Fragile (Yes album)

Fragile
Studio album by Yes
Released	12 November 1971 (1971-11-12)[1]
Recorded	11 August–5 September 1971[2]
Studio	Advision, Fitzrovia, London
Genre	Progressive rock[3][4]
Length	41:16
Label	Atlantic
Producer	Yes Eddy Offord
Yes chronology
The Yes Album (1971) Fragile (1971) Close to the Edge (1972)
Singles from Fragile
"Roundabout" Released: 4 January 1972 (US)[5]
Alternative cover
Cover of 2018 Steven Wilson remix

Fragile is the fourth studio album by the English progressive rock band Yes, released on 12 November 1971 by Atlantic Records. It was the band's first album to feature keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who replaced Tony Kaye after the group had finished touring their breakthrough record, The Yes Album (1971).

The band entered rehearsals in London in August 1971, but Kaye's reluctance to play electronic keyboards led to his departure from the group. He was quickly replaced by Wakeman, whose virtuosity, compositional skills, and experience with the electric piano, organ, Mellotron, and Moog synthesizer expanded the band's sound. Due to budget and time constraints, four tracks on the album are group arrangements; the remaining five are short solo pieces by each band member. The opening track, "Roundabout", became a popular and iconic song. The artwork for the album was the band's first to be designed by Roger Dean, who would design many of their future covers.

Fragile received a mostly positive reception, with some criticism directed at the solo tracks. It became a greater commercial success than its predecessor, reaching No. 4 on the US Billboard Top LPs chart and No. 7 on the UK Albums Chart. The Fragile Tour saw Yes perform over 100 dates across the UK and the US, during which they became a headlining act. An edited version of "Roundabout" was released as a single in the US in January 1972, which reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. Fragile was certified Platinum in the UK by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and double platinum in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), where it has sold over two million copies. It has been remastered several times, with some containing previously unreleased tracks.