Yes - Fragile [2LP 180-gram]

With Fragile, Yes made the leap from cult favorite to full-blown progressive rock institution, delivering an album that feels both meticulously crafted and joyfully unrestrained. Released in 1971, this was the moment their ambition, musicianship, and sonic identity snapped perfectly into focus.

The band’s fourth studio album arrived at a turning point, introducing keyboardist Rick Wakeman and cementing a classic lineup that would define Yes throughout the decade. Fragile also marked the debut of Roger Dean’s now-iconic visual world, pairing surreal landscapes with music that felt equally otherworldly. The result was a record that sounded unlike anything else on rock radio at the time, yet somehow fit right in.

Musically, Fragile balances grand ensemble pieces with individual showcases, moving effortlessly from the propulsive swing of Roundabout to the reflective beauty of Long Distance Runaround. Tracks like Heart Of The Sunrise and South Side Of The Sky highlight the band’s dynamic extremes, blending intricate time changes, melodic bass lines, and crystalline harmonies into something both cerebral and emotionally direct.

This Analogue Productions Atlantic Series reissue presents Fragile as a 2LP 180-gram, 45 RPM set mastered by Chris Bellman from the original master tape and pressed at Quality Record Pressings. Housed in a deluxe tip-on gatefold jacket by Stoughton Printing, it’s a definitive, audiophile-grade way to experience one of progressive rock’s most enduring statements.