Jon Anderson - 2026 - Earth Mother Earth

(47:58; Frontiers Records)

Like many Yes fans, I still cannot comprehend the band touring without this man at the front as although I love ‘Drama’ there has been very few Yes albums in the last 40 years worth hearing when he was not there. Mind you, there is also an argument to be had that he needs strong people to work with to produce great results (Jon & Vangelis, Jon & The Band Geeks), and when left to his own devices his solo albums are often not up to nearly the same standards. In many ways this 1997 reissue is at total odds with his 2019 ‘1000 Hands – Chapter One’ which featured a massive collection of musicians, as for the most part this is just Jon accompanying himself with a few friends here and there (including his wife, Jane).

There is some real beauty here in an album which is based on acoustic instruments, folk music and nature, but it is quite inconsistent, and at times it feels almost as if we are trespassing on a private moment when Jon is in a forest clearing, playing his harp to the birds. The result is something which needs to be played on headphones and really listened to as otherwise it just disappears into the aether, yet there is rarely enough substance to truly capture the listener. There will be many who are grateful that Frontiers have again brought it to public attention and finally given it a release on vinyl (as well as CD and digital), but it is not as essential as the likes of ‘Olias’ and others. 

Kev Rowland, July 2026

Links:
https://www.jonanderson.com/
https://www.frontiers.it/