ANIMATION

This is Jon's OTHER prog album. (The main one being Olias, of course.) It's a welcome return from the drivel that he released on Song of Seven. Much like Peter Gabriel's first album, this album showcases a talented vocalist larking through a variety of musical styles. Jon doesn't go as far as the Gabe did (there's no barbershop or blues here) but he doesn't stray too far from prog in most of the tracks, either. Let's take a look at this one track by track.

Olympia (2/5): The beginning of Jon's love affair with electronica. I find this one mildly annoying. Animation (5/5): The masterpiece of the album. This song is prog through and through. Heck it's more prog than anything Yes was releasing at the time. The lyrics are a fairly serious meditation on what it means to come into existence. Lots of interesting little musical twists in this one, and whichever guy is drumming on this one is spot on. Surrender (2/5): Ok, a quick excursion into reggae, with some of Jon's campier lyrics. I must like this to give it more than one star. All In A Matter Of Time (5/5): Unusual chord changes and an interesting rhythym land this single firmly in prog land. A really nice effort from everybody involved in this gem. Unlearning The Dividing Line (3/5): Jon goes industrial!!!! It's interesting, but not the high point of the album by any means. Boundaries (4/5): Jon has claimed that this folkish anthem came to him in a dream. It's a nice song. It's sad that Jon ended up reusing parts of it in the dismal Yes album, Open Your Eyes. Pressure Point (2/5): Back to the industrial sound again. This one sounds disjointed and half formed. Much Better Reason (3/5): Soft rock with a Latin feel, I guess. It's much better than what you'd imagine Jon singing soft rock with a Latin feel would be, though. The break foreshadows what Jon would be doing in the next decade. All God's Children (4/5): One of those inspiring choral songs that Jon is so good at. A good conclusion to a decent album.

To sum this up, the album is a bit uneven but generally a good one. Animation and All In A Matter of Time are must hear songs, and there are a couple of tracks that are nearly as good, while there is nothing that is absolutely awful here. This isn't an essential prog album, but it is a very good one. 3 stars.