“This record was pretty popular – some of the songs got on the radio and were actual hits. It wasn’t a difficult album to listen to, although there are moments where they went off and got indulgent – nothing like they would do on later records.

“The songs are very emotional and beautiful, so you can forgive any of their excesses. Yes certainly understood the power of arrangements and how to build songs. Plus they had great vocal harmonies – people tend not to focus on that because the playing is so massive.

“Sunrise is an incredible cut, especially at the end where Jon Anderson is at his peak in terms of singing and his lyrics – everything is at this overwhelming crescendo. It’s hard to beat. Jon Anderson strikes me as a cross between this hippie guy and something of a pre-punk rocker, and he was surrounded by these monster musicians who could play anything.”