1000 Hands – Chapter One is the 15th solo studio album by Yes legend Jon Anderson.
Jon Anderson’s solo career cannot be considered particularly steady. Stylistically or qualitatively. Anderson’s best solo album remains his mysterious and mythical 1976 debut solo Olias Of Sunhillow. Since then, Anderson has experimented with many different styles with varying degrees of success. The most successful of Anderson’s experiments have been the crossover album Change We Must, which interestingly combines art music and rock, and the delicious Latin pop album Deseo, both from 1994. Also quite successful were the prog/new age mix Toltec (1996) and the prog album Invention Of Knowledge (2016) with Swedish flower king Roine Stolt.
On the failure side, there was the wretched Irish-style Promise Ring (1997), the downright tragicomic dancepop album More You Know (1998) and the totally sleepy new age-ish classic Angel’s Embrace (1995). So, for better or for worse, many things have been tried. So don’t always expect prog from Anderson’s solo albums, but be prepared for anything. And that’s what the veteran’s latest album 1000 Hands really offers. Anderson’s music is all over the place.
The history of 1000 Hands dates back to 1990 when Anderson worked with keyboardist/songwriter Brian Chatto on a project called Uzlot. Yes rhythm section Chris Squire and Alan White were also invited to help with the sessions. The album, like many other projects by the impulsive Anderson, was never finished. Anderson’s interest turned back to Yes, which led to the infamous Union album and the successful world tour that followed. The tapes of the Uzlot project were left gathering dust in Anderson’s warehouse.
In 2016, producer Michael Franklin contacted Anderson and proposed to finalise the Uzlot project. Anderson took the bait and somehow managed to attract over 20 rather famous prog and jazz musicians, the Tower Of Power horn section, the choir and the Orlando Symphony Orchestra. So there’s a lot of people on the album and no wonder it’s called (somewhat exaggeratedly!) 1000 Hands.
What about the end result? Was it worth it to finish decades of old material? The answer is definitely yes. But before we get into the songs on the album itself, I’ll answer another question that will probably be of interest to many readers. Is 74-year-old Jon Anderson still fit to sing? The answer to this is an even more unequivocal yes. Indeed, Anderson’s vocals sound really good throughout the album. Unbelievably good, in fact. I don’t know of any other rock singer over 70 whose voice is as well preserved. Anderson’s voice has made a full recovery from the illness that nearly killed him ten years ago and caused him to leave Yes. It should be remembered that some of the album was recorded in the 90s, which may partly explain the quality of the vocals. On the other hand, I understand that most of the vocals were recorded during the 2018 sessions and the recent live concerts also testify to Anderson’s phenomenal vocal ability.
The album begins with a simple acoustic guitar strum and Anderson singing the first of three variations of ”Now”. The ”Now” variations play a somewhat similar role as acoustic interludes to the three ”Peace” tracks on King Crimson’s In The Wake Of Poseidon (1970).
The second track ”Ramalama” puts the pedal to the metal and reveals the true eclecticism of the album. The upbeat and energetic track combines electronic beats, banjos, Indian rhythms, violins and Anderson’s multi-looped vocals into an energetic mishmash that somehow manages to work. Most Yes fans, though, will probably hate ”Ramalama”.
The third track ”First Born Leader” begins with Anderson’s grandiose vocals which are briefly supported by the choir. Surprisingly, the song changes direction and turns into laid-back reggae. ”First Born Leader” would have fit well on Anderson’s second solo album Song Of Seven (1980). It is not one of 1000 Hands’ best.
To the delight of Yes fans, the next track finally offers a little more traditional progressive rock. The 10-minute ”Activate”, which represents the most progressive side of the album, is a natural continuation of the best songs from Yes’ Magnification (2001). ”Activate” features great flute work from Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) and makes nice use of Robbie Steinhardt’s (Kansas) violin. The song makes you dream of a full Anderson & Anderson album. With Ian’s vocal cords in a bad way these days, it would be more than nice to hear Jon singing his music. ”Activate” also features Alan White on drums and Chris Squire on bass. Tim Franklin also plays fretless bass on the song and it’s hard to distinguish Squire from that, at least for me. Anyway, ”Activate” is a handsome song and contains a really massive climax.
From the prog, we move again to the other side. True to its name, the super-cheerful and summery ”Makes Me Happy” takes advantage of Tower Of Power’s horns and snappy thumping drum track. And is the main stringed instrument really a ukulele? For serious prog fans the song will be poison, but if you tolerate Anderson at his most optimistic, the song is a refreshing affair.
”Makes Me Happy” is followed by the second of the Now Variations and this part is called ”Now Variation”. The familiar melancholic theme is this time played by string instruments.
One of the biggest stumbling blocks of Anderson’s career in the second half has been his occasional lapses into over-sweetness. On 1000 Hands, the closest he comes to the sin of sugary indulgence is on ”I Found Myself” where Jon sings a duet with his wife Jane (Janeeee!), accompanied by the sounds of birds, about how they found themselves when they found each other. Too cute? Well, yes, but somehow, strangely, the song remains relatively endearing and even somewhat touching. Perhaps thanks to the relatively restrained arrangement and the excellent violin ornamentation by Jerry Goodman (Mahavishnu Orchestra).
The Anderson family duet is followed by the beautiful and mostly acoustic ”Twice In A Lifetime”. Anderson is accompanied by a pair of violins, accordion, trombone, French horn and harpsichord. The delightfully open-minded instrumentation works and this is the closest Anderson has come to chamber music since his great 1994 album Change We Must. ”Twice In A Lifetime” is definitely one of the highlights of the album, even if it is perhaps a little overproduced due to the unnecessarily massive humming bass line.
From chamber music we move into a completely different mood with the three-minute ”WDMCF” (short for ”where does music come from”), perhaps the most surprising departure on the album. The track is pure dubstep electronica. And most surprisingly, the track also works quite nicely. This track also makes effective use of Anderson’s vocal chops. It’s funny, by the way, that this approach can be found in Yes’ output as far back as the Fragile (1971) album track ”We Have Heaven” where Anderson first experimented with looping his vocals. Indeed, ”WDMCF” directly references the aforementioned song by using a similar ”door-banging-clanging” sound effect to its predecessor.
The next track opens with a nimble electric piano part by jazz legend Chick Corea. The eight-minute title track ”1,000 Hands (Come Up)” is a handsome combination of jazz-rock and big-sounding symphonic prog. Anderson’s backing band is absolutely superb. In addition to Corea, the track features Chris Squire, Larry Coryell, Billy Cobham and Jean-Luc Ponty. You shouldn’t expect a furious fusion that sounds like the Mahavishnu Orchestra, but it’s a very pleasantly swinging track with several fine jazz-rock solo performances.
The most touching moment of the album is heard in the last song of the Now variations, the last part of the album ”Now And Again”, in the second half of which Jon Anderson sings in a delicately broken voice about his old friend ”Never forgot that we are friends…here I am singing as you play. Memories sing in this lifetime, never forgot.” Steve Howe’s classic guitar plays in the background. At least this fan would like to believe that with this song the two musical brothers have buried their war axe for good. The truth may not be quite so bright, but at least this reunion, performed remotely (Anderson and Howe did not meet when the song was recorded), suggests that there is hope.
1000 Hands is a rich musical journey through Anderson’s diverse influences. It’s surprising how well the album holds together despite the fact that some of it was recorded decades ago and constantly jumps from genre to genre. Much of the credit must surely go to producer Michael Franklin who has managed to keep a tight grip on a complex project. Also in terms of sound, 1000 Hands is in a completely different league to Anderson’s many recent solo albums, which have often been somewhat amateurish.
The album’s subtitle Chapter One suggests that there is more to come. It is unclear whether a possible sequel will have its roots in the 90s, but on the basis of this album I am looking forward to the sequel anyway. Perhaps the promised follow-up to Olias Of Sunhillow, The Songs Of Zamran: Son of Olias will also be released one day…
Best tracks: ”Activate”, “Twice In A Lifetime”, ”1,000 Hands (Come Up)” and “Now And Again”
Rating: ****
Author: JANNE YLIRUUSI
Tracks
1. ”Now” Anderson/Chatton 1:15
2. ”Ramalama” Anderson/Franklin 3:52
3. ”First Born Leaders” Anderson/Chatton 5:21
4. ”Activate” Anderson/Chatton 9:24
5. ”Makes Me Happy” Anderson 3:54
6. ”Now Variations” Anderson/Chatton 1:10
7. ”I Found Myself” Anderson 5:08
8. ”Twice in a Lifetime” Anderson/Chatton 5:27
9. ”WDMCF” Anderson/Franklin 3:42
10. ”1000 Hands (Come Up)” Anderson/Chatton 9:24
11. ”Now and Again” Anderson/Chatton 3:38
Now
- Jon Anderson – Vocals
- Tommy Calton – Guitar
Ramalama
- Jon Anderson – Vocals
- Michael Franklin – Kurzweil and samples
- Tim Franklin – Bass guitar
- Jason Thomas – Violin
- Carmine Appice – Drums
- Matt Brown – Drums
- Mitch Corbin – Banjo
First Born Leaders
- Jon Anderson – Vocals
- Larry Coryell – Electric guitar
- Tommy Calton – Electric guitar
- Michael Franklin –Keyboards
- Tim Franklin – Fretless Bass guitar
- Pat Frost – Steel Pan drums
- Steady Joseph – Percussion
- Matt Brown – Drums
- Pat GulloTta – Trombone
- Brian Snapp – Saxophone
- Brian Scanlon – Trumpet
- Zap Mama – Backing vocals
- Voices of Lindhal- Choir
- Solar Choir – Choir
Activate
- Jon Anderson- Vocals
- Larry Coryell – Acoustic guitar
- Tommy Calton- Acoustic guitar
- Ian Anderson – Flute
- Tim Franklin- Double bass and bass guitar
- Michael Franklin – Piano, Kurzweil
- Chris Squire – Bass guitar
- Alan White – Drums
- Olga Kopakova – Violin
- Robby Steinhardt – Electric violin
- Paul Fleury – Cello
- Steady Joseph – Percussion
- Steve Walters- Trumpet
- Billy Boyd- Trumpet
- Brian Scanlon – Trumpet
- Pat Gullotta – Trombone, french horn
- Brian Chatton – Synthesizer
- Brain Snapp – Woodwinds
- Superstar Choir – Choir
- Pat Travers – Electric guitar
- Steve Morse – Electric guitar
- Michael Winslow -Special effects
- Voices of Lindal – Choir
- Solar Choir – Choir
Makes Me Happy
- Jon Anderson – Vocals
- Michael winslow- Beat Box
- Tim Franklin –Ukulele
- Tim Franklin – Double bass
- Michael Franklin – Keyboards, backing vocals
- Matt Brown- Drums
- Tower of Power Horn Section – Horns
- Rick Derringer – Guitar
- Tommy Calton – Guitar
- Crossover Band – Backing vocals
Now Variations
- Jon Anderson – Vocals
- Michael Franklin – Kurzweil
- Olga Kopakova – Violins
- Paul Fleury – Cello
- Tim Franklin – Double bass
I Found Myself
- Jon Anderson – Vocals
- Jane Anderson – Vocals
- Tim Franklin – Fretless bass guitar
- Jerry Goodman – Violin
- Michael Franklin- Wurlitzer, B3, Kurzweil
- Paul Fleury- Sellot
- Christie Lenee – Acoustic guitar
- Tommy Calton – Acoustic guitar
- Matt Brown – Drums
Twice in a Lifetime
- Jon Anderson – Vocals
- Charlie Bisharat- Violin soloist
- Dariaz Grabowski – Accordion
- Tommy Calton- Guitar
- Tim Franklin – Double bass
- Michael Franklin- Cembalo, Piano, Kurzweil
- Brian Chatton – Synthesizer
- Matt Brown – Drums
- Olgas Kopakova – Violin
- Paul Fleury – Cello
- Pat Gullotta – Trombone, french horn
- Brian Scanlon -Trumpet
- Brian Snapp – Woodwinds
WDMCF
- Jon Anderson – Vocals
- Michael Franklin- Kurzweil ja samplet
- Chick Corea – Piano
Come Up
- Jon Anderson – Vocals
- Tim Franklin – Double bass
- Billy Cobham – Drums
- Chick Corea – Piano
- Jean Luc Ponty – Violin soloist
- Chris Squire – Bass guitar
- Larry Coryell – Guitar
- Michael Franklin – Kurzweil
- Jonathan Cain – Keyboards
- Tommy Calton – Guitar
- Brian Chatton – Synthesizer
- Steady Joseph – Percussion
- Pat Frost – Steel Pan drums
- Jeff Abbott – Keytar
- Zap Mama – Backing vocals
- Voices of Lindhal – Choir
- Stu Hamm – Bass guitar
Now and Again
- Jon Anderson – Vocals
- Steve Howe – Classic guitar
- Michael Franklin – Kurzweil, Piano,
- Tommy Calton – Guitar
- Bobbie Koelble – Guitar
- Tim Franklin – Fretless bass guitar
- Olgas Kopakova – Violin
- Paul Fleury – Cello
- Pat Gullota – Trombone, french horn
- Brian Scanlon – Trumpet
- Brian Snapp – Woodwinds
- Voices of Lindhal: Choir
- Solar Choir: Choir
Production: Michael Franklin
Label: None
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