Will Dunne

Olias of Sunhillow is a progressive rock concept album by Jon Anderson, the lead singer of the band Yes. It was his first solo album in 1976. He plays all instruments and does all vocals on the album.
Olias of Sunhillow is chock full of sci-fantasy spiritualism, built around a story inspired by Roger Dean's flying starships on the Fragile cover. Dean wasn't present for the art (he was always closest to Howe), so the album sports a lavishly illustrated sleeve from David Roe. Prior to this, his first solo record, Anderson had struck a friendship with Vangelis. That friendship would eventually evolve into a successful string of albums for the duo, but more immediate was the influence Vangelis had on this recording. Just check out the opening moments of "Ocean Song". Anderson wrote and recorded the entire record himself, something of a self-proclaimed "coming of age" for the non-musician. So think of it as Yes without the virtuosity. He mostly bypasses rhythm instead opting for layers of texture. Dipping mostly across the strings of harp and guitars, there’s a fair amount of electronics, no doubt a result of Vangelis' influence. Of course, Anderson’s unique voice is front and center. He always penned a good melody and Olias's dozen songs are no exceptions. "Meeting", "Flight of the Moorglade Mover" and "To The Runner" rank up there with the best of Yes' tunes. Most importantly, the album flows from start to finish. Maybe it is Mike Dunne in the engineer's chair to thank, but the cohesion is genuine. Olias was the most successful of Yes' solo efforts, reaching No 8 in the UK charts and breaking the US Top 50.