Jon Anderson - Olias of Sunhillow (1976)

Guybrush · 06-23-2010, 04:27 AM

One thing I didn't mention but which is worth mentioning (might at least generate discussion) is that the cheese factor is relatively high here for a 70s album

Jon really wants to convey the story of these peoples from his imagination and unlike other groups like f.ex Magma, he does it without sillyness or whimsicality. For me, I feel like the seriousness of the project is what gives it the relatively cheesy feel.

Cheesy isn't necessarily a bad thing of course. Just make sure the neighbours are gone before you blast it out your speakers if it really bothers you

and of course, it's not half as cheesy as, say, Kamelot or Mighty Rhapsody, but it flavours the album nonetheless (imo).

Anteater · 07-02-2010, 12:36 PM

I'm not so sure you can qualify any of what you hear on Olias as cheesy: a lot of sci-fi themed stuff, particularly the harder stuff, is quite serious in literary presentation, so its not so surprising that Anderson does the same here in a more musical format.

Really, it all comes down to whether or not you can empathize with Jon's sensibilities as a songwriter or not: if you were born after the 70's, then even your average proghead would have trouble managing that feat.

Chula Vista · 10-20-2019, 09:16 PM

Jon Anderson at the peak of his muse. LOVE this album. Same with Squire's Fish out of Water.
Howe's Beginnings? Sucks.

OccultHawk · 10-21-2019, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chula Vista

Squire's Fish out of Water.

Checked this out today - thanks to you

This is really Yes quality music. He’s a great singer. The orchestration is great. Unassailable record.

Chula Vista · 10-22-2019, 07:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OccultHawk

Checked this out today - thanks to you

Hearing that really shows how much of the classic Yes sound was Squire. He must have grown up surrounded by chamber music because he really knew how to orchestrate a small number of instruments. His vocal harmonies are as good as anything Paul and John ever came up with.

Glad you dug it. It's actually going to get better with more listens!

View Poll Results: So, how good is this album?
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06-23-2010, 04:27 AM	#1 (permalink)
Guybrush Juicious Maximus III Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Scabb Island Posts: 6,525	One thing I didn't mention but which is worth mentioning (might at least generate discussion) is that the cheese factor is relatively high here for a 70s album Jon really wants to convey the story of these peoples from his imagination and unlike other groups like f.ex Magma, he does it without sillyness or whimsicality. For me, I feel like the seriousness of the project is what gives it the relatively cheesy feel. Cheesy isn't necessarily a bad thing of course. Just make sure the neighbours are gone before you blast it out your speakers if it really bothers you and of course, it's not half as cheesy as, say, Kamelot or Mighty Rhapsody, but it flavours the album nonetheless (imo). __________________ Something Completely Different

10-20-2019, 09:16 PM	#3 (permalink)
Chula Vista Toasted Poster Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: SoCal by way of Boston Posts: 11,332	Jon Anderson at the peak of his muse. LOVE this album. Same with Squire's Fish out of Water. Howe's Beginnings? Sucks. __________________ “The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well, on the surface of a gas covered planet going around a nuclear fireball 90 million miles away and think this to be normal is obviously some indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be.”