Yes co-founder and lead vocalist Jon Anderson has just signed with Blue Élan Records, which will finally give his 2018 solo set, 1000 Hands a wide release. On July 31st, the album will be available digitally as well as on CD and a deluxe 180-gram double vinyl.
Jon Anderson said in the press release for the album:
I’ve spent long periods of time making some records, but I’ve never taken a journey quite like this one. To say that 1000 Hands has been a long time in coming would be quite an understatement, but I’m thrilled that it’s finally a reality and that my fans will now be able to hear it, and I think they’ll be delighted to hear music that’s timeless. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done.
1000 Hands includes performances from Anderson's past and present Yes bandmates — including late-co-founding bassist Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Alan White, Rick Wakeman, and Trevor Rabin.
Other high-profile guest on the set are Anderson's longtime collaborator Jean Luc Ponty, Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson, Journey's Jonathan Cain, Pat Travers, and jazz greats Chick Corea and Billy Cobham. 1000 Hands marks Anderson's first solo set since 2011’s Survival & Other Stories.
1000 Hands has a long history, with the first sessions for the album — originally titled Uzlot — taking place back in 1990. We asked Jon Anderson how an album sits on the shelf for the better part of 30 years: “I never thought about the music anymore until four years ago when one of the guys who put the money up for it said, 'I've got some more money, I want to finish this album.' I said, 'Well, it's in the garage (laughs). And obviously, I always liked it, the music, but it's not something that I dwelled on. I created a dozen albums over the last 30 years that've never got finished — as you do, if you're a manic musician like I am.”
Anderson told us that he very easily could spend the rest of his life going through the motions performing as part of Yes on the arena circuit, but he maintains that his muse leads the way: “I'm an adventurous human being. Y'know, people say, 'What are you going to do now?' — I want to do great music. I want to do some things that I've dreamed of for the last 20, 30 years. And I will do them. I believe I will, and that's the important thing.”
