Fragile

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 compositions; 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. Fragile was certified Platinum in the UK and double Platinum in the US, where it has sold over two million copies. It has been remastered several times, with some containing previously unreleased tracks. Background and recording On 31 July 1971, Yes performed the final concert of their 1970–71 tour at Crystal Palace Park, London in support of their previous album, The Yes Album (1971). The tour was significant for the band as it included their first set of gigs in the US which helped them gain momentum as The Yes Album and its single, "Your Move", reached the US top 40. The line-up during this time consisted of lead vocalist Jon Anderson, bassist Chris Squire, drummer Bill Bruford, keyboardist Tony Kaye, and guitarist Steve Howe. Following the tour, Yes started work on their next studio album that was originally conceived as a double with a combination of studio and live tracks, but it could not be realised due to the increased amount of time required to make it. Ideas to record in Miami, Florida with producer Tom Dowd also never came to fruition.