muy britanico de los 70 progresivo
The first song on this album is so good, get you really pumped up to listen to a... really mediocre album. Songs have bizarre lengths. Why does a 7-minute song go into a 30-second song? None of the songs, besides the first again, are all that memorable or all that good.
So confusing. Sometimes good, sometimes just realllyyy confusing.
Roundabout es joya El resto del álbum disfrutable, siempre sonidos frescos
that one song bruh
Experimental prog finnin parts I like roundabout but everything just feels too long
I always knew and loved Roundabout, being a Jojo fan put me onto the song. The last song is nice, too. I don't really see the point of those < 2 minutes song, they feel like fillers for the spaces before the big ones. Even the 2 - 3 minutes one feel a bit dull when I know what the band is capable of.
Most solo stuff is ok. Mood for the Day being the best. 5% of nothing is filler. Group songs, my favorite is Heart of the Sunrise.
Very proggy, but too much for my taste at many times, sometimes I'm listening to some nice build-up to a melody and it gets interrupted. It has some standouts but aaah the proggy-ness of it all sometimes makes me like it less. 1. Long Distance Runaround 2. Mood for a day 3. Roundabout
Very interesting to hear true prog rock. It was okay.
The most prog of all that has ever progged. Kinda annoying tbh
I was quite enjoying the first track but it all became a bit too noodly and self indulgent for me later on. The pseudo classical seemed unnecessary showing off really. Very much of its time. 3
Roundabout Long Distance Runaround Heart of the Sunrise
Great album of course from a super-group. I've heard these songs many times though it's been a while. I was really hoping to pull some nuance that I hadn't heard before but no. The album sounded muffled. It is a known issue with the recording that the re-issues have tried to fix. Oh well. Maybe the 60th anniversary AI edition will fix it!
Desperado goes to the circus. I'm here for it.
The instrumentals were not really my thing. But I enjoyed the actual songs (ha). 3.5
If you like prog rock, I can't see any reason why you wouldn't like this album. But if you don't, then aside from some iconic guitar riffs, there isn't much for you here. It could be a solid introduction to what prog rock from this decade was, but there's always a certain pill you have to swallow when it comes to this genre. It's nerdy, it oozes nostalgia, but ultimately it just feels too niche to really shine. Highlight: Roundabout (the guitar parts of it)
I expected to hate this - pretentious, noodly, soulless prog. But it had some nice moments when they stopped showing off and noodling about.
Definitely a mixed bag.
Maybe if I listened to this more I'd get into it, but it never really caught me on two runs through. A bit too clever and nerdy?
I like prog rock, but I don't "like" like prog rock. Fragile is super proggy prog rock. I like it. Roundabout is an absolute classic banger, always a favorite. The rest is a fun and intersting listen, but not something I revisit very often.
Purely Yes. Very virtuous musicians. The voice captivate the mood of the song.
It's fine. Probably the prog rock band that I like the most. But just not my thing
Progressive rock.
Prog rock is absolutely not my favourite. In particular, I dislike self indulgent guitar solos. The voices sound so young! Which was strange to me as I associate Yes with old men. That was the case in the 1970s, even more so now of course.
Fun vibe/beat. Enjoyed 'roundabout'. Enjoyed the piano moments. 3/5