Olias of Sunhillow

Olias of Sunhillow
Studio album by Jon Anderson
Released	24 July 1976
Recorded	1976
Genre	Progressive rock New Age music
Length	44:10
Label	Atlantic
Producer	Jon Anderson
Jon Anderson chronology
Olias of Sunhillow (1976) Short Stories (with Jon & Vangelis) (1980)

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Olias of Sunhillow is the debut solo album by Yes lead singer Jon Anderson, released in 1976. It was the most successful of Yes band member debut solo efforts to that date, reaching No. 8 in the UK charts and breaking into the US Top 50.

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 catastrophe. Olias, the title character, is the chosen architect of the glider Moorglade, which will be used to fly his people to their new home. Ranyart is the navigator for the glider, and Qoquaq is the leader who unites the four tribes of Sunhillow to partake in the exodus.

Production

The album was one of Anderson's most acclaimed solo works both by critics and fans. 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

Fragile by Yes

The album's concept was inspired by the cover art by Roger Dean for the 1972 Yes album Fragile, which depicts a tiny planet breaking apart and a glider escaping into space. Another link to Fragile lies in the fact that both albums have pieces (Fragile's "We Have Heaven") consisting of multiple vocal parts, with Anderson singing all of them. 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.

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.

Track listing

• All Songs Written By Jon Anderson.

Vinyl

Side A

1. Ocean Song
2. Meeting (Garden of Geda)
   Sound Out the Galleon
3. Dance of Ranyart
   Olias (To Build the Moorglade)
4. Qoquaq Ën Transic
   Naon
   Transic Tö
5. Flight of the Moorglade

Side B

1. Solid Space
2. Moon Ra
   Chords
   Song of Search
3. To the Runner

8-Track

• 1

1. Ocean Song
2. Meeting (Garden of Geda)
   Sound Out the Galleon
3. Dance of Ranyart
   Olias (To Build the Moorglade)

• 2

1. Qoquaq Ën Transic
   Naon
   Transic Tö
2. Flight of the Moorglade

• 3

1. Solid Space
2. Moon Ra
   Chords
   Song of Search (Part 1)

• 4

1. Moon Ra
   Chords
   Song of Search (Part 2)
2. To the Runner

CD

1. Ocean Song – 3:05
2. Meeting (Garden Of Geda) / Sound Out The Galleon – 3:34
3. Dance Of Ranyart / Olias (To Build The Moorglade) – 4:19
4. Qoquaq Ën Transic / Naon / Transic Tö – 7:08
5. Flight Of The Moorglade – 3:24
6. Solid Space – 5:21
7. Moon Ra / Chords / Song Of Search – 12:48
8. To The Runner – 4:29

Personnel

• Jon Anderson: Lead & Backing Vocals, Guitars, Harp, Synthesizer, Percussion
• Brian "It's Going Now" Gaylor – Electronics, Synthesisers
• Strings by Ken Freeman

Production

• Engineered by Mike Dunne
• 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
• Portrait – Jeff Cummings
• Portrait colouring – Richard Manning

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, Jon 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 2009, he posted messages on his Twitter and Facebook pages indicating that he was still working on the project.

In a Rockline interview on 20 July 2011, Jon was asked about the sequel by Eddy from Wisconsin. He said that he would (hopefully) have the first bits of Zamran out in a year.

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".

External links

• Olias of Sunhillow lyrics