Olias of Sunhillow

“Olias of Sunhillow” is considered by many to be the seminal solo release by Jon Anderson. Singer, composer, and lyricist most known for his many years as a founding member of legendary progressive rock band Yes, his subsequent work with electronic music composers Vangelis and Oldfield. Jon Anderson is one of the most influential founders of progressive and experimental electronic and acoustic music. The depth of his influence on and contributions to the genre are yet to be fully documented.

Often poetic and literary in his lyrics, Anderson always surprises. “Olias of Sunhillow” is Anderson’s first solo album and remains both a classic and a favorite among his long-time (and, newly found) fans. Released July 24th, 1976 with an insert that tells the tale in a series of paintings by David Fairbrother-Roe (http://dragondaze.50webs.com/) of the flight of the Mooglade, a fantastic ship carrying a people from a dying world to a new world. Anderson has described the journey he made in composing and recording “Olias … ” in several interviews as retiring to his garage-studio, learning to play all of the instruments, then composing and recording the compositions.
The story of “Olias of Sunhillow” was inspired by the paintings in Roger Dean’s “exploding world” series, most famously on the cover of Yes’ 1972 release, “Fragile”. (1976 post-release radio interview with New York DJ Allison Steele.) Anderson has stated that works by J.R.R. Tolkien and Vera Stanley Alder were also an influence, underlying the epic scope of the narrative compressed into the album. (Jon Anderson’s webpage: http://www.jonanderson.com/)