Nothing can compare to the goosebumps, the rush of euphoria and happiness one can sense within and without while listening to truly amazing music– music that conveys an almost surreal depth of emotion, and a billion and more thoughts and ideas embedded into the mystical world that same music has constructed. I felt these goosebumps, this rush and feeling of sheer wonder and happiness when I had discovered with the power of the Internet Jon Anderson’s masterfully crafted solo debut album Olias of Sunhillow a few years ago while still in high school. Even today, it remains one of my favorite musical compositions to listen to in my free time. It conveys as I hear it a world beyond even our wildest dreams– an epic, almost Tolkien-esque fantasy storyline involving the intrepid escape of an alien civilization from their dead planet (due to a volcanic apocalypse) on the glider Moorglade Mover. Each song in the album chronicles a different chapter of the story of Olias and the aliens that escape their world’s disaster, as they travel amongst the stars and search for what seems like forever for a new home. Yes, the style of music Anderson uses might be a bit dated (70s progressive rock) in comparison to, in my opinion, the cheap, manufactured corporate dross pumped out by this generation’s “mainstream” singers and artists, but to many, including myself, it is not only a classic, but it is also a fantastic demonstration of what one can do when one is passionate enough in the arts (amazingly, Anderson melded together over one hundred tracks to make this album, overdubbing over several instruments). The album is powerful in that it has inspired me to always persevere in times of darkness, and has brought hope to me and those who have listened to it. Thank you, Jon Anderson for bringing to this world a masterpiece that it desperately needs.
