SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JON ANDERSON – OLIAS OF SUNHILLOW

JON ANDERSON
OLIAS OF SUNHILLOW
MOBILE FIDELITY SOUND LAB

When Yes completed the tour in support of their 1974 release, Relayer, the group came to the decision to take a break and each member could record their own album. Given Yes’s schedule (seven studio albums between 1969 and 1974, plus tours for each album), there was very little time for each member to do much apart from the band. But that didn’t mean members were not writing. When the tour finished in 1975, Anderson was ready to record his first solo album, the very ambitious Olias of Sunhillow.

Olias of Sunhillow was a huge success in the U.K. without the benefit of a hit single. Anderson came up with a science fiction concept album. Not only did he write and produce the work but played the majority of instruments as well. Olias of Sunhillow is about an alien race looking for a new home after things go very wrong on their home planet. Olias is responsible for creating the ship that will carry his people to a new home. This is prog in its finest form, and it is extremely good. From the opening instrumental, “Ocean Song,” to the end, Anderson created an atmospheric album that is quite visual musically and lyrically. In deciding to make it a very solo project, the album is a glimpse into Anderson’s musical world circa 1975. One can see the direction in which he might have wanted Yes to go.

Although it is a concept album, which would fall into the prog category, to a point, Olias of Sunhillow is full of short, melodic and beautiful songs. While the medley, “Moon Ra/Chords/Song Of Search” clocks in at over 12 minutes, Anderson is smart enough to keep the proceedings moving and this makes the album a very interesting, accessible and brilliant listening experience.

While Olias of Sunhillow has been re-released in the past, sometimes with bonus tracks, this particular version is all about the sound. Mobile Fidelity’s claim to fame is the great sounding albums, designed for the audiophile. They do not disappoint. Olias of Sunhillow is an album of its time (1975) but also an album that is well worth rediscovering or if one has never heard it, discovering. It would serve as a great soundtrack for a sci-fi film, but as it is, it is a brilliant, beautiful album, performed with a great deal of passion and heart.

Artist Links