The Prodigious Output Of Mr Wakeman

[Iris]

I am of course familiar with the famous series of albums that were released between 1973 and 1975 and this last couple of years Piano Portraits has brought peace and beauty into my room. So I'd like to investigate the albums of Rick Wakeman ............ but where do I start? The list goes on and on and on. Does anyone, apart from Rick himself, own all of these albums? So I turn to Prog Ears for guidance. What's the Two Sides Of Yes album like? And the one recorded in Lincoln Cathedral? And what else do people here recommend?

[JJ88]

I'm very fond of 1976's No Earthly Connection. The soundtrack White Rock has its moments. Criminal Record has a first half with Squire and White playing on it...I quite like that album save for 'The Breathalyzer' which has Bill Oddie on vocals- it's just a throwaway joke song really.

Can't help you with very much past the 70s, heard one or two which didn't do it for me. I still have Return To The Centre Of The Earth though which has various famous vocalists on it (Ozzy Osbourne, Justin Hayward, Bonnie Tyler, Trevor Rabin). It's fun when I'm in the mood, but is more 'song based' than the original Journey ever was.

He's doing a sequel to Piano Portraits, I think- it was a strong seller.

[Progatron]

To be honest, one of my most-played is Sea Airs, part of a trilogy of piano albums with beautiful compositions and playing by Rick. It's rather misleadingly filed under "New Age" but it's really just a nice piano album.

For more of the rock/prog output, I thought Out There was a solid album, that's with Damian Wilson on vocals.... and for more instrumental keyboard stuff, Chronicles Of Man was another I liked.

[arturs]

I am a fanboy: I probably own 30 RW discs. IMHO any official release from the 1970s is worthwhile--that should give you an indication of whether you should trust my opinions. The 80s and 90s are spotty. I agree with Progatron that the solo piano albums Country Airs and Sea Airs are great. I listen to them a lot. Otherwise my view on Wakeman is "the more bombast, the more pompous, the better." Some fine examples:
Suite of the Gods
Out There
Retro (I & II)
Black Knights in the Court of Ferdinand IV
Softsword

The Wakeman & Wakeman discs (with Adam) are pretty great too.

The RW Greatest Hits solo disc is very good. The entire Journey done as an instrumental. No orchestra, no choir, no Ashley Holt. Bargain basement sonics and production but it works. The Yes disc on that set is terrible. IMHO.

Finally the one real disappointment for me was Return TTCOTE. A bunch of ok to good pop songs strung together. No coherence. None of the magic of the original.

[Fracktured]

I used to like

Suite of gods
The Gospels
Night airs
Sea airs
Country airs
Chronicles of Man

But I haven’t played any of them for so long I don’t know wether I’d still enjoy them


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[Mister Triscuits]

The RW Greatest Hits solo disc is very good. The entire Journey done as an instrumental. No orchestra, no choir, no Ashley Holt. Bargain basement sonics and production but it works. The Yes disc on that set is terrible. IMHO.

But it's perfect if you ever wondered what Yes songs would sound like played on a circus calliope.

Of the ones not yet mentioned, I think 1984 is pretty decent, and includes a song sung by Jon Anderson. Time Machine has its good points (overwrought vocals by Ashley Holt not being one of them). But I'm afraid I don't think Wakeman has done anything truly great since Six Wives.

[Scott Bails]

To be honest, one of my most-played is Sea Airs, part of a trilogy of piano albums with beautiful compositions and playing by Rick. It's rather misleadingly filed under "New Age" but it's really just a nice piano album.

I used to like

Suite of gods
The Gospels
Night airs
Sea airs
Country airs
Chronicles of Man

But I haven’t played any of them for so long I don’t know wether I’d still enjoy them


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I love the "Airs" albums. As Progatron says, lots of very nice piano music. Great for background dinner music, or to read by, etc.

[JJ88]

I remember Retro when it came out and I was really disappointed. All very well to use all the old synths, but a pity that there were no tunes to go with it...also a pity that there were lyrics.

[Steve983]

I used to like some of his stuff too, rarely play what I have left. Of the obscure releases I'd say Softsword is the best.

[gojikranz]

I would agree everything up to the 1984 album have decent worth(this includes the soundtrack to the burning which I like a good deal) after that can be hit or miss. Silent nights is a allright rock album from the mid 80s.

I have been getting somewhat into cassettes lately cause my car still has a cassette player and they can be cheap found a couple of ricks albums from the 90s can't say I recommend them much especially in the beginning which is primarily spoken excerpts from the bible with barely audible rick in the background. its amazing to me that even though he has released so many albums when I flip through the used CDs I only ever see journey six wives Arthur and the occasionaly other album from the 70s or compilation release. I'll keep looking though with so many albums I imagine the search will never truly end.

[iguana]

quite atrocious and unintentionally hilarious: “return to the center of the earth” from 1999, much hyped at the time and released by EMI classical (none else) who would later dip back into the YES pool with steve howe’s TIME. BUT it has ozzy, bonnie tyler, katrina leskanich (of k. and the waves) et al., the narration of patrick stewart (who, really, must have shat himself several times over reading off this pompous 6th form wordsmithery), that english chamber choir which smothers even the coyest attempts of some progressive arranging with their bland, generic belcanto gushes of syrup – and “never is a long time”, the first real musical collaboration of trevor rabin and uncle rick after all things “union”. i am a fan of rick’s outrageous sense of humour but i am sure not even that can be brought forward as an excuse for this, which – in all fairness – has at least some sizable novelty value and gained considerable success.

more power to rick!

[zeprogmeister]

Back in the 80s and 90s I bought several of his albums prior to getting on the internet and discovering lots of great prog. Most of his output after the 70s isn't worth getting imo.

[Steve983]

I played the Classical Connection albums from 91/92 today, I loved them at the time and are still pretty good.

[progmatist]

My personal favorite is Criminal Record, by far his most prolific IMO. Retro I and II I found just plain silly, in the same way I find classical era classical just plain silly.

[Proglodite]

I would love to see Rick appear on a Name-That-Tune show, where they play snipits from his albums. I'm willing to lay down good money that he'd not be able ID half of them --Peter

[gojikranz]

I would love to see Rick appear on a Name-That-Tune show, where they play snipits from his albums. I'm willing to lay down good money that he'd not be able ID half of them --Peter

probably true although one thing I meant to mention is if you go to ricks website he has a pretty nicely curated discography page where he offers his thoughts on most of his albums and some he is honest about the shortcomings which is nice to see.

[JJ88]

This didn't seem to attract much attention but for anyone who wants his first 5 albums on CD at a budget price:

https://www.discogs.com/Rick-Wakeman...elease/8754330

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

SIX WIVES
CRIMINAL RECORD
WHITE ROCK
RHAPSODIES ... what?! I think there's a good amount of solid material on that one
THE BURNING
GOLE

that's about it... though I *do* need to check out Chronicles Of Man

BTW, anyone heard WHITE ROCK II? is it at all close to the quality of composition of the original WHITE ROCK?

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

[Steve983]

^^^ I had Into The Future back in the day but it had too many cheesy tracks for me sadly. This was during the period in the early to mid 90's when he released a new album every few months it seemed. No wonder the quality control suffered.

[yesstiles]

I played the Classical Connection albums from 91/92 today, I loved them at the time and are still pretty good.

Classical Connection 2 has a "Fragile" outtake presumably.

[Rarebird]

I agree with Criminal record. Except The breathaliser, it is a great album and Judas is a great closer.
And for The breathaliser, I don't feel sorry for you if you get caught driving under the influence of alcohol.

Return to the centre of the earth got a pretty good review in a Dutch prog magazine, so I decided to buy it. Not a bad album.

[Steve983]

Classical Connection 2 has a "Fragile" outtake presumably.

There's a track called Farandol that also features Howe, Bruford & Squire but the sleeve notes say it was recorded during Six Wives.

[Proglodite]

I just listened to Fields of Green a few days ago - mid '90s release; programmed drums; pretty bad cover of Starship Trooper, but otherwise I liked the original songs (better than most recent Yes offerings); good guitar on several tracks too. --Peter