(Progressive rock/new age) Jon and Vangelis - "Private Collection" - 1983 - 1990, APE (image+.cue) lossless

Private Collection (Audio CD)
"Private Collection" is an apt title, since I find most of the music of Jon and Vangelis to be a private pleasure, shared with few other people in my life. When I've tried to "connect" friends and family to the sound, I often hear "Oh, that's very pretty"--I've long since figured out that you either "get" Jon and Vangelis or you don't, there's no middle ground. From the opening track, "Italian Song," it is clear this is a very quiet, gentle work, with Jon Anderson's voice beautifully complementing Vangelis' rich aural landscapes. It is only gradually that the power and intensity of the CD becomes apparent. "And When the Night Comes," the second track, evokes the sweeter, softer portions of "The Friends of Mr. Cairo," especially in the borrowed lyric: "So just remember this, / A kiss is just a kiss, / A smile is just a smile." Anderson's lyrics often suggest a love of cinematic fantasy, as we had already sensed in "The Friends . . ." album. Lest the second track become overly maudlin, it ends with a sexy, sultry saxophone sound (reminiscent of the saxophone in the "Blade Runner" soundtrack). The third track, "Deborah," is classic, beautiful, emotional Jon and Vangelis. It doesn't really matter that I happen to think it is the best track Jon and Vangelis have ever created: the song is like the very essence of wistfulness and longing. It is, in my opinion, one of the greatest love songs I've ever heard, and gives me goosebumps every time I hear it (particularly the keyboard work which closes the piece). Amazing! The fourth track, "Polonaise," starts off very gently and understated, and slowly builds to a crashing, multi-layered, percussive crescendo, before tapering off to a quiet, very personal coda. There are religious references aplenty in the song, and all over the CD, but the song is really about finding peace and harmony. The fifth track is the long, syncopated "He is Sailing," another song packed with arcane religious references. It has a lovely fluidity to it, like Vangelis' earlier "To an Unknown Man" or even the "Titles" track from "Chariots of Fire." More than in the other pieces, in "He is Sailing" Anderson's voice is merely one element of the soundscape, not really at the foreground of it.

The sixth track, which is really like the second half of the CD, is the 22-minute "Horizon," which is darker and more foreboding than the previous five tracks. It opens with a rhythm similar to the intriguing titles for "The Bounty." The message of this long, meandering piece can be summed up in the repeated refrain "Peace will come / Come true Horizon." The pseudo-religious elements are reflected in the overlapping choral layers, stabs of organ-like keyboard, and pealing bells in the song. Midway through the track, the insistent background layers fall away, the tempo slows and becomes more ethereal. Perhaps this is the musical equivalent of reaching the horizon described. There is a gorgeous keyboard solo as in Vangelis' earlier "Heaven and Hell," which included one of his first collaborations with Jon Anderson. The slower, more spare arrangement perfectly suits the mood of this very "private" CD, as Jon Anderson's vocal returns. At this point, the lyrics express it best: "Sweet music, and your secret heart, / Both have the healing grace." The songs pivots on this lyric, and suddenly grows darker and more brooding, and almost seems to stop. Anderson's vocals return, full of hope and desire. In the final two minutes of the track, all of the disparate elements come together in the urgent, heartfelt sentiment: "All in all I just can't help but believe there is a way / For us to give. A way for us to live." This CD is a remarkable musical achievement, and that it wasn't a commercial success like "The Friends of Mr. Cairo" surprises me.

* Jon Anderson - Vocals
* Vangelis - Keyboards / Synthesisers / Programming
* Dick Morrissey - Saxophone

Music composed by Vangelis Lyrics composed by Jon Anderson
Arranged and Produced by Vangelis.