What is the appeal of Rick Wakeman's music?
What is the appeal of Rick Wakeman's music?
Nostalgia.Originally Posted by Homburg
What do you find unappealing about it?
virtuosity. bombast. historical and mythological themes. multiple keyboards. capes. conical caps. ice skaters. and great stand-up comedy if prepared to read/listen between the lines.
I like Six Wives and the White Rock soundtrack. Other than an odd track or moment here or there, I really don't like any of Rick's other solo output. I really tried with Criminal Record and No Earthly Connection, but they just didn't hold my interest. Journey, King Arthur and Rhapsodies are just cornball to my ears. I don't mind that he uses historical or mythological themes, I just don't find what he did with them appealing (except Six Wives, where I think he wrote his best solo compositions and got the balance right).
It's too bad because to me Six Wives laid a pretty great blueprint, but imo he didn't follow that up. Though in fairness, Journey and King Arthur were pretty successful albums.
Bill
+1
Plus, he's a great guy who likes to meet fans.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
I think "King Arthur" has some fantastic keyboard solos on it. There are some unnecessary and maybe even cheesy moments on it but on the whole I found it very enjoyable. Six Wives is great but it's instrumental so maybe it's the vocals that puts some people off in his music. I'm no expert but I nonetheless feel his best musical contributions and playing were in Yes even though I do like his first three solo albums(if you count Six wives as his first that is).
I love King Arthur. It gets slammed here an awful lot by those who view it retrospectively, instead of through the prism of the times. He could never release something like that today and be taken seriously. Back then, it was entirely appropriate, IMO.
I would say the one thing that tends to drag his work down is his puzzling choice of vocalists. That being said, his material can't be sung by just anyone. It really requires a wide range and an ability to properly phrase the material.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
I agree, for me the appeal is what he CAN do, and not necessarily what he DOES do. I keep hoping he will be as good as he can be and keep being disappointed.
I didn't realize he'd been convicted.
Like the other guys on CTTE he's a one of a kind musician with a unique very original way to play---problem with him is he is hit or miss to the extreme--when he is good he is very very good and when he is bad ..........
I enjoy most of Ricks earliest material - But the vocalists are IMO awful, like their voices are about to crack and shatter on the floor... The Choral stuff is OK, but the lead voices always make my teeth itch. I push through it though...
I got nothin' :
...avoiding any implication that I have ever entertained a cognizant thought.
live samples:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwbCFGbAtFc
https://youtu.be/AEE5OZXJioE
https://soundcloud.com/yodelgoat/yod...om-a-live-show
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUe3YhCjy6g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VOCJokzL_s
Generally, when talking about his solo output- not much. He's surprisingly unimaginative as a writer. Love him as a player, think he's fantastic as a person, not big on his music. His big gift seemed to be taking the ideas from other Yes members and running with them.
Outside the context of Yes, I find his solo records kinda dull. There seems to me not much in the songwriting department. Impressive keyboard playing, but there aren't any melodies or hooks or whatever that are going to be stuck in your head for days or weeks or years or whatever. The cadenza on Yessongs pretty much sums up all the best bits of Six Wives Of Henry VIII, for instance.
Nevertheless, he's worth seeing in concert, or at least has been in the last decade and a half or so, because the stories he tells between the songs are amazingly hilarious. You haven't lived until you've heard Rick talk about the time he got arrested for DUI. I also liked his explanation of why you can't play while inebriated, "Then everything will sound like Tales From Topographic Oceans".
What is the appeal of the music you listen to and why is it so great?
That's what I think. He shines as a keyboardist in a band, much more than as a solo artist.
I thoroughly enjoy Six Wives, Journey & Criminal Record (my personal fav)....however, responding to the OP's query:
I might argue that Rick's appeal is in the fact that he was (for many of us), the first keyboardist that we discovered that played SO MANY different keyboards in a band that, at the time, was SERIOUSLY forging new ground. I for one was stunned at both the uniqueness of YES' music and Rick's deep sonic palette. I cannot think of another band operating in the '71 - '72 time frame where the orchestration of the ensembles music had a diffrent keyboard sound coming in every 4 - 8 measures. For me, it was his varied palette (and serious chops and ripping solos) that provides the appeal.
I will agree with some comments above that Rick is not really all that strong in the writing department and really shines in the ensemble setting.
To me the most remarkable thing about Wakeman is how prolific he's been, averaging almost two albums released per year going back to 1973.
It's hard finding a real classic album among that lot, though. There are some pleasant bits here and there but overall, quite inconsistent and often milquetoast.
Hired on to work for Mr. Bill Cox, a-fixin' lawn mowers and what-not, since 1964.
"Arguing with an idiot is like playing chess with a pigeon. It'll just knock over all the pieces, shit on the board, and strut about like it's won anyway." Anonymous
“Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.” George Carlin
His style. When you hear him play, or hear one of his songs, you can easily recognize it's Rick who is playing. Not many keyboard players are as recognizable as Rick.
In general, I find his music to be FUN, extremely melodic, and chuck-full of keyboard instrumentation. Often, the cheeser the better. I just want to hear him play goopy sounding keyboards. He's also extremely prolific, and you have to sift through everything to find what you like. I have given up on him several times, only to turn around and find a new one that's pretty great.
I get it though, his music tends to lack anything else interesting about it. There's nothing deep about his music. At all. The guitars and drums are fairly ordinary, and the singers are often odd or unappealing, the lyrics are just plain dumb. Nobody in his bands are ever as flashy as Rick Himself, except when he's in YES. So, if you're not a keyboard player, or a keyboard fan, the music may hold little interest for you.
The sound of it.
I like Six Wives and most of Criminal Record, but most of the rest leaves me cold. I prefer music with a few more shades of gray in there.
Well outside his Strawbs and some Yes albums, and Six Wives?? Not much really ... for moi, anyways
yup, that's about my assessment (minus White Rock OST)
though I won't blame for straying away from Six Wives... I'm not sure how I would've appreciated Another Six Wives of Henry IXth...
my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.
I think at some point he should put out an album called "The Six wives of Rick Wakeman." I think he still has two more to go though.
Short answer: the overt hubris. And I only like his first two albums anyway.
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
Six Wives, King Arthur & No Earthly Connection. Criminal Record, partly. Not much of his huge catalogue..
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