POP Sound (Santa Monica, California) CTS Studios (Wembley, London) The Jacaranda Room (Hollywood, California) A&M Studios (Hollywood, California) Bajonor Studios (Isle of Man) The Dog House Studio (Henley-on-Thames, England)
The album was Wakeman's most significant album of the decade and peaked at No. 34 on the UK Albums Chart, his first UK Top 40 hit in 18 years, but failed to make a commercial impact in the US. Wakeman performed the album in its entirety with his rock band, orchestra, and choir, in 2001 and 2006, both times in Canada. A deluxe box set with live and previously unreleased audio and video material was released in 2021.
Background
In 1974, Wakeman released his second solo album Journey to the Centre of the Earth, a concept album based on the same-titled science fiction novel by Jules Verne. It tells the story of Professor Lidenbrook, his nephew Axel, and their guide Hans who follow a passage to the Earth's centre originally discovered by Arne Saknussemm, an Icelandic alchemist. The idea to produce a sequel album first came to Wakeman in 1991 during a solo tour of Italy, when a journalist suggested to record a new and extended version of Journey with new technology. Several weeks later, during the Union Tour with Yes, Wakeman set up the tentative plan of re-recording the album live in concert with added music for a prospective release in 1994, the twentieth anniversary of the original.[1] During the tour's stop in New York City, Wakeman visited the office of Arista Records and pitched the idea to an acquaintance, but was turned down. Wakeman recalled, "He said ... you recorded and wrote [Journey] with what you knew existed with instruments and recording techniques, so you pushed as far you could go. Now if you do it again, is different because you would not be pushing anything".[1] Wakeman was advised to put the idea on hold and think about a new "epic" album with a new story and music, of which he'll "know when the right time is".[1]
Wakeman pursued other projects until idea was revived in 1996 when, in a two-month period, four record companies expressed an interest to fund and release a new "epic" album from him. "By the time of the first call I thought, 'Perhaps this is what my friend [at Arista] meant, because it appears to be a good time'".[1] One label soon dropped out, but the remaining three were still interested and Wakeman began to develop the concept. He read Verne's other famous novel, Around the World in Eighty Days, and started to write music, but scrapped the idea partly due to Richard Branson's world record attempts to circumnavigate the Earth by hot air balloon and the possibility of people relating the music to the event.[1] Wakeman subsequently read a newspaper article by Steven Spielberg, "who was talking about have sequels for making films, how you have a story and you spin up from the story for a whole new story, but you have a relationship, which is very comfortable for the people who listen a whole new story, new characters, but there's still a relationship."[1] This prompted him, after revisiting the original Journey novel, to have the album tell a new story, set 200 years later, of three travellers who attempt to follow the original route but descend from a different entrance.[2] Wakeman wrote the story as if he was Verne writing a sequel, and purposefully unassigned names or genders for the travellers, "because they could be the person listening".[1][3]
Wakeman's idea was well received by the three record companies, and he was asked to produce a demo tape of some songs, narration, and orchestral parts. He approached this by looking back at working with David Bowie on his album Hunky Dory (1971), which he used "as a parallel to get the best out of myself."[3] He usually produced demos with the keyboard parts "in pretty solid form" with musicians playing around them, but this time he produced a demo of the entire track on the piano and asked guitarist Fraser Thorneycroft-Smith, bassist Phil Williams, and drummer Simon Hanson to play parts as if they were his own songs. "By the time I came to put my own parts on I had to play the keyboards totally differently to the way I would do normally."[3] A problem arose when Wakeman was asked about his backing band as he wished for them and the orchestra not to be restricted to one style, and in his mind saw each group perform a variety of styles, playing "rock things, heavy metal ... I want the band playing a classical thing".[1] Despite being told to continue with the demos regardless, Wakeman was concerned whether his idea was understood properly by the record labels; his two eldest sons, Oliver and Adam Wakeman, advised him not to do the album if it could not be produced to his liking.[1] Wakeman came close to shelving the entire project until Nic Caciappo, an editor of the Yes information service and magazine in California, told his friend Dwight Dereiter of EMI-Capitol at a dinner about Wakeman's problem. A synopsis of the album was sent to Dereiter, who liked it and forwarded it to the European office of EMI Classics, the label's classical music division, as he thought they would understand it better.[1] With assistance from Frank Rodgers of music publisher The Product Exchange, who soon took over as management for the project, the idea arrived at label president Richard Lyttelton, who discussed the album with Wakeman over lunch in February 1998. Lyttleton offered a recording contract and to supply £100,000 to help with costs, which Wakeman accepted.[1][4]
Recording
Recording began in March 1998 and took place in six different locations, including Wakeman's home studio named Bajonor on the Isle of Man.[2] The album had a running time of 126 minutes in its original form, which Wakeman reduced to around 80 minutes so it could fit a single CD. The result, Wakeman said, resulted in a more "direct" album.[5] It was recorded using Sony 48-track machines with Wakeman playing 13 different keyboard instruments.[3] Wakeman declined to play any of the music to his family, which Oliver considered strange as he usually shared his musical work with them. Adam assisted in the choir arrangements.[5]
Lyttelton wanted Wakeman to record the album with musicians that he had never worked with before in order to push Wakeman and the album to "new limits". The idea was strange to Wakeman at first as he already had his rock band The English Rock Ensemble available to perform, but later said Lyttelton was "100% right".[5] Wakeman was free to pick lead vocalists of his choosing, with Lyttleton suggesting that he use "the right singer for the right song".[5] He had written four songs with a specific vocalist in mind, but two other pieces, "Ride of Your Life" and "Mr. Slow", with no one in mind. Wakeman felt the former needed a "raunchy female rock vocal", to which a chance comment to a colleague led to contact with Katrina Leskanich, who agreed to participate.[3]Tony Mitchell sang on "Mr. Slow" after Wakeman's engineer Stuart Sawney was assisting with the recording of the drums at Barriemore Barlow's studio. Barlow suggested Mitchell after hearing an album from her band Kiss of the Gypsy.[3] "Buried Alive" is sung by Ozzy Osbourne, "Is Anybody There?" by Bonnie Tyler, "Never is a Long, Long Time" by Trevor Rabin, and "Still Waters Run Deep" by Justin Hayward.[2]
A narrator was not decided upon until shortly before Wakeman signed with EMI. Gilbert Heatherwick, the head of EMI's US division, asked who would take the role and suggested English actor Patrick Stewart. Wakeman was aware that booking Stewart would result in higher costs, but Lyttelton liked the idea and made it happen. Stewart's parts were recorded at POP Sound Studios in Santa Monica, California in August 1998. The session was originally booked for two hours, but Stewart enjoyed the experience so much he allowed the session to continue for the entire day at no extra cost, and cancelled his other sheeduled arrangements.[5] Stewart's narration was placed on the odd-numbered tracks on the CD, with the music placed on the even ones. Wakeman wanted the songs to run parallel with the story, as opposed to the original Journey album where the songs told the story along with the narration.[3]
Recording was disrupted midway through due to Wakeman's failing health. For three months, he worked 22-hour days which took a toll on him mentally and psychically.[6] In August 1998, shortly after his trip from Los Angeles to record Stewart's narration, Wakeman collapsed on a golf course and was rushed to hospital. He was diagnosed with a life threatening case of double pneumonia and pleurisy, and showed signs of Legionnaire's disease. At one point, his doctors gave him just 48 hours to live.[6] The setback led the recording sessions with the orchestra to be rearranged for December 1998.[5]
Wakeman originally suggested to use a symphony orchestra and choir from Belgrade with an unknown narrator to keep costs at a minimum, but Lyttelton was happy to employ a well known one and later was glad he "resisted the temptation" to go with Wakeman's idea as he wanted to make the album "to the fullest".[5] The two agreed to use the London Symphony Orchestra with conductor David Snell and the English Chamber Choir conducted by Guy Protheroe, which cost £122,000.[5] Recording took place across two days at Studio 1 at CTS Studios in Wembley, London, both days consisting of two three-hour sessions.[3] Wakeman recalled the experience as the most nerve-racking experience of his music career at that time. Shortly before the orchestra played, he recalled: "I will hear for the very first time whether at all the arrangements I have done will work, will sound perfect or whether it'll sound terrible, as if the LSO was a third rate brass band. I asked myself what these EMI directors would've done if it had sounded terrible. ... Those final twenty seconds have been the most silent twenty seconds of my life. As if in slow motion I saw the baton going up and even when I only heard a rough mix in the control room it was as if thick clouds were making way for the sun to emerge. That moment all stress left my body as I turned around and only saw laughing faces. If I still had doubts, they all left that same instance."[5] Two additional days were booked with the orchestra on stand-by in case parts needed to be re-recorded, but they were not used. Recording moved to Studio 2 to work on editing and putting down overdubs.[3]
The cover is Wakeman's first to be designed by Roger Dean, who produced artwork for several Yes albums.[3] When recording for the album was finished in December 1998, almost 300 people were involved with its production.[2] It cost £2 million to produce, a significant amount in comparison to Wakeman's earlier albums which were produced on small budgets.[5][7] Wakeman heard the album in its entirety for the first time on 17 December 1998, and received a CD of it in mid-January 1999.[5]
On 9 February 1999, the album received a 300-guest launch party arranged by EMI at the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, London.[5] The album's release followed on 15 March.[12][13] A promotional radio edit of the album was made with the songs edited to around four minutes, and distributed to radio stations to allow the album to gain airplay.[5] A limited edition vinyl was also released with a single run of 35,000 copies.[3] It reached a peak of number 34 on the UK Albums Chart during its three-week stay on the chart. EMI set a goal of selling 300,000 copies of the album worldwide, but sales had only reached 195,000 copies two years after its release. Targets were met in each territory except the United States, where just 25,000 copies were sold which Wakeman felt disappointed about.[14] Ideas to turn the album into an IMAX film were scrapped.[3]
The album received mixed reviews from music critics. The Birmingham Evening Mail wrote the album is "twice as long and equally as ambitious" as the original and rates Stewart's "precise narration". The orchestra and choir "enter into the spirit of things with gusto", but the review concluded with "expect a punk rock backlash in the year 2001".[9] A review in The Boston Herald by Kevin R. Convey gave the album 1-and-a-half stars out of five, saying Wakeman "hasn't lost his touch" and that the sequel "is every bit as pompous and bombastic as the original", which contained a "thoroughly silly script" for its narration and "risible" lyrics. Convey concluded: "Those who love Journey probably will enjoy this as well. Others may want to find more creative ways to give themselves a headache".[10] In October 1999, a review from Shawn Perry for About.com praised Stewart's performance for his "infectious precision" in his narration and the album's opening of "lush orchestrations, slyly garnishing Stewert's poignant articulations throughout". Perry thought Wakeman's keyboards sound "seemingly shrouded ... certainly not as distinctive as Wakeman's sound can be", but welcomed "Buried Alive" as the point when the album "sonically surges forward" and for Osbourne's vocals and Wakeman's solo. From then on, Perry thought the album takes an "ethereal tone ... with no real central theme to convey" but considered Tyler's and Hayward's songs as highlights. Perry concluded that the album acts as a "self-fulfilling aspiration" for Wakeman, and thought the audience lack the patience to sit through the album.[8]
Live performance
Initially, Wakeman wanted to perform the album on the Spanish island of Tenerife, as close to Mount Teide as possible, with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife, but the difficulties in performing around such an ecological area led to the idea being scrapped.[1] Material from Return to the Centre of the Earth was performed live for the first time as part of Wakeman's 25-date Half a Century Tour, playing a selection of material across his career in churches and cathedrals across the United Kingdom from May 1999.[15] A full scale tour with a stage designed by Dean was shelved.[5]
Wakeman has performed the album live in its entirety twice, both times in Québec, Canada. The premiere took place on 30 June 2001 in Trois-Rivières with Wakeman's band the English Rock Ensemble, then formed of his son Adam Wakeman on keyboards, guitarist Ant Glynne, bassist Lee Pomeroy, and drummer Tony Fernandez. Vocals were performed in English by Luck Mervil and Fabiola Toupin. The second performance followed on 15 July 2006 on the Plains of Abraham, Quebec City as part of the annual Quebec City Summer Festival. Wakeman was accompanied by a 45-piece orchestra conducted by Gilles Bellemare, the 20-piece Vocalys Ensemble Choir, the English Rock Ensemble, and guest vocals by Jon Anderson, Annie Villeneuve, and Vincent Marois, with narration from Guy Nadon. The concert was accompanied by giant screens and a light and firework display. Wakeman has stated that this show was the highlight of his career.[citation needed]
Track listing
All music, narration, and lyrics written and produced by Rick Wakeman; all odd-numbered tracks narrated by Patrick Stewart.[2]
Yes are an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by lead singer Jon Anderson, bassist Chris Squire, guitarist Peter Banks, keyboardist Tony Kaye, and drummer Bill Bruford. The band has undergone numerous lineup changes throughout their history, during which 20 musicians have been full-time members. Since February 2023, the band has consisted of guitarist Steve Howe, keyboardist Geoff Downes, bassist Billy Sherwood, singer Jon Davison, and drummer Jay Schellen. Yes have explored several musical styles over the years and are most notably regarded as progressive rock pioneers.
Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboardist and composer best known as a former member of the progressive rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004, and for his solo albums released in the 1970s. AllMusic describes Wakeman as a "classically trained keyboardist extraordinaire who plied his trade with Yes and developed his own brand of live spectacular in a solo act."
John Roy Anderson is an English singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the former lead singer of the progressive rock band Yes, which he formed in 1968 with bassist Chris Squire. He was a member of the band across three tenures until 2008. Anderson was also a member of ARW along with former Yes bandmates Rick Wakeman and Trevor Rabin from 2016 to 2020. Together with bassist Lee Pomeroy and drummer Lou Molino III, they toured under the name Yes Featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Rick Wakeman.
Tales from Topographic Oceans is the sixth studio album by English progressive rock band Yes, released on 7 December 1973 by Atlantic Records. It is their first studio album to feature drummer Alan White, who had replaced Bill Bruford the previous year. Frontman Jon Anderson devised its concept during the Close to the Edge Tour, when he read a footnote in Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda that describes four bodies of Hindu texts about a specific field of knowledge, collectively named shastras–śruti, smriti, puranas, and tantras. After pitching the idea to guitarist Steve Howe, the pair spent the rest of the tour developing an outline of the album's musical themes and lyrics.
Trevor Charles Rabin is a South African musician, songwriter, and film composer. Born into a musical family and raised in Johannesburg, Rabin took up the piano and guitar at an early age and became a session musician, playing and producing with a variety of artists. In 1972, he joined the rock band Rabbitt, which enjoyed considerable success in South Africa, and released his first solo album, Beginnings. In 1978, Rabin moved to London to further his career, working as a solo artist and a producer for various artists including Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
Oliver Wakeman is an English musician, rock keyboardist and composer, best known as a member of Yes from 2008 to 2011, having filled the role of keyboardist previously held by his father, Rick Wakeman.
Going for the One is the eighth studio album by English progressive rock band Yes, released on 15 July 1977 by Atlantic Records. After taking a break in activity in 1975 for each member to release a solo album, and their 1976 tour of the United States and Canada, the band relocated to Montreux, Switzerland to record their next studio album. During rehearsals, keyboardist Patrick Moraz left the group, which marked the return of Rick Wakeman who had left to pursue a solo career after differences surrounding Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973). In a departure from their previous albums, Going for the One, with the exception of the fifteen-minute "Awaken", features shorter and more direct songs without an overarching concept, and saw Yes record with new engineering personnel and cover artists.
The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is a studio album by English keyboardist Rick Wakeman, released on 27 March 1975 by A&M Records. It is a concept album based on the stories and people of the King Arthur legend. Wakeman started to write the music in 1974 while recovering from a heart attack and recorded it with his five-piece band the English Rock Ensemble, the New World Orchestra, and the English Chamber Choir.
The Six Wives of Henry VIII is the first studio album by English keyboardist Rick Wakeman, released in January 1973 on A&M Records. It is an instrumental progressive rock album with its concept based on his interpretations of the musical characteristics of the wives of Henry VIII. After signing with A&M as a solo artist, Wakeman decided on the album's concept during a tour of the United States with the progressive rock band Yes. As he read a book about the subject on his travels, melodies he had written the previous year came to him and were noted down. The album was recorded throughout 1972 with musicians from Yes and The Strawbs, the group Wakeman was in prior to Yes, playing on the album.
Journey to the Centre of the Earth is the second album by English keyboardist Rick Wakeman, released on 3 May 1974 by A&M Records. It is a live recording of the second of his two concerts at the Royal Festival Hall on 18 January 1974, the premiere of his 40-minute orchestral rock piece based on Jules Verne's 1864 science fiction novel of the same name. It tells the story of Professor Lidinbrook, his nephew Axel, and their guide Hans, who follow a passage to the Earth's centre originally discovered by Arne Saknussemm, an Icelandic alchemist. Wakeman performs with the London Symphony Orchestra, the English Chamber Choir, and a group of hand-picked musicians for his rock band, which later became the English Rock Ensemble. Actor David Hemmings narrates the story.
1984 is a studio album by the English keyboardist Rick Wakeman, released in June 1981 on Charisma Records. After reforming his band The English Rock Ensemble in 1980 and completing a European tour, Wakeman entered a recording deal with Charisma and began preparing material for a studio album. He decided on a concept album based on the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. The lyrics are by Tim Rice.
Lisztomania is the first soundtrack album by English keyboardist Rick Wakeman. It was released in November 1975 by A&M Records as the soundtrack for the Ken Russell's musical biographical film Lisztomania about the Hungarian composer Franz Liszt. Some tracks feature The Who's Roger Daltrey singing lead vocals.
No Earthly Connection is a studio album by English keyboardist Rick Wakeman, released in April 1976 on A&M Records. After touring worldwide in late 1975 in support of his previous studio album The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (1975), Wakeman retreated to Herouville, France to record a new studio album with his rock band, the English Rock Ensemble. He based its material on a part fictional and non-fictional autobiographical account of music that incorporates historical, futuristic, and science-fiction themes.
Rick Wakeman's Criminal Record is a studio album by English keyboardist Rick Wakeman, released on 9 November 1977 on A&M Records. After touring his previous album No Earthly Connection in August 1976, Wakeman rejoined the progressive rock band Yes as they recorded Going for the One (1977) in Switzerland. When recording finished, he started work on a new solo record which took form as a keyboard-oriented instrumental album similar to that of his earlier album, The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1973), and loosely based on criminality. Several guest musicians play on the record, including Chris Squire and Alan White of Yes, percussionist Frank Ricotti, and comedian Bill Oddie on vocals.
Lou Reizner was an American record producer, A&R executive and head of Mercury Records European operations. He produced Rod Stewart's first two solo albums, the orchestral version of The Who's rock opera Tommy, and Rick Wakeman's Journey to the Centre of the Earth. As an A&R executive, he signed Van der Graaf Generator and arranged a US deal for David Bowie.
Rick Wakeman is an English keyboardist, composer and songwriter, most known as the keyboard player for progressive rock group Yes. His solo albums have sold over 50 million copies.
Classic Tracks is a progressive rock album of re-makes of classic Rick Wakeman songs. It features Wakeman and four American musicians.
Yes Featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Rick Wakeman, also known as Anderson, Rabin and Wakeman (ARW), were a progressive rock band founded by former Yes members Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, and Rick Wakeman (keyboards) in an offshoot of the band. The three had previously worked together in Yes for the 1991–1992 Union Tour. The trio were first announced as working together in 2010.
Piano Odyssey is a studio album by English keyboardist Rick Wakeman, released on 12 October 2018 by Sony Classical Records. After the positive response to his previous album Piano Portraits (2017), Wakeman decided to record a follow-up in the same format, recording a mixture of piano-oriented cover versions and original pieces. This time, some tracks include the Orion Orchestra and the English Chamber Choir.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
