Jon Anderson And Vangelis Private Collection (1983)

Jon & Vangelis' first two albums really seemed to be building up to this point. With Private Collection, the two artists (Jon Anderson of Yes fame and Vangelis) have created what feels just a bit like a classical work. Truly the nearly 23-minute "Horizon" really feels a lot like a modern symphony. It is definitely the culmination of their work together, their most ambitious effort. The shorter cuts on the album all have their moments and surely hold up to anything from the previous releases, but "Horizon" stands far above them all. It combines the best elements of Anderson's work in Yes with the electronically classically tinged stylings of Vangelis to produce a work that is near masterpiece in its quality. It is a life-affirming, positive piece. Among the other highlights of the disc are "Deborah" and "He Is Sailing."

Animation is the third solo album by Jon Anderson, and it shows both hearkenings to the other two and a new energy and direction. When he recorded the first album, Olias of Sunhillow, he was a member of Yes. That album has a strong progressive rock texture, being composed of longer pieces that all weave into one conceptual piece. It is also important to note that that release is a true "solo" work, Anderson performing virtually every sound on the record. By the time he released Song of Seven, both his professional status (he was no longer a member of Yes) and musical theory seemed to have changed. The album was for more pop-oriented, although a few points (the title track, most notably) still contained strong progressive rock tendencies…

Jon Anderson joins conductor Nigel Warren-Green and his London Chamber Academy for orchestral arrangements of new material and old favorites on Change We Must (and that sound you hear in the distance is the small army of Anderson's detractors crying "This time he's really gone too far"). But far from being the exercise in self-indulgence that some would charge, Change We Must proves to be a lovely setting for Anderson's compositions. Expertly produced by the vocalist and Tim Handley, the disc finds Anderson's voice in harmonic balance with a wonderful landscape of orchestral sounds. The combined effect is, in a word, lovely. Beginning with the Jon & Vangelis chestnut "State of Independence," the singer and orchestra achieve a natural beauty that the previous pairing aimed at but rarely captured…

During Jon Anderson’s 39-year Rock and Roll Hall of Fame career as the lead vocalist of YES, he was seen as one of the leading proponents of the Progressive Rock movement. During his tenure with YES, he recorded 19 studio albums and multiple live albums, many of which have been certified gold and platinum. Albums such as The “YES” album, “Fragile”, “Close to the Edge”, “Tales of Topographic Oceans”, and “90125” remain classic albums to this day. Songs such as “Roundabout”, “Yours is No Disgrace”, “And You and I”, “Going for the One”, “Awaken”, and “Owner of a Lonely Heart” were staples on Active Rock radio throughout the 70’s and 80’s.
While still a member of YES, Jon released multiple solo records and collaborations, the most noteworthy being his 4 albums with Greek composer Vangelis Upon leaving YES in 2008, Jon continued releasing multiple solo records…

For fans waiting for a follow-up to the massive success of 90125, 9012Live: The Solos proved to be a disappointment. This brief album consists of solo turns by each bandmember, along with two 90125 tracks scarcely changed from the studio versions. "Solly's Beard" provides a pleasant, if somewhat incoherent showcase for Trevor Rabin's guitar work, and Jon Anderson takes an uneventful walk down memory lane with "Soon." The highlight of the album is the duet "Whitefish," and with Chris Squire and Alan White galloping through a spirited medley of "The Fish," "Sound Chaser," and "Tempus Fugit." While it's an okay tour souvenir, 9012Live: The Solos can hardly claim to be a proper album.

Many call Yes' brand of progressive rock "symphonic rock." The term means that the group produces arrangements in the vein of a symphony using typical rock instrumentation. With Magnification, Yes has taken that a step further, adding a symphony orchestra. The orchestra is not simply thrown over the top, though; the songs were written for this particular grouping. Yes has flirted with this type of thing before. Released in 1970, the Time and a Word album featured a string section, but the complete integration is what makes Magnification a superior work. The material on the CD is pretty standard modern Yes fare, but the addition of that symphony really does create a whole new texture. It also seems as if it inspired the band, and some members put in performances that are head and shoulders above their recent work. The album does have its weak moments and gets just a little over the top at times, but there are a lot more moments that shine than dull ones.