Olias of Sunhillow
| Olias of Sunhillow | ||||
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| Studio album by Jon Anderson | ||||
| Released | 24 July 1976 | |||
| Recorded | 1975–1976 at Seer Green, Buckinghamshire, England | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock | |||
| Length | 44:10 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer | Jon Anderson | |||
| Jon Anderson chronology | ||||
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| Allmusic |   |
Olias of Sunhillow is the debut studio album by English singer, songwriter and musician Jon Anderson, released in July 1976 on Atlantic Records. It is a concept album which tells the story of an alien race and their journey to a new world following a volcanic catastrophe. Anderson recorded the music and vocals himself.
Olias of Sunhillow is a progressive rock concept album which tells the story of an alien race and their journey to a new world (the story printed in the LP jacket calls it "the earth", lowercase 'e') due to a volcanic catastrophe. Olias, the title character, is the chosen architect of the glider Moorglade Mover, which will be used to fly his people to their new home. Ranyart is the navigator for the glider, and Qoquaq (pronounced 'ko-quake') is the leader who unites the four tribes of Sunhillow to partake in the exodus.
The album represented eight months of physical work, but it took two years from conception to release. Anderson used more than a hundred tracks in putting the album together, overdubbing strings, organ, harp and percussion.
Since Anderson produced Olias soon after Vangelis had auditioned to be a part of Yes, there has been widespread speculation that Vangelis contributed to the album. However, both Vangelis and Anderson have denied that they collaborated on the album.
Olias of Sunhillow is one of five solo albums released by members of Yes in 1975 and 1976, along with Chris Squire's Fish Out of Water, Steve Howe's Beginnings, Alan White's Ramshackled, and Patrick Moraz's Story of I. "Ocean Song" was performed by Yes during the band's 1976 tour.
The album's concept was inspired by the cover art by Roger Dean for the 1971 Yes album Fragile, which depicts a tiny planet breaking apart and a glider escaping into space. Another link to Fragile lies in the fact that both albums have pieces (Fragile's "We Have Heaven") consisting of multiple vocal parts, with Anderson singing all of them. Anderson has stated that works by J.R.R. Tolkien and Vera Stanley Alder were also an influence, underlying the epic scope of the narrative compressed into the album.
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