Yes: Fragile

The album that helped make Yes a household name. After all these years how do you view Fragile?

To be honest, I listen to Long Distance Runaround and Heart of the Sunrise a fair bit, the other tracks not so much. Probably heard Roundabout too much. Great album but I also rate CTTE, Relayer, TFTO, GFTO and probably The Yes Album above it.

Great album but it falls behind the Yes album, CTTE & GFTO on my list. 

I view it as an oddity because of the "solo" songs.  That said, they make it an interesting album.  We Have Heaven, 5% and Mood are cool, never cared much for Fish and Cans & Brahms is just a boring waste of 1:42.  I know Wakeman couldn't put an original track on Fragile because he was still contractually bound to A&M, but that was the best he could do?  Years later, even he called it "dreadful".  Shoot, anything from Wendy Carlos Switched on Bach kicks it's ass 

My second favourite Yes album, just over The Yes Album and behind Close to the Edge. No bad tracks, only Cans and Brahms is sort of filler and 5% little more than a jingle, unfortunately. Best tracks: South Side of the Sky, Heart of the Sunrise and Mood for a Day.

Edited by someone_else - September 10 2018 at 15:23

I spin Fragile more than any other Yes album, including the lauded CTTE. Which is more of an iconic album now than it is a joyful album to listen to.

This was my first Yes album too... I don't remember if together with CttE, or if I bought that one a bit later. And they are both the only albums from the band I would give 5 stars. Even the solo songs don't really drag it down, even if Cans is indeed the weaker one. I have read Wakeman had written what ended up becoming Catherine of Aragon for his spot on this album, but well, he couldn't contribute songwriting... yet indeed that would have made this album even better.

Dellinger wrote: This was my first Yes album too... I don't remember if together with CttE, or if I bought that one a bit later. And they are both the only albums from the band I would give 5 stars. Even the solo songs don't really drag it down, even if Cans is indeed the weaker one. I have read Wakeman had written what ended up becoming Catherine of Aragon for his spot on this album, but well, he couldn't contribute songwriting... yet indeed that would have made this album even better.

If I remember correct, I have read somewhere Wakeman composed at least the middle part of South Side Of the Sky, but for that A&M contract he couldn´t have the credits from it. At least it sounded really much he´s style.

^Also to me with Roundabout South Side was the first songs that really hit me and that middle part is really a "salt" of that song! Maybe best composition he has made.

I'm going to speak heresy now. I used to like Fragile a lot (my second Yes album) but actually I thought they went downhill just a teensy bit when Wakeman joined. To me their acme always was - and still is - The Yes Album.