Page of Life

Page of Life
1998 re-release cover
Studio album by Jon and Vangelis
Released	26 August 1991
Recorded	1991
Genre	Electronic music
Label	Arista (Germany/South Korea/Brazil/Argentina)
Jon and Vangelis chronology
The Best of Jon and Vangelis (1984) Page of Life (1991) Chronicles (1994)

Page of Life is the fourth studio album by Jon and Vangelis. It was recorded 1986 in Athens and Rome and released in 1991 by Arista Records, and is, as of 2014, their last studio collaboration as a duo. It was initially unavailable in the United States but was later re-released by Higher Octave with the bonus track "Change We Must", but missing four other tracks and other differences.^[1]

Reception

Allmusic reviewer Jonathan Widran describes the songs on Page of Life as "amazing showcases" for Anderson's singing and Vangelis' instrumentation; the lyrics are described as "clever social commentary". Widran singles out for praise the songs "Garden of Senses", "Anyone Can Light a Candle" and "Is It Love", which he describes as "whimsical and elegant."^[1]

The Kitchener-Waterloo Record describes the album as "a thoroughly pleasant album", with the title track featuring "overblown lyrics but a gorgeous vocal and instrumental performance". The Record also praises Vangelis' guitar sound on the fifth track, "Little Guitar".^[2]

Track list

1. "Wisdom Chain" (5:21)
2. "Page of Life" (3:16)
3. "Money" (6:07)
4. "Jazzy Box" (3:14)
5. "Garden of Senses" (6:23)
6. "Is It Love" (4:27)
7. "Anyone Can Light A Candle" (3:46)
8. "Be A Good Friend of Mine" (4:14)
9. "Shine For Me" (4:10)
10. "Genevieve" (3:48)
11. "Journey To Ixtlan" (5:50)
12. "Little Guitar" (1:45)

Alternate US release

The alternate US version was released in 1998, and is not approved by Vangelis. This alternate version is vastly different from the original release:

• The track "Change We Must" has been added.
• The tracks "Jazzy Box", "Is It Love", "Be A Good Friend of Mine" and "Journey to Ixtlan" have been dropped.
• "Wisdom Chain" appears in an expanded version that is almost exactly twice as long as the original track.
• Several other tracks also have significant mix/timing differences, particularly "Garden of Senses" and "Money".
• The track ordering is entirely different.

1. "Change We Must" (6:28)
2. "Anyone Can Light A Candle" (3:43)
3. "Page of Life" (3:17)
4. "Money" (5:45)
5. "Little Guitar" (1:42)
6. "Garden of Senses" (6:42)
7. "Genevieve" (3:45)
8. "Shine For Me" (4:01)
9. "Wisdom Chain" (10:44)

2013 Remaster

In 2013, Cherry Red Records released a remastered version of Page of Life, along with five other Vangelis albums. It contains the same tracks as the original 1991 album plus one bonus track, "Sing With Your Eyes".

1. "Wisdom Chain" (5:22)
2. "Page of Life" (3:16)
3. "Money" (6:08)
4. "Jazzy Box" (3:16)
5. "Garden of Senses" (6:22)
6. "Is It Love" (4:28)
7. "Anyone Can Light A Candle" (3:49)
8. "Be A Good Friend of Mine" (4:14)
9. "Shine For Me" (4:11)
10. "Genevieve" (3:47)
11. "Journey To Ixtlan" (5:51)
12. "Little Guitar" (1:49)
13. "Sing With Your Eyes (bonus) (5:20)

References

1. Widran, Jonathan. "Page of Life - Jon & Vangelis". Allmusic. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
2. "Sounds". Kitchener-Waterloo Record (Kitchener, Ontario). 6 February 1992. p. C.7. Retrieved 17 March 2011.

Personnel

• Jon Anderson - Vocals
• Vangelis - Keyboards / Synthesizers / Programming