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![]() | Olias of Sunhillow Wounded Bird Records (Audio CD 2006) | $7.23 $53.00 (used) |
![]() | 3 Ships Opio Media (Audio CD 2008) | $12.86 $20.07 (used) |
![]() | Olias of Sunhillow Import Atlantic UK (Audio CD 1998) | $5.96 $2.99 (used) |
![]() | Change We Must Angel Records (Audio CD 1994) | $49.98 $4.66 (used) |
![]() | 100 Best Opera Classics Box set, Import Emd Int'l (Audio CD 2007) | $15.61 $15.68 (used) |
![]() | Streams Sony (Audio CD 1999) | $24.99 $11.94 (used) |
![]() | Song of Seven Wounded Bird Records (Audio CD 2006) | $7.90 $8.98 (used) |
![]() | King Kong: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Soundtrack Decca (Audio CD 2005) | $8.94 $4.79 (used) |
![]() | In the City of Angels Sony (Audio CD 1990) | $33.00 $3.09 (used) |
![]() | JDRF's Hope for The Holidays United States Dist (Audio CD 2009) | $8.78 |
![]() 3.96 | 85 ratings Olias of Sunhillow 1976 |
![]() 2.56 | 28 ratings Song of Seven 1980 |
![]() 3.22 | 17 ratings Animation 1983 |
![]() 2.40 | 15 ratings Three Ships 1985 |
![]() 2.60 | 19 ratings In the City of Angels 1988 |
![]() 2.20 | 9 ratings Deseo 1994 |
![]() 4.05 | 13 ratings Change We Must 1994 |
![]() 1.95 | 4 ratings Angels Embrace 1995 |
![]() 3.27 | 11 ratings Toltec 1996 |
![]() 2.50 | 2 ratings Lost Tapes Of Opio 1996 |
![]() 2.70 | 6 ratings Earth Mother Earth 1997 |
![]() 2.44 | 8 ratings The Promise Ring 1997 |
![]() 2.61 | 10 ratings The More You Know 1998 |
![]() 3.83 | 2 ratings In Elven Lands: The Fellowship 2006 |
not rated
Searching for the Songs 2007 |
not rated
Watching the Flags that Fly 2007 |
not rated
The Mother's Day Concert 2007 |
![]() 3.00 | 1 ratings Live From La La land 2007 |
![]() 4.00 | 2 ratings Tour Of The Universe 2005 |
![]() 2.00 | 1 ratings The Deseo Remixes 1995 |
![]() 3.00 | 1 ratings Some Are Born 1980 |
not rated
Jon and Vangelis 1983 |
not rated
Shine - Mike Oldfield with Jon Anderson 1986 |
![]() 2.00 | 1 ratings Change We Must (single) 1994 |
![]() 2.00 | 1 ratings Candle Song 1994 |
![]() 3.00 | 1 ratings The Lost Tapes Sampler 2006 |
Review by
Tarcisio Moura
Prog Reviewer
Jon Andersonīs first solo efford was his most ambitious and one of the most controvertial
undertaking of his long and prolific career, either with Yes, solo, or with his many side projects
with others. The fact that he played and sang everything on the album is a major achievement on
itself and also - in my vision - the recordīs biggest weakness. If he had called in some real good
musicians to beef up some of the instrumental passages, it surely could reach a much higher status.
As it is, Olias Of Sunhillow is very good, but it could have been excellent. Letīs face it, I am a BIG Yes fan. And even more so when this album was out. I had to have it and I was completely taken by its lavish cover and pictures. The two gate fold was one of Roger Deanīs best, a real masterpiece and set the right mood to hear the record (something the CD version never did, it only contains part of the cover art and almost none of the lyrics and story). The music inside is very much inspired by both Yes and Vangelis works at the time. There were even some rumours that he played on the album (untrue, but it seems he was a kind of advisor for some parts). Anderson does a great job considering that he up till then was only known for his vocal prowness. His limitations as a musician at the time were enormous, and still, he did it very well. He reportedly played over 20 instruments on the album, including many exotic ones.
And yet I donīt hear Olias Of Sunhillow that much. I have to be in the right mood and itīs clearly not the album to just listen to any time (mostly I only put it on late at night or very early in the morning). It is too attached, too involved to the concept of the story to hold it on its own. Itīs the perfect background music for the lyrics and the fantasy universe he created. I canīt see Yes playing any part of it on one of their shows (or even Andersonīs). Too new age-ish, too ambient music, and thereīs nothing wrong with that. But I guess most of us fans wanted something musically more eathier at least on some parts. So I can understand both the praising and the criticism this album has got since then. The production was good, but could be much better.
Conclusion: good record by one of the most influential singer/songwriters of all time. He proved capable of doing everything himself and it worked well inside the story-frame. Just donīt expect any rocking moments or any great instrumentation in the vein of Yes or any other band. Itīs an interesting musical story and should be seen as just that. Rating: 3,5 stars.
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Review by TheGazzardian
A lot of Yes' charm is attributed to it's lead singer, Jon Anderson. While the contributions of other band
members cannot be ignored, if one wants a look at what specifically it is that Jon Anderson brings to
the fold, this is the album to listen to.Released after Relayer, this album was played entirely by Jon Anderson. Unlike his fellow Yes-men, Jon Anderson wasn't really the master of any instrument. That being said, on this album he proves that, while perhaps not a master, he is more than capable on plenty, and a master of composition and layering. Olias of Sunhillow features many different acoustic instruments, which Jon layers (as well as his own vocals) with great effect. Some keys are also present, although their use is not quite as prevalent as they are in Yes, and they don't feel as important.
The album tells a tale inspired by the cover of Fragile, where a clan on a planet that is about to explode must build a ship (The Moorglade) to escape. For those that love the pretentious side of prog, this album will appeal with the track names alone - song names like Qoquaq en Transic and Moon Ra are common on this album.
As can be expected of Jon Anderson, this album is full of flights of fancy. It is not a hidden Yes album, but has its own distinct, otherworldly feel, created by the intricate layers of instruments and vocals. Definitely an enjoyable trip for any lover of atmospheric prog music.
There are no real highlights to this album, and it is best consumed as a whole. I have not really heard anything else that sounds quite like it.
A final note: I have the CD version, and the notes are terribly disappointing. It has snapshots of the LP images in the sleeve, but they are too small to read or even really appreciate. But they look like, at full size, they would be beautiful. For album art lovers, I recommend trying to hunt down a vinyl version.
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Review by
snobb
Special Collaborator Jazz Rock/Fusion
I liked Jon Anderson voice from some Yes albums, and from his
collaborations with Vangelis. Even his debut solo album was good enough for repeating
listening.Not later solo works. After I tried to listen some his solo albums (after good debut work) at the very beginning of Anderson's solo career, I just missed any interest to him.
The Promise Ring could be a good Christmas gift ( for Celtic folk lover). Anderson voice is in a good form, the musicians play very competent folk, even with some proggy elements. That's all.
All songs are the same - same melody, same tempo, same vocals range. Just one never- ending song. Anderson is full of optimism (children should like this music). Whenever there is much more folk, than rock, all music sounds very monotonic and faceless.
I believe this work could be a kind of not very successful Christmas gift: you will listen it once, and will forget few hours later. Some enthusiasts could repeat listening during next year Christmas.
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Review by
SouthSideoftheSky
Prog Reviewer
Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore (we are in L.A.)Around the time of Big Generator, Jon Anderson recorded this solo album in Los Angeles, the city of angels. Not too surprisingly it has an American sound to it that reminds of bands like Journey and Toto. Some people from the latter band even play on the album. It also sounds very much like a Barclay James Harvest album from the 80's. The music is very slow in tempo, it is slick and it is hardly progressive in any way whatsoever. Needless to say this has absolutely nothing to do with Jon's day job in Yes. Not even with Big Generator or 90125 as those albums are indeed very progressive compared to the present one. There is nothing here that I would consider really poor, it is clearly a very professional recording and Jon actually sounds quite inspired! But one major problem is that all the songs sound quite similar and listening to the whole thing quickly becomes rather dull.
The better songs come at the end and particularly Top Of The World (The Glass Bead Game) is a decent song. The closer Hurry Home (Song For Pleiades) has some tasteful Bagpipes. The rest of the songs are quite ordinary 80's Pop Rock with very slight World influences. If Jon is your favourite singer of all time and you don't mind some slick 80's Pop Rock, then this is for you! Personally, I find it just about listenable and rather boring. This is not my cup of tea at all, and I am quite certain that I speak for most Prog fans.
As I said, this is not a poor product but it is really only for hard core Jon Anderson followers. Sorry Jon, but I cannot bring my self to give this a higher rating than the single star.
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Review by Evolver
I really need to get a new copy of this. My LP still has the 99 cent sticker from the used
record store from thirty some odd years ago. And the sound quality, due to the number of
times I played this over the years, has been quite diminished. Nevertheless, this is still quite a
good album.When I first heard this, I found it hard to believe that Jon Anderson played all of the instruments here himself, as he never seemed to play much with Yes, save for an occasional acoustic guitar (I always wondered if it was plugged in, or just a prop to keep his hands from flopping around - see "Yessongs" if you don't know what I mean - or sometimes a random small percussion device). But subsequent recordings have shown that Anderson, while not a pure master of any instrument, is no slouch either.
Here, on his first solo album, he weave a mystical fairy tale around somewhat Yes-like, but also new-agey music, with some of the tribal themes he later explored in more depth. The songs are all nicely written, with the lush harmonies that he first showed in in songs like We Have Heaven, from the Fragile album.
For a Yes fan, this is a must. For a prog fan, this is almost a must. But you should at least hear it.
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Review by
Bonnek
Prog Reviewer
Olias is a new age trip that reminds me slightly of Vangelis' Earth album. It is entirely harmless
prog muzak that you will hardly notice even when played at ear-damaging volumes.That being said, it's not bad neither. There's a number of tracks that stand out. Meeting has a playful and enchanting chorus like only Jon Anderson can come up with. Another track would be Qoquaq En Transic that could have come right off mentioned Vangelis album. Nice integration of world music influences. Last on my list is Solid Space. Good Anderson harmonies on a sweeping synth melody.
Moon Ra should have been the main attraction here but it lacks the inspiration heard on the three tracks above. By consequence it is 12 minutes of pleasing but rather meaningless sounds. All in all not a bad album that offers a nice change in the Yes canon. I guess fans will dig this.
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Review by
snobb
Special Collaborator Jazz Rock/Fusion
If you are not a prog purist, this album isn't bad. Very competent musicianship, provided by
american studio musicians ( or better let name them by their real name - Toto band). In fact all
album is fresh and attractive pop-rock with brass, funk and some synth included. But
differently from many other pop-musicians of that period, Anderson music isn't simplistic,
primitive or too soapy. It's tasteful professional music, and combination of Anderson vocal
abilities and american pop musical culture gave us product of high quality. Another thing - this album is far from prog, at least in it's traditional sense. Could be recommended for quality intelligent pop-rock lovers.
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Review by
snobb
Special Collaborator Jazz Rock/Fusion
Absolutely best Jon Anderson album. The music is far from Yes music of the same period (
and I don't think it means "bad"), and in fact is one of roots album for new age. I liked Jon Anderson voice for years, and there he can use it as he wants. ( I think the best demonstration of his voice is Anderson-Vangelis duo albums). This albums has it's atmosphere of light,romantic and warm feeling during all it's long. Generally I don't like new age music at all, but there we are somewhere in very beginning, with still real ( not sweet plastic) emotions and some real ( not plastic) sounds.
For sure, all future Anderson solo albums are grown from there, but no one could show the same level of art. And this is the real SOLO album, what means that Anderson not only sings, but also plays all instruments there! OK, the music is more "haiku" - elegant, clear, not complex, but with strong inside prettyness. Andersons later works are more complex, with full list of added musicians, but never so attractive.
Best Anderson solo album and one of great proto-new age albums. But not similar to Yes works at all.
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Review by
Guillermo
Prog Reviewer
Both tracks of this single were released in Jon Anderson`s "Song of Seven" album, an album
released in late 1980, a short time later than YES` "Drama" album (their only album on which
Anderson didn`t participate). And while the "Drama" album was heavier than Anderson`s (a
thing that maybe showed why Anderson left the band), Anderson`s "Song of Seven" album
was much lighter, with even more Pop influences than "Drama". Also both songs were
released in 2004 in diferent versions ("Some are Born"recorded by the whole band
and "Days" as a shorter a capella demo sung by Anderson) as Bonus Tracks in the
remastered version of YES` "Tormato" album. And again, both songs sound in the
remastered "Tormato" as very diferent to YES`s musical style. "Some are Born" recorded
by YES sounds in a very New Age / Pop style influenced a bit by the work that Anderson did
with Vangelis later. The version of this song in this single has some differences: it is more
Pop influenced and more upbeat, with an added chorus ("towa taya taka tai", etc., sung by
Anderson, Ian Bairnson and Chris Rainbow, as the LP sleeve notes say). It was easily the
best choice for a single from the "Song of Seven" album. The B-side, "Days", has a very good
vocals arrangement sung by Anderson and Rainbow, a harp played by Anderson, keyboards, but no drums,
and the voices of his children playing in the background. The a capella version is only similar
in the melody that Anderson sings. Maybe many YES fans didn`t like Anderson`s new solo
album in 1980. As I wrote in the review for the "Song of Seven" album, that album was
Anderson`s "Family Album", with him maybe wanting to show his family life after leaving YES
in early 1980. Both songs in this single are good, but not in the traditional YES`s musical
style, a thing that maybe the members of the band didn`t like for the next album and caused
some fricitions with Anderson, with him leaving the band, and YES becoming a heavier
band for "Drama".
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Review by Tsevir Leirbag
This is not only Anderson's best album (his only good album, in my opinion, in fact...) but also
probably the best solo project of any Yes' members (except maybe Wakeman's Six Wives).This albums really stands as a whole. It's the kind of album that you listen entirely, it just flows naturally. I see it somewhat as a stretched version of We Have Heaven (Fragile) with some eclectic elements added to it.
I was also impressed when I heard (recently) that Anderson played every instruments on this records; not that they're particularly good but it is still remarkable. Despite of not being an excellent musician, he is definitely a great (one of my favourite, to tell the truth) singer, and he proves it (once again) in this album.
Excellent album overall.
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