Forum Home Forum Home > Progressive Music Lounges > Prog Bands, Artists and Genres Appreciation
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - What About Jon Anderson's Voice and His Lyrics?
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

What About Jon Anderson's Voice and His Lyrics?
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  123>
Author
Message Reverse Sort Order
  Topic Search Topic Search  Topic Options Topic Options
someone_else View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar
VIP Member

Joined: May 02 2008
Location: Going Bananas
Status: Offline
Points: 24622 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote someone_else Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: What About Jon Anderson's Voice and His Lyrics?
    Posted: May 11 2020 at 06:45
His voice is OK and one of the archetypical voices in progressive rock. No problem whatsoever. His lyrics are a completely different story: they remind me of a letter, sent by my aunt from California near the end of 2001. She emigrated back in 1957 and always lacked mastery of English spelling. So she writes words with different meanings and this makes it hard to reconstruct what she wants to say. It seems that something similar is the case with Jon Anderson's lyrics. The difference is that it took me only three days to decipher my aunt's letter instead of more than a lifetime.
Back to Top
geekfreak View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: June 21 2013
Location: Musical Garden
Status: Offline
Points: 9872 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote geekfreak Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 11 2020 at 04:26
Originally posted by M27Barney M27Barney wrote:

A seasoned witch to call you from the depths of your disgrace...
What could be clearer than that? 😎
 

YES (sorry about the pun)
Friedrich Nietzsche: "Without music, life would be a mistake."



Music Is Live

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.



Keep Calm And Listen To The Music…
<
Back to Top
AFlowerKingCrimson View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: October 02 2016
Location: Philly burbs
Status: Offline
Points: 18890 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AFlowerKingCrimson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 10 2020 at 12:32
He's probably my favorite singer so maybe I'm a bit biased. I think his voice is great and no one else sounds like him. His lyrics though often sound like they are from another planet. I think the point was for them to often have more of a poetic flow than to make sense in an immediately understandable way.
Back to Top
POTA View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member


Joined: November 17 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 178 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote POTA Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 10 2020 at 08:18
He's a great lyricist. I prefer lyrics like his that aren't so on the nose and not so easy to interpret, like a lot of Dylan's. Poetic. Jon's are more colorful and give sense of wonder. It gives them a lot of replay value.
Back to Top
Dellinger View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar
VIP Member

Joined: June 18 2009
Location: Mexico
Status: Offline
Points: 12810 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dellinger Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 01 2020 at 15:11
Originally posted by Sacro_Porgo Sacro_Porgo wrote:

Originally posted by Spacegod87 Spacegod87 wrote:

You only need to hear him sing on 'Awaken' to know he has an otherworldly voice.
It might sound cheesy, but hearing him sing on songs like that sends me to another world, it's so beautiful.

I mean...I've thought to myself, "What the hell are these lyrics?" many times, but in the end it doesn't really matter, as long as it sounds good.


I always thought he was saying "Awaken venomous touch!" I was like, why is Jon Anderson singing about snakes or spiders or something?




My wife says she hears Awaken with a Mustache.
Back to Top
Dellinger View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar
VIP Member

Joined: June 18 2009
Location: Mexico
Status: Offline
Points: 12810 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dellinger Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 01 2020 at 15:09
I love his voice, one of my very favourite singers, if not my favourite one overall. And his lyrics, they may not make much sense at times, but overall I do enjoy the way they sound when he sings them.
Back to Top
BaldJean View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: May 28 2005
Location: Germany
Status: Offline
Points: 10387 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BaldJean Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 01 2020 at 11:10
his voice angelic, his lyrics devilish (devilishly hard to understand).

A seasoned witch could call you from the depths of your disgrace
And rearrange your liver to the solid mental grace
And achieve it all with music that came quickly from afar
Then taste the fruit of man recorded losing all against the hour

yeah, whatever. I think this is a song about constipation Evil Smile


A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta
Back to Top
Manuel View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: March 09 2007
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 13481 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Manuel Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 01 2020 at 08:26
I find Jon's voice beautiful. His lyrics are not all bad, and has some really beautiful poetic ones.
Back to Top
moshkito View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: January 04 2007
Location: Grok City
Status: Offline
Points: 18045 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 01 2020 at 07:27
Originally posted by cstack3 cstack3 wrote:

[QUOTE=Slartibartfast]
...
Let me be perfectly clear. I was NOT throwing stones as Jon. I happen to like his vocal style and his way with words which even if they weren't created with a specific meaning in mind have a magical quality that one can read a multitude of interpretations into.

For the record my favorite record of all of his records be it with Yes, Vangelis, Animation, or Solo remains this one - 
Jon Anderson Olias Of Sunhillow album cover

hI,

It wasn't intended to you directly but to everyone else ... like you, that has been for a long time (along with TFTO) one of my favorite albums ... and a special one for my heart!

My only comment is that too many of these comments listed above are all towards a top ten orientation and individuality and words well written and placed are not considered a part of top ten, because the audience is the boss, and the artist is a nobody!

That's the one thing that scares me about "progressive music" ... too many of those folks around!
Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
www.pedrosena.com
Back to Top
cstack3 View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar
VIP Member

Joined: July 20 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ USA
Status: Offline
Points: 7411 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cstack3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 01 2020 at 01:03
Originally posted by AFlowerKingCrimson AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:

Originally posted by Slartibartfast Slartibartfast wrote:

Originally posted by moshkito moshkito wrote:

it is, a personal journey and if you don't get it, why are you throwing stones at Jon? 
Let me be perfectly clear. I was NOT throwing stones as Jon. I happen to like his vocal style and his way with words which even if they weren't created with a specific meaning in mind have a magical quality that one can read a multitude of interpretations into.

For the record my favorite record of all of his records be it with Yes, Vangelis, Animation, or Solo remains this one - 
Jon Anderson Olias Of Sunhillow album cover

I'll do one better than that. It's my favorite album period. 


Please enjoy this little bit that I recorded at a "Voice of Yes" show in Chicagoland some years back:
I am not a Robot, I'm a FREE MAN!!
Back to Top
cstack3 View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar
VIP Member

Joined: July 20 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ USA
Status: Offline
Points: 7411 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote cstack3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 01 2020 at 01:01
Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

adore both the voice and lyrics. My favourite vocalist.

I agree with my Welsh friend. Clap
I am not a Robot, I'm a FREE MAN!!
Back to Top
Sacro_Porgo View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: July 15 2019
Location: Cygnus
Status: Offline
Points: 2062 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sacro_Porgo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 01 2020 at 01:00
Originally posted by Frankh Frankh wrote:

Loving all the love for Jon.

I've been in the same room with Jon often enough to see him forget the lyrics, to hear him hit some clunker notes, to watch him come in a few beats too soon or too late...but when he gets it right...


...man...

...when he gets it right, there isn't another sound like it in our existence.

That I am acutely aware of.

Nothing personal for anyone concerned, but for me, there is no Yes without him. It has become something else.

See the thing about Yes lyrics is if you forget them, you're probably screwed. They don't make quite enough logical sense a lot of the time to figure out what the next line was probably supposed to be about, lol. Love em though.
Porg for short. My love of music doesn't end with prog! Feel free to discuss all sorts of music with me. Odds are I'll give it a chance if I haven't already! :)
Back to Top
richardh View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: February 18 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 29367 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote richardh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 01 2020 at 00:24
Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

Originally posted by richardh richardh wrote:

Yep all hail our little kaftan wearing prog pixie from ...um.. Rochdale.

Wasn’t it Accrington?
 

yep you're right , no idea where I got that from LOL
Back to Top
lazland View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: October 28 2008
Location: Wales
Status: Offline
Points: 13792 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lazland Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 01 2020 at 00:20
Originally posted by richardh richardh wrote:

Yep all hail our little kaftan wearing prog pixie from ...um.. Rochdale.

Wasn’t it Accrington?
Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org

Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time!
Back to Top
richardh View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: February 18 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 29367 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote richardh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 01 2020 at 00:08
Yep all hail our little kaftan wearing prog pixie from ...um.. Rochdale . Bless. Trying to think of anything to say about him is difficult. I never cared for Yes until I saw them live then it all clicked. I agree that Yes is not really Yes without him. I also do enjoy the first three albums he did with Vangelis especially The Friends Of Mr Cairo which showed there was more to him than being a cosmic elf.
Back to Top
Frankh View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: September 14 2017
Location: Schenectady NY
Status: Offline
Points: 214 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Frankh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 30 2020 at 23:53
Loving all the love for Jon.

I've been in the same room with Jon often enough to see him forget the lyrics, to hear him hit some clunker notes, to watch him come in a few beats too soon or too late...but when he gets it right...


...man...

...when he gets it right, there isn't another sound like it in our existence.

That I am acutely aware of.

Nothing personal for anyone concerned, but for me, there is no Yes without him. It has become something else.
Perhaps finding the happy medium is harder than we know.
Back to Top
Sacro_Porgo View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: July 15 2019
Location: Cygnus
Status: Offline
Points: 2062 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sacro_Porgo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 30 2020 at 20:19
Originally posted by Spacegod87 Spacegod87 wrote:

You only need to hear him sing on 'Awaken' to know he has an otherworldly voice.
It might sound cheesy, but hearing him sing on songs like that sends me to another world, it's so beautiful.

I mean...I've thought to myself, "What the hell are these lyrics?" many times, but in the end it doesn't really matter, as long as it sounds good.

I always thought he was saying "Awaken venomous touch!" I was like, why is Jon Anderson singing about snakes or spiders or something?
Porg for short. My love of music doesn't end with prog! Feel free to discuss all sorts of music with me. Odds are I'll give it a chance if I haven't already! :)
Back to Top
Spacegod87 View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: February 16 2019
Location: Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 1107 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Spacegod87 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 30 2020 at 20:07
You only need to hear him sing on 'Awaken' to know he has an otherworldly voice.
It might sound cheesy, but hearing him sing on songs like that sends me to another world, it's so beautiful.

I mean...I've thought to myself, "What the hell are these lyrics?" many times, but in the end it doesn't really matter, as long as it sounds good.
Back to Top
twosteves View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: May 01 2007
Location: NYC/Rhinebeck
Status: Offline
Points: 4095 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote twosteves Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 30 2020 at 18:17
Originally posted by judahbenkenobi judahbenkenobi wrote:

Another acquired taste. I think his voice suits the music just fine. Just like Jon Davison's vocals fit the Heaven and Earth music

Jon Davidsons voice is very annyoying and whiney ---sounds like Jon Anderson on helium....it's the difference between a kazoo and a clarinet. 

BTW--His voice on Vangelis--So long ago so clear is sublime


Edited by twosteves - April 30 2020 at 18:19
Back to Top
AFlowerKingCrimson View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: October 02 2016
Location: Philly burbs
Status: Offline
Points: 18890 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AFlowerKingCrimson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 30 2020 at 16:54
Originally posted by Slartibartfast Slartibartfast wrote:

Originally posted by moshkito moshkito wrote:

it is, a personal journey and if you don't get it, why are you throwing stones at Jon? 
Let me be perfectly clear. I was NOT throwing stones as Jon. I happen to like his vocal style and his way with words which even if they weren't created with a specific meaning in mind have a magical quality that one can read a multitude of interpretations into.

For the record my favorite record of all of his records be it with Yes, Vangelis, Animation, or Solo remains this one - 
Jon Anderson Olias Of Sunhillow album cover

I'll do one better than that. It's my favorite album period. 

As for Jon's voice I once read an interview or saw an article or something that said his voice is actually above the range of a tenor. It's interesting that in the early days of Yes he sung in a lower register because he was sort of ashamed of his higher voice or maybe wanted to sound more masculine or something. By the time they did Fragile his natural voice was unleashed and you can hear the difference between his singing on something like "heart of the sunrise" and "no opportunity needed no experience necessary."
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  123>

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down



This page was generated in 0.332 seconds.
Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.