20-10-2016, 21:32
For some reason I was unaware for many years of the existence of this album. It was released in 1976, a time when it was considered very uncool to be a maker of or a lover of progressive rock. It was all so pretentious, right? Everything had to become simple again, so we had punk, then New Wave, then "indie pop" (whatever that is), then grunge. Albums of music like this one, which would have got their fair share of radio airplay in 1973, were suddenly completely out of fashion three years later, and largely ignored.
Times change. Progressive rock is alive and well, though it does not sound the same as it did in 1973 (otherwise it wouldn't be progressive, would it?). As a result I have joined a number of progressive music fora and seen mention of this album, which many regard as Anderson's masterpiece, claiming that his later albums pale in comparison.
Out of curiosity, I listened to Olias some time ago on Spotify, and it had little impact on me; I recall thinking I liked it but it did not bother me whether or not I heard it again.
For some reason I decided to listen again the other night, and found myself wondering what was going on that first time, because on this second listening I was blown away. Right from the opening notes to the final song, it is a very intense listening experience. It is probably the very definition of a concept album, with a fanciful narrative about an interplanetary expedition by an alien race... as usual there is a great deal of philosophy and spirituality in Anderson's lyrics, not always easy to decipher on one or two listenings. To be honest, I am not bothered by that either way, though I know some people find his semi-religious musings off-putting. this album will not be everyone's cup of tea; for example I cannot imagine CH getting much out of it.
The other thing worth mentioning is that the production, to my ears, is rather unusual. there seems very little bass; there is a lot of what sounds like flutes and tambourines. If sound was something that could be seen, this music would appear as sparkling silver.
Anyway, I have decided I need to get this album, and when I do i'll post a proper review of it. Meanwhile a clip:
[video=youtube;rZiFl2mekNQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZiFl2mekNQ[/video]
Times change. Progressive rock is alive and well, though it does not sound the same as it did in 1973 (otherwise it wouldn't be progressive, would it?). As a result I have joined a number of progressive music fora and seen mention of this album, which many regard as Anderson's masterpiece, claiming that his later albums pale in comparison.
Out of curiosity, I listened to Olias some time ago on Spotify, and it had little impact on me; I recall thinking I liked it but it did not bother me whether or not I heard it again.
For some reason I decided to listen again the other night, and found myself wondering what was going on that first time, because on this second listening I was blown away. Right from the opening notes to the final song, it is a very intense listening experience. It is probably the very definition of a concept album, with a fanciful narrative about an interplanetary expedition by an alien race... as usual there is a great deal of philosophy and spirituality in Anderson's lyrics, not always easy to decipher on one or two listenings. To be honest, I am not bothered by that either way, though I know some people find his semi-religious musings off-putting. this album will not be everyone's cup of tea; for example I cannot imagine CH getting much out of it.
The other thing worth mentioning is that the production, to my ears, is rather unusual. there seems very little bass; there is a lot of what sounds like flutes and tambourines. If sound was something that could be seen, this music would appear as sparkling silver.
Anyway, I have decided I need to get this album, and when I do i'll post a proper review of it. Meanwhile a clip:
[video=youtube;rZiFl2mekNQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZiFl2mekNQ[/video]
