Jon Anderson is one of the few people in music history
that I believe is in tune with something much larger
than himself. While, initially his high pitched voice
takes some getting used to, over time you realize
just how amazingly versatile he is. With numerous
solo albums to his credit, aside from his work with
Yes, Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, and Howe, and Vangelis,
among others, he is now offering a box set of sorts.
This box set contains live recordings and rarities
and is on album number 7 out of an eventual 20. This
particular album is the 2nd in the set.
The Mother’s Day concert was recorded live
at Martin Brothers Winery in Paso Robles California
in 1996. I read that the sound quality is akin to
an FM radio broadcast and that’s a true description.
Considering this is taken from a bootleg, it’s
got great sound quality. Nothing sounds fuzzy or distant,
it’s just not crystal clear. Anderson pulls
from his solo albums, Yes, and his work with Vangelis
for this concert. The Charlie Brown theme song also
makes a surprise appearance here much to the delight
of the (I’m assuming) mildly intoxicated crowd
(it is a winery people!).
This concert comes amidst a slight lull for Yes (although
they were on the heels of two amazing albums in Union
and Talk) but finds Anderson in high spirits. He really
sounds great on this recording. He’s a good
example of a vocalist who took awhile to really get
command of his abilities. The album leans heavily
on his new age beliefs and is unquestionably a celebration
of the Earth, to many the original mother. “Children
of the Light,” a bluesy version of “Owner
of a Lonely Heart,” and “The Revealing
Science of God” are among the highlights but
really this whole CD is a gem for longtime fans.
Obviously this type of release is meant for only
die hard fans. Realistically though I found myself
enjoying it tremendously and I’m not overly
familiar with the Vangelis material or his solo albums.
I think that even those who are primarily fans of
Yes will enjoy this. Fans of this musical legend need
to own this. I can’t wait to hear the other
albums!
Key Tracks: “Owner of a Lonely Heart,”
“Children of Light”
Reviewed by Mark Fisher |
