JON ANDERSON

After "Relayer", the members of Yes at that time took a break to develop personal projects parallel to the band's universe. It is in this context that "Olias of Sunhillow", the solo debut of Jon Anderson, the most visible image and voice of the British band, was one of those that generated the most repercussions. The fantastical adventure that Anderson's imagination recreated, taking the singer's experimentation through one of its most recognisable aspects to paroxysm: the heroic "Olias" accompanied by the pilot "Ranyart" and the influential "Qoquaq", must save the four tribes of their village "Sunhillow" from volcanic destruction, using for this purpose the peculiar ship "Moorglade Mover", a flying device of undisguised resemblance to the one on the cover of "Fragile".

Anderson uses a great variety of string and wind instruments (harp, mandolin, flute, etc.) and synthesizers, showing his enormous capacity to accompany the story with a suspenseful and dramatic sonority, generating a mystical and epic atmosphere, as in the opening "Ocean Song", or in the tribal and orientalised "Qoquaq en Transic / Naon / Transic To" and its reminiscent airs of "Tales From Topographic Oceans", complemented by luminous sections of peaceful beauty, with magnificent acoustic and choral developments, as in the second section of "Meeting (Garden of Geda) / Sound Out the Galleon", or in the rhythmic "Flight of the Moorglade", which features choruses similar to those of the massive "Horizons" from Jon & Vangelis' later album "Private Collection", or in the brief arpeggiated guitar interlude towards the beginning of the last third of the extensive "Moon Ra / Chords / Song of Search", all of them moments of very successful execution, and that have their final point with the melancholic "To the Runner".

The conceptual "Olias of Sunhillow" is one of Anderson's best expressions as a solo artist, and while some of the collaborative works with the Greek Vangelis have moments of brilliance, or his stellar contribution to Kitaro's "Dream" album is one of his pearls among many, the stature of the Briton's first album remains at the top of his discography, and even without intending it, could be considered as one of the precursor elements of the later "New Age" current.

4 stars

In my recent review of Yes' "Mirror to the Sky," I wrote that I felt like a "traitor" to Jon Anderson. I now realize in what capacity I have been "disloyal" to him: It has taken me 47 years to give "Olias of Sunhillow" its commensurate due attention. In 1976, I found it easy to give my attention to Chris Squire's "Fish Out of Water." Somehow, I paid less attention to "Olias of Sunhillow." Fortunately, I still have the opportunity to surround myself with this work as I did with "Fish Out of Water" and "Tales from Topographic Oceans."

I'd like to dedicate this review to the memory of a great, authentic Yes Fan: H. Eldon Wood, 8/13/1959-1/30/2019. In 1804, as Ludwig van Beethoven finished his Symphony # 3, "Eroica," he modified his dedication "to the memory of a great man." Beethoven's original dedicatee was to have been Napoleon Bonaparte. However, by 1804, Napoleon had demonstrated his true, dictatorial intentions (a tendency we sadly must observe in the "character" of a certain ex-president . . .). With his diminutive stature and "maestro-like" tendencies, Jon Anderson has been likened to Napoleon. In "Olias of Sunhillow," Anderson, perhaps, furthers this analogy, assuming the lion's share of all creative aspects of this work. Working only with Mike Dunne, Yes' studio technician, Anderson singularly composed and performed all of "Olias of Sunhillow" (notwithstanding assertions that Vangelis may have contributed to the album).

On one level, Anderson posits an imaginative rendition of, say, a quest parallel to Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings." Planet Sunhillow is threatened with annihilation through the eruption of its primordial volcano. Here, the "Fellowship" consists of Olias, Ranyart, and Qoquag, who are entrusted with salvation of their people, the four tribes of Sunhillow, each representations of vibrational awareness. Olias is a magician, responsible for the design and construction of the Moorglade Mover, the ark by which the four tribes of Sunhillow will be re-located to another planet. Ranyart is the harp-playing pilot; Qoquag, mystic and uniter of the four tribes of Sunhillow. And the design of the Moorglade Mover comes from Roger Dean's cover of "Fragile." "Ocean Song" opens with suggestions of the great, oceanic reality from which life has emerged on Earth. In the transition to "Meeting," Anderson conjures up a soundscape like the harrowing music from Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey," when the astronauts encounter the Sentinel on the Moon.

Of course, what is remarkable about this album is Anderson's ability to become proficient on the instruments that comprise this work. Further, to learn the capacities of the chosen instruments to convey the imaginative realizations that surfaced in the composer's mind's eye, his "Topographic Ocean," is remarkable. And, throughout the album, Anderson's primary instrument is his voice.

The "linear" plot of "Olias of Sunhillow" proceeds from "Meeting," "Sound out the Galleon," "Dance of Ranyart," "Olias ( to Build the Moorglade), "Qoquag en Transic," "Naon," "Transic To," "Flight of the Moorglade," "Solid Space," "Moon Ra," "Chords," "Song of Search," and "To the Runner." Essentially, "Olias of Sunhillow" delineates the background for the quest, the marshalling of the four tribes of Sunhillow, Olias' construction of the Moorglade Mover, the dance of Ranyart, and Trance of Qoquag, culminating in the immediate departure of the Ark, to its arrival on a new home planet.

Fundamentally, there is a "third person," who narrates this quest. There are key intervals in which Anderson excels as an instrumentalist. In "Dance of Ranyart," there are harp and synthesizer solos evocative of 1977's "Awaken." During "Solid Space," a cavernous synthesizer melody accompanies the Moorglade, now in transit. There's reference to a Rider, which makes me think of the Rider Publishing Co. that brought forth "The Finding of the Third Eye" by Vera Stanley Alder from which Jon Anderson has found inspiration.

Noteworthy towards the end of "Olias of Sunhillow" are "Song of Search" and "To the Runner." In "Song of Search," Anderson performs an acoustic guitar solo, suggestive of influence from his Yes colleague, Steve Howe; this is followed by synthesizers with a chasmic vocal background.

Finally, Anderson brings us "To the Runner." Jon has written some challenging lyrics at the conclusion of this quest: "Spurn all ye kindle/and cradle his sweet pleasure/as you just look/farther and farther beyond him, /beyond him, beyond him . . . Ultimately at the end of the journey, one transcends the fruits of human labor to gaze at the ultimate mystery behind it all. So, in "praying to the runner," [we] "ask a flower to kneel" in recognition of the energy that informs all. And, then, there are the troublesome lines: "In it all/to the devil take . . . ."

I'd like to move eleven years forward to Yes' "Big Generator" and "Holy Lamb." Perhaps Sunhillow finds a new manifestation in the world started by humanity and "The Holy Lamb." Humanity now faces a different cataclysmic volcano, and I am not sure, that left to our own devices . . . the future is a friend/of yours and mine[.]

When all Yes members released solo-albums back in the mid-1970s I got a copy of each, with the exception of Alan White's RAMSHACKLED. I played them as often as I would have played any Yes album, but in the 1980s for some reason I felt embarrassed that I owned them, so I got rid of Steve Howe's BEGINNINGS, Chris Squire's FISH OUT OF WATER and Patrick Moraz' THE STORY OF I. The only one I hung on to was OLIAS OF SUNHILLOW, mainly because it featured the most spectacular gatefold sleeve, with illustrations by Dave Fairbrother Roe. His colourful drawings looked like Arthur Rackham fairy tales, something which - even in 1976 - I did not exactly find cool, but I thought: "This is unique, I really should preserve this, just to show my children later!" However, soon record players went out of fashion, and I never acquired an OLIAS CD. As a consequence, I believe I never listened to the album from the early 1980s until just a few weeks ago (early March, 2023).

Rediscovering my old OLIAS L.P. was a pleasant surprise. In contrast to FISH OUT OF WATER, which I find terribly overblown (not to mention the fact that I can't stand Chris Squire's bleating), and BEGINNINGS, half of which is completely unlistenable (mainly because of Steve Howe's vocals and execrable lyrics), good ole' Jon Anderson's solo debut sounded incredibly fresh and reinvigorating. I immediately bought the 2021 Cherry Red Records CD reissue to find out why this was so. (And no, I'm not in the pay of Cherry Red Records!) I found that our Jon wrote at least a couple of songs which are as catchy as anything Yes ever did - most notably 'Sound Out the Galleon' and 'The Flight of the Moorglade'. Even though he's anything but a virtuoso on drums, synths, guitars or harp, he also painstakingly created a number of instrumentals which are very pleasant to the ear. He came up with a number of chants ('canons' or 'rounds' I guess you could call them) which are similar in spirit to Yes's 'We Have Heaven' but far subtler in execution. And finally, he took great care to devise keyboards/harp/percussion/backing vocals arrangements for the entire album. As a result, OLIAS really is a rich and rewarding listening experience. I guess it helps that Anderson did the whole thing at home on his own (with only a sound technician to assist him), so there was no band he had to struggle with. He ended up singing most of the new songs fairly low in his register, which makes them easier to bear than GOING FOR THE ONE or TORMATO, both of which sound far too shrill to my taste.

Of course you'll need some suspension of disbelief to fully embrace a J.A. solo album. After all, this is a man who writes lines such as 'Total relating appointed close factors / of what we regard as the answer lies there' without any sense of embarrassment. One or two of his wordless vocals are perhaps a little soppy as well - New Age avant-la-lettre. Furthermore, the SF/fantasy/fairy-tale concept he devised seems half-baked at best. But the sheer loveliness of most of his tunes and - dare I say it - the majesty of his best instrumental movements make up for any deficiencies.

In my view, there was only one mid-seventies Yes member whose solo achievement came close to Anderson's: Patrick Moraz, with his highly eccentric THE STORY OF I. And for the sake of completeness it's only fair to add that both of them were solidly beaten just two years later, by the first solo effort from ex Yes member Bill Bruford: FEELS GOOD TO ME.

"Animation" is an exceptional album by Jon Anderson that showcases his unique blend of poetic lyrics, soaring vocals, and diverse musical influences. Released in 1982, this album is a stunning example of Anderson's exceptional talent as a musician and songwriter.

The album's opening track, "Olympia," sets the tone with its driving rhythm and intricate guitar work, while tracks like "Surrender" and "The Spell" incorporate Indian tabla and sitar, creating a rich and hypnotic texture to the music. Anderson's ability to seamlessly blend Western and Eastern musical influences is remarkable and creates a unique sound that is both uplifting and emotionally captivating.

Throughout the album, Anderson's lyrics explore themes of love, spirituality, and unity. His words are often deeply personal, yet universally relatable, and his ability to craft intricate and emotive stories is truly unparalleled.

The album's production and sound quality are exceptional, with each instrument and vocal line perfectly balanced. Anderson's use of layered vocals and harmonies creates a lush and ethereal sound that is both soothing and uplifting.

While the album is consistently excellent, the title track, "Animation," is a standout. The track features Anderson's signature soaring vocals and a dynamic arrangement that builds to a powerful and emotionally charged climax. The song's lyrics are inspiring and uplifting, encouraging listeners to embrace their own creativity and passion.

In conclusion, "Animation" is a masterpiece of progressive rock and new age music that should be in every music lover's collection. Anderson's unique blend of diverse musical influences and poetic lyricism create a sound that is both transcendent and deeply personal. If you're looking for an album that will inspire and uplift you, look no further than "Animation." This is one of the best prog albums from the 80's!

I wish I could say that I have a soft spot for this album, but I can't quite bring myself to go that far. One good thing I'll say about it is that Jon Anderson's voice has rarely sounded better than on this album. Somehow these vocal melodies fit his vocal cords perfectly: he sounds less strained than on a lot of Yes songs from the late 70s (even though he still reaches for the same gorgeous high notes) and his voice overall has a really sweet, childlike quality to it. He also sings a duet with his daughter Deborah on the lengthy title track, which goes off a lot better than when he brough one of his children along on Yes's Tormato.

Unfortunately, a good vocal performance can only do so much good when the music itself is crap. Alright, there are a few memorable moments such as the catchy "Some Are Born" and the title track which is a great celestial soundscape, and "Heart Of The Matter", an unconvincing stab at a hard rock boogie, has at least stayed in my memory for the wrong reasons, but everything else goes in one ear and straight out the other. Utterly toothless, insipid pop fluff without any distinguishing features besides the vocals. I do find it interesting that the production of this 1980 album has a typical early-to-mid-70s flavour to it, perhaps because Jon refused to stray from his hippie roots by jumping on the synth-pop/rock bandwagon (time corrected that 'mistake' by the time he rejoined Yes three years later, I suppose...), but that doesn't really help to make the album less boring. No one except big Anderson fans need bother with this.

Jon Anderson's 3rd solo album was released in 1982 (a year before the release of Yes' "90125" and during a time when he was collaborating with Mike Oldfield and Vangelis. With this album, Jon strives to make his sound quite accessible, but he does it without compromising his overall sound and style. He seems to touch on several different sounds and styles with this album making it more like his own album with the Vangelis influence less present as on his first solo album. The music ranges from a long progressive track (Animation) to reggae (Surrender), to latin (Much Better Reason), to acoustic (Boundaries). He does all this by using several different artists (Jack Bruce, Simon Phillips and David Sancious) to help him out as he did in the album "Song of the Seven", though this one sounds much more polished. He even used producers (Neil Kernon who worked with Hall & Oates, Tony Visconti who worked with David Bowie and T. Rex) that were used to working with popular styles.

Olympia - Upbeat with a guitar-led intro and then a bunch of synths come in. Anderson uses his familiar voice for a try at more accessible music. The squeals from the synth are a bit unnecessary along with the electronic blips and bleeps, but the track overall is good. The guitar continues to have a nice presence. Some mixed field recordings in the break.

Animation - This is the album's centerpiece even if it is at the beginning. It seems that the track is placed here purposely to appeal to the proggers who might expect some more complexity, and that's what you get here with this nine minute title track. The music weaves around some changing and complex rhythms, moods and styles. It could have fit pretty well on a Yes album, but the lyrics are definitely personal to Jon which is why it works better on a solo record. The last part of the track turns to a quiet, pensive sound with Jon's vulnerable vocals backed by piano and keys.

Surrender - Rolling percussion and twinkling synths bring in a mid-tempo track with a nice soft reggae backbeat returns to a more accessible style. Vocal layers are mixed in a choral feel.

All in a Matter of Time - Another mid-tempo song but this time with a nice flowing feel. Nice mix of guitar and synth here.

Unlearning (The Dividing Line) - A bit of a funky rhythm heavy on the bass and percussion makes for a catchy track and a good melody which isn't necessarily typical, but still accessible. Multiple vocal lines make for an interesting center section.

Boundaries - Twinkling keys and acoustic guitar bring this nice track in which sounds somewhat similar to "Wondrous Stories", and that's a good thing.

Pressure Point - Tricky percussion line and processed vocals bring this in and the melody line is a tad more complex this time around, so you could almost pass this one off as progressive. Nice harmonies and use of electronic effects.

Much Better Reason - Mid tempo with some latin-jazz leanings.

All God's Children - Percussion heavy with a steady beat and what sounds like a large choir for an uplifting track with a tribal flavor.

There is a lot of variety to this album and the songs are all very positive and bright as you would expect from Jon Anderson. Even though the progressive style is limited to 2 tracks, this is still an album I enjoy mostly because of the wide variety here which is accomplished while still making the album rather cohesive. Quite frankly, none of it sound too contrived (except for maybe the last track to a degree), so it manages not to get on my nerves after all this time. As a side note, there was a follow up to this album planned, but it never came to be with some material reworked into "90125". I would rate this as a 3.5 album, but I'll round it down because of the limited use of progressive style.

Jon Anderson's first solo album was recorded and released in 1975-76, after the release of Yes' 'Relayer' album. After touring quite heavily for 5 years, the band thought that it would be a good time to take a break and that they would all work on their own solo albums (Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Alan White and Patrick Moraz was the Yes line-up at the time). 'Olias of Sunhillow' was Jon Anderson's solo album, but he would later release several others through his career.

Anderson wanted to release a concept album that was unlike anything Yes had done, yet that still told a story. His idea was a science-fiction tale that was inspired by the album cover artwork from Yes' 'Fragile' album which was done by Roger Dean. Using the flying ark from that album, he created a story of a magician named Olias who constructs an ark named the Moorglade Mover. The purpose of the ark was to fly the people of the planet Sunhillow to a new planet, which they do just before the planet disintegrates. The ark eventually lands on the planet Asguard.

All of the instruments and vocals on the album were performed by Anderson. However, the style on many of the tracks very closely resemble Vangelis' style, so much so that Vangelis' record label told him that they were unhappy with the fact that he played on the album, which he denies. However, Anderson does thank him in the credits, suspiciously enough. Vangelis does appreciate the album and is flattered that Jon was inspired by his style, but says that it does represent Anderson's style and talent a lot more closely.

The music on the album is beautifully orchestrated with a lot of synthesizer, but also use of middle and far Eastern instruments and styles which give it all a very mystical feel. The music is definitely non-traditional in a pop sense using a lot of progressive elements and styles. The harmonies are lovely and many times are densely layered to give it a chorale effect on several tracks. The original album was broken up into 8 tracks, however, 4 of those tracks combine two or more titles. The music tends to flow seamlessly on those tracks with combined titles, with obvious breaks between the main 8 tracks. The music usually does sound quite a bit like Vangelis' style on many of the synth heavy tracks and instrumental sections, and Anderson does cite him as an inspiration on this record along with Rick Wakeman and Patrick Moraz.

The music is also very positive sounding as is the case with most of Anderson's endeavor's. It is different from the typical Yes style, less heavy, and with a more balanced and simpler style, yet complex all the same. There is a nice use of percussion throughout the album, though it is also non-traditional in a popular sense, using folk style percussion (tribal) and also with several folk traditional instruments to help add to the mystical sense of the album. Sitar, harp, saz, mandolins and wooden flutes help with this element, yet there is also a heavy use of synthesizer and some (mostly rhythm) guitar.

This is quite a lovely album and one of Anderson's best solo projects. As he released several other albums through the years, he has veered closer to some pop-sounding albums and at other times, approached a more progressive style, but there is always that signature voice and singing style of his that ties them all together. Overall, he has managed to keep his solo albums unique and distinct from his music with Yes. Thus it makes sense to present these albums under his own name, but you can still easily tell that it is Anderson. This particular album is an impressive solo debut, especially considering that he felt a bit insecure in this album during its recording only allowing one other person to hear it. When he was finally satisfied with the result, it was released for the world to finally hear. And it is an excellent effort worth 4 stars.

I suppose an artist like Jon Anderson may have held an enduring affection for world music in general or Brazilian music in particular, but could not express it within the rigid (?!) confines of YES. He may have even been able to spell the names of a few of the guests who appeared, though Nascimento could pose a problem even for his own fans. He might even have a broad knowledge of the breadth and scope of the style of music plied on "Deseo".

I certainly hope the answer is "no" to all of these, because what's here is the worst type of Majority Co-opts and corrupts minority in an era that went back at least as far as "Graceland", and I don't know whether it's better or worse that Anderson was not nearly the first to adopt this practice. Then again, he could have learned a little from those "pioneers" instead of clumsily tracing their footsteps. Given these low standards, the highlight here is probably the title track which benefits from the emphatic vocal work of Cecilia Toussaint and Deborah Anderson. This deed is irrevocably reversed by the unintended parody that is "Latino". In case you have any doubts, being not prog is the least of this album's sins; its biggest seems to be a dire explosion of inauthenticity.

As You probably know Jon Anderson of Yes came out with his solo proposition "Olias of the sunhillow" as part of the five solo albums by all Yes members recorded after the Relayer album. He went totaly ambitious playing all the instruments and, of course, singing all the parts. The result is otherworldy. It took me a while to distinguish all the parts of the music as many of them operates on higher pitches plus many songs are interconnected which makes it not immediately accessible, but the learnig curve was totaly worth it. Breaking point was for me the third listen, when I deceided to hear it with the lyrics in my hand. The higher pitches (once tamed) make the sound sparkling and unique, the vocal melodies are as irreproachable as ever. Instrumental parts are not as complicated as in Yes, but the layers are rather dense and the mood is the main star here. Very cohesive and engaging album. 4,5-5stars rounded up to 5. Impressive! The vinyl gatefold booklet is a work of art too<3

Originally released in March 2019 on Opio Media, Jon Anderson's latest album was reissued in July 2020 after he signed a deal with Blue Élan Records. The title relates to the large number of musicians involved, which include the likes of industry heavyweights such as Rick Wakeman, Ian Anderson, Billy Cobham, Jean-Luc Ponty, Steve Morse, Chick Corea, Steve Morse, Chris Squire, Alan White, Steve Howe, and many others while the origins of the album actually go back to the early 90's when he was working on a project which involved keyboard player Brian Chatton (who was with Jon in The Warriors before moving onto Flaming Youth). Jon involved some members of Yes on the recordings, but with the next tour coming up the tapes were put safely to one side and promptly forgotten about until producer Michael Franklin, who had also been involved in the sessions, suggested completing the album all these years later. Seven of the songs are co-written with Chatton, two with Franklin, and the other two by Anderson himself.

When listening to this album it is important to remember that Anderson has had an incredibly long career in music, and not all of that is classified as progressive, and to approach this with that in mind. I remember when I was at university that one of the favourite groups among my mates was Jon & Vangelis, especially the albums 'Short Stories' and 'The Friends of Mr Cairo', but none of them were fans of Yes, and this shows plenty of evidence of the diversity of his musical wanderings. Anderson has an incredibly distinctive voice, and even though he is now well into his seventies it shows no sign at all of waning and is as pure and clear as it has ever been. Musically there is a huge variety of styles within the album, and while it is fun to pick out individual musicians (Squire's bass is one of the easiest), what provides the continuity are those vocals, shining clear.

There are times where the music feels more like it is designed for cinema, others where it is plain silly ("Makes Me Happy" for example), others where it is truly progressive but for the most part this is a collection of songs and performances which will make fans smile. I have quite a number of Jon's solo albums, plus his various partnerships and collaborations, and this is one of the easiest to listen to and enjoy right from the off. There will always be those who bemoan the fact he isn't in Yes, and I must confess I sit in that camp as that band has never seemed right without him, and many of those Yes fans will say this is not an album they enjoy. But when asked if I would rather play this or the last Yes album, 'Heaven and Earth', there really is no choice as this is superior in every single way. This is something to which I will often return, as it is light, bright, and full of joy and great songs.