Jon Anderson rose to the attention of the musical masses as the lead singer in the progressive rock band Yes. Outside of that group, though, Anderson has also worked with Vangelis under the name "Jon and Vangelis." He's also produced quite a catalog of solo releases.
Olias of Sunhillow
In 1976, the various members of Yes released solo albums. While not the same kind of organized release effort as Kiss's branded solo releases, the effect was essentially the same. Anderson's offering was arguably the most Yes-like disc of the bunch.
Anderson showed off a wealth of talent on "Olias of Sunhillow," playing nearly every instrument and providing all the vocals. The disc, like much progressive rock, is a concept album, based in part on the artwork of Roger Dean (the artist responsible for most of Yes' iconic album covers). While some of the music on "Olias of Sunhillow" would have felt at home on a Yes disc, there is a much airier quality to the bulk of it.
Song of Seven
In 1980 Jon Anderson released "Song of Seven." It was a less ambitious album that its predecessor, but still had plenty of Yes-like elements. Its sound, though, stretched beyond the boundaries of progressive rock, at times moving towards old-time rock and roll and pop music. Another variant from the first solo album, "Song of Seven" included many musicians complementing Anderson's sound, most notably Jack Bruce and Simon Phillips.
Animation
When Anderson released "Animation" in 1983, as had been the case with "Song of Seven," Anderson was not part of Yes. In fact, by the time "Animation" was released, Yes had disbanded. "Animation" features many of the same musicians as its predecessor, but the sound is much more electronic. It seems a bit closer to pure progressive rock than "Song of Seven" had been, but is less organic in nature.
Three Ships
A holiday album from Jon Anderson seems an obvious concept. This 1985 release wasn't quite as cut and dried as that, though. Sure, there are traditional holiday songs delivered on the release, but there are other pieces that are original and don't feel all that festive.
Overall, there is a bit too much of a pop music element to the release, owing to a large degree to the production by Roy Thomas Baker. It's certainly quite different than the previous solo albums created by Anderson. It's arguably not as strong, either. Perhaps since Anderson was back in Yes when this album was recorded, he felt it important to do something less Yes-like.
In the City of Angels
1988's "In the City of Angels" presented a different sound for Anderson. Quite a bit of the release presents a straightforward pop rock sound. Later sections are more like the solo music fans were accustomed to hearing from Anderson. The pop elements certainly come naturally on the release as it was produced by Culture Club's producer Stewart Levine and a couple songs were co-written by Motown tunesmith Lamont Dozier.
While Jon Anderson's first few solo albums presented a journey from Yes-like music to more pop-oriented sounds, bigger changes were yet to come. Anderson continues making music into the 21st century, and many of his later albums display an even wider range of sounds. Still, the base was set with his first five solo discs.
Source:
All Music: Jon Anderson
