ANIMATION

This album was also released in Mexico (on the Polydor label) in 1982 or in 1983. At that time, PolyGram Discos was releasing here very good albums from VANGELIS, JON AND VANGELIS, RUSH and others. I did not buy then this "Animation" album from JON ANDERSON, but one cousin bought it then. In fact, that cousin lent me some very good Prog Rock albums in the late seventies to mid eighties. He had then a very good collection of LPs, most of them being imported LPs not released in my country.

In 1982, YES as a band had split since early 1981, after their "Drama" album and tour with lead singer Trevor Horn , who replaced Jon Anderson in 1980. Despite the "Drama" album was somewhat successful, the "Drama" tour was problematic mainly for Horn who sometimes had problems singing the old songs from the band which were originally sung by Anderson. So, the band split, while Anderson released his "Song of Seven" album and also toured for that album in 1980. So, by 1982 YES was out of action for some time (but with some plans to reform the band, first as a band called CINEMA , with Chris Squire, Alan White, Trevor Rabin and Tony Kaye, which later became YES again when Anderson rejoined the band for their "90125" album in 1983). Former YES`s guitarist Steve Howe was in ASIA and having a lot of success with that band. YES released in late 1981 a compilation album called "Classic Yes" . So, by 1982 there was not a new YES album, and some of their former members were trying to establish themselves as soloists or as part of new bands like ASIA in a changing musical enviroment which by the early eighties was more influenced by the Pop Rock music style than from Prog Rock music style of the seventies.

If Anderson`s "Song of Seven" album sounded more like a continuation of his work with YES in their aborted recording sessions in Paris in late 1979 (before Anderson and Rick Wakeman left the band), wiht more "light" Pop Rock songs with some inlfuences from New Age music and Prog Rock music, in this "Animation" album Anderson carried on with even more influences from Pop Rock with some New Age and World Music inlfuences, with even less Prog Rock influences, and even some influences from Gospel music (particularly in "All God`s Children"). So maybe he was trying to adapt his work as soloist to a more Pop Rock musical style. For this album he had David Sancious as keyboard player (a very good keyboard player who also has worked with ZUCCHERO and STING, among a lot other musicians), very good drummer SIMON PHILLIPS and other very good musicians like the recently late CHRIS RAINBOW who sings very good backing vocals. This album also has a song called "Boundaries" which Anderson recorded again as "Somehow, Someday" with YES for their "Open Your Eyes" album from 1997. I think that this song even has some Scottish Folk musical influences which made me remember a bit WINGS`s "Mull of Kintyre" hit single from 1977 (but without using bagpipes). "Olympia" is maybe the most Pop Rock influenced song. The New Age musical inlfuences are very clear in the "Animation" song.

Even if this "Animation" album is really a mixture of musical styles with the Pop Rock musical style of the early eighties being the main ingredient. I think that JON ANDERSON was then really establishing his own musical identity as a soloist, maybe a bit influenced by his work with VANGELIS. This "Animation" album is a good album, maybe a bit "light" for my taste, but very original in musical style. Unfortunately for Anderson, this album, like "Song of Seven" was not very successful in the record charts. So this maybe was the main reason that made him re-join YES in 1983 for their very successful "90125" album. He even toured a bit to promote "Animation" in 1982.