All making these low comments STOP! This is not what music is about you should be ashamed of yourselfs. It should matter not where it originated from, who wrote what. Its historical signifigance and all that nonsense. But only how it makes you feel when it hits your ears. GROW UP!
Anybody who ascribes race to Jon Anderson's music has absolutely no idea of what the man is all about.
Carribian music expressing an ancient eastern spiritual concept (the freedom of a medative state, the Sound of God, independence of the Soul) - yep, it's Jon Anderson. The Universal Way is alive and well...
Could we all please just grow up? It's what Jon's been singing about for decades.
I'm far from a musicologist but there is a racial influence in the development of music. Europeans leaned to martial timings, African influences brought more expansive time sigs...this is however an amalgam of many styles...Oh and I love Donnas version too :-))
This is one of the hundreds of songs Jon wrote and sung. It's blows Donna what's her name away! Does she write songs? She's a talentless hack, if you ask me.
@keter1234 From 1976 onwards Summer did write most of the music on her albums either herself or with e.g Giorgio Moroder. Yes is a great band but they did not come up with dancefloor filling songs in the 70's but did fill head and heart and still do.
@CoastalTown2 - This is a great version but you can't be serious about comparing Anderson's voice to the voice of Donna Summers. Donna has a great voice. You obviously know very little about vocalists. Anderson sounds like an elf with his balls cut off.
@nycboyforlife Like you have a collection of Castrato elves to set your "pitch" by..I love these fatuous bits of cyber nonsense:-))) Cheers for that laugh.
The fact that this song, composed by 2 guys from a heavy prog rock/symphonic and classical background has influenced various 'cool' artists over 30 years is testament to substance over style. Make no mistake, Quincy Jones' version for Donna Summer is a fantastic work and deserves to stand on its own because he took a very 'white' song and didn't try to black it up - he just respected the arrangement and sound and augmented it in a way that, possibly, elevated it to another level.
@ColinBobbyDartford well said. quite a remarkable feat when you take the time to evaluate the production quality of the donna summer version. this is one of those songs that i cant get enough of, collected as many versions of it as possible over the years.
@ColinBobbyDartford well, I love the original also but there is no way this is a white song, by the nature of the obvious carribean or island melody, it starts out sounding extremely Rasta influenced, then the heavy Jazz horns, the quick staccata singing style is all derived from those non-white influences but then again that idiotic statement about blacking up a song is the ramblings of a person that has not really studied music.
@kimrabb That 'style' you talk about has its influences as well. Music did not start with black America or Africa. Please do not presume I have no knowledge of music theory and form based on a statement that you have clearly decided is racist. You are displaying monumental ignorance yourself. Have some self awareness.
@ColinBobbyDartford now you can get angry and say whatever you like but the truth is the truth...it is a wonderful conglomerate of sounds obviously gathered from many non-white kind of people but if you stop and think about music and you actually know the history of what we call rock and roll then you would never have said something like black up a song..wow, just amazing the depth of ignorance in the world.
@kimrabb As you can see, I use the words black and white equally, there's nothing to be read into that other than a style of music that generally (not exclusively) tends to lie within one camp or the other. I'm well aware that modern pop/rock owes its existence to black American blues and blues owes it's existence to folk music. However, the European Classical movement precedes all of them and its from this that many artists like Anderson and Vangelis draw influence.
You know I absolutely LOOOOOVE this album! Apart from one song its almost perfect. I just cannot understand why Back To School was included on this LP but there ye go! I've always felt this version of State of Independence is wayyy superior to Donna Summer's yet her version gets all the glory?? Why??
@Watchuseek Don't get Me wrong I like Donna Summer and her version but I just love the vibe of this one more. As you say the Summer one is more concentrated on her vocal ability where as this is balanced between Anderson's vocals and Vangelis' arrangement. Also I can't separate this from the Friend of Mr Cairo album which I love and so I tend to the view the song and album as one whole piece...if that makes sense..
@ladyjatbay It's not easy to put together 8 minutes of pictures, etc. I uploaded to give people a chance to hear and or download an mp3 of less common or difficult to find songs.
@CoastalTown2 I'm ashamed to say, as big a fan I am of Jon's solo & Yes stuff, I'm totally unfamiliar with his Vang collabs. So lastnight when I saw Jon play this live, I just had to listen to its natural version. Thanks to you posting this, I'm able to do so. And unlike commenter ladyjatbay, I could care less about vid visuals. I just want the music, which you were kind enough to provide. Besides, music this powerful lets my mind paint pictures beyond anything I'll ever see on a mere TV screen
The original here is by far the best. Donna Summer did a good job. The Mood Swings with Chrissy Hynde also did a fine job, but this is a sonic masterpiece!
Finally the full version of this multi-facetted, new age, world music, funk-inspired work is on YT. I am not wise enough to decipher Anderson's new age(?) lyrics, but I love everything about this orchestration right from Dick Morrissey on the sax to every little detail of Vangelis' synth instrumentation. Jon Anderson's vocals are outstanding on this - by far the best - Jon & Vangelis album. It's no suprise that Quincy Jones 'Americanized' this song after it was released, but this original rocks
Straordinaria!!!
enbowie 2 days ago
All making these low comments STOP! This is not what music is about you should be ashamed of yourselfs. It should matter not where it originated from, who wrote what. Its historical signifigance and all that nonsense. But only how it makes you feel when it hits your ears. GROW UP!
fender1000100 2 weeks ago
Was this vinyl ever released on CD???
3801cc 1 month ago in playlist LIST 5
@3801cc Yes, I bought the CD years ago. You can buy it for under $8 at Amazon.com.
CoastalTown2 1 month ago
Anybody who ascribes race to Jon Anderson's music has absolutely no idea of what the man is all about.
Carribian music expressing an ancient eastern spiritual concept (the freedom of a medative state, the Sound of God, independence of the Soul) - yep, it's Jon Anderson. The Universal Way is alive and well...
Could we all please just grow up? It's what Jon's been singing about for decades.
jfl440 1 month ago 2
I'm far from a musicologist but there is a racial influence in the development of music. Europeans leaned to martial timings, African influences brought more expansive time sigs...this is however an amalgam of many styles...Oh and I love Donnas version too :-))
Bruchag 1 month ago
i totaly agree colinBobbyDartford
snorley51 2 months ago
This is one of the hundreds of songs Jon wrote and sung. It's blows Donna what's her name away! Does she write songs? She's a talentless hack, if you ask me.
keter1234 2 months ago
@keter1234 dont be silly, donna sings it amazing. its hard to find a bad version of this song, its THAT good
mikesomething 1 month ago
@keter1234 From 1976 onwards Summer did write most of the music on her albums either herself or with e.g Giorgio Moroder. Yes is a great band but they did not come up with dancefloor filling songs in the 70's but did fill head and heart and still do.
konked 1 week ago
@konked Yes never wanted to or tried to do dance music.
CoastalTown2 1 week ago
@CoastalTown2 No they did not, but my point was in writing regardless the style, sorry if not clearly enough :)
konked 1 week ago
Comment removed
DayGloClam 2 months ago
@Hecti96 I'll take Jon Anderson's singing over Donna Summer's any day.
CoastalTown2 3 months ago
@CoastalTown2 - This is a great version but you can't be serious about comparing Anderson's voice to the voice of Donna Summers. Donna has a great voice. You obviously know very little about vocalists. Anderson sounds like an elf with his balls cut off.
nycboyforlife 2 months ago
@nycboyforlife Your musical taste perfectly compliments your crudeness. Donna who?
CoastalTown2 2 months ago
@nycboyforlife Like you have a collection of Castrato elves to set your "pitch" by..I love these fatuous bits of cyber nonsense:-))) Cheers for that laugh.
Bruchag 1 month ago
The fact that this song, composed by 2 guys from a heavy prog rock/symphonic and classical background has influenced various 'cool' artists over 30 years is testament to substance over style. Make no mistake, Quincy Jones' version for Donna Summer is a fantastic work and deserves to stand on its own because he took a very 'white' song and didn't try to black it up - he just respected the arrangement and sound and augmented it in a way that, possibly, elevated it to another level.
ColinBobbyDartford 5 months ago 7
@ColinBobbyDartford well said. quite a remarkable feat when you take the time to evaluate the production quality of the donna summer version. this is one of those songs that i cant get enough of, collected as many versions of it as possible over the years.
spooksixsix 4 months ago
@ColinBobbyDartford well, I love the original also but there is no way this is a white song, by the nature of the obvious carribean or island melody, it starts out sounding extremely Rasta influenced, then the heavy Jazz horns, the quick staccata singing style is all derived from those non-white influences but then again that idiotic statement about blacking up a song is the ramblings of a person that has not really studied music.
kimrabb 1 month ago 3
@kimrabb That 'style' you talk about has its influences as well. Music did not start with black America or Africa. Please do not presume I have no knowledge of music theory and form based on a statement that you have clearly decided is racist. You are displaying monumental ignorance yourself. Have some self awareness.
ColinBobbyDartford 1 month ago
@ColinBobbyDartford now you can get angry and say whatever you like but the truth is the truth...it is a wonderful conglomerate of sounds obviously gathered from many non-white kind of people but if you stop and think about music and you actually know the history of what we call rock and roll then you would never have said something like black up a song..wow, just amazing the depth of ignorance in the world.
kimrabb 1 month ago
@kimrabb As you can see, I use the words black and white equally, there's nothing to be read into that other than a style of music that generally (not exclusively) tends to lie within one camp or the other. I'm well aware that modern pop/rock owes its existence to black American blues and blues owes it's existence to folk music. However, the European Classical movement precedes all of them and its from this that many artists like Anderson and Vangelis draw influence.
ColinBobbyDartford 1 month ago
This song is pure magic, no need for pictures, music speaks for it's self.
Holyheadian 5 months ago
Das Original ist halt immer noch das BESTE (JON & VANGELIS)
jlucgasser 6 months ago
I want this playeg at my funeral!!
kimjones57 6 months ago
Jon & Vangelis are super special together!@
celebratebuchan 7 months ago
This was the original
cpstacey1 7 months ago
You know I absolutely LOOOOOVE this album! Apart from one song its almost perfect. I just cannot understand why Back To School was included on this LP but there ye go! I've always felt this version of State of Independence is wayyy superior to Donna Summer's yet her version gets all the glory?? Why??
BaronVonPenguin 7 months ago
@BaronVonPenguin
You have to agree the voice of SDonna Summer is a league of it's own.
Her interpretation of this song is more soulful/disco-like.
It's all a matter of taste.
IMO the original is instrumental more interesting, the cover by DS is all about her voice which - once again IMO - is one of the best . Period.
Watchuseek 6 months ago 2
@Watchuseek Don't get Me wrong I like Donna Summer and her version but I just love the vibe of this one more. As you say the Summer one is more concentrated on her vocal ability where as this is balanced between Anderson's vocals and Vangelis' arrangement. Also I can't separate this from the Friend of Mr Cairo album which I love and so I tend to the view the song and album as one whole piece...if that makes sense..
BaronVonPenguin 6 months ago
This entire album is fantastic!! Thank you so much for posting!!
usblueflyer 8 months ago 9
@usblueflyer You're welcome.
CoastalTown2 8 months ago
I wish if people were going to make videos they'd do something else besides have a photo sitting there. I like watching videos with the music.
ladyjatbay 1 year ago
@ladyjatbay It's not easy to put together 8 minutes of pictures, etc. I uploaded to give people a chance to hear and or download an mp3 of less common or difficult to find songs.
CoastalTown2 1 year ago
@CoastalTown2 I'm ashamed to say, as big a fan I am of Jon's solo & Yes stuff, I'm totally unfamiliar with his Vang collabs. So lastnight when I saw Jon play this live, I just had to listen to its natural version. Thanks to you posting this, I'm able to do so. And unlike commenter ladyjatbay, I could care less about vid visuals. I just want the music, which you were kind enough to provide. Besides, music this powerful lets my mind paint pictures beyond anything I'll ever see on a mere TV screen
skincauldron 10 months ago
@skincauldron You're welcome and thank you for your great comment.
CoastalTown2 10 months ago
@skincauldron Well said... CoastalTown2 thankyou for this, just hearing the original is magic...
TheDeebri55 9 months ago
@TheDeebri55 You're welcome.
CoastalTown2 9 months ago
the occluded meisterwerk??
Kenentigern7 1 year ago
sounds more like super tramp!!
hawkwind999 1 year ago
The original here is by far the best. Donna Summer did a good job. The Mood Swings with Chrissy Hynde also did a fine job, but this is a sonic masterpiece!
westpalmscott 1 year ago
Finally the full version of this multi-facetted, new age, world music, funk-inspired work is on YT. I am not wise enough to decipher Anderson's new age(?) lyrics, but I love everything about this orchestration right from Dick Morrissey on the sax to every little detail of Vangelis' synth instrumentation. Jon Anderson's vocals are outstanding on this - by far the best - Jon & Vangelis album. It's no suprise that Quincy Jones 'Americanized' this song after it was released, but this original rocks
eurositi 2 years ago
must say you are a 100% van/john i wish i had ur thought/brillianse, in a nut shell you got them to a capitol T BRILLIANT
hurricane598 2 years ago