Happy Halloween indeed, Lee - can't wait to see this one! Also I noticed today that my subscription to your channel has disappeared, so I immediately re-subbed. You might want to ask everyone to check their subs as well. Could be your numbers are even higher...? Anyway, really looking forward to this. Have a great, spooky day with your daughter. 👍🏼♥️🎃
Well, Lee - thanks for starting off my Halloween so nicely. Your reaction was everything I was hoping for. I'm not sure if you've looked thru all the material in the CD package, but there's a booklet in there that describes the making of the album that I think you'd find very interesting. Be sure to check it out. Also, listening to the CD without the visual component will probably let you absorb a bit more of the musical content. Having the video is very cool, but it can also be distracting. Anyway, so glad you enjoyed it!
Also, about the Captain Beefheart CD - first, glad to hear that you aren't familiar with him. Many people will point you to some of his more... what's a good word... "challenging" material like Trout Mask Replica (produced by Frank Zappa) to start and I find that this rarely convinces anyone to explore the captain's back catalog, which I think is a shame. What I would suggest is that you start listening with the back half of that combo CD, which comes from the album Clear Spot. Purists may say that this is Beefheart trying to be his most commercial, but I just think that it's a great place to have some fun with your first listen to his voice and the performances of the Magic Band. Ted Templeman's production on that album certainly made it a nice listen. The front half of the CD from the album The Spotlight Kid should also be checked out, but I'd still strongly encourage starting with Clear Spot. YMMV. Don't know if it's anything you'd want to play on the channel, but that's OK - just wanted you to be aware of it, especially given your love of Zappa and the connection between him and Don Van Vliet (the captain). Hope you enjoy it!
Thank you so much for making this happen Bob! It truly was an unforgettable experience that probably won't leave me for a while if ever. I truly felt love and connection and hope and light... just pure child wonder. I loved it.
Yeah the text on the screen was nice. But half the time I couldn't read the text and I would get stuck trying to figure what word that was, and the whole screen is already gone 😒 🤣
I saw Jon Anderson on his Animation tour in an outdoor venue under a lunar eclipse. When we ran to the stage, I got knocked down into it. Then there were hands reaching out to help me. Jon gently pulled me up to a standing position smiling just for me and I was leaning on the stage for the rest of the show. While singing, he was face to the moon, whereas the audience had their backs to it, so he kept pointing up to the sky while he sang so we wouldn't miss it. After the show, we went to the back exit and met him. we talked for about a minute or two; I'm very conscious of not being a clinging intrusive fan. Mostly I wanted to thank him, for the concert and the impact he had on my life. It may have only been a minute, but it was one of the best minutes of my life. A deeply kind and compassionate person, and I was honored. (I also walked Peter Gabriel to his rental car in 1979, before he was a stadium fixture and had limos. Another great memory.)
‘Olias Of Sunhillow’ was Jon Anderson’s first Solo Album and my own all time favourite Jon Solo Album. Jon plays every instrument on this beautiful Album, (Including the Harp, yes. Just as he did on ‘Awaken’). And obviously sings all the vocals. I bought it the day it was released, in 1976 and still have my original Vinyl Album. This wonderful video was created by Michael Byrne, who has created many videos for Jon’s and Yes’ music for a number of years now. Truly brilliant he is too. Jon has been working on the follow up to ‘Olias’, called ‘Zamran’, which is due anytime. Jon was 79 last week and is still performing and creating new music. We saw him live in July, 2023. He still sounds Incredible. There should be a Booklet inside the CD cover, with all the Album information for you. I think you’ve fallen into this Album perfectly and described how it makes you feel and how Jon makes you feel, beautifully. You are so right when you said, nothing like this is created anymore. You were so right with your thoughts about Jon’s voice and his imagination. He’s a genius. We are so blessed to still have Jon performing and creating. And you are so right when you said that, like all great Concept Albums, they’re meant to be listened to from the beginning to the end. It’s a journey. Thank you, I enjoyed hearing your thoughts and emotions during your first journey with Olias. Just my own feelings. And don’t forget, Zamran is coming. 🎶❤️🎶
If you listen carefully at the ending of "Close to the Edge" you can hear Jon Anderson playng the Irish harp on the long outro....I'm not sure if it's played on "The Solid Time of Change" intro.
I think you are on to something suggesting that Jon is OLIAS! and the MOORGLADE is his music!!! YES!!!! I was BLESSED to have MEDITATED with this on cassette atop the HIMALAYAS in India viewing at dusk a sunlit snow-covered mountain peak smoking Himalayan Hemp! ❤ Nuff said! HEAVEN WAS ATTAINED!. I've also been honored to have finally met and worked with Jon in 2008, worked with him on concert visual effects concepts & invited to shows /backstage and to his home! Saw him at his daughters' Photo Exhibition in Beverly Hills in February where he gave me backstage passes for his concert with The Geek Band in May. Just sent him BEARTHDAY love last week! This is DIVINELY inspired! (((((((((((((((((((OLIAS is BEAUTY personified and his first and best album EVER IMHO)))))))))))))))))))))))))). His current work and collaborations have produced music in this vein.
Hooray! This will amaze you. Jon plays all instruments. ❤ This really is world creation at its finest. After this, check out Fish out of Water, Chris’s solo effort from the same year 🎉🎉 He sings of course and you really get to hear the man who would sing the upper harmonies over Jon ❤😊
I was blown away when I bought this when it was released, didn't realize that Jon could play like that. Now you you know where the Yes sound comes from
Hey Lee, bonjour from near Montréal, Québec! I've been watching your reactions to Yes masterpieces over time, and I'm so happy how transformative the've come to be for you. When I came of age in the early 1990s, Yes (especially the period from Close to the Edge to Going for the One, and I include Jon's Olias fo Sunhillow in this) has been a revelation for me, and they've been an inspiration in my life ever since. I would have so much to say about them. Spiritual, otherworldly creative, profoundly positive, an utter expression of wonder at reality, of how we are truly imbedded in it and can shed selfishness. I hope they can be at least as uplifting and helpful for you as they've been for me, for the rest of your life. Because, yeah, life is workable, our minds are workable, toward light, positive qualities, mindfulness of our connection to others and the world. I think this is the underlying theme of this affirmery: Yes. At the end of your reaction to Going for the One last week, you said something about your background and upbringing, about having a positive yet realistic outlook on life, without overlooking or concealing the bad stuff, to transcend that bad stuff in the end, I guess. This resonated to me. It made me think of this story about prince Siddhartha Gautama, who was raised in the avoidance of seeing suffering and the bad stuff, who would eventually witness the bad stuff in peoples' minds and feel it in his, who would develop his mind out of this, leaving his destiny as a prince, and who would become known as the Buddha, literally the "awakened one", transforming his selfishness, hatred, craving and confusion into altruism and insight. OK, 'nuff said... Who would have thought taking about Yes would lead me there? LOL! Anyway, even once those video reactions will be over, life will always be workable, there will always be people (like us supporters or whatever) who care about you. That's the most precious takeaway from those Yes guys. My friend, I wish you wisdom and compassion in this great wonderous world! Nous sommes du soleil! ;)
Wow thank you so much Nicholas... this comment made me smile so much. This wasn't the easiest listen at first but it completely enraptured me by the end. Jon Is always vibrating on a higher frequency then most and you can just feel him radiate through your headphones. He was meant to bring light to the world, Just like Olias . He truly had the voice of an angel from some alien world.
Jon played every single instrument on this album, he recorded it in his garage and did not share the music with anyone until it was done. It almost drove him mad.
The inspiration for this concept album came from the "organic" ship that Roger Dean did as part of the album art for "Fragile". The image of a ship leaving a small, fragmenting world is one that stuck with Jon long afterward. This is a real masterwork, very ambitious; as far as I know Jon did all the composing, the performing of ALL the instruments, and even all the recording and studio production work. He really poured all his knowledge, blood, sweat and tears into this one. And for the mid-70's this features a groundbreaking array of electronic sounds, doubtless inspired by Jon's association with Vangelis that happened right before this (Vangelis was briefly considered as a replacement for Rick on Relayer but he wasn't a good fit.) And yes, I always thought (like you pointed out) that this album was very "New Age", at a time when the short-lived genre really hadn't even gotten a label yet. So that's another way the album was ahead of its time - or just completely outside of it! Just a special creation.
Organic technology has always fascinated me... maybe because I believe we are a form of organic technology. I have this weird theory about a duality with creator / creation. It just keeps going.... the God machine dreams of flesh and blood so creates it. Flesh and blood dream of mechanical perfection... so creates it. On and on till the cows finally come home :)
He was assisted by Mike Dunne, Brian Gaylor, and John Martin on the production side. But it's generally accepted that he played *everything*, contrary to rumors that Vangelis was involved.
So great to have you on youtube man! I'll be there with you for every Yes or Jon (related) song. And there's plenty to go through so you'll be stuck with me for a while lol. Wishing you all the best man. If you wish to go down the Jon rabbit hole, he has been featured on some tracks from Vangelis as well. He Is Sailing, State of Independace, I hear you Now, See you later, Curious Electric and The Friends of Mr Cairo - those are just some examples - His voice simply excells combined with Vangelis. Ohh man how cool is it to be able to hear that stuff for the first time. Lucky you!
Jon was the producer, writer and played every instrument on his first solo album, it’s really astonishing and soothing to listen to, when he did his 1000 Hands tour he played Flight of the Moorglade and it totally blew me away.
‘76 A record store burnt down, I, in my teens walked in hiding from NYPD went thru burnt records, at the bottom There it was! Olias! Jon!… I still remember the smell as the needle touched vinyl at home…. Olias has accompanied me ever since… And will forever more! PURE JON, PURE ZEN, PURE YES…
Jon Anderson plays all instruments but RCA, the record company Vangelis was with at the time, thought Vangelis played on the album without informing them but both Vangelis and Jon Anderson denied it. Jon looked to Vangelis as a kind of musical mentor, which is why the music (especially the opening track "Ocean Song") sounds like his (Vangelis) musical style. Vangelis was a multi instrumentalist who played every instrument on his own solo albums, including orchestral percussion, piano, organ, synthesizers and various string instruments. Jon Anderson and Vangelis got along so well that they eventually teamed up to record 4 studio albums together, under the name Jon & Vangelis. _Olias_ was Jon's magnum opus. Nothing he ever recorded again would sound anything like it. I was happy to enjoy your reaction, my friend. You're getting to hear a lot of great music! Happy Halloween and thank you for the video! 🎃☮❤🌟🙏
This is full of Jon’s magic. They were all at the top of their game at this time. Have you covered Fish Out Of Water yet? It’s a masterclass in bass playing from Chris.
This is a fun reaction. I'd love to see you check out some of the other notable Yes solo albums from around that time: Chris Squire's excellent "Fish Out Of Water", Patrick Moraz' highly unusual "The Story of i", and Steve Howe's "Beginnings." Steve gets some flack for his voice, but once I got used to his unpolished but earnest vocalizing I couldn't imagine anyone else singing his songs. As for Chris Squire, I absolutely love his voice and once you begin to recognize it you can see just how much it added to Yes' songs. Rick Wakeman's most listenable solo albums for me are "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" and the spectacular live event "A Journey to the Center of the Earth", with his rock band augmented by full orchestra and choir. Alan White released a solo album called "Ramshackled" but the less said about it the better.
Music to take you on a journey of self discovery. You get it brother. Self reflection is key to find the unity and reconcile your past with your future. I love your open mind to this difficult, yet beautiful music.
I believe my brother and I are the only people on this planet who regularly listen to this while catfishing, summer nights, on the Mississippi. What a great piece of music. Seems to attract the big ones.😊
According to Jon, he locked himself in his garage studio alone and banged this out. Very much a passion project at the time. A beautiful piece of music in its entirety. It's too bad that this wasn't made into a movie back in the 70's. It would have been perfect for an animated fantasy directed by Ralph Bakshi or by the 70's studio of Rankin Bass, or maybe Moebius. Lost opportunity. He also sang the closing song "Loved by the Sun" with Tangerine Dream for the 80's film Legend. It's another along this line of music.
I love legend!! It's my favorite 80s movie. Are you telling me Jon sung on the closing song of my favorite 80s movie??? Wtf. Maybe that's why I love that soundtrack so much. I am not familiar with tangerine dream other then that soundtrack tbh
@L33Reacts Most of the soundtrack is instrumental with two tracks with vocals to appease the studio for a hit song. One with Jon singing and the other with Brian Ferry of Roxy Music. I keep Loved By the Sun in my playlist. An angelic song as typical for Jon. The girl who played the pixie does spoken word at the end of it. Both got radio play at the time. I do think there is another all instrumental that was the original soundtrack before the studio made them redo it all to be more contemporary. The director re did that version for a director's cut or something in the 2000's, so yeah a few versions of the soundtrack.
Yeah I remember just popping the vhs in to hear the music as a kid... lived on a farm with no siblings and no friends in walking distance so I spent a lot of time with my mom and dad's vhs collection. Legend always spoke to me. On a very deep level, even as a kid. I felt the timelessness and the true representation of good and evil and just a beautiful romantically reinvented world of ours. Scott and cruise both were getting their feet wet in hollywood... what a movie.
@L33Reacts on the solo an extracurricular of the guys in Yes. Check out Alan White's Ramshackled. It's 70's Funk inspired rather than prog. Jon does an appearance on one track. It's a sweeter love song than the others so kind of out of place but good nonetheless. Steve had a short lived band in the 80's with Steve Hackett called GTR. One hit with When the Heart Rules the Mind. Very 80s production but love the whole album. Cheesyness and all. On it Howe does a solo guitar piece called Sketches In The Sun that is short but a stand out. Happy Halloween, man!
I loved this album so much when it came out. I don't listen it often in the last years but it remains a warmth in my heart. The illustrations and layout were magic, for the teenager I was who wanted to be an illustrator, this was so inspiring.
This has long been my favorite solo album by a Yes member. As others have said, this is all 100% Jon. And as you can imagine, this was a bit of a nightmare to complete, especially given the technology available at the time. He's been working for many years on a sequel. I hope he finds the time to complete it. It would be very interesting to hear how different it is, considering Jon is so much older, and a different person now than he was then (as we all are when we get older). If he does all the work again (he didn't on his other solo albums), I imagine it would be a lot easier now, though still very time-consuming.
I listened to this atop the HIMALAYAS in India viewing at dusk a sunlit snow-covered mountain peak smoking Himalayan Hemp! ❤ nuff said! HEAVEN WAS ATTAINED
It's Aug 19, 2024, and I just finished watching your reactions to Olias. Man, I don't know your name, but just as I've commented about your takes on the Topographic Oceans tracks, you nailed it so right with Olias. I've known this album since it was released, and being of a heavy spiritual nature, this album has been my 2nd favorite since its release. Tales is still No. 1. Anyway, I found myself talking to you while watching and listening to how you react to Olias. We're so alike on all that. Thanks for getting it so right.
After Relayer was released in 1974, the members of Yes took a break, and each released solo albums. Jon released "Olias", Chris Squire released "Fish Out of Water", Steve Howe released "Beginings", and Alan White released "Ramshackled", in the 1975-76 time period, before regrouping in '77 for "Going For The One", which saw the return of Rick Wakeman.
BTW, a sort of "Son-of-Olias" exists in the form of a 30+ minute instrumental piece called The Sky and His Shadow that you can find in bootleg trading circles. It was partly a demo for what would become Olias, but also music Jon produced as a soundtrack for an art exhibition of paintings by Andre Verdet in 1975. Jon met Verdet while in the south of France (possibly while visiting Vangelis?) and composed some music (on Vangelis' keyboards?) for an exhibition of his paintings, to be played in the background. It's space-y synth music with some spoken word poetry, supposedly from Verdet. But upon hearing it you can see how it formed the seeds for what became Olias. And we're all waiting for the long-promised follow up to Olias, Zamram. Jon has been promising it for years now.
Thank you for allowing me to spend this Samhain (Halloween) evening with your good self and Olias. Nice to set sail from Tallowcross once more. Cellar Door indeed.
I'm so glad you enjoyed yourself my friend. This was certainly an experience I won't soon forget. Jon Is an absolute warlock of light and positive energy 😁
He's playing the majority of the instruments. He had 1 person with him on synths, that's it. It's really a masterpiece. Locked himself in his studio for 6 months with a brand new 24 track tape machine and came out with this. Yeah, It sounds a lot like YES because, Jon Anderson IS YES. 👊
If you have the latest release then read the booklet and the amount of effort he went into to make this album. He played it all, wrote it all, combining with the artist who matched his dream. Genuious level album. Hope you like the memorabilia I supplied for the CD booklet. CLOSE YOUR EYES AND DRIFT AWAY OK
Enjoy yourself day by day and treat yourself gently. Look back on how far you’ve come and celebrate the forward progress and humanity you feel! Haven’t listened to this one in a decade or more - thanks for sharing! Wonder if you will get into the Jon & Vangelis suite of collaboration albums! 😮 peace!
I've been a big prog head and LotR nerd all my life (I'm 63). I ate this up when it came out. I picked up the remastered cd a couple of years ago. I listen to it every so often, it takes me back to my youth. We'll never get artists to do this kind of stuff again. And yes, Squire's Fish Out of Water is a "must" too.
Jon sang wrote and played everything. He had been collecting instruments and teaching himself to play everything for a while. RCA thought Vangelis had played the keyboard however Jon had taken inspiration from the musicians he loved and those he had observed around him. This is a very pure and personal album to Jon it truly is a solo album. :)
Check the credits on the sleeve. Anderson played many of the instruments but there are many contributors. Vangelis being a quite major one. It is a favourite solo YES album of mine along with Squires Fish out of Water. Which you must also check out.
Two interesting facts about the album. Anderson produced it largely alone (also played all the instruments, including the harp). Since 2000, Anderson has been working on the follow-up album "Zamran", which is supposed to tell the story of Olia's son. Unfortunately it's not finished yet. Good things take time.
A good album, worth listening to. A time to listen and a time to talk. I would like to see the whole presentation even without the splendid graphics the music works.
You are so right. Now remember this song or songs and type of music was not called "New Age" music or "Ambien music" back then. It was just light music that express hippie movements spirituality which wasn't like The Christain or Catholic Church but was very Eastern(Buddhism, Zen, or Hinduism & very Druid or Celtic) Jon departing from his Christian faith, went to these religious and discovered that "Love" was the key to all religions and people. So, Jon emphasized this philosophy in his songs and writing and other members of Yes like Rick ..... Bruford.....Chris.....and Steve shared his view but not much in extreme as he was.....All of them were Wizards or Shamans we at that time knew that....and love it and followed them. Great analysis!!!
Thanks Anthony! I'm glad you enjoyed it. This is definitely a journey of an album that shows you many different worlds and love connects them all! Jon is olias, singing his love to the world to make all things well. But then the silence comes... such an interesting story. I'm gonna give it another go tonight, with no lyrics. Just headphones and relaxing lol
with this aerial work, we can easily understand why he came to work with Vangelis. Listen to the album short stories, "One more time" is a marvelous song by them
Yes Jon plays the Harp beautifully. If you listen to the live versions of Awaken, the instrumental section in the middle features Jon and Rick at their best. 👍 The 1978 recordings at Wembley, on 28th October is my favourite.
Some believe Jon had help from Vangelis on Olias, but the general consensus is Jon did everything himself (with engineering help from Mike Dunne and programming help from Brian Gaylor). But making this album almost broke Jon. He was late getting it finished because of the challenges of syncing so many instrumental tracks played by one person. But yeah, this album is legendary amongst Yes fans. I met a woman some years ago who was working on a novelization, but as far as I know nothing ever came of it. It's a strange yet wondrous album. The "new age" side is easy to see today, but this was YEARS before that was even a thing. Jon helped to pioneer the entire new age genre with this album, although if you listen to the mid-70's music of Vangelis or Jean-Michel Jarre you'll realize he wasn't completely alone walking that path (which he does to this day). But it's a very unique and magical album. And you ask "Is Jon Olias?" I'll just say that Jon had the circle/square/triangle symbol made into a 3-D piece that was mounted on the end of a pole that he would bring on stage during his solo and Yes concerts. 😉
I have been a YES fan almost my whole life . For some reason this album is a divisive thing for some . I love it though Jon's vocals are so uplifting and though I am not a religious man I find his music spiritual and fulfilling.
I had the strangest feeling that this was our creation story... like our REAL creation story as I was listening... I didn't say anything but the asgard name drop really sealed it for me. I was very tired at the end because it was like 2am 🤣 but wow. I am so glad I took this trip 😌
This is one of the albums that has had an impact on my life. But while Trilogy (ELP) and the album Yessongs opened up new musical dimensions for me, Olias of Sunhillow influenced my view of the world and my "self-image". The album comes from a time when Yes took a break and each band member produced a solo album. If you listen to all of the solo albums, you can clearly see what elements make up Yes' "classic" music. Anderson's Olias of Sunhillow is certainly the most extraordinary work. But I would also like to recommend Chris Squire's "Fish out of Water" to you. It's completely different, but if you can get involved with it, it's wonderful. Not a concept album, but still best listened to in one piece or at least by the side of the record.
My favourite song/piece of music is definitely "Solid Space". Between 24:21 and 28:58 which move me greatly. It gives me goose-bumps and gets the hairs standing on my arms. It's so beautiful. It's worth buying the album for just these 4½ minutes. In a different vane his album "Animation" is pretty amazing too. The tracks "Olympia" and especially "Animation" (the title track). The other 7 tracks are marvellous too.
I had this many years ago. I was obviously a big Yes fan, but I just couldn't get into Olias. I listened to it a few times then shelved it until I dumped all my vinyl.
Olias Of Sunhillow was pretty out there for 1976. It is very dream-like and other worldly and... weird. But it was commercially kind of successful. A top ten album in the UK and top 50 in the USA. I guess the difference between 'classic' progressive rock and what is often referred to as prog nowadays is that those 70s albums were not only progressive rock, but progressive music which, in some cases, literally hadn't been heard before. Nothing like it. Those guys were furrowing the footsteps in the snow that so many bands that came after walked in, and in some cases, claimed the glory for. Okay, I'm rambling, but... I noticed the Captain Beefheart CD at the beginning. I think there are actually two albums on that one CD, both from 1972: The Spotlight Kid and the album Clear Spot. Spotlight Kid has good some great songs on it, but the Clear Spot album is amazing. My favourite Beefheart album. You're going to love the drums/rhythms on that album. The track 'Circumstances' is brilliant. You'll love it.
As long as you are in the Yes solo albums Do Beginnings by Steve Howe (the title track is a beautifully classical piece). In of my favorites Chris Squire has an awesome solo album called Fish out of Water The track “Hold Out your Hand” is a good one Rick Wakeman “Wives of Henry the Eight” as well All three of these show you the breadth of creativity this band had They don’t make ‘em like this anymore Nice one here
He always wanted to do a sequel to Olias but I know he will never reach that level again. The only 'solo' album Jon made and that is on the same plane is Short Stories which he made with Vangelis.
his other gem solo albums are Song of Seven and Animation!! you really really do have to be in the mood and on his wavelength to appreciate the music with similar emotions. Jon is just unfiltered realistic positivity.
Once you appreciate this, check out Jon (Anderson) and Vangelis first album together "Short Stories" and see how well they work together. You will notice how much alike they are well suited they are together., Jon paints with words and songs and Vangelis painting alongside on keyboards. Just love it. I usually play back to back with Vangelis's album "China", perfectly complementary.
I bought this record in '76. A few years later stores had a 'New Age' bin. I swear this guy started all that. Of course, the genre got all corporatized and suckee in no time. Back in the '70s, pre Star Wars, this proggy stuff was our way to consume fantasy. Audio-style, man. We didn't play this music with video accompaniment...couldn't really, it was 1976. Things were more about hearing this music in your head while hiking in the woods. Different times. I still think Jon was the 1st "New Age" music-maker, sorta.
L33 my man, you should have read all the stuff in the CD booklet first, really... I felt you were a bit distracted from *listening* sometimes! I've known this since it came out, and it really astounds me all these years later that this was conceived, composed and performed by one guy who (up until then) hadn't picked up much more than a tambourine during all his musical life. There is an actual church organ in there, at the beginning of the Moon Ra section - all of which is thematically and content-wise quite similar to parts of Ainulindalë, the opening short chapter of Tolkien's Silmarillion (which wasn't published until about 3 years after Olias came out).
I'm not opening it :) I'm one of those... sorry lol. Maybe one day. I wasn't really distracted I think... it's just a lot to read and the text is kinda hard to read lol
It seems the members of YES have created their own world, and they are happy to live in it. And they're just trying to introduce us through their music what their world is like. I heard one reactor describe the music of YES as shards of light emanating from a prism. I could go with that. :)
Don van Vilet AKA Captian Beefheart grew up with Frank Zappa. The origin of hs name is told in The Real Frank Zappa book. Frank produced The Captian's album Trout Mask Replica and they collaborated on Franks album Bongo Fury.
Buford said when he joined Yes he believed he was joining Jazz/Rock band....Yes became something else...hence his bail to Crimson...a band even more out there then Yes....but thank God Yes found Alan White.
Apparently nobody likes Wakeman solo work. At least no one talks about it. But the first´s albuns from him are very enjoyable. And Six Wives of Henry VIII is quite a masterpiece.
Lee, you got the tensions between Jon and Bill Bruford dead on. But sadly, despite the Angelic countenance Jon is as human as the rest of us. There have long been fights over both creative control and money running through Yes' history, starting with Jon's first departure from the band in 1980. It's sort of the reason Steve Howe refuses to let Jon back into Yes, all these years later. It's tragic that the two guys who came up with most of Tales from Topographic Oceans can barely talk to each other now.
Shit, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Jon is working on a SEQUEL to this, and has been teasing its release for a couple years now. Not sure how I feel about that. After a gap of forty years I am concerned it would sound completely different stylistically even if the story was directly related. I think it's going to be called "Zamran", who is the son of Olias.
A wonderful escape that maybe should be just listened to and not to have the brain engaged with visuals and text. Ive been listening since 1976 but never this way. Headphones on lights down just listen. Then the vinyl album fold out and visuals hit you. Its a relaxing album and a take you away from reality album.
Ok. This is a summary: Jon’s a genius and he played all of this. His words always mean something. Please do Fish out of Water, Chris’s solo effort from that time. Please do all of the album “Green” by Steve Hillage. Produced by Floyd drummer Nick Mason in 1977, it’s a trippy classic at least as good as Yes (to me) ❤❤
The only resentment toward Jon by Bill is solely based upon royalties. One room divided into two camps, one side of the Haves and one side of Have-nots! His beef with Squire was on a different level. Let's just say that men who keep time to the 64th note don't appreciate bassists who are still in the bath tub when he should be in rehearsal.
![NLE Choppa - Or What ft. 41 (Orchestra Mix) [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/biOFASEgSOM/mqdefault.jpg)
Happy Halloween indeed, Lee - can't wait to see this one! Also I noticed today that my subscription to your channel has disappeared, so I immediately re-subbed. You might want to ask everyone to check their subs as well. Could be your numbers are even higher...? Anyway, really looking forward to this. Have a great, spooky day with your daughter. 👍🏼♥️🎃
Well, Lee - thanks for starting off my Halloween so nicely. Your reaction was everything I was hoping for. I'm not sure if you've looked thru all the material in the CD package, but there's a booklet in there that describes the making of the album that I think you'd find very interesting. Be sure to check it out. Also, listening to the CD without the visual component will probably let you absorb a bit more of the musical content. Having the video is very cool, but it can also be distracting. Anyway, so glad you enjoyed it!
Also, about the Captain Beefheart CD - first, glad to hear that you aren't familiar with him. Many people will point you to some of his more... what's a good word... "challenging" material like Trout Mask Replica (produced by Frank Zappa) to start and I find that this rarely convinces anyone to explore the captain's back catalog, which I think is a shame. What I would suggest is that you start listening with the back half of that combo CD, which comes from the album Clear Spot. Purists may say that this is Beefheart trying to be his most commercial, but I just think that it's a great place to have some fun with your first listen to his voice and the performances of the Magic Band. Ted Templeman's production on that album certainly made it a nice listen. The front half of the CD from the album The Spotlight Kid should also be checked out, but I'd still strongly encourage starting with Clear Spot. YMMV. Don't know if it's anything you'd want to play on the channel, but that's OK - just wanted you to be aware of it, especially given your love of Zappa and the connection between him and Don Van Vliet (the captain). Hope you enjoy it!
Thank you so much for making this happen Bob! It truly was an unforgettable experience that probably won't leave me for a while if ever. I truly felt love and connection and hope and light... just pure child wonder. I loved it.
Thank you for the albums again 🙏 I was so happy when I got that cd THE NIGHT I WAS RECORDING the other one you sent me... perfect timing.
Yeah the text on the screen was nice. But half the time I couldn't read the text and I would get stuck trying to figure what word that was, and the whole screen is already gone 😒 🤣
I saw Jon Anderson on his Animation tour in an outdoor venue under a lunar eclipse. When we ran to the stage, I got knocked down into it. Then there were hands reaching out to help me. Jon gently pulled me up to a standing position smiling just for me and I was leaning on the stage for the rest of the show. While singing, he was face to the moon, whereas the audience had their backs to it, so he kept pointing up to the sky while he sang so we wouldn't miss it. After the show, we went to the back exit and met him. we talked for about a minute or two; I'm very conscious of not being a clinging intrusive fan. Mostly I wanted to thank him, for the concert and the impact he had on my life. It may have only been a minute, but it was one of the best minutes of my life. A deeply kind and compassionate person, and I was honored. (I also walked Peter Gabriel to his rental car in 1979, before he was a stadium fixture and had limos. Another great memory.)
100 percent written, produced and played by Jon in his own home studio ! All hail Jon Anderson !!!
Every note and lyric was played and sung by Jon. The greatest one human achievement in music.
‘Olias Of Sunhillow’ was Jon Anderson’s first Solo Album and my own all time favourite Jon Solo Album.
Jon plays every instrument on this beautiful Album, (Including the Harp, yes. Just as he did on ‘Awaken’). And obviously sings all the vocals. I bought it the day it was released, in 1976 and still have my original Vinyl Album.
This wonderful video was created by Michael Byrne, who has created many videos for Jon’s and Yes’ music for a number of years now. Truly brilliant he is too. Jon has been working on the follow up to ‘Olias’, called ‘Zamran’, which is due anytime.
Jon was 79 last week and is still performing and creating new music. We saw him live in July, 2023. He still sounds Incredible.
There should be a Booklet inside the CD cover, with all the Album information for you.
I think you’ve fallen into this Album perfectly and described how it makes you feel and how Jon makes you feel, beautifully.
You are so right when you said, nothing like this is created anymore. You were so right with your thoughts about Jon’s voice and his imagination. He’s a genius. We are so blessed to still have Jon performing and creating. And you are so right when you said that, like all great Concept Albums, they’re meant to be listened to from the beginning to the end. It’s a journey. Thank you, I enjoyed hearing your thoughts and emotions during your first journey with Olias. Just my own feelings. And don’t forget, Zamran is coming. 🎶❤️🎶
If you listen carefully at the ending of "Close to the Edge" you can hear Jon Anderson playng the Irish harp on the long outro....I'm not sure if it's played on "The Solid Time of Change" intro.
An underrated classic. One of my favorite recordings of all time.
I can see why bro! This is one hell of a trip. Jon is so fucking creative... this is nuts. 🤣😄
I think you are on to something suggesting that Jon is OLIAS! and the MOORGLADE is his music!!! YES!!!! I was BLESSED to have MEDITATED with this on cassette atop the HIMALAYAS in India viewing at dusk a sunlit snow-covered mountain peak smoking Himalayan Hemp! ❤ Nuff said! HEAVEN WAS ATTAINED!. I've also been honored to have finally met and worked with Jon in 2008, worked with him on concert visual effects concepts & invited to shows /backstage and to his home! Saw him at his daughters' Photo Exhibition in Beverly Hills in February where he gave me backstage passes for his concert with The Geek Band in May. Just sent him BEARTHDAY love last week! This is DIVINELY inspired! (((((((((((((((((((OLIAS is BEAUTY personified and his first and best album EVER IMHO)))))))))))))))))))))))))). His current work and collaborations have produced music in this vein.
Hooray! This will amaze you. Jon plays all instruments. ❤
This really is world creation at its finest.
After this, check out Fish out of Water, Chris’s solo effort from the same year 🎉🎉 He sings of course and you really get to hear the man who would sing the upper harmonies over Jon ❤😊
Fish out of Water is my favorite from the Yes members doing solo albums.
I was blown away when I bought this when it was released, didn't realize that Jon could play like that. Now you you know where the Yes sound comes from
Hey Lee, bonjour from near Montréal, Québec! I've been watching your reactions to Yes masterpieces over time, and I'm so happy how transformative the've come to be for you. When I came of age in the early 1990s, Yes (especially the period from Close to the Edge to Going for the One, and I include Jon's Olias fo Sunhillow in this) has been a revelation for me, and they've been an inspiration in my life ever since. I would have so much to say about them. Spiritual, otherworldly creative, profoundly positive, an utter expression of wonder at reality, of how we are truly imbedded in it and can shed selfishness. I hope they can be at least as uplifting and helpful for you as they've been for me, for the rest of your life. Because, yeah, life is workable, our minds are workable, toward light, positive qualities, mindfulness of our connection to others and the world. I think this is the underlying theme of this affirmery: Yes. At the end of your reaction to Going for the One last week, you said something about your background and upbringing, about having a positive yet realistic outlook on life, without overlooking or concealing the bad stuff, to transcend that bad stuff in the end, I guess. This resonated to me. It made me think of this story about prince Siddhartha Gautama, who was raised in the avoidance of seeing suffering and the bad stuff, who would eventually witness the bad stuff in peoples' minds and feel it in his, who would develop his mind out of this, leaving his destiny as a prince, and who would become known as the Buddha, literally the "awakened one", transforming his selfishness, hatred, craving and confusion into altruism and insight. OK, 'nuff said... Who would have thought taking about Yes would lead me there? LOL! Anyway, even once those video reactions will be over, life will always be workable, there will always be people (like us supporters or whatever) who care about you. That's the most precious takeaway from those Yes guys. My friend, I wish you wisdom and compassion in this great wonderous world! Nous sommes du soleil! ;)
Wow thank you so much Nicholas... this comment made me smile so much. This wasn't the easiest listen at first but it completely enraptured me by the end. Jon Is always vibrating on a higher frequency then most and you can just feel him radiate through your headphones. He was meant to bring light to the world, Just like Olias . He truly had the voice of an angel from some alien world.
All Instrumente and Voices played by Jon Anderson. His Debutalbum is, without any doubt, his absolutely Opus Magnum. ☺🌳🥀🌷✨
Jon played every single instrument on this album, he recorded it in his garage and did not share the music with anyone until it was done. It almost drove him mad.
Jon would likely be quite pleased it made you introspective. Nothing to fear. I enjoyed your reaction. I have loved this album for nearly 50 years.
Hey David! Glad you enjoyed it bro... I know I did. What an audio experience. It really was like a new age sci-fi epic. I love it 😀
The inspiration for this concept album came from the "organic" ship that Roger Dean did as part of the album art for "Fragile". The image of a ship leaving a small, fragmenting world is one that stuck with Jon long afterward. This is a real masterwork, very ambitious; as far as I know Jon did all the composing, the performing of ALL the instruments, and even all the recording and studio production work. He really poured all his knowledge, blood, sweat and tears into this one. And for the mid-70's this features a groundbreaking array of electronic sounds, doubtless inspired by Jon's association with Vangelis that happened right before this (Vangelis was briefly considered as a replacement for Rick on Relayer but he wasn't a good fit.) And yes, I always thought (like you pointed out) that this album was very "New Age", at a time when the short-lived genre really hadn't even gotten a label yet. So that's another way the album was ahead of its time - or just completely outside of it! Just a special creation.
Organic technology has always fascinated me... maybe because I believe we are a form of organic technology. I have this weird theory about a duality with creator / creation. It just keeps going.... the God machine dreams of flesh and blood so creates it. Flesh and blood dream of mechanical perfection... so creates it. On and on till the cows finally come home :)
He was assisted by Mike Dunne, Brian Gaylor, and John Martin on the production side. But it's generally accepted that he played *everything*, contrary to rumors that Vangelis was involved.
So great to have you on youtube man! I'll be there with you for every Yes or Jon (related) song. And there's plenty to go through so you'll be stuck with me for a while lol. Wishing you all the best man. If you wish to go down the Jon rabbit hole, he has been featured on some tracks from Vangelis as well.
He Is Sailing, State of Independace, I hear you Now, See you later, Curious Electric and The Friends of Mr Cairo - those are just some examples - His voice simply excells combined with Vangelis.
Ohh man how cool is it to be able to hear that stuff for the first time. Lucky you!
Happy Halloween Lee! And thank you for listening to the album to completion in one go. Thanks sir.
Jon was the producer, writer and played every instrument on his first solo album, it’s really astonishing and soothing to listen to, when he did his 1000 Hands tour he played Flight of the Moorglade and it totally blew me away.
When I saw him at the Scottish Rite Auditorium in NJ, he played Solid Space instead of Wurm in the end of Starship Trooper. Amazing.
Yes Jon plays a harp from time to time. On the wiki it says that he played all the instruments on the album.
WOW! That's crazy, a Jon Anderson album sounding like YES. Who would have guessed?
‘76 A record store burnt down, I, in my teens walked in hiding from NYPD went thru burnt records, at the bottom There it was! Olias! Jon!… I still remember the smell as the needle touched vinyl at home…. Olias has accompanied me ever since… And will forever more! PURE JON, PURE ZEN, PURE YES…
One of my all time favorite albums. Easily Jon’s best solo album!!! As good as Yes? Absolutely!!!! ❤️❤️❤️
In the day I thought of it as the Munchkins Christmas album. He should reissue with real legal mushrooms inside. 50th Anniversary super trip.
Jon Anderson plays all instruments but RCA, the record company Vangelis was with at the time, thought Vangelis played on the album without informing them but both Vangelis and Jon Anderson denied it. Jon looked to Vangelis as a kind of musical mentor, which is why the music (especially the opening track "Ocean Song") sounds like his (Vangelis) musical style. Vangelis was a multi instrumentalist who played every instrument on his own solo albums, including orchestral percussion, piano, organ, synthesizers and various string instruments. Jon Anderson and Vangelis got along so well that they eventually teamed up to record 4 studio albums together, under the name Jon & Vangelis. _Olias_ was Jon's magnum opus. Nothing he ever recorded again would sound anything like it. I was happy to enjoy your reaction, my friend. You're getting to hear a lot of great music! Happy Halloween and thank you for the video! 🎃☮❤🌟🙏
This is full of Jon’s magic. They were all at the top of their game at this time. Have you covered Fish Out Of Water yet? It’s a masterclass in bass playing from Chris.
This is a fun reaction. I'd love to see you check out some of the other notable Yes solo albums from around that time: Chris Squire's excellent "Fish Out Of Water", Patrick Moraz' highly unusual "The Story of i", and Steve Howe's "Beginnings." Steve gets some flack for his voice, but once I got used to his unpolished but earnest vocalizing I couldn't imagine anyone else singing his songs. As for Chris Squire, I absolutely love his voice and once you begin to recognize it you can see just how much it added to Yes' songs. Rick Wakeman's most listenable solo albums for me are "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" and the spectacular live event "A Journey to the Center of the Earth", with his rock band augmented by full orchestra and choir. Alan White released a solo album called "Ramshackled" but the less said about it the better.
Music to take you on a journey of self discovery. You get it brother. Self reflection is key to find the unity and reconcile your past with your future. I love your open mind to this difficult, yet beautiful music.
I believe my brother and I are the only people on this planet who regularly listen to this while catfishing, summer nights, on the Mississippi. What a great piece of music. Seems to attract the big ones.😊
That seems like a wonderful time... I might take a trip down and come fish with yall 😁
@@L33Reactsanytime. Minnesota is a little cool for catfishing now. But, it's not unknown for us to blast this out of the ice house either.
According to Jon, he locked himself in his garage studio alone and banged this out. Very much a passion project at the time. A beautiful piece of music in its entirety.
It's too bad that this wasn't made into a movie back in the 70's. It would have been perfect for an animated fantasy directed by Ralph Bakshi or by the 70's studio of Rankin Bass, or maybe Moebius. Lost opportunity.
He also sang the closing song "Loved by the Sun" with Tangerine Dream for the 80's film Legend. It's another along this line of music.
I love legend!! It's my favorite 80s movie. Are you telling me Jon sung on the closing song of my favorite 80s movie??? Wtf. Maybe that's why I love that soundtrack so much. I am not familiar with tangerine dream other then that soundtrack tbh
There are also like 3 different versions of legend with 2 different soundtracks i think 😅
@L33Reacts Most of the soundtrack is instrumental with two tracks with vocals to appease the studio for a hit song. One with Jon singing and the other with Brian Ferry of Roxy Music. I keep Loved By the Sun in my playlist. An angelic song as typical for Jon. The girl who played the pixie does spoken word at the end of it. Both got radio play at the time.
I do think there is another all instrumental that was the original soundtrack before the studio made them redo it all to be more contemporary. The director re did that version for a director's cut or something in the 2000's, so yeah a few versions of the soundtrack.
Yeah I remember just popping the vhs in to hear the music as a kid... lived on a farm with no siblings and no friends in walking distance so I spent a lot of time with my mom and dad's vhs collection. Legend always spoke to me. On a very deep level, even as a kid. I felt the timelessness and the true representation of good and evil and just a beautiful romantically reinvented world of ours. Scott and cruise both were getting their feet wet in hollywood... what a movie.
@L33Reacts on the solo an extracurricular of the guys in Yes. Check out Alan White's Ramshackled. It's 70's Funk inspired rather than prog. Jon does an appearance on one track. It's a sweeter love song than the others so kind of out of place but good nonetheless.
Steve had a short lived band in the 80's with Steve Hackett called GTR. One hit with When the Heart Rules the Mind. Very 80s production but love the whole album. Cheesyness and all. On it Howe does a solo guitar piece called Sketches In The Sun that is short but a stand out. Happy Halloween, man!
I loved this album so much when it came out. I don't listen it often in the last years but it remains a warmth in my heart. The illustrations and layout were magic, for the teenager I was who wanted to be an illustrator, this was so inspiring.
Solid Space is my go to chill song.
Just lay back in a dark room with headphones on and let it take you on a magical journey.
This has long been my favorite solo album by a Yes member. As others have said, this is all 100% Jon. And as you can imagine, this was a bit of a nightmare to complete, especially given the technology available at the time. He's been working for many years on a sequel. I hope he finds the time to complete it. It would be very interesting to hear how different it is, considering Jon is so much older, and a different person now than he was then (as we all are when we get older). If he does all the work again (he didn't on his other solo albums), I imagine it would be a lot easier now, though still very time-consuming.
Jon has done a zillion solo projects, so much amazing work, we can suggest some songs/albums if you'd like. Great reaction to this album.
I listened to this atop the HIMALAYAS in India viewing at dusk a sunlit snow-covered mountain peak smoking Himalayan Hemp! ❤ nuff said! HEAVEN WAS ATTAINED
It's Aug 19, 2024, and I just finished watching your reactions to Olias. Man, I don't know your name, but just as I've commented about your takes on the Topographic Oceans tracks, you nailed it so right with Olias. I've known this album since it was released, and being of a heavy spiritual nature, this album has been my 2nd favorite since its release. Tales is still No. 1. Anyway, I found myself talking to you while watching and listening to how you react to Olias. We're so alike on all that. Thanks for getting it so right.
song of seven LP by Jon is amazing
After Relayer was released in 1974, the members of Yes took a break, and each released solo albums. Jon released "Olias", Chris Squire released "Fish Out of Water", Steve Howe released "Beginings", and Alan White released "Ramshackled", in the 1975-76 time period, before regrouping in '77 for "Going For The One", which saw the return of Rick Wakeman.
Love your reactions. So glad you're enjoying Yes in all its forms.
BTW, a sort of "Son-of-Olias" exists in the form of a 30+ minute instrumental piece called The Sky and His Shadow that you can find in bootleg trading circles. It was partly a demo for what would become Olias, but also music Jon produced as a soundtrack for an art exhibition of paintings by Andre Verdet in 1975. Jon met Verdet while in the south of France (possibly while visiting Vangelis?) and composed some music (on Vangelis' keyboards?) for an exhibition of his paintings, to be played in the background. It's space-y synth music with some spoken word poetry, supposedly from Verdet. But upon hearing it you can see how it formed the seeds for what became Olias. And we're all waiting for the long-promised follow up to Olias, Zamram. Jon has been promising it for years now.
Thank you for allowing me to spend this Samhain (Halloween) evening with your good self and Olias. Nice to set sail from Tallowcross once more. Cellar Door indeed.
I'm so glad you enjoyed yourself my friend. This was certainly an experience I won't soon forget. Jon Is an absolute warlock of light and positive energy 😁
He's playing the majority of the instruments. He had 1 person with him on synths, that's it. It's really a masterpiece. Locked himself in his studio for 6 months with a brand new 24 track tape machine and came out with this. Yeah, It sounds a lot like YES because, Jon Anderson IS YES. 👊
If you have the latest release then read the booklet and the amount of effort he went into to make this album.
He played it all, wrote it all, combining with the artist who matched his dream.
Genuious level album. Hope you like the memorabilia I supplied for the CD booklet.
CLOSE YOUR EYES AND DRIFT AWAY OK
Enjoy yourself day by day and treat yourself gently. Look back on how far you’ve come and celebrate the forward progress and humanity you feel! Haven’t listened to this one in a decade or more - thanks for sharing! Wonder if you will get into the Jon & Vangelis suite of collaboration albums! 😮 peace!
I've been a big prog head and LotR nerd all my life (I'm 63). I ate this up when it came out. I picked up the remastered cd a couple of years ago. I listen to it every so often, it takes me back to my youth. We'll never get artists to do this kind of stuff again. And yes, Squire's Fish Out of Water is a "must" too.
Jon sang wrote and played everything. He had been collecting instruments and teaching himself to play everything for a while. RCA thought Vangelis had played the keyboard however Jon had taken inspiration from the musicians he loved and those he had observed around him. This is a very pure and personal album to Jon it truly is a solo album. :)
Check the credits on the sleeve. Anderson played many of the instruments but there are many contributors. Vangelis being a quite major one. It is a favourite solo YES album of mine along with Squires Fish out of Water. Which you must also check out.
Yes misic is almost always experience first...listen later....
Jon Played all the instruments on this album. Did it in his Garage Studio.
He is very talented man... like what. This was out of this world lol
Happy Halloween Bro. Glad you are back to Jon Anderson. Have fun taking the kid or kids out on Trick n Treat journey!!! Be Safe!!!
Timeless Art Therapy.
Two interesting facts about the album. Anderson produced it largely alone (also played all the instruments, including the harp). Since 2000, Anderson has been working on the follow-up album "Zamran", which is supposed to tell the story of Olia's son. Unfortunately it's not finished yet. Good things take time.
Soft and spiritual album. This is in fact an essential of yes
Music is emotion...
A good album, worth listening to. A time to listen and a time to talk. I would like to see the whole presentation even without the splendid graphics the music works.
You are so right. Now remember this song or songs and type of music was not called "New Age" music or "Ambien music" back then. It was just light music that express hippie movements spirituality which wasn't like The Christain or Catholic Church but was very Eastern(Buddhism, Zen, or Hinduism & very Druid or Celtic) Jon departing from his Christian faith, went to these religious and discovered that "Love" was the key to all religions and people. So, Jon emphasized this philosophy in his songs and writing and other members of Yes like Rick ..... Bruford.....Chris.....and Steve shared his view but not much in extreme as he was.....All of them were Wizards or Shamans we at that time knew that....and love it and followed them. Great analysis!!!
Thanks Anthony! I'm glad you enjoyed it. This is definitely a journey of an album that shows you many different worlds and love connects them all! Jon is olias, singing his love to the world to make all things well. But then the silence comes... such an interesting story. I'm gonna give it another go tonight, with no lyrics. Just headphones and relaxing lol
with this aerial work, we can easily understand why he came to work with Vangelis. Listen to the album short stories, "One more time" is a marvelous song by them
you must do his song of seven LP, it is soooooooooo Yes
Nothing like this existed until Jon Anderson did it.
Yes Jon plays the Harp beautifully. If you listen to the live versions of Awaken, the instrumental section in the middle features Jon and Rick at their best. 👍
The 1978 recordings at Wembley, on 28th October is my favourite.
Jon performed and recorded the album all by himself with only a studio engineer.
Some believe Jon had help from Vangelis on Olias, but the general consensus is Jon did everything himself (with engineering help from Mike Dunne and programming help from Brian Gaylor). But making this album almost broke Jon. He was late getting it finished because of the challenges of syncing so many instrumental tracks played by one person. But yeah, this album is legendary amongst Yes fans. I met a woman some years ago who was working on a novelization, but as far as I know nothing ever came of it. It's a strange yet wondrous album. The "new age" side is easy to see today, but this was YEARS before that was even a thing. Jon helped to pioneer the entire new age genre with this album, although if you listen to the mid-70's music of Vangelis or Jean-Michel Jarre you'll realize he wasn't completely alone walking that path (which he does to this day). But it's a very unique and magical album. And you ask "Is Jon Olias?" I'll just say that Jon had the circle/square/triangle symbol made into a 3-D piece that was mounted on the end of a pole that he would bring on stage during his solo and Yes concerts. 😉
Thanks..... appreciated friend........
Don't forget to check out Chris Squire's solo gem....'Fish outta Water'
I'll be checking that out next month around Thanksgiving ☺️
That and the Story of I by Moraz are the best Yes solos.
I have been a YES fan almost my whole life . For some reason this album is a divisive thing for some . I love it though Jon's vocals are so uplifting and though I am not a religious man I find his music spiritual and fulfilling.
Happy Halloween Lee, great reaction! This is humanity's story, Asguard is a clue. Jon is just the coolest creative soul!
I had the strangest feeling that this was our creation story... like our REAL creation story as I was listening... I didn't say anything but the asgard name drop really sealed it for me. I was very tired at the end because it was like 2am 🤣 but wow. I am so glad I took this trip 😌
This is one of the albums that has had an impact on my life. But while Trilogy (ELP) and the album Yessongs opened up new musical dimensions for me, Olias of Sunhillow influenced my view of the world and my "self-image".
The album comes from a time when Yes took a break and each band member produced a solo album. If you listen to all of the solo albums, you can clearly see what elements make up Yes' "classic" music. Anderson's Olias of Sunhillow is certainly the most extraordinary work. But I would also like to recommend Chris Squire's "Fish out of Water" to you. It's completely different, but if you can get involved with it, it's wonderful. Not a concept album, but still best listened to in one piece or at least by the side of the record.
Masterpiece , one man’s mind splsh
YES takes a year off to do solo albums. How stoned was Jon?🎶🎼🎵🎧💿📀📻🎻🎺📯🎙🎤🪕🪗🎹🔥⭐️🥁🎸🎷☮️🔈🔉🔊😎
No kidding. THIS is how stoned he was ruclips.net/video/gDG5B_BQcVU/видео.html
I know I was the first time I heard 'Olias'.🤩
@@TigerMtnKing 👍😎
214!
BOO!
@@lesblatnyak5947 🎃😈🦇👻😎
My favourite song/piece of music is definitely "Solid Space".
Between 24:21 and 28:58 which move me greatly. It gives me goose-bumps and gets the hairs standing on my arms. It's so beautiful. It's worth buying the album for just these 4½ minutes.
In a different vane his album "Animation" is pretty amazing too. The tracks "Olympia" and especially "Animation" (the title track). The other 7 tracks are marvellous too.
I had this many years ago. I was obviously a big Yes fan, but I just couldn't get into Olias. I listened to it a few times then shelved it until I dumped all my vinyl.
A lovely piece, a fairy tale, that will make you fly away with hope and love.
That's exactly what happened.. I was so full of love and light after this it was crazy lol
Olias Of Sunhillow was pretty out there for 1976. It is very dream-like and other worldly and... weird. But it was commercially kind of successful. A top ten album in the UK and top 50 in the USA. I guess the difference between 'classic' progressive rock and what is often referred to as prog nowadays is that those 70s albums were not only progressive rock, but progressive music which, in some cases, literally hadn't been heard before. Nothing like it. Those guys were furrowing the footsteps in the snow that so many bands that came after walked in, and in some cases, claimed the glory for.
Okay, I'm rambling, but... I noticed the Captain Beefheart CD at the beginning. I think there are actually two albums on that one CD, both from 1972: The Spotlight Kid and the album Clear Spot. Spotlight Kid has good some great songs on it, but the Clear Spot album is amazing. My favourite Beefheart album. You're going to love the drums/rhythms on that album. The track 'Circumstances' is brilliant. You'll love it.
As long as you are in the Yes solo albums
Do Beginnings by Steve Howe (the title track is a beautifully classical piece). In of my favorites
Chris Squire has an awesome solo album called Fish out of Water
The track “Hold Out your Hand” is a good one
Rick Wakeman “Wives of Henry the Eight” as well
All three of these show you the breadth of creativity this band had
They don’t make ‘em like this anymore
Nice one here
tout à fait. et j'ajouterais Double Rondo de Steve Howe, qui est un véritable chef d'oeuvre
I remember a (positive) review of the album in a music magazine way back in 1976, mentioning 'the hallelujahs of a thousand Händels'.
You must listen to the Chris Squire solo album Fish out of Water. That one is superb. Everything segues, so it'd be good to listen to in one go too.
He always wanted to do a sequel to Olias but I know he will never reach that level again. The only 'solo' album Jon made and that is on the same plane is Short Stories which he made with Vangelis.
his other gem solo albums are Song of Seven and Animation!! you really really do have to be in the mood and on his wavelength to appreciate the music with similar emotions. Jon is just unfiltered realistic positivity.
Once you appreciate this, check out Jon (Anderson) and Vangelis first album together "Short Stories" and see how well they work together. You will notice how much alike they are well suited they are together., Jon paints with words and songs and Vangelis painting alongside on keyboards. Just love it. I usually play back to back with Vangelis's album "China", perfectly complementary.
Vangelis said about this album "well done Jony"
I bought this record in '76. A few years later stores had a 'New Age' bin. I swear this guy started all that. Of course, the genre got all corporatized and suckee in no time. Back in the '70s, pre Star Wars, this proggy stuff was our way to consume fantasy. Audio-style, man. We didn't play this music with video accompaniment...couldn't really, it was 1976. Things were more about hearing this music in your head while hiking in the woods. Different times. I still think Jon was the 1st "New Age" music-maker, sorta.
The inspiration for this album was the Album cover of Fragile, there was no new age music at that time... basically Jon invented it.
Jon has said recently that he is putting together a sequel to Olias.... possibly even a double CD.
Captain Beefheart! Yes! No one ever does this. "When it Blows it Stacks".
One factoid: Jon has the same number of instrumental tracks on this, than the first 6 Yes albums combined.
L33 my man, you should have read all the stuff in the CD booklet first, really... I felt you were a bit distracted from *listening* sometimes!
I've known this since it came out, and it really astounds me all these years later that this was conceived, composed and performed by one guy who (up until then) hadn't picked up much more than a tambourine during all his musical life. There is an actual church organ in there, at the beginning of the Moon Ra section - all of which is thematically and content-wise quite similar to parts of Ainulindalë, the opening short chapter of Tolkien's Silmarillion (which wasn't published until about 3 years after Olias came out).
I'm not opening it :) I'm one of those... sorry lol. Maybe one day. I wasn't really distracted I think... it's just a lot to read and the text is kinda hard to read lol
But it was a wonderful experience that I am so grateful for. I really did put some pieces together LOL
Lee - please open the package... you're missing out on a lot of the good stuff inside (booklets, art...) that I wanted you to have!@@L33Reacts
It seems the members of YES have created their own world, and they are happy to live in it. And they're just trying to introduce us through their music what their world is like. I heard one reactor describe the music of YES as shards of light emanating from a prism. I could go with that. :)
Don van Vilet AKA Captian Beefheart grew up with Frank Zappa. The origin of hs name is told in The Real Frank Zappa book. Frank produced The Captian's album Trout Mask Replica and they collaborated on Franks album Bongo Fury.
..by the way: He is also a very good Player of the Celtic Harp (remember 'also 'Awaken' from the 1977 Album 'Going for the One').🥀✨
I knew I heard a harp AND Celtic music in this haha it was like new age Celtic eastern.... something😁🥰
Welcome to that world
Buford said when he joined Yes he believed he was joining Jazz/Rock band....Yes became something else...hence his bail to Crimson...a band even more out there then Yes....but thank God Yes found Alan White.
Jon has allegedly been working on a sequel for decades .
Apparently nobody likes Wakeman solo work. At least no one talks about it. But the first´s albuns from him are very enjoyable. And Six Wives of Henry VIII is quite a masterpiece.
Oh, I love those early Wakeman albums! My favorite is probably Journey, but Six Wives and King Arthur are great albums too.
Lee, you got the tensions between Jon and Bill Bruford dead on. But sadly, despite the Angelic countenance Jon is as human as the rest of us. There have long been fights over both creative control and money running through Yes' history, starting with Jon's first departure from the band in 1980. It's sort of the reason Steve Howe refuses to let Jon back into Yes, all these years later. It's tragic that the two guys who came up with most of Tales from Topographic Oceans can barely talk to each other now.
Shit, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Jon is working on a SEQUEL to this, and has been teasing its release for a couple years now. Not sure how I feel about that. After a gap of forty years I am concerned it would sound completely different stylistically even if the story was directly related. I think it's going to be called "Zamran", who is the son of Olias.
Today, it's all about ME 🤣
Hahahaha 😆 it's about time right ✅️
A wonderful escape that maybe should be just listened to and not to have the brain engaged with visuals and text. Ive been listening since 1976 but never this way. Headphones on lights down just listen. Then the vinyl album fold out and visuals hit you.
Its a relaxing album and a take you away from reality album.
All of Yes's music.
Please rezct to short stories. Jon and Vangelid
Coincidence you mention "along for the ride" just before he chants, Rider, Rider, Rider.
L33Reacts is Olias confirmed! 🤣🤣🤣
I hope you get to see the live chat
Sorry I missed it 😔 I was... up very late recording this lol 😆
Ok. This is a summary:
Jon’s a genius and he played all of this. His words always mean something.
Please do Fish out of Water, Chris’s solo effort from that time.
Please do all of the album “Green” by Steve Hillage. Produced by Floyd drummer Nick Mason in 1977, it’s a trippy classic at least as good as Yes (to me) ❤❤
It's ALL Jon....
Solid Space is the keeper.
The only resentment toward Jon by Bill is solely based upon royalties. One room divided into two camps, one side of the Haves and one side of Have-nots!
His beef with Squire was on a different level. Let's just say that men who keep time to the 64th note don't appreciate bassists who are still in the bath tub when he should be in rehearsal.