LOST TAPES OF OPIO

Probably the closest that Jon ever got to recreating the inspiration he had back then occurred two decades later, over the span of two albums, Toltec and The Lost Tapes of Opio. Toltec (which this review is NOT about) captured a faint glimmer of the charm Jon had in the shorter vocal songs on Olias. Lost Tapes, on the other hand, at least faintly approaches the glory that the instrumental parts of Olias had.

Which is not to say the approaches are the same, there is a huge difference between these two albums. Olias has a moody space-like quality that pervades the whole album and gives it a certain gravitas. Lost Tapes, on the other hand, is bombastic and playful. Lost Tapes doesn't make you sit up and take notice, it just provides a pleasant listening experience. When Olias was released, there were accusations that Vangelis had made significant contributions to the music. Nobody of course has intimated anything like that about Lost Tapes, but listening to it will reveal far more Vangelis influence than can be heard on Olias.

Two things keep me from giving this four stars. Like I said, the music is bombastic and cheery and pretty. That's just about it. It lacks a certain something in the soul department. It's good. It's very good. But I can't help but think that with the right collaborator this could have been great.

The other things is that Jon treats us to a nearly 20 minute long monologue by Ernie Longwalker in the middle of the album. Thanks but no thnks....

3 stars. Judicious use of the Skip feature when the Longwalker material comes up makes me want to give this 4 stars, but I won't.