Customer Reviews

Song of Seven

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Jon did this LP after he left Yes in 1980 during their DRAMA phase and it's good thing that he did. This is one of the best solo offerings from Jon (besides OLIAS and his newer works) and the music just fills you full of energy, hope, belief and allows you to just float downstream. There are one or two almost pop type cuts, however they don't get as "commercialized" as the music on Jon's CITY OF ANGELS (which in itself isn't too bad of an album), however the rest of the LP seems to be a merging of YES music with Jon's later "spiritual focused" music. The LP ends with the beautiful 11 minute title song which is so enchanting it can not be put into words. If you are a YES fan this is a Jon album that you will definitely enjoy. Jon has been blessing us with his musical talent for over 30 years and I would personally like to thank him. BUY THIS CD! (even though it's an import)

While Side A of this early 80's release has Mr. Anderson once again trying to write short, pop-friendly music, it's much more listenable than the later "The More You Know" pop-attempt. Even "Heart of the Matter," with lyrics like, "as long as we can get inside the back of your car," is fun - frivolous, but fun.

For the Yes fan, the real glory is to be found on Side B.

OK, that's a vinyl reference (and how much better the graphics for this release are in 12" format ... envy me, you youngsters!). There's no real "sides" to a CD, but you'll feel the difference right away when "Everybody Loves You" plays. Break-all-the-rules chording, beautiful session work from his hired band, happiness and hope in lyrical, melodic optimism.

While "Take Your Time" might be disposable, "Days" is a thoughtful, beautiful piece.

But "Song of Seven," the title track, is the one for which you want this recording. This is sweeping, dancing, tears-in-your-eyes music to rival any other Jon solo work. All of Jon's work takes a (very) open mind, and in this case, we have his infant child baby-talking in the background while one of the kids recites simple arithmetic for the fade-out. But what happens before then is glorious. A song in several parts, with drama (!) and sincerity, with Jon's wide, sweeping lyrics, always open to interpretation, anything but mundane.

It's this climax which puts Song of Seven properly in the category of Yes Music.

In response to previous reviews:

This is a great disk. Positive, uplifting, powerful in emotion. Simply put if you like positive music (vocals and instrumentals) you will identify with this disk. If you somehow think that to be "progressive" and "deep" is to be on a downer as if you are under the influence of a handful of "ludes" you will not identify with this disk.

For those of us who find no shame in liking and appreciating a happier look at life - buy and enjoy!

I remember when I first purchased this on vinyl. I was expecting another "Olias". I was somewhat disappointed. Nowadays, though, after following Jon and Yes's careers for so long, and listening to the evolution of Jon's solo music, I find I have a new appreciation for the pop-type sounds of this early endeavor. I'd forgotten how great "Everybody Loves You" and "Song of Seven" and the other tunes were. If you like the lighthearted happy Jon in love types of songs he's been doing and you don't know this album yet, then by all means, experience it!

I've been a Jon Anderson fan for a long time, so this is not an unbiased review. However, this is one of my favorite Anderson albums. The songs show a great deal of versatility and maturity. Yes fans may be disappointed if they expect it to sound"just like Yes" but for those who seek intelligent music, this is an album to own, explore and enjoy.

What we have here is a tremendously unfocused solo effort from Mr. Anderson. From second-rate Doo-Wop to painful 'prog epics', this album proves that Jon Anderson is at his best when supported and surrounded by other equal contributors, i.e. Yes.

I enjoy my Yes albums as much as the next guy, but frankly, you'd have to be incredibly biased to offer a five, or even four star review to this lackluster record. The opening track alone offer up some of the most laughable, bloated lyrics I have ever heard in my life. If you thought some of the lyrics from Tormato were bad, just WAIT until you hear the inanities Jon comes up with on this puppy. An example from the title track: "In the meeting place I sit beside, betwixt the points of heaven." What in the world?! Maybe Jon's just far more cosmic than I will ever be, but to me, this writing just plain stinks. To counterbalance this lofty drudge, he offer up more straight-ahead pop lyrics on other tunes such as: "Towa taya taka tai, Towa taya taka tai, Towa taya tak, Taya tak, Towa taya taka tai". Please, I could NOT make this up.

The high point of the album is easily the track featuring Jack Bruce on bass and studio legend Simon Philips on drums. Here the playing is tight, focused and enjoyable, even if the music itself is lackluster.

Please don't get me wrong- I'm always one for eclecticism. Todd Rundgren is the perfect example of an artist that can experiment with multiple genres on a record and still make a well-rounded, cohesive statement. Jon Anderson, on the other hand, feels more like a jack of all trades, master of none on "Song of Seven".

I was given this LP on vinyl for free, otherwise I'd probably never listen to it again. That said, I only put it on when I want to give my friends a good laugh. Please avoid!

This is Jon Anderson's second solo album, a sort-of follow-up to the phenomenal Olias of Sunhillow, though considerably less experimental, and ultimately less satisfying. Here we see foreshadows of the 1980s pop era, including Yes's own dramatic shift towards top-40 radio-friendliness, and Anderson's own descent into short, simple, semi-catchy, and ultimately forgettable musical morsels found on almost all of his later solo attempts. There's some lucidity to be found in this album, though it seems draped by a thin veil that separates the music from its full potential. Even the title track, the only Olias-like fantastical prog ballad, suffers: the sweet spots are retarded by the buffer material. Just when you think it's going to crescendo, it stumbles into a significantly less interesting coda.

Overall, though, this is a good album. It's more successful in its attempt to fuse Jon's progressive roots with his later penchant for catchy pop than any of his later releases. In fact, Don't Forget and Everybody Loves You are quite good songs, despite their relative simplicity. The only song I'm not really fond of is Heart of the Matter, which sticks out like a broken toe and finds itself skipped over whenever the disc is in the player.

For fans of Jon Anderson, this is a must-have disc, as it's an important musical milestone in the singer's career that illustrates a shifting of style and priorities in songcrafting that becomes dramatically more pronounced in the next decade or so after its release. It's a good enough album for people who aren't, as well, as it's generally unassuming and easily accessible on most tracks. If you're expecting another Olias of Sunhillow like I originally was, though, you're going to suffer a huge letdown and may be tempted to shelve the disc after only one or two listens. My only advice is, don't leave it there forever.

This is a good record and plays well after you've just listened to Yes "Drama" from the same era. It's like the other side of that album or Jon's verion of Yes. Most of these songs were written for the abandoned Paris sessions Yes album that was of course never made after Jon and Rick left for good in 1980. Great start to Jons solo career and his second best after "Olias"

I have been searching high and low for a copy of this album on CD. I believe that this is one of the greatest albums that Jon Anderson has done. The Song of Seven truly reaches our core. I just wish that the other albums were as soul searching. I'm glad that I can enjoy this album again and again.

Between Vangelis and leaving Yes, Jon Anderson finally managed a second solo album four years after "Olias of Sunhillow". I have the original 1980 Atlantic LP. It is more varied than the new age flavoured debut. "Days" and "Some Are Born" were demo-ed for Yes' 1978 LP "Tormato" (they appear on that reissue). The title track was noted by one fan as solace in a time of loss. Reissued 2006 by Wounded Bird Records, a reissue label based outside Albany, NY, with mostly WEA catalogue titles for some reason.