1976’s Olias of Sunhillow delivered a sci fi/fantasy epic set to music and it still stands out as a classic example of the progressive/art-rock movement from its era.
What Is It?
This solo album by Yes lead singer Jon Anderson presented a sweeping sci fi/fantasy saga set to the progressive/art-rock sound that he and his band were known for. The story, which spans the entire album, tells of a doomed planet named Sunhillow whose leaders seek to rescue their people from the oncoming destruction. The architect Olias is tasked with building a ship that will carry the inhabitants away from Sunhillow and to their salvation on “the earth” (no clear indication if that reference is to our Earth, though). The ship Moorglade Mover is built and the navigator Ranyart is chosen to guide the craft through the stars. The leader Qoquaq must then unite the four tribes of Sunhillow and convince them to board the ship. He succeeds in his task (spoiler alert?), and the singing of the people powers it on its flight from the planet.
Artist: Jon Anderson
Original Release: 1976
Legacy:
Olias of Sunhillow delivers a sweeping sci fi/fantasy epic set to music with moments of whimsy as well as childlike naivete. It is not quite a prog-rock opera, but the songs are strong enough to carry Jon Anderson’s vision, and this album should definitely be of interest to genre fans.
A Closer Look:
Back in the early to mid-1970’s, Yes was one of the flagship bands of the progressive/art-rock movement along with other well-known groups of that sub-genre like Genesis, Emerson Lake and Palmer, and King Crimson. But in the middle of that decade, the members of Yes decided to take a step away from the band and work on solo projects. It was from this hiatus that Jon Anderson’s Olias of Sunhillow emerged in what can be described as a true solo project. Anderson wrote the songs, sang all of the vocals, and played all of the instruments. There have been rumors that Vangelis–whom Anderson later frequently collaborated with–assisted in the production, but he was given no credits on the album and has claimed he was not involved with producing or recording it.
The sound is similar to that of Yes recordings of the time, though it doesn’t rock nearly as hard as The Yes Album, Fragile, or Close to the Edge. It shares more similarities with some of the softer songs on Tales from the Topographic Oceans, Going for the One, and Tormato and even seems to point toward the New Age movement that would emerge in the late 70’s and beyond. But despite the similarities it might share with some of these musical styles, it definitely emerges with its own unique sound that delivers beautifully rendered songs with ethereal and mystical qualities. Anderson is not known as a musical virtuoso beyond his trademark alto tenor vocals, but he definitely demonstrates a competency with the instruments he plays (which include guitars, keyboards, harp, mandolin, sitar, percussion and more). And his limited proficiency actually translates into a naiveté that gives the music a distinctive charm and inspiration. Yes fans will definitely like this one, but it has a broader appeal beyond that as it transcends its art rock pretensions and delivers a memorable, moving musical experience.
The story behind the lyrics is a decent enough–if almost child-like–mystical tale, sort of like Dr. Suess writing a sci fi/fantasy epic (and for good measure, the Muppets stop by the studio to provide backing vocals on a few tracks). It would probably work well if it were extended into an illustrated book, and an animated version set to the music could certainly deliver a visual and audible tour de force. I’m not certain it would have broad enough appeal to justify the expense, but perhaps it could still happen if somebody with animation skills turns it into a passion project.
Olias of Sunhillow is definitely worth picking up as a throwback to the progressive/art-rock heyday of the 70’s. It is also a very enjoyable musical suite that delivers a nice fantasy tale with some sci fi elements thrown in, and genre fans will definitely find much to like about the album.
The Story Continues
Since the early 2000s, Anderson has been working on a sequel to be titled The Songs of Zamran: Son of Olias. He has solicited the participation of other musicians across the world over the years and appears to be getting close to finally releasing the album. A trailer with highlights of the music was loaded to YouTube in January 2023, and it is very much in the spirit Olias of Sunhillow. Following are the comments included with the trailer:
ZAMRAN IS COMING! The Songs of Zamran: Son of Olias is the working title of a studio album by English singer-songwriter Jon Anderson that has been in development since 2000. It will be a sequel to Anderson’s solo debut Olias of Sunhillow (1976), a conceptual progressive rock album based on the story of four alien tribes and their journey to a new home after their planet is destroyed by a volcanic eruption. Story The Songs of Zamran will be based on the creation of the structure of the planet Earth and how the planet works, with references to crystal streams and ley lines. He continued: “At each juncture you find about more about the mysteries of the planet earth and then more about the mysteries of the human condition, and then more about the inter-dimensional condition of this planet and how many inter-dimensional beings are out there that we don’t see. And then of course, the extension of that is the inter-galactic people that we don’t see.”Anderson also hinted that the story may cover the idea that “mother Earth is an almighty computer.”
A release date has not been set yet, but it does appear that Anderson is close to putting out the continuation to his original classic in the near future.
Interesting Facts:
Jon Anderson found his inspiration for Olias of Sunhillow from the artwork that renowned fantasy artist and frequent Yes collaborator Roger Dean did for the 1971 album Fragile. The back cover of that disc showed a small planet breaking into pieces and a flying ship escaping to the stars. Anderson also cited the works of mystic Vera Stanley Alder as well as J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy as inspirations for his story. Dean was not available to do the art for the album that his work inspired, so the illustrations were completed by David Fairbrother-Roe.
Olias of Sunhillow reached Number 47 on the Billboard Albums Chart when it was first released and is the highest charting of any of the solo albums by Yes members in the U.S. It reached Number 8 in the British charts.
Where Can You Listen To It?
The album was out of print for many years, but it has since been rereleased on CD, Vinyl, and MP3. If you have the money–and a turntable–I recommend picking up the Vinyl edition because of the beautiful illustrations and the liner notes that are included. Olias of Sunhillow came out at the height of the album art era when the covers of these discs sometimes out-shined the music they contained. The artwork is by David Fairbrother-Roe and it helps illustrate the story and bring it to life. He does the cover art as well as the interior illustrations which further elaborate on the tale. His artwork is included with the CD, but it is compressed to fit that format and does not do justice to his brilliant embellishments.
