Yes released Fragile

Fragile Yes

Released: November 26, 1971 Peak: 4 US, 7 UK, 6 CN, 29 AU, 13 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, 0.3 UK, 2.3 world (includes US and UK) Genre: progressive rock

Tracks: Click on a song title for more details. Roundabout [8:29] Cans and Brahms [1:35] We Have Heaven [1:30] South Side of the Sky [8:04] Five Per Cent for Nothing [0:35] Long Distance Runaround [3:33] The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus) [2:35] Mood for a Day [2:57] Heart of the Sunrise [10:34] Total Running Time: 39:52 The Players: Jon Anderson (vocals, percussion) Chris Squire (bass, vocals) Steve Howe (guitar) Rick Wakeman (keyboards) Bill Bruford (drums, percussion)

Rating: 4.474 out of 5.00 (average of 18 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album Fragile is considered Yes’ “breakthrough album.” AM The band “established themselves as one of the most progressive rock bands on the scene.” AZ “Dominated by science-fiction and fantasy elements,” AM the band “raised their innovative brand of music to even dizzier heights.” AZ After the album was released, Yes were, “for the first time…a major headlining act.” TM Lead singer Jon Anderson said the album signaled, “Yes are a people’s band,” RD “albeit people with a love of the music at its most complex.” RD Rick Wakeman For their fourth album, Yes parted ways with keyboardist Tony Kaye for “personal and professional reasons.” TM “Anderson and Chris Squire sought to develop the band’s sound with newfangled synthesizers. Tony Kaye’s preference for Hammonds (and arguments with roommate Steve Howe) led to his exit.” RD Kaye was replaced by the “towering, silver-caped Rick Wakeman” AZ who brought “Yes a whole new level of virtuosity and showmanship.” RD His “proficiency and classical leanings were the final piece in the jigsaw.” AD His “organ, synthesizers, Mellotrons, and other keyboard exotica added a larger-than-life element,” AM to the group and helping Yes toward “creating the kind of music they’d always had in their minds.” AD Individual Parts “In addition to the four major compositions on this record, Yes decided that each band member would have the opportunity to showcase his talents on an individual solo track.” TM AllMusic.com, however, says the album “was a patchwork job, hastily assembled in order to cover the cost of Wakeman’s array of instruments.” AM In a truly prog-rock kind of move, much of the album served as solo showcases for the band. Roger Dean This was the first album cover Roger Dean did for the band. His “sleeve artwork encapsulates the fractured world at the heart of the album’s concept.” RD He would go on to provide the group with “some of the most famous album artwork of all time.” AD “Their music and his exotic, surreal landscapes became irrevocably associated with each other over the years.” TM Reissues A 2003 reissue added the band’s cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “America” and an early mix of “Roundabout.” A 2005 reissue added alternate versions of “Roundabout,” “We Have Heaven,” “South Side of the Sky,” “Mood for a Day,” and the song “All Fighters Past.” The Songs Here’s a breakdown of each of the individual songs.

Roundabout Yes

Writer(s): Jon Anderson, Steve Howe (see lyrics here) Released: single (1/4/1972), Fragile (1971), Classic Yes (compilation, 1981), Yes Years (box set, 1991), Yes Story (compilation, 1992), Highlights: The Very Best of (compilation, 1993), In a Word (box set, 2002), Ultimate Yes: The 35th Anniversary Collection (U.S. version, 2003), Ultimate Yes: The 35th Anniversary Collection (compilation, UK version, 2003), Yes Singles (compilation, 2023) B-side: “Long Distance Runaround” Peak: 13 BB, 10 CB, 7 GR, 11 HR, 9 CN, 1 CL Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 14.90 video, 156.24 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: The highlight of the Fragile album came with the opening track, “the ecstatic ‘Roundabout,’” RD which featured “sweet surging, rifled keys and guitar.” RD The song served up “an AM-radio sucker-punch, aimed at all of those other progressive bands who eschewed the notion of hit singles.” AM “the single clicked” AM and “pulled in millions of young kids who’d never heard them before.” AM “and the band was made.” AM “If you are wondering how to introduce Yes to a friend…then just play them this song.” AD The album version ran eight and a half minutes, but five minutes were trimmed for the single. It was the band’s most popular song until 1983’s #1 hit “Owner of a Lonely Heart.” Yes have played the song at nearly every concert since its release. WK Anderson and Howe won a BMI Award for the song. It is “still a standard on classic rock playlists.” AZ Anderson and Howe wrote the song while the band was on tour promoting The Yes Album. While traveling from Aberdeen to Glasgow, Scotland, they encountered numerous roundabouts which inspired the pair to write a song about their journey while sitting in the band’s transit van. WK Anderson’s free-form, abstract lyrics “describe a psychedelic country life, with allusions to driving.” SF He described the mountains “coming out of the sky.” WK As he explained, “it was a cloudy day; we couldn’t see the top of the mountains. We could only see the clouds because it was sheer straight up.” WK According to Anderson, “everything was vivid and mystical” because he’d smoke marijuana during the trip. WK Originally the song started off with acoustic guitar, but the group thought they needed a more dramatic opening. New keyboardist Rick Wakeman played “a note on the piano that was recorded and played backwards,” WK which Howe thought “added a sense of drama, intensity, and colour to the song.” WK Fragile represented when “Yes began to pattern their progressive rock song, with longer instrumental passages, firmer bass guitar work from Chris Squire, and the implementation of rather profound if not abstract lyrics. ‘Roundabout’ embellished all these qualities.” AMG

Cans and Brahms Yes

Writer(s): Johannes Brahms, arranged by Rick Wakeman Released: Fragile (1971) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 3.24 streaming About the Song: On the instrumental “Cans and Brahms” keyboardist “Rick Wakeman fiddles around with a classical theme” AD containing excerpts from Johannes Brahms’ 4th Symphony in E Minor.

We Have Heaven Yes

Writer(s): Jon Anderson Released: Fragile (1971) Peak: 11 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 3.82 streaming About the Song: “A repeating vocal refrain with beautiful harmonies to back it up” AD makes “We Have Heaven” both a songwriting and vocal showcase for Jon Anderson, AD bringing his “lyrical mysticism…to the fore.” RD “It’s a one-and-a-half-minute moment of sheer beauty.” AD

South Side of the Sky Yes

Writer(s): Jon Anderson, Chris Squire Released: Fragile (1971), In a Word (box set, 2002), Ultimate Yes: The 35th Anniversary Collection (U.S. version, 2003) Peak: 18 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 6.01 streaming About the Song: “South Side of the Sky” offers a “visceral jazz-psych storm.” RD “The bass is groovy as hell [and] the guitar [is] full of inventive riffing…The piano section in the middle with added vocal harmonies provides the beauty…before we go back to the rocking bass and guitar to close.” AD

Five Per Cent for Nothing Yes

Writer(s): Bill Bruford Released: Fragile (1971) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 2.80 streaming About the Song: This instrumental by Bill Bruford was the third of the album’s five songs to feature one particular member. “Five Per Cent for Nothing” opened side 2 of the vinyl release of Fragile.

Long Distance Runaround Yes

Writer(s): Jon Anderson Released: B-side of “Roundabout” (1/4/1972), Fragile (1971), Classic Yes (compilation, 1981), Yes Years (box set, 1991), Highlights: The Very Best of (compilation, 1993), In a Word (box set, 2002), Ultimate Yes: The 35th Anniversary Collection (U.S. version, 2003), Ultimate Yes: The 35th Anniversary Collection (compilation, UK version, 2003) Peak: 6 CL, 5 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 16.86 streaming About the Song: One of the group collaborations on the album is Long Distance Runaround, “another fine piece of work.” AD While this wasn’t a single (it was released as the B-side of “Roundabout”), it became a staple at classic rock radio.

The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus) Yes

Writer(s): Chris Squire Released: Fragile (1971), Classic Yes (compilation, 1981), Yes Years (box set, 1991) Peak: 25 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 4.30 streaming About the Song: Bassist Chris Squire gets his spotlight with “The Fish,” an instrumental showcase backed by Jon Anderson’s “nonsense vocal refrains in the background.” AD

Mood for a Day Yes

Writer(s): Steve Howe Released: Fragile (1971) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 6.64 streaming About the Song: Steve Howe gets a solo spot with “Mood for a Day,” an instrumental piece which offers “an exotic and lovely guitar section.” AD

Heart of the Sunrise Yes

Writer(s): Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Bill Bruford Released: Fragile (1971), Classic Yes (compilation, 1981), Yes Years (box set, 1991), Yes Story (compilation, 1992), In a Word (box set, 2002), Ultimate Yes: The 35th Anniversary Collection (U.S. version, 2003), Ultimate Yes: The 35th Anniversary Collection (compilation, UK version, 2003) Peak: 22 CL, 11 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 1.90 streaming About the Song: However, the group also “built effectively on the groundwork left by The Yes Album.” AM “Heart of the Sunrise” featured “varied constituents molded together perfectly” AZ such as a “dreamy, soaring vocal.” RD It has “a lengthy introduction that builds up with keyboards and bass guitar with Bill Bruford providing solid support underneath. Close to the two-minute mark, the guitar starts to prowl over the top of all of this before we enter an impossibly quickly taken section of instrumental music with everyone going full tilt…Three and a half minutes pass before we hear anything from Jon Anderson!...The song switches several times through it’s remaining half but always retains the listener’s interest.” AD

Resources/References: AM AllMusic.com review by Bruce Eder of Fragile AMG AllMusic.com review of “Roundabout” by Mike DeGagne AZ Amazon.com review by Paul Clark AD AdrianDenning.co.uk RD Robert Dimery (2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Quintet Publishing Limited: New York, NY. Page 234. CRS Tim Morse (1998). Classic Rock Stories: The Stories Behind the Greatest Rock Songs of All Time. New York, NY: St. Martin's Griffin. Page 193. SF Songfacts page for “Roundabout” WK Wikipedia page for “Roundabout” Related DMDB Pages: First posted 3/25/2008; last updated 5/10/2026.

Yes released The Yes Album

The Yes Album Yes

Released: March 19, 1971 Peak: 40 US, 7 UK, 46 CN, 20 AU, 13 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.06 UK, 1.06 world (includes US and UK) Genre: progressive rock

Tracks: Click on a song title for more details. Yours Is No Disgrace [9:41] The Clap [3:17] Starship Trooper [9:29] a. Life Seeker b. Disillusion c. Würm I’ve Seen All Good People [6:55] a. Your Move b. All Good People A Venture [3:20] Perpetual Change [8:57] Total Running Time: 40:56 The Players: Jon Anderson (vocals, percussion) Chris Squire (bass, vocals) Steve Howe (guitar) Tony Kaye (keyboards) Bill Bruford (drums, percussion)

Rating: 4.249 out of 5.00 (average of 17 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album This is “the album that first gave shape to the established Yes sound, build around science-fiction concepts, folk melodies, and soaring organ, guitar, and vocal showpieces.” AM Lead singer Jon Anderson said of the making of the album, “Three-quarters of the way through we realized that fo the first time we were making something that might possibly last.” TC This was “not quite the classic lineup (even Rick Wakeman would not join until Fragile), but thanks to new recruit Steve Howe here for the first time is the mature Yes sound in all its sonic glory.” AZ The guitarist came on board to replace founding member Peter Banks. No matter what the keening, skyscraping vocalist Jon Anderson sings, the band pounds out music that’s heavy and celestial, rhythmically agile and exultant.” TM His “elliptical lyrics had yet to flower into the truly bizarre realms of Close to the Edge and Tales from Topographic Oceans, but he was already using words more for their sound value than sense (‘Yesterday a morning came, a smile upon your face / Caesar’s Palace, morning glory, silly human race’).” AZ “Though its lyrics talk cosmic gibberish about glimpsing heaven and the goodness of human soles and the role of Starship Troopers in the galaxy, the music underneath is a model of discipline. The Yes rhythm section, anchored by drummer Bill Bruford, hops between different time signatures as casually as most people cross the street.” TM Yes “decamped to Devon, England” RD and “spent two months at a farm near Ilfracombe developing a fresh sound.” RD “Assisted by engineer Eddie Offord, the band refined their sound at London’s Advision.” RD Yes Dives into Prog Rock “In a desire to emulate classical music Yes began to forsake songs for suites.” TC The band, however, hadn’t taken it too far yet. This is “an album with a much sharper edge than their later bloated extravaganzas.” AZ It also “marked Yes’ move from pscyh to prog and stands as a genre benchmark.” RD “Rock historians point to Fragile, the album that followed this one, as the definitive Yes…[but] it splinters into tracks showing off the prodigious talents of each individual musician. The Yes Album is, by contrast, all about the group – here are five confident musicians journeying through extended suites (‘Starship Trooper’), executing dramatic shifts of tempo with enviable precision.” TM Reissues A 2003 reissue added single versions of “Your Move” and “Life Seeker” as well as a studio version of “Clap.” In 2014, a reissue added an alternate version of the album as well as singe versions of “Your Move” and “Clap” and live versions of “America” and “It’s Love.” The Songs Here’s a breakdown of each of the individual songs.

Yours Is No Disgrace Yes

Writer(s): Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve, Howe, Tony Kaye, Bill Bruford Released: single (June 1971), The Yes Album (1971) B-side: “The Clap” Peak: 9 CL, 5 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 7.32 streaming About the Song: “Yours Is No Disgrace” was released as a single. Although it didn’t chart it became a classic rock staple and one of the “much-loved parts of the band’s concert repertory for many tours to come.” AM “Howe’s attacking soloing [was] a response to Vietnam.” RD

The Clap Yes

Writer(s): Steve Howe Released: B-side of “Your Move” (3/5/1971), B-side of “Yours Is No Disgrace” (June 1971), The Yes Album (1971) Peak: 21 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 2.66 streaming About the Song: Guitarist Steve Howe may seem like a mainstay in Yes but he wasn’t a member until their third album, The Yes Album. He makes major contributions not just with his guitar work but songwriting. He creates “a landmark in acoustic guitar literature with his Chet Atkins-inspired solo [on] ‘The Clap,’” AZ an instrumental on which he receives the sole songwriting credit.

Starship Trooper Yes

Writer(s): Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire Released: The Yes Album (1971) Peak: 8 CL, 7 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 13.20 streaming About the Song: The “monumental ‘Starship Trooper’” RD was a “barnstorming showpiece” AZ “boasting multiple changes of pace, mood, and style.” RD Tony Kaye provides “earth-shaking Hammond crescendos;” RD “Chris Squire’s monstrous bass looms large in the mix, Bill Bruford’s jazz drumming skates edgily around the beat, and layered on top are those remarkably long-limbed solos from Howe – one of the very few guitarists to fuse the best of jazz with rock.” AZ This song is broken into three parts: a) Life Seeker, b) Disillusion, and c) Würm.

I’ve Seen All Good People Yes

Writer(s): John Anderson, Chris Squire Released: single (3/5/1971), The Yes Album (1971) Peak: 40 BB, 29 CB, 30 HR, 1 CL, 32 AU, 3 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 37.85 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: “The sunny a cappella reverie of ‘I’ve Seen All Good People’” RD offers “a feast of hooks, instantly singable and somehow still deep.” TM It “sparkles with the light from Anderson’s voice.” TC The song – or an excerpt from it – gave Yes their first taste of chart success. The song was in two parts: a) “Your Move” and b) “All Good People.” The first part was released as a single.

A Venture Yes

Writer(s): John Anderson Released: The Yes Album (1971) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 3.01 streaming About the Song: “The chord sequence that defines ‘A Venture’” TM offers a hint of what was to come with the next album’s “Roundabout,” “the biggest prog-rock hit of all time.” TM

Perpetual Change Yes

Writer(s): John Anderson, Chris Squire Released: The Yes Album (1971) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 2.66 streaming About the Song: “The clipped piano of ‘Perpetual Change’” RD with its “Zen philosophy” TM “and the intense ‘Wurm’ diversify the tone” RD of the album.

Resources/References: AM AllMusic.com review by Bruce Eder AZ Amazon.com review by Mark Walker TC Toby Creswell (2005). 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time. Thunder’s Mouth Press: New York, NY. Pages 328-9. RD Robert Dimery (2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Quintet Publishing Limited: New York, NY. Page 226. TM Tom Moon (2008). 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die. Workman Publishing Company, Inc.: New York, NY. Pages 881-2. DT Dave Thompson (2011). 1000 Songs That Rock Your World. Krause Publications: Iola, WI. Page 154. Related DMDB Pages: First posted 4/28/2008; last updated 9/17/2025.