First listen to Jon and Vangelis - The Friends of Mr. Cairo (REACTION)

[@CritterRepairTech]

Vangelis was an iconic trail blazer in the world of electronic music. He will be truly missed.

[@epbeagle4242]

I saw Jon Perform this live in the early 80's on His Animation tour. That same week I saw King Crimson. The good ole days.

[@medmon3476]

I'm wondering if in 20 years time I suddenly decide to look up 'reactions to the Friends of Mr Cairo' & I see there's still less than 5 reactions listed ( would I be surprised?) Thank you for reacting to this track (& many others) that most reactors would put in the too hard basket (length, popularity etc) - shows your not in it primarily for the quantity/stats/income but your going after quality - keep up the fine work - much appreciated - cheers to the silver screen 🍸.

[@Young_Jim]

Jon Anderson and Vangelis have were always two of my favourite musicians when I was a teen. To see them come together in Vangelis’ Heaven and Hell album was a joy and then their continuing collaborations showed a great friendship and musical harmony between the two of them. Jon’s account of when he first went to meet Vangelis is wonderful. RIP Vangelis and long life to Jon.

[@1bvm174]

Jon Anderson has a way of singing songs, singing in a manner that drives truly into your heart and you get surprised, that out of nowhere your eyes are welling up and you feel good about being human and there is still love in your heart. Ave Maria!

[@SF_Bud]

Like a lot of songs that were longer back in the day, there was a shorter "radio edit" that was played in prime time radio. I do recall hearing the full version on 98 Rock in Baltimore after midnight though. Even Yes' Roundabout was too long and there was a radio edit of it that was the version you heard most often, although after it got so big you started hearing the full version on album rock stations. I can listen to Jon Anderson all day, any day. Nice catch on the 'vocal effect' - that was a double of Jon's vocal run through a vocoder. I'll make an early request to put on your calendar for Christmas: listen to Jon's version of 'O Holy Night' off his 1984 Christmas album, 3 Ships. I think you'd enjoy the whole album. My whole family listens to it every Christmas after I turned them on to it back in '84. Peace from SF

[@jopay142]

"It's beautiful!"... great words Dan! It is a very beautiful song. Our very own rock station (CHOM FM in Montreal) used to play it (in its entirety!). Out of the usual radio-formated songs, The Friends of Mr Cairo made its place on the waves.

[@rigelmoon9030]

97.7 was notorious for playing mega songs and whole albums at night.. Chom-FM. Shome-shome, Shome, shome.

[@cherylreichardt]

This is my favorite track off the album for that very reason putting in the old Hollywood movies! Love the video cause it's like one of those fun old crime stories! What a brilliant idea pairing Jon and Vangelis!

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

This was a beautiful track. Loved it. Thanks

[@paulvalletta]

The beauty of Vangelis and Jon, is there to hear, what an amazing time when I first heard this on its release, its music you can re-listen, and it takes you to a certain moment, of beauty and love?. Amazing reaction again.

[@OronOfMontreal]

In cities like Montreal, whose population has a tendency toward Progressive Rock, this did indeed get played on a variety of radio stations. Vangelis, on his own and with Jon Anderson, was considered Avant-Garde and his instrumental music required as much effort and discipline to listen to, as did King Crimson or early Peter Gabriel. There was a Downtown movie palace, a repertory cinema by the 1980s, built in the 1930s, called the Seville Festival. 2000 seats, including the balcony. Every evening, before the first show started, they played the first side of this album at barely audible volume. At that level, it was like hearing a dream. The music acted on us subliminally and set the mood for a night of classic cinema. The crescendo near the end still brings tears to my eyes, it is so very beautiful.

[@martintayler23]

This is a beautiful homage to film noir and Jon's lyrics create this story of him being in the fantasy, the fantasy he loves, of acting on the silver screen with these greats. It is an incredible ode to the likes of Humphrey Bogart with Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet who played as the agent provacateurs to Bogart's Sam Spade. Interestingly, they also play similar parts in the classic film, Casablanca. I can picture Jon, sitting one full night, looking at all these wonderful films and as dawn comes he says he is privileged to be in their company. Wonderful singing by Jon and equally mesmerising and haunting melodies of Vangelis to transport the listener. I have always loved this track and it is a brave musician to release a song of that length (Don McLean did it with 'American Pie') and be successful.

[@Yosef1952]

Interesting premise of this number. And I always enjoy seeing Daniel's acting instincts being brought out by a novel song. Jon's vocals...what can you say? Beautiful.

[@nowbabyphotography4764]

Thank you thank you for getting around to this fun number. I hope you’re up on your old Hollywood movies. I’ve been requesting this all over KZbin. I glad you were the first to get to it.

[@yes_head]

Glad to see you digging deeper into J&V, Daniel. This song obviously romanticizes cinema, not television (although as a kid I remember first seeing some of these old movies on TV.) There was a time -- that Jon Anderson remembers -- when television didn't exist, just movies and radio. People would go to their local movie theater (often called palaces in small English towns like the one Jon Anderson grew up in) to watch movies. Everyone in town would go to see the same movie, which would change out every month or so. What saves this track from being just a novelty record is that there's actually a fine song at the heart of it. The second half really saves it, which was sadly edited off of the radio version. And yes, it DID get radio play, on what was then indie-rock radio. For me that was KROQ in Los Angeles (the same station that would play songs like Peter Gabriel's "Shock the Monkey".) The next song from this album you should review is "State of Independence", which has been covered by the likes of Donna Summer. Both Jon and Vangelis were on a creative high during this period. After this Vangelis would go on to create the Blade Runner soundtrack, one of the greatest film soundtracks ever and a must for fans of synth music. Jon went on to produce one of his best solo albums, Animation.

[@NibsUK2121]

thanks for reminding me this album exists. I played it to bits in the 80s but have not heard it for over 20 years now I think. Glad to see J&V's work being appreciated by a new generation. RIP VOP.

[@e.nowbodhi144]

Jon's voice goes so well with analog synths, doesn't it? This song is like a movie.

[@kimberlyowra-aikens9077]

I had this TAPE @ 19,in college I wore it out! Know every word of every song 🎵 LOVE ❤️ this song is my favorite !

[@Wyrmksc]

It was on the local radio station quite regularly after but only after midnight. I never bought a lot of CD's, this in one of them.

[@ytcai4535]

That clicking sound you liked was an old time film reel where you could hear the tracks as they rolled through the projector. The actual ending to the song has the sound trailing off and the film reel ending and flapping likely to signify the end of an era? This and many of the other sound effects added so much to this track. My favorite by this pair because as a child I watched many of the old movies referenced including stars like Bogie, Peter Lorre, etc. The music surely pulls on nostalgic heartstrings of the older generation.

[@scifimonkey3]

Looked forward to seeing you listen to this as I knew you would love it and all its movie references. Probably my favourite Jon and Vangelis track, always makes me want to find those old movies and watch them again. Love the Jimmy Stewart clips.

[@gabrieleflannery6504]

This song reminds me of being little and sneaking out of my room and watching the b&w tv. Those were such great old movies. What a wonderful song, put together perfectly. Thanks Daniel, what a perfect way to wake up. 🎶

[@stevenhaffner3299]

I remember when this came out, mind was blown all to kaflewy. I had never heard anything like this before. Heartfelt thanks for this.

[@stevedoumas7701]

You got this song emotionally… thanks for the reaction to this beautiful timeless treasure of a song

[@russellsearch7925]

Brilliant song choice mate. I have loved this song for the last 30+ years, it’s hauntingly beautiful and very clever how it weaves classic old Hollywood with magical synths.

[@danbuckley7128]

Jon Anderson with Yes is epic

[@daveking9393]

I'm liking this journey for sure. Thanks so much! I grew up with many rock stations competing for listeners. Many played long songs or had set time frames bottom or top of the hour or an entire program to satisfy the masses... This however I don't recall hearing on any station. Enjoyed!

[@davewhitlow2984]

I still remember one summer day back in 81 or 82 when my brothers and I were sitting on my mom and dad's carport during a rain shower listening to our "boom box". We had it on "The Album Station, 95.1" (Charlotte), which, at the time was playing all the Van Halen, Molly Hatchett, Iron Maiden, Journey, etc, when Mr. Cairo happen to come on. We sat there with the rain coming down memorized and not saying a word until it finished. One of the very few times I ever heard this on the radio. It's a great memory of mine and hearing again always brings that day back to me. Still have the album, too.

[@Lightmane]

My favorite album by them is 'Short Stories'. Love this album too.

[@robgrano6814]

The track that I've always liked best from this album is "State of Independence," which was later a hit for Donna Summer. I still have the 12" singles of both versions. Not everyone who was a Yes fan appreciated this turn that Jon took, but some of us did, especially when the late 70s/early 80s Yes releases weren't all that great. Anyways, nice pick Vangelis, RIP.

[@Lightmane]

Love that track. Vangelis was a true genius. I feel lucky that I found his music. Had it not been for Jon though, I might not have.

[@robgrano6814]

@@Lightmane If I remember correctly the album came out around the same time as the movie Chariots of Fire, for which Vangelis became well known as the soundtrack composer.

[@Lightmane]

@@robgrano6814 I'm not sure. I could google it, I guess : )

[@deborahpannette7944]

Now, THIS is a deep cut. Loved this one since I was a young kid.

[@jvmonte6638]

Great review Daniel, thanks for reacting to this. This is a great song and it still sweeps me away every time I hear it. Peace and love from Toronto. ✌️❤️🇨🇦

[@ednoponen2943]

This is a one-of-a-kind, and one of my favorites. Every now and then I just have to listen to it. It's a work of art. I was very interested in how you'd react to tit, Daniel. It is soooo full of old movie references, which I'm pretty sure you didn't get most of. Yet, you seemed to appreciate what Jon and Vangelis were up to anyway. Good one! (This was on what we used to call "free form" radio. inthe 70's we were tryly blessed to have this amazing listening resource. The DJ's played whatever they wanted. I remember when Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks" came out, and the guy on our local Twin Cities station KQRS played the whole thing. It was stunning. You never knew what was coming next. It was great!)

[@richardmartin1903]

One of my favourites and yes it was on the radio.

[@jstock2317]

a similar style longer-form epic song to this one is The Spell, a bonus track on the cd reissue of Animation, recorded for the '82 solo album but previously unreleased 😁 one of my favorite songs of all time.

[@waynecox3958]

This song has nada to do with television. That sound you heard was the old movie projector, then at the end the film reeled right out of the projector as was want to happen at anytime in any movie theatre or living room.

[@lawrencekelli]

Loved this album as a kid now i'm 51 and still do. This song was my fav..My mum was so cool.Have to ad..that when Blade runner came out my mum took us to see that..and well...the movie score is my fav ever! Also loved the Black and white movies as a kid.

[@vania1917]

Yes, this unexpected hit played on the radio, even AM stations.

[@FireMunki63]

Just blew me away when it was released, the work that obviously went into it, amazing!

[@mikevandenboom5958]

Jon wrote the lyrics for this in one day while he was with Vangelis. Most of the inspiration I believe he said was taken by the movie The Maltese Falcon. Now that you heard the song , You should watch the movie, it's a good one and you can understand the mood of the music. yes the whole song was played on the radio! thanks for pulling this one out of the archives

[@IllumeEltanin]

There has to be a reason I woke from a deep sleep at 2:15 am my time to Jon Anderson's Zamran and The Golden Mean promo video, only to be followed by this. How am I ever going to get back to sleep??? 😉

[@georgewodicka4839]

Your concept of time, relative to how it is perceived, executed, and spent, is the farthest thing from a tangent. It is both fascinating and intriguing, and an indication that you read, read a lot. Fiction, non-fiction, and resource material. It is why we can have productive conversations outside of music, within a music dissection upload.

[@daveking9393]

Well said my friend!

[@georgewodicka4839]

70's progressive elements, 80's electronic elements, timeless vocals and arrangement. Yet another in the category of "heard of", but not heard.

[@wrorchestra1]

Fringe introduced this to me in the episode "A Short Story about Love." The emotional section was played at one point and I knew I had to have this. I now own it on both CD and vinyl.

[@flomalheur7467]

A beautiful idea, a wonderful song. As a somewhat sentimental person, I always get a few tears in my eyes at one point or another. And yet of the few slightly longer songs by Jon & Vangelis, this is not my favorite song but "Horizon" from the album "Private Collection". For some reason no one on the "reaction / first listen" channels has ever heard this song. Maybe you want to start? Worth it!

[@TheReaperMan275]

Yes, this song was on the radio but it was severely cut down to about 4 minutes. Essentially the first half of the song was radio friendly and the second half not so much. Although I love the second half the most. It is extremely beautiful and melancholy and nostalgic. Featuring Jon's angelic voice and Vangelis otherworldly synths.

[@lethalphenomenon6061]

China, by Vangelis, is an incredible album.

[@keithhider2170]

I Hear You Now - my favourite J&V track,

[@krimmer66]

This is the first time listening to this since the mid 80's, This is an amazing album and as of tomorrow I will own this record again.. great review. Very cool that you seem to have enjoyed it as much as I did so many years ago when hearing it for the first time. Yes, the first time I heard this song was on the radio, CKUT McGill university radio in Montreal.

[@dbstooge]

I remember the local rock station in Tucson playing this whole song, surprisingly on many occasions in the early 80's.

[@Mike-rk8px]

I grew up in Connecticut and this song got tons of airplay on all the rock radio stations in 1981 & 82. It was always really bizarre to hear it stuffed between something like a Led Zeppelin song and a Black Sabbath song, but radio stations played the entire song. When I got my drivers license in 1982 this was a great song to blast while driving.

[@stpnwlf9]

Their earlier album, Short Stories, had one of the most beautiful love songs I have ever listened to: I Hear You Now. In Friends of Mr. Cairo, the impersonators doing Sam Spade and Joel Cairo do sound quite a bit like Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre. The Sidney Greenstreet impersonator ... not so much.

[@paulqueripel3493]

I think one man did all the impressions, David Coker.

[@bélalugrisi]

When Donna Summer covered State of Independence, with Quincy Jones producing and Michael Jackson doing background vocals they obviously heard this, inspiring "Billie Jean". Jon and Vangelis were an incredible duo!

[@darcysalas3042]

I like how the song sounds like a misterery. The Black and white TV was the best. But things change not always for the best. I am sorry for the passing. No problems Daniel, I like to hear people opinion and hear what you have to say .Your opinion matters.

[@cherylreichardt]

The video is great! 👍

[@3dfossils]

brother i love how you love these songs.

[@avanoosterhout8397]

Not every country has the segmented approach to radio as the US. In Europe, for the longest of times, we've had a much larger variety of music on most radio stations. In The Netherlands you would hear the full song on national radio back in the day. And still today they would not scare away from stuff that's not part of "the format".

[@samhain1894]

RIP Vangelis. Also another great collab is Jon Anderson and Larry Gowan with Moonlight Desires…check it out.

[@lisaargyrou1488]

Wow 🥰 Vangelis RIP ❤️

[@marylreddick]

Love this song

[@frugalseverin2282]

I'm also a big fan of old movies, film noir especially which blended German expressionism with post-war cynicism. Crooked cops and privates eyes, femme fatales who could not be trusted, double crosses. And I love the slang of the '30s and '40s. You didn't say if you've seen "The Maltese Falcon", it's in my top 5 and probably the #1 film noir film. It has Mr. Cairo, the Fat Man and Sam Spade (Peter Lorre, Sidney Greenstreet and Humphrey Bogart). I have my own replica of the Falcon statue. If you haven't seen the 1983 film "The Big Chill" I highly recommend it, it's about a group of old friends who reunite for a funeral and they talk about the time they grew up in and we see how they've evolved. It also has a killer classic rock soundtrack and this great line by William Hurt's character, "Sometimes you just have to let art wash over you."

[@sanctuary8396]

Truly obscure music, but brilliant 80's all the same.

[@noheamike5036]

The single edit played on the radio was just the first part of the song. They cut the slower second part on the radio.

[@Mike-rk8px]

Daniel, if you want to really get a clear picture of this song, you should watch the 1940’s movies “The Thief Of Baghdad” “The Maltese Falcon” and “The Big Sleep”. There is a reason Humphrey Bogart is a one the legendary movie stars.

[@fernandotor3266]

Thanks. Love this akbum

[@rigelmoon9030]

"Pretty kinda useless, though, Don't ya think so, Mary?" Jimmy Stewart. This is the only line I remember from (...Mr. Cairo.) First heard it when it broke on CHOM-FM outa Montreal. It got a lot of airplay esp. in Canada. I love Canadian FM.

[@paulqueripel3493]

Where it was on the album depends on which version you have. Mine is the early one without I'll find my way home.

[@Gregory......]

Daniel, this is really interesting and it is very nostalgic in it's platform. if you like this type of music, you really should listen to " The Rocky Horror Picture Show " Soundtrack

[@jimmyfortrue3741]

Undoubtedly very rare that a young person would get all the movie references in this incredible song. Most young people would probably understand none of them. Albeit, this is extraordinarily, heavily packed telling of the cinematic golden age. A beautiful song that can't but grow on an interested person with multiple hearings.

[@jeffreysmith420]

AAIOWW!! AAIOWW!! AAIOWW!! Imagine, for yourself, what you thing that sounds like... I can't wait to see what you think of this!!

[@fernandotor3266]

Great musicians

[@PaulHilburger]

Jon Anderson’s voice sounds so good when mixed through a vocoder

[@Jack-D-Ripper]

The very best Jon & Vangelis track, by far, is "Horizon", from the "Private Collection" album.

[@mgsparky8870]

Amazing album!

[@stevecrisell108]

Epic.

[@Genesandthings]

The very best of the videos - no other video comes close. Everything comes together, and you can directly relate to every part of the song as it is all a cinematic experience. The bit at the very start is simply someone's effort to claim the whole thing as if it was all his work. This has been my favourite record since it came out in 1981 - both album and track. It's so worthwhile to listen to the whole album, and then delve into "Private Collection", which was the next album released in 1983. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aorNmYqYr9SAj8k

[@steveowens2505]

Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson mined this album for grooves.

[@maruad7577]

At this point you should go watch the "Maltese Falcon". Actually reading some Dashiell Hammett would be good before watching "Maltese Falcon". The movie gives context to the song, the books give context to the movie. edited to add that he was romanticizing old movies.

[@jeffreysmith420]

Dude, just watch "The Maltese Falcon" with Bogart...

[@zimbo65a]

hmmmm...sorry,but the illustrated version is much better for unterstanding of younger people wich don´t know the legendary movies of the lyrics.

[@CreAnt.]

The hum by killing joke. React.

[@Tullthedayidie]

Yawwwnnnn! What happened to the Tull Daniel? Lol

[@w.geoffreyspaulding6588]

Hi Daniel….just so you know….it’s pronounced Vanjelis…….

[@DiconDissectionalReactions]

I recently did a video reacting to Jon Anderson playing Find My Way Home live. He pronounced it with the "g" sound...

[@holdencaulfield8429]

Ooop! Did somebody die? And you do 'reactions' on youtube. I have an idea! Moral scruples and looking yourself in the mirror aside... Tons of hits and a herd of guileless cows will fill your comments section with inane reminisces no-one will ever read. (interaction;) Win win. Fuckton better than the factory.

[@DiconDissectionalReactions]

Holden Morrisey Caulfield... We meet again. Your commitment to the bit is quite admirable haha ;)

[@juneseghni]

@@DiconDissectionalReactions username checks out -the worst whiny teenager ever to come out of american literature