Showing posts with label Jon Anderson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jon Anderson. Show all posts

Friday 15 April 2011

Shine - Mike Oldfield with Jon Anderson

'Shine' was released in 1986 as a single by Mike Oldfield, featuring Jon Anderson on vocals. It barely scraped the UK singles chart, reaching number 100, but peaked at number 31 in the German singles chart.

The music video for 'Shine' features use of computer graphics, such as a computer generated game of chess. Oldfield plays a Gibson SG guitar in the video.

My collection: 7" single no. 5079
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 9, 2011
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Shine' / 'The path'

Saturday 9 October 2010

State of independence - Jon and Vangelis

If you know anything about Eighties pop music, you will remember Donna Summer's hit single 'State of independence' from 1982. Jon and Vangelis, who wrote the song, recorded the song in 1981 on their album 'Friends of Mr. Cairo', but it turns out they also released it as a single in 1984.

It was released on the occasion of a 'greatest hits' compilation album, and failed to become a hit. Such is the fate of talented composers...

My collection: 7" single no. 4939
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, October 8, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'State of independence' / 'The friends of Mr. Cairo'

Saturday 22 May 2010

Outside of this (Inside of that) - Jon and Vangelis

'Outside of this (Inside of that)' was a single taken from Jon & Vangelis' 1981 album 'The friends of mr. Cairo'. The track was edited from 5 minutes to 4 minutes and 10 seconds for the single.

It was a peculiar choice for a single, as it doesn't have a very memorable melody or hook. No wonder, then, that this single failed to chart in all territories.

My collection: 7" single no. 4884
Found: Da Capo, Utrecht, May 21, 2010
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Outside of this (Inside of that)' / 'Beside'

Friday 26 March 2010

Boundaries - Jon Anderson

Jon Anderson released 'Animation' in 1982 during the Yes hiatus following the release of their album 'Drama'. At the time, Anderson was collaborating with Vangelis and Mike Oldfield and exploring new age and electronic pop.

The track 'Boundaries' was released as the second single from the album. It didn't chart in any territory. The track would later appear on other works by Anderson (entitled 'O'er', on 'The promise ring') and Yes (entitled 'Somehow, someday', on 'Open your eyes').

My collection: 7" single no. 4725
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, March 13, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Boundaries' / 'Much better reason'

Saturday 26 December 2009

Easier said than done - Jon Anderson

In December 1985, Jon Anderson released 'Three ships', an album featuring versions of old Christmas carols and some original material. The single 'Easier said than done', composed by Vangelis, was released as a single almost at the same time.

The B-side featured a version of the well-known Christmas carol 'Three ships' (the title track of the album), written before the 17th century. The single did not chart, by the way...

My collection: 7" single no. 4374
Found: Independent Outlet, Amsterdam, December 30, 2009
Cost: 1,25 euro
Tracks: 'Easier said than done' / 'Three ships'

Thursday 26 November 2009

And when the night comes - Jon and Vangelis

'And when the night comes' was released as the second single from Jon & Vangelis' third album 'Private collection'. The single failed to make any chart impact.

It's funny how I never saw this single, while on the record fair on November 21 I found it in three different stalls. Sometimes I think there's a secret vault of old 7" singles where these things come from every once in a while.

My collection: 7" single no. 4264
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'And when the night comes' / 'Song is'

Monday 9 November 2009

The friends of Mr. Cairo - Jon and Vangelis

'The friends of Mr. Cairo' is the title track of Jon & Vangelis' second album, released in 1981. On the album, the track lasts 12 minutes, but is edited down to a little more than 4 minutes for this single release. It is still a rather confusing track, which didn't have any commercial appeal.

The song is an ode to classic Hollywood films of the Thirties and Fourties. Most notable references are to the classic film noir 'The Maltese falcon'. The track incorporates sound effects and voice impressions of the stars of the era, most notably Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre.

My collection: 7" single no. 4168
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'The friends of Mr. Cairo' / 'Beside'

Sunday 11 October 2009

I'll find my way home - Jon and Vangelis

Jon Anderson and Vangelis had their biggest hit together in 1982, when they released 'I'll find my way home'. It reached number 1 in Switzerland and number 4 in the Dutch Top 40, although it didn't chart in the UK.

The track was originally not included on their 1981 album 'The friends of Mr. Cairo', but after the single was such a success, it was still added to the tracklisting. And so there are two versions of the LP - although the cd edition was only released with 'I'll find my way home' included.

My collection: 7" single no. 2056
Found: November 27, 1993
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'I'll find my way home' / 'Back to school'

Sunday 4 October 2009

Wisdom chain - Jon and Vangelis

Most people know the songs 'I'll find my way home' and 'I hear you now', recorded by Jon and Vangelis in the Eighties. The fact that they released another album together in 1991 is less wellknown. The album was called 'Page of life' and 'Wisdom chain' was the first single released from that album. The single flopped, and there were no further albums by the duo.

The album 'Page of life' was re-released in 1998, but it included different tracks of which Vangelis did not approve.

My collection: 7" single no. 1605
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, March 28, 1992
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Wisdom chain' / 'Page of life'

Saturday 9 May 2009

Surrender - Jon Anderson

My wife went to a Kringloop store today and brought back a few singles for me. One of them was 'Surrender' by Jon Anderson. There were two problems with that: (1) I already had the singles and (2) the sleeve contained the wrong disc. And the latter was true for the other two singles as well. Well, at least the intention was good.

'Surrender' was a brilliant track from Jon Anderson, who is probably best known for his work with Yes and Vangelis. This single was taken from his solo album 'Animation' (1982). It gave him a top 10 hit in the Netherlands: 'Surrender' peaked at number 7 in June 1982.

My collection: 7" single no. 2055
Found: November 27, 1993
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Surrender' / 'Spider'

Friday 12 December 2008

He is sailing - Jon and Vangelis

Jon Anderson, best known from his work with Yes, and the Greek synth wizard Vangelis worked together on a number of albums. 'He is sailing' is taken from their album 'Private collection', which contains eight lengthy tracks. It was nowhere near as successful as their 1981 singles 'I'll find my way home' and 'I hear you now', which is surprising as this track stands up well next to those two. This is probably also why no further singles were released: their next single was a re-release of 'State of independence', the song that was successfully covered by Donna Summer in 1982.

My collection: 7" single no. 3471
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, December 11, 2008
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'He is sailing [edit]' / 'Polonaise'
Download: here


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