Original YES Frontman Jon Anderson - "I Am More Open And Ready To Jump Into Different Musical Arenas"
June 5, 2011, 13 years ago
Former YES vocalist JON ANDERSON recently spoke with Classic Rock Revisited about his new solo album, Survival And Other Stories. An excerpt from the story is available below:
What makes this release unique is that Anderson wrote the songs with his fans. The genesis for the project began four years ago as Anderson explains:
“I was waiting for the guys in the Yes band to send me ideas for a project but nothing was coming. I thought there must be peeps out there that would like to work with me, so I just put the ad on my web site; it was very simple really. I just asked for ‘one minute of your musical work,’ it was fantastic to hear so much great music. I picked out a dozen or so peeps and got back to them and we started writing music. They would send ideas, I would sing melodies and lyrics.”What began as a simply inquisitive project has now blossomed into something very special for the singer, and something that is keeping him very busy.
“The talent inspired me. I now get music sent to me all the time. I'm singing with an African sounding band at the moment. It is very exciting. Each week there is a new challenge. I just finished a ‘Violin Concerto for Dance' with Bill Kilpatrick, so there is much more to come out of this unique idea. I must have enough [material] for three albums.”Anderson says that the musicians whom he decided to work with were “excited and thankful” to hear from him but admits he felt the same way. In fact, this process has changed Anderson’s view on music. “I am more open and more ready to jump into different musical arenas,” Anderson continues, “I push certain peeps to write more like a musical, or even a modern opera, telling stories with music.”
Anderson also offered his comments on Classic Rock Revisited's Top 10 list of Yes songs. An excerpt from the list is available below.
'Roundabout' - "We were on tour, traveling from Aberdeen in Scotland to Glasgow, so many roundabouts, and the road through valley was so long, and the clouds so low. It looked like there was no top of the mountains, left and right of the road, as though they came out of the sky. Twenty-four hours later we would be home in London."
Go to this location for the complete story and the rest of the Top 10 list.
