Lawrence W. Anderson And Stocks

The show begins with an abbreviated version of "Long Distance Runaround," with just Anderson and his acoustic guitar. "Yours is No Disgrace" is unrecognizable, as Anderson turns it into an alternative acoustic rock song, which has its own sense of urgency and takes a classic Yes song that he's done who knows how many times, and turns it on its head- a very interesting cover of his own work…

Jon Anderson's voice immersed in South American music might seem an unlikely match, but the rich and vibrant tones of Deseo provide a strikingly fresh setting for the singer. Augmented by well-known artists from across South and Latin America, the Yes vocalist seems content to recede into the background on many of the tracks, retaining a native flavor with stellar cameos from Maria Conchita Alonso, Boca Livre, Milton Nascimento, and many others. The songs, which generally clock in around three-and-a-half minutes, are warm and upbeat, mixing English, Portuguese, and Spanish vocals with propulsive percussion, acoustic guitars, bass, and synthesizers. The melodies are lovely and atmospheric, uncomplicated but evocative…

It's difficult to explain the difference between an Ian Anderson and a Jethro Tull album. After all, Anderson writes virtually all of Tull's material and his unique voice and flute playing encapsulates the band's style. And Anderson isn't necessarily prone to the stripped down, confessional approach that many frontmen take when issuing solo projects. Perhaps during this particularly productive period Anderson simply needed to separate his "regular" songwriting from the group's concurrent The Jethro Tull Christmas Album release. Yes, a more acoustic treatment was given to this album than to Tull releases during the '90s, although their Christmas recording is very similar in production to this solo outing…

This album documents a 1996 solo concert by Yes singer Jon Anderson, and finds the helium-voiced prog-rock legend tackling a wealth of tunes from the Yes canon as well as some songs from his collaborations with Greek keyboard wizard Vangelis…

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…