Jon Anderson - Olias Of Sunhillow (1976) [2014 Audio Fidelity SACD AFZ 156]

Jon Anderson - Olias Of Sunhillow (1976) [2014 Audio Fidelity SACD AFZ 156]

EAC Secure Rip | FLAC (Image + Cue + Log) - 251 MB |

Rock, Progressive | Audio Fidelity | AFZ156 | 44:28 minutes | 

Olias of Sunhillow is the debut studio album from the English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jon Anderson. It is a progressive rock concept album which tells the story of an alien race and their journey to a new world due to a volcanic catastrophe. Olias, the title character, is the chosen architect of the glider Moorglade Mover, which will be used to fly his people to their new home.

Inspired by the artwork of Roger Dean and the writings of Ver Stanley Alder, Jon Anderson developed an entire story around the idea of an interstellar exodus from Sunhillow, writing this album around the narrative (named for the spaceship's architect, Olias). The idea may seem overly ambitious, but Anderson fills the record with enough magical moments to delight fans of Yes' mystic side. The music is written and performed almost entirely by Anderson, who dubs vocals, plays guitar and harp, and adds percussion and the occasional synthesizer to flesh out his ideas so that at no point does the music lose its spellbinding effect for lack of sonic detail. Olias of Sunhillow is faithful to the spirit of Yes, though decidedly more airy than that band's visceral style -- its closest comparison would be Fragile's "We Have Heaven" or Going for the One's "Wonderous Stories" (which was clearly influenced by this record) on the vocal tracks, and Vangelis on the instrumental tracks. Although the album is effective in its entirety, "Sound Out the Galleon," "Olias (To Build the Moorglade)," and "Solid Space" are some of the more memorable excerpts. The arrangements incorporate elements of the four tribes of Sunhillow, the most noticeable being Oriental elements that prefigure Vangelis' own China (especially on the opening "Ocean Song"). While there are several songs that could have easily fit in Yes' own catalog, and the lyrics continue to mine the mystical musings that Yes fans had come to enjoy, Olias of Sunhillow is not the missing Yes album some might hope it to be, though it does deliver on the promise that the Jon & Vangelis collaborations seemed to hold. If possible, pick up the LP version of this release, since the packaging is stunning and features terrific artwork by Dave Roe.

Track Listing:

01. Ocean Song
02. Meeting (Garden Of Geda) \ Sound Out The Galleon
03. Dance Of Ranyart \ Olias (To Build The Moorglade)
04. Qoquaq Ën Transic \ Naon \ Transic Tö
05. Flight Of The Moorglade
06. Solid Space
07. Moon Ra \ Chords \ Song Of Search
08. To The Runner

Mastered for this CD by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio

Album Released: July 24, 1976
Audio Fidelity Release: February 4, 2014


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