Jon Anderson Olias of Sunhillow
Audio Fidelity

http://www.audiofidelity.net/content/jon-anderson-olias-sunhillow

Rating: B+

In 1976, Jon Anderson took a step outside of the band Yes and created a solo album that was not only creative, surreal and ethereal, it was very much ahead of it’s time.  The album broke into the Top 50 in the USA and the Top 10 in the UK.

Anderson pushed his own creative and technological limits using synthesizers, tape loops, ethnic instruments and sound effects many years before it was the norm.  The result is a collection of songs that are unusual, unique and experimental.

This is pure Jon Anderson, and therefore has ‘Yes’ elements, yet there are also many sounds of a more Celtic and Central Asian nature. 

Anderson has said the album was inspired by the famous Roger Dean Yes album cover Fragile, which catapulted the band to superstardom upon its release in 1972.  The music is very progressive and, like most prog rock worth its salt, is a concept album.  The story is of an alien race in search of a new home…not the most unique concept, but musically it comes off cool.

This album could have made a really cool episode of Dr. Who, but it also makes a good musical concept as well.

Time may have forgotten this album and tale, but Audio Fidelity did not.  This type of fantastical musical experiment is right up their alley, and this numbered limited edition scientific adventure sounds amazing as music, bringing the cinematic themes to a new rich life.

By Jeb Wright