Fragile
by Yes

Fragile by Yes
Year: 1971
Release date: 1971-11-12
Overall rank: 272nd   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
83/100 (from 1,105 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 20 albums of 1971 (11th)
Award Top 100 albums of the 1970s (67th)
Award Top 500 albums of all time (272nd)

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Product Details
Availability

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Yes Fragile Album 1972 CD Atlantic Records Rhino R282667
Condition: Very Good


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Yes ♫ Fragile ♫ 1972 Atlantic Records Vinyl LP SD-19132 Excellent Condition
Condition: Used


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Yes – Fragile CD 1972 Atlantic Progressive Rock West Germany PolyGram
Condition: Very Good


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Yes bestography

Fragile is ranked 2nd best out of 69 albums by Yes on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Yes is Close To The Edge which is ranked number 87 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 13,456.

Yes album bestography « Higher ranked (87th)
Close To The Edge
This album (272nd)
Fragile
Lower ranked (501st) »
The Yes Album

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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Fragile track list

  Track ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 82 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Track pick (1000 - 100 votes) Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Fragile rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 272nd | 1970s rank: 67th | 1971 rank: 11th
Filter Filter
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YearSourceChartRankRank Score
2026 RomanelliTop 100 Music Albums of the 1970s61/1008
2026tim0505Top 41 Music Albums of 19719/414
2026 Squonk007Top 26 Music Albums of 19712/265
2026bonnequestionBest albums from '65 to '745/100 -
2026bonnequestionTop 100 Music Albums of the 1970s5/10019
2026leniadTop 401-500 Greatest Albums Of All Time25/100 -
2026 TheDarkOrbTop 61 Music Albums of the 1970s54/613
2026stangetzawayTop 100 Music Albums of the 1970s46/10011
2026sunnydhammTop 100 Music Albums of the 1970s2/10020
2026 CrhmgsTop 100 Greatest Music Albums44/10056
2026 jeremy9Top 34 Music Albums of 197122/342
2026 RockyRaccoonTop 100 Music Albums of 19714/1005
2026 Patman360Top 100 Music Albums of 197155/1002
2026 MadhattanJackTop 67 Music Albums of 19717/675
2026bonnequestionBEA Top 400 Reorganized According To My Taste7/100 -
2026 slatsheitMy top 101-201 (not a misprint)24/100 -
2026 imacgillTop 57 Music Albums of 197124/573
2026vruslovTop 81 Music Albums of 197146/812
2026 Robert Anton WilsonTop 99 Music Albums of the 1970s2/9920
2026matterhornriderTop 100 Music Albums of the 1970s48/10011
Total Charts: Help The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. 822
Total Rank Score: Help The total rank score. 6,043
You can include this album in your own chart from the My Charts page!

Fragile collection

Fragile ratings

Average Rating: 
83/100 (from 1,105 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album.  | Show all 1,105 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
100/100
 
05/26/2026 02:40 progfan  Ratings distribution  3295/100
 
65/100
 
05/06/2026 19:10 Jakor  Ratings distribution  5,43470/100
 
50/100
 
04/23/2026 09:30 Pavloss  Ratings distribution  48850/100
 
85/100
 
04/15/2026 08:37 Liks_on_music  Ratings distribution  64581/100
 
100/100
 
03/24/2026 21:07 UofTBlues  Ratings distribution  3,63671/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 83.4/100, a mean average of 82.6/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 83.5/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.2.

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Fragile comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 58 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
80/100
From 03/02/2026 16:53 | #313411
Record number 4 and the first with keyboardist Rick Wakeman who replaced Tony Kaye after the group had finished touring their breakthrough record, The Yes Album. The artwork for the album was the band's first to be designed by Roger Dean, who would design many of their future covers.
Long Distance Runaround will be covered in a stunning version in 1996 by Red House Painters.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 05/05/2025 20:11 | #308833
This was very different from what I was listening to at the time. I really enjoyed the composition and arrangement of each song on this album. Roundabout is my favorite song on this album. The artwork on this cover is excellent.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 06/10/2023 19:10 | #297540
Wonderful collection from a band finding its way. A few of the solo tracks are filler but the band cuts are terrific
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 03/02/2023 23:00 | #294650
The longer songs are where this record shines with the bookends of the album being the two best tracks in my opinion. Everything in the middle I feel like I could take it or leave it but that opener and closer make this album a must listen. There are some good moments in that middle part but there is also some filler especially with the shorter songs such as the interludes which can feel a little pointless. Musically, it is great and the group once again demonstrate their instrumental prowess by delivering some outstanding performances. Overall, I don't think this is the groups best record but it still has highlights and is instrumentally fantastic.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 08/18/2022 15:42 | #288619
A slightly uneven album with all the interludes but the mega highlights are enough to make this a true classic!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 08/16/2022 11:10 | #288539
One of the band's strongest albums. There is outstanding composition and musicianship on this. The standouts...Heart Of The Sunrise, Roundabout, South Side Of The Sky, We Have Heaven, Long Distance Runaround. Tunes I grew up with and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 01/26/2022 19:35 | #280141
One of the best prog rock albums I've heard. Roundabout is one of the best songs of all time, Heart Of The Sunrise is pretty great too and I don't mind these shorter tracks.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 04/22/2021 19:40 | #268890
yes top prog rock offering a little dreamy
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 03/01/2021 20:32 | #266843
interesting. Not my favorite, but pretty good.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 01/09/2021 11:07 | #264093
The three "bigs" are big indeed. The rest is a bit disappointing.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 1971
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3. What's Going On by Marvin Gaye
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6. Blue by Joni Mitchell
7. Tago Mago by Can
8. Meddle by Pink Floyd
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10. Tapestry by Carole King