Yes "Fragile" How great of an album is it?


In my opinion it is one of the great all time rock albums and in the same class as DSOTM and Sargent Pepper's. It is as about as perfect of a collective composition as an album can come. It cut new ground in sound and was a high water mark for the band. And, now that the new analog transfer to vinyl is out, one heck of a great sounding album.

What's your opinion. Should it be in the top 10 rock albums of all time?
raymonda
"Roundabout" alone is worth the price of admission. It’s differently on my top 10 list of songs, but the album Fragile is more like in my top 50 or so.
I like Fragile, like Close To The Edge better but never considered either to be In a discussion of Great Albums.

I've liked Fragile since it first came out when I was a 11 years old. I still listen to it occasionally. There is some excellent musicianship on Fragile. However it is not in my top 10. DSOTM is not in my top 10 favorites either......
It's good but I tend to like The Yes Album more.

Other great Yes albums are CTTE and Relayer.

I'm also a Drama fan and any Yes fan should also own the more recent and wonderful "Fly From Here" if not already.
I don't have a top 10 or 50 or whatever. I am a YES fan. I am glad they were there when I was growing up and their music is still around to listen to now. A really great band. They get my toe tapping and me singing along. That is pretty high praise. 
Great albumn for sure! Amazing musicianship and sonics.

However we couldn’t agree on the "Top ten best rock vocalist". I doubt we could narrow the best rock albums to 100.

N
I also tend to reach for The Yes Album, and I only have Fragile and The Yes Album.  I used to listen to Yes a lot more, wore out their cassette tapes in the 80's…. I have turned in to a more casual fan.
I definitely prefer Jon Anderson over the lead singer they have now. 

In this  particular and personal order:

The Yes Album

Fragile

Music is almost great, lyrics terrible.
For some reason or other I wasn't into Yes when I was 18 onward ...until I hit my 50s. They are all excellent albums, yet the music does not move me like other artists do — In my case, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Stones, Led Zep, ...etc. Even Emerson Lake and Palmer did more for me back in the day. Now, I appreciate Yes for a different quality (more symphonic?) that I generally got from classical music when I was young.

1980's top 40/MTV version of yes had some better lyrics....:^)

Take "Owner Of a Lonely Heart" as the best example.   A different flavor of Yes.

Have most of their stuff and have seen them quite a few times and in different formats.  The Yes Album, Close to the Edge and Fragile should all be in any progressive rock fan's collection.  My personal favorites are Relayer, Tales from Topographic Oceans and 90125, with 90125 being the sound quality winner IMO.  Fans should also check out the BD video of their Montreaux gig from 2003 if they haven't already.

Fragile is a top 25 for me; too much competition in the top 10.  But that's just my thinking today, of course;-).  Happy listening!

I've sen Yes live 5 times over the years, last time about 10 years ago.

Great live band, at least every time I've seen them.   Steve Howe alone is mesmerizing.   He also has many high quality and diverse solo recordings over the years that any Yes fan should check out.  I have a two disc Howe solo compilation CD set that is wonderful in every way.
I agree that the Yes album is their best. Not a bad note. Alas, not top 10.
Also a fan of Tales from Topographic Oceans, then Close To The Edge, then Fragile.
I love the Yes album.  I like Close to the Edge and I think Tales from T.O. is good but I haven't spun it in ages.  Fragile just never did anything for me for some reason.
Ahh, a great topic. Yes was probably my first love in the progressive music genre and Fragile played a large part. Particularly "The Fish" and "Heart of the Sunrise". "Roundabout" was good but more of the radio hook for the album. I have always been a fan of esoteric lyrics and creativity in music. And I must say that Mr. Steve Howe is one of the finest guitar players that ever lived. I agree that the Yes album and Close to the Edge are probably better overall recordings and I also enjoy Tales from Topographical Oceans. All members were/are excellent musicians. So to answer the OP's question, for me it is a great album but I don't like to rank music since it is completely mood dependent.
I like most of the work by Yes even though it can be hard to figure out just WHICH Yes is performing.  Lots of different musician  combinations. 

Fragile is a showcase album.  It features "solo" work by the band members to show off their individual talents.  Interspersed is some interesting and creative progressive rock.  Top 10?  Nah.  But worth buying, enjoying the music and collecting the work.

Close to the Edge is quite good.  IMO, maybe the best Yes work.
In as much as it was a groundbreaking record from a technical standpoint, it should certainly rank high on that list. For overall listenability, I go with the "Yes Album". I have a great sounding original copy!
I found it on some silly compilation album which all but a few times saw the light of any air play back in the day, their cover of Paul Simon's "America."

Man, what a recording.  10 minutes, too!

I've put together a collection of covered tunes on my iPod under the heading "Owned!" - and this leads off the category.  Amazed at how many people have NEVER heard Yes's version. 


Then there's Joe Cocker's cover of "A Little Help From My Friends"...you get the drift.  (Woodstock or studio version.). Either way he turned that tune inside out over under sideways down. 

I once had a Steve Howe solo record that I loved but can't seem to find it anywhere...

Classic. I have been looking into newer British prog bands recently because I am a huge Yes fan. With the passing of Chris Squire, unfortunately, Yes will never be the same again. I think the new Big Big Train release "Folklore" is worth checking out although the sound reminds me more of early Genesis or even Jethro Tull. The bass player with Steven Wilson definitely has some Yes influences on "4 1/2" and I think the band IQ has some interesting releases. I read somewhere that Anderson/Wakeman/ Rabin is planning a Fall tour. 
ARW is touring the US this fall , it will be a serious display of musical talent .. I grew up on yes I have all of them . That said after awhile Anderson's voice becomes tiring for me . That album is grest , tales,yes album too . I always leaned more towards Genesis,Floyd,Tull,Crimson, Camel,Eloy etc 
Yes is a necessity  in a prog collection . Like Graceland,So, 90125 were recorded well . Your going to be hard pressed getting a thumbs up vote for any band  from everyone , its all taste driven 
YEs, can't imagine Yes at this point without Chris Squire, but personnel issues have never stopped them before so who knows.
I've picked up and enjoyed a couple Spock's Beard CDs.  I think some of those are a natural fit for a Yes fan to try.
To get back on subject...
 
Definitely in the top rock albums of all time, indeedily. No question about it. 

10 is too limiting.  If I had only 10 albums on the proverbial desert island scenario it wouldn't make the cut. 100 on the island, yes. Just not in my top 10.  
For me, Fragile sits in the context of The Yes Album, Close To The Edge, Tales From Topographic Oceans and Relayer.  Without those adjacent works by the ever evolving band of Anderson and Squire, it has no coordinates as to where it lies in the Rock canon. It also needs to be evaluated in close alliance with contemporary albums like Master Of Reality, Aqualung, L.A Woman, Imagine, Sticky Fingers, Who's Next, Zep IV, Surf's Up, Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys, Killer...I could go on.
Owned a few Yes albums - "Fragile", "Yes Songs", "Close to the Edge"

Played them a few times, and never got into them.

Purged them from my collection.
Who's top ten? I would have Fragile or Close to the Edge in MY top ten. CTTE was one of my 12 albums for $.01 at Columbia Record House way back when, so that may get my nod for sentimental reasons. But I do play South Side of the Sky for demo on my home system. Have bought both on vinyl, CD and hi-res FLAC files. What about a one time purchase rights . . . Another topic for another post.