YES - The Band Members Solo Album Collection (6x SHM-CD 2011) RE-UP

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YES - The Band Members Solo Album Collection (6x SHM-CD 2011) RE-UP

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Jon Anderson - Olias Of Sunhillow (1976) [SHM-CD 2011]
EAC-FLAC with CUE & LOG - 252 MB | Full Scans - 97 MB | MP3 CBR 320 Kbps - 104 MB
Running time - 44:13 minutes | Label: Arcàngelo Records / WM Japan | Cat. # ARC-8061 (WQCP-1015)

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allmusic.com says:
Inspired by the artwork of Roger Dean and the writings of Ver Stanley Alder, Jon Anderson developed an entire story around the idea of an interstellar exodus from Sunhillow, writing this album around the narrative (named for the spaceship's architect, Olias). The idea may seem overly ambitious, but Anderson fills the record with enough magical moments to delight fans of Yes' mystic side. The music is written and performed almost entirely by Anderson, who dubs vocals, plays guitar and harp, and adds percussion and the occasional synthesizer to flesh out his ideas so that at no point does the music lose its spellbinding effect for lack of sonic detail. Olias of Sunhillow is faithful to the spirit of Yes, though decidedly more airy than that band's visceral style – its closest comparison would be Fragile's "We Have Heaven" or Going for the One's "Wonderous Stories" (which was clearly influenced by this record) on the vocal tracks, and Vangelis on the instrumental tracks. Although the album is effective in its entirety, "Sound Out the Galleon," "Olias (To Build the Moorglade)," and "Solid Space" are some of the more memorable excerpts. The arrangements incorporate elements of the four tribes of Sunhillow, the most noticeable being Oriental elements that prefigure Vangelis' own China (especially on the opening "Ocean Song"). While there are several songs that could have easily fit in Yes' own catalog, and the lyrics continue to mine the mystical musings that Yes fans had come to enjoy, Olias of Sunhillow is not the missing Yes album some might hope it to be, though it does deliver on the promise that the Jon & Vangelis collaborations seemed to hold. If possible, pick up the LP version of this release, since the packaging is stunning and features terrific artwork by Dave Roe.

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Jon Anderson - Song Of Seven (1980) [SHM-CD 2011]
EAC-FLAC with CUE & LOG - 271 MB | Full Scans - 64 MB | MP3 CBR 320 Kbps - 91 MB
Running time - 39:47 minutes | Label: Arcàngelo Records / WM Japan | Cat. # ARC-8062 (WQCP-1016)

allmusic.com says:
Jon Anderson records naturally sound like Yes records, and not only because of his high, frequently double-tracked tenor. Anderson, who wrote, arranged, and produced Song of Seven, his second solo album, fills his overstuffed arrangements with dense keyboard textures and sparkling acoustic guitar strumming, just like the music of his band. (Since Yes had disbanded when Anderson made this album, he had little incentive to stray too far from the group's sound if he was to woo its fans to his then full-time solo career.) For parts of this album, he evokes touches of early rock & roll and seems to be singing of romance, but by late in the second side, amid sound effects of birds and children, his keening vocals, in melodies seemingly borrowed from Anglican hymnals, are going on about the strength of dreams and stairways of love. Restraint is not one of Anderson's characteristics.

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Steve Howe - Beginnings (1975) [SHM-CD 2011]
EAC-FLAC with CUE & LOG - 264 MB | Full Scans - 71 MB | MP3 CBR 320 Kbps - 90 MB
Running time - 39:54 minutes | Label: Arcàngelo Records / WM Japan | Cat. # ARC-8063 (WQCP-1017)

allmusic.com says:
Steve Howe's first solo album was a failure next to rival solo releases by Jon Anderson and Chris Squire, both of whom yielded work that was more majestic and memorable. The playing is strong throughout, but towards what end is the mystery – none of the songs are particularly memorable, nor is the production (even a guest appearance by members of the folk-rock group Gryphon doesn't help), and Howe is such a weak singer that he'd have been better off following the lead of his Yes predecessor Peter Banks and sticking to instrumentals.

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Steve Howe - The Steve Howe Album (1979) [SHM-CD 2011]
EAC-FLAC with CUE & LOG - 252 MB | Full Scans - 72 MB | MP3 CBR 320 Kbps - 95 MB
Running time - 41:33 minutes | Label: Arcàngelo Records / WM Japan | Cat. # ARC-8064 (WQCP-1018)

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allmusic.com says:
Steve Howe's second solo effort is his most essential recording. The Steve Howe Album contains many of Howe's strongest and most original compositions. Whereas some of his albums can be associated with the sound of the bands in which he's played, this release is unique. Howe places himself in a country/bluegrass setting on most of the compositions, and that is what makes this project so appealing – he's a rock veteran venturing outside of his field. And with Graham Preskett playing violin on "The Continental," Howe turns in what sounds like a real hoedown. The first track, "Pennants," is a gem for the more rock-oriented fan. The cut opens with the sweet, resonant, rocking sounds of Howe's Fender Telecaster; he then adds mandolin and a pervasive twin-neck steel, while drummer Alan White keeps it all rhythmic. Half of the tracks are played by Howe alone, most notably "Surface Tension," his composition for solo Spanish guitar. Other cuts feature former Yes-mates White, Bill Bruford, and Patrick Moraz (all of whom participated on Howe's first solo album), and Claire Hamill, who sings beautifully on "Look Over Your Shoulder." Only one other cut includes vocals: "All's a Chord," on which Howe's singing is awkward but appealing. The song, comprised of several movements and musical styles (including classical), features Howe on eight different stringed instruments, including bass, pedal steel, sitar, banjo, mandolin, and his trademark deep-bodied electric-acoustic Gibson ES 175 D. The final two pieces are set apart from the rest of the recordings. On both compositions, equipped only with his Gibson Les Paul, Howe is accompanied by a string ensemble on his interpretation of Vivaldi's Concerto in D, Second Movement, and by a 59-piece orchestra on "Double Rondo." Andrew Jackman (who served as orchestrator and conductor on Chris Squire's Fish Out of Water several years earlier) conducts. The Steve Howe Album is a culmination of everything Howe represents, every genre of music he loves so dearly, exquisitely played and arranged. The inside cover colorfully depicts all the stringed instruments Howe used on the recordings, and Roger Dean's cover painting makes the package complete. The sound quality of the Japanese import compact disc is unsurpassed, incredibly sharp and vibrant.

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Chris Squire - Fish Out Of Water (1975) [SHM-CD 2011]
EAC-FLAC with CUE & LOG - 285 MB | Full Scans - 115 MB | MP3 CBR 320 Kbps - 101 MB
Running time - 42:34 minutes | Label: Arcàngelo Records / WM Japan | Cat. # ARC-8065 (WQCP-1019)

allmusic.com says:
Yes-like in every possible aspect, Chris Squire's Fish out of Water is an album that's typical of his band's progressive formula: softened keyboard extensions à la Patrick Moraz, steady yet atmospheric percussion work from Bill Bruford, and a smattering of flute and saxophone that accompanies a small orchestra, which includes effective horn and harp work. Squire's guitar playing is standard, coming to life the most on "Silently Falling" and "Lucky Seven," with the former boosted by a rather dazzling synthesizer solo from Moraz. Even though there are few surprises laid out on the album's five tracks, the elemental composition of pure '70s progressive rock is strewn across each song from start to finish. Squire even sounds like Jon Anderson, especially on "Hold out Your Hand," and each of the song's melodies cater to Squire's vocal ascent. Fish out of Water harbors some firm instrumental and vocal cross-breeding while remaining well within the prog rock norm.

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Alan White - Ramshackled (1976) [SHM-CD 2011]
EAC-FLAC with CUE & LOG - 266 MB | Full Scans - 65 MB | MP3 CBR 320 Kbps - 88 MB
Running time - 38:57 minutes | Label: Arcàngelo Records / WM Japan | Cat. # ARC-8066 (WQCP-1020)

allmusic.com says:
In the '70s, drummer Alan White was among the Yes members who recorded solo projects; the others included Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, and Rick Wakeman. Ramshackled, White's only solo album, was far from a huge seller, but some Yes fans bought it out of curiosity. Many of them were no doubt expecting to hear progressive rock, but this out of print LP is a long way from Relayer or Tales from Topographic Oceans. Instead, White turns his attention to blue-eyed soul-pop and, to a lesser degree, jazz fusion with erratic results. While the singing is unimpressive, some of the material is OK. "One Way Rag," "Giddy," and "Ooooh Baby" have more in common with Van Morrison than with Yes, King Crimson, or Genesis, and the jazz fusion instrumental "Avakak" might have worked on a CTI session of the early to mid-'70s. Meanwhile, the most embarrassing tune on the album is "Silly Woman," a painfully square and downright corny attempt at reggae or Caribbean music. Although Ramshackled isn't terrible, most of the Yes fans who bought it agreed that their money hadn't been well spent. The LP soon ended up in the cutout bins, and White's attempt at solo career died a quick death.