Jon Anderson, for many years the voice of Prog Rock Godheads Yes, has his fifth solo album, ‘In The City of Angels’, reissued by the Voiceprint label on Friday, 3rd May 2024.
‘In The City of Angels’ marked something of a departure for Jon Anderson when it was released in May, 1988. It was his first under a new deal with the Columbia / CBS label, and saw Anderson working with producer Stuart Levine (who has produced records for artists as varied as The Crusaders, Lionel Richie, Simply Red, Hugh Masekela, Boz Scaggs, Womack & Womack, Joe Cocker), and musically, the album inhabits a musical terrain closer to mainstream melodic rock, with overtones of World Music flickering through the content.
More unusually still, there are a couple of co-writes with the great Motown / H-D-H Records production and composing talent, Lamont Dozier. Amongst the backing crew on the album are several members of the band Toto – including guitarist Steve Lukather, bassist Mike Porcaro, drummer Jeff Porcaro, and keyboard player David Paich, as well as percussionist Lenny Castro (who has played on Toto recordings whilst not being a full-time band member) and their trademark high-quality playing adds richness to the album sound.
Although ‘In The City of Angels’ was not the commercial success Anderson hoped for, it has worn well, nearly thirty-seven years after its original release.
‘In The City of Angels’ marked something of a departure for Jon Anderson when it was released in May, 1988. It was his first under a new deal with the Columbia / CBS label, and saw Anderson working with producer Stuart Levine (who has produced records for artists as varied as The Crusaders, Lionel Richie, Simply Red, Hugh Masekela, Boz Scaggs, Womack & Womack, Joe Cocker), and musically, the album inhabits a musical terrain closer to mainstream melodic rock, with overtones of World Music flickering through the content.
More unusually still, there are a couple of co-writes with the great Motown / H-D-H Records production and composing talent, Lamont Dozier. Amongst the backing crew on the album are several members of the band Toto – including guitarist Steve Lukather, bassist Mike Porcaro, drummer Jeff Porcaro, and keyboard player David Paich, as well as percussionist Lenny Castro (who has played on Toto recordings whilst not being a full-time band member) and their trademark high-quality playing adds richness to the album sound.
Although ‘In The City of Angels’ was not the commercial success Anderson hoped for, it has worn well, nearly thirty-seven years after its original release.
