Olias of Sunhillow
Olias of Sunhillow | ||||
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Studio album by Jon Anderson | ||||
Released | 24 July 1976[1] | |||
Recorded | 1976 | |||
Genre | Progressive rock, new age, ambient | |||
Length | 44:10 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Producer | Jon Anderson | |||
Jon Anderson chronology | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [2] |
Olias of Sunhillow is the debut studio album from the English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jon Anderson, released in 1976 on Atlantic Records. It is a progressive rock concept album which tells the story of an alien race and their journey to a new world (the story printed in the LP jacket calls it "the earth", lowercase 'e') 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. Ranyart is the navigator for the glider, and Qoquaq (pronounced 'ko-quake') is the leader who unites the four tribes of Sunhillow to partake in the exodus.
The album went on to peak at number 8 on the UK and number 47 in the United States.[3]
Production
The album was one of Anderson's most acclaimed solo works. Since Anderson produced Olias soon after Vangelis had auditioned to be a part of Yes, there has been widespread speculation that Vangelis contributed to the album, with some fans going so far as to say that Olias represents the kind of sound that Yes would have created if Vangelis had in fact joined the band. However, both Vangelis and Anderson have denied that they collaborated on the album.
This was one of five solo albums released by members of Yes in 1975 and 1976, along with Chris Squire's Fish Out of Water, Steve Howe's Beginnings, Alan White's Ramshackled, and Patrick Moraz's Story of I.
Artwork
The album sleeve features a series of artworks by the artist David Fairbrother Roe, RA (whose other work included graphics for the Isle of Wight Festival, Nazareth – Hair of the Dog, and the Dragonflight novels of Anne McCaffrey).
The album has been re-released several times, most recently with a US CD release by Wounded Bird Records on 28 February 2006.
The album will be re-issued by Audio Fidelity on February 4, 2014 as a gold Hybrid SACD (AFZ 156).
Track listing
All songs written by Jon Anderson.
Vinyl[4]
Side A
- Ocean Song
- Meeting (Garden of Geda)
Sound Out the Galleon - Dance of Ranyart
Olias (To Build the Moorglade) - Qoquaq Ën Transic
Naon
Transic Tö - Flight of the Moorglade
Side B
- Solid Space
- Moon Ra
Chords
Song of Search - To the Runner
CD
- Ocean Song – 3:05
- Meeting (Garden of Geda) / Sound Out The Galleon – 3:34
- Dance of Ranyart / Olias (To Build The Moorglade) – 4:19
- Qoquaq Ën Transic / Naon / Transic Tö – 7:08
- Flight of the Moorglade – 3:24
- Solid Space – 5:21
- Moon Ra / Chords / Song of Search – 12:48
- To The Runner – 4:29
8-Track
-
- Ocean Song
- Meeting (Garden of Geda)
Sound Out the Galleon - Dance of Ranyart
Olias (To Build the Moorglade)
-
- Qoquaq Ën Transic
Naon
Transic Tö - Flight of the Moorglade
- Solid Space
- Moon Ra
Chords
Song of Search (Part 1)
- Qoquaq Ën Transic
-
- Song of Search (Part 2)
- To the Runner
Personnel
- Jon Anderson - lead and backing vocals, guitars, harp, keyboards, sitar, flutes, mandolin, mandocello, koto, drums, percussion, bass guitar, saz, other instruments
Production
- Engineered by Mike Dunne
- Brian "It's Going Now" Gaylor - electronics
- John Martin – co-ordination, equipment, goodies
- Mastered at RCA by Brian East
- Recorded at Seer Green
- Illustrated & designed by Dave Roe
- Art direction by Hipgnosis
- Jeff Cummings - portrait
- Richard Manning - portrait colouring
Charts
Year | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
1976 | Billboard Pop Albums | 47 |
1976 | UK Albums Chart | 8 |
Sequel
In 2004, Jon Anderson called for collaborators to contact him via his website. He described a project that would be a "return to Olias". In 2006, around the time Olias of Sunhillow was re-released, Anderson announced that he was making a sequel called The Songs of Zamran: Son of Olias. In late 2008, he announced on his Myspace page that he was hoping to finish the sequel soon.
In a Rockline interview on 20 July 2011, Anderson was asked about the sequel. He said that he hoped to have the first bits of Zamran out in a year. In late 2012 a site was launched entitling it Zamran Experience and showing a short preview.[5] The site describes it as "an interactive audio-visual album".
In popular culture
In 2008, the song "Flight of the Moorglade" was used in the Rob and Big season 3 episode "Mini-horse Rode Trip".
References
- ↑ Joel Whitburn, Joel Whitburn's top pop albums, 1955–1992, Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation, ISBN 0-7935-6677-0
- ↑ Connolly, Dave. Album review Olias of Sunhillow at AllMusic. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
- ↑ Charles Snider, The Strawberry Bricks Guide to Progressive Rock, pg. 232, Strawberry Bricks (2008), ISBN 0-615-17566-X
- ↑ Vinyl album sleeve and LP itself show track numbering (see image, below).
- ↑ http://www.sevendragons.org/zamran/
External links0
- Olias of Sunhillow lyrics
- OLIAS LIVE at UMASS Lowell, Earth Day 2013
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