One record at a time: 455. Jon and Vangelis - The Best Of

After Jon Anderson and Vangelis put their collaboration on hold, Polydor Records decided to fill the gap with a compilation. The imaginatively titled "Best Of" gathers together the highlights from the band's first three albums and includes their two top ten singles. Released in 1984 this LP broke the top ten and earned the record company a good deal of money for minimal outlay. 

"Italian Song" from the album "Private Collection" might not be the most energetic opening, but it does at least have a strong melody. The hit single "I'll Find My Way Home" is another strong composition but keeps us in the 'easy listening' space a bit too long. 

Things really start to kick off with "State of Independence" which was originally released as a single in 1981 but it sank without a trace. The song was reissued to promote this compilation and it did manage to scrape into the top 70 at the second time of asking. Despite relatively poor commercial success this is undoubtedly one of the pair's best songs and the success of the later Donna Summer version attests to this. The edited version presented here is nice enough but I'd have preferred the full version that was featured on the album "The Friends of Mr Cairo".

Speaking of "The Friends of Mr Cairo" we actually get the full twelve minute version of the title track on the second side along with the rather limp "Outside Of This (Inside Of That)". There's a nice flourish at the end of the album with "He Is Sailing" and "I Hear You Now" rounding things out in style.

Whilst there are two or three tracks on this compilation that don't exactly set my world on fire, I can't think of much else in the band's back catalogue that would replace them. The record company made a good effort with what they had and this is probably the only Jon and Vangelis album you will ever need. 3/5