Album review : JON ANDERSON AND THE BAND GEEKS – True

August 15th, 2024 by brianmc

Frontiers [Release date : 23.08.24]

An almost 80 year old Jon Anderson, and the Band Geeks will be finishing off their second annual US tour in September. Just about when their first album, True, is being released by Frontiers. Quite a coup for the label.

Social media plays a huge part in the transmission and circulation of music nowadays, so to find Anderson teamed up with The Band Geeks as a result of seeing them cover ‘Heart Of The Sunrise’ online is not the surprise it may once have been.

One telephone call from Anderson to Richie (Blue Oyster Cult) Castellano, Band Geek’s leader, bass player and producer set it all in motion.

“Yes, Epics And Classics – featuring Jon Anderson and the Band Geeks” toured in 2023 and was a huge success.

The relationship evolved into a songwriting partnership. This from Artsfuse website: Anderson: “I had about half a dozen songs in my computer. I sent them to Richie, and he developed them on a major level to make them sound like Yes. I don’t know how he did it, but he did.”

The trailer single, ‘Shine On’ is a surefire crowd pleaser. It’s as if a Brian Wilson pop symphony is jump starting a prog pop classic. A bit like being at the movies and a scene comes on that you’re sure you’ve already watched, and you think “this is where we came in”. That’s ‘Shine On’, a rebirth of Yes Music.

Anderson’s call and response interchange with the backing vocals is so clever, so propulsive, continually refreshing the music’s momentum.

Just like he did with Yes, Anderson often sounds absorbed in his own intricate reverie. The lyrical spirituality of tracks like ‘Build Me An Ocean’ and the 16 minute ‘Once Upon A Dream’ – a new classic – could only have been created by one man.

Last word, ‘Counties and Countries’ is perhaps the best song Yes never wrote. ****1/2

Review by Brian McGowan

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)