The Six Wives of Henry VIII (album)

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"When the opportunity came to re-score all these pieces for Hampton Court suddenly, there was no time limit. There were no rules and regulations about how the music had to be. And I could go back, revisit them, keep all of the elements that there were originally, and add the other little elements that could never be there."

Rick Wakeman [29]

In 1973 Wakeman sought permission to perform the album live at Hampton Court Palace. His request was denied, and "got the impression that what [he] had asked was tantamount to treason". [23] A full performance of the album was never held until 36 years later, when he was asked to perform it as part of the celebrations to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Henry's accession to the throne. A stage was constructed outside the main palace entrance to seat 5,000 people. [45] Wakeman performed with a six-piece arrangement of his band The English Rock Ensemble, the English Chamber Choir, and the Orchestra Europa, on 1 and 2 May 2009. [23] The setlist included "Defender of the Faith", the track Wakeman wrote about Henry that was omitted from the album due to unavailable space on the vinyl, plus additional material written specifically for the concerts. [29] The arrangement of the former was not exactly what Wakeman originally wrote, but its two main themes are the same. [4] A live album, DVD, and Blu-ray titled The Six Wives of Henry VIII Live at Hampton Court Palace was released in 2009.

In February 2023 Wakeman performed two shows at the London Palladium which included in the first show a performance of The Six Wives of Henry VIII. [46] The album will be performed once more in a forthcoming UK tour in October 2025. [47]

Track listing

All tracks written by Rick Wakeman. "Anne Boleyn" incorporates "The Day Thou Gavest Lord Hath Ended" written by Rev. Clement Cotteril Scholefield and arranged by Wakeman.

The Six Wives of Henry VIII
SixWives Wakeman Album.jpg
Studio album by
Released23 January 1973
RecordedFebruary–October 1972
Studio Morgan and Trident, London
Genre
Length36:36
Label A&M
Producer Rick Wakeman
Rick Wakeman chronology
Piano Vibrations
(1971)
The Six Wives of Henry VIII
(1973)
Journey to the Centre of the Earth
(1974)
Singles from The Six Wives of Henry VIII
  1. "Catherine Parr"/"Anne Boleyn"
    Released: 23 March 1973
Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Catherine of Aragon"3:44
2."Anne of Cleves"7:53
3."Catherine Howard"6:35
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Jane Seymour"4:46
2."Anne Boleyn 'The Day Thou Gavest Lord Hath Ended'"6:32
3."Catherine Parr"7:06

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's sleeve notes. [2]

Lead musician

Additional musicians

  • Bill Bruford – drums on "Catherine of Aragon" and "Anne Boleyn"
  • Ray Cooper – percussion on "Catherine of Aragon" and "Anne Boleyn"
  • Dave Cousins – electric banjo on "Catherine Howard"
  • Chas Cronk – bass guitar on "Catherine Howard"
  • Barry de Souza – drums on "Catherine Howard"
  • Mike Egan – guitar on "Catherine of Aragon", "Anne of Cleves", "Anne Boleyn", and "Catherine Parr"
  • Steve Howe – guitar on "Catherine of Aragon"
  • Les Hurdle – bass guitar on "Catherine of Aragon" and "Anne Boleyn"
  • Dave Lambert – guitar on "Catherine Howard"
  • Laura Lee – vocals on "Anne Boleyn"
  • Sylvia McNeill – vocals on "Anne Boleyn"
  • Judy Powell – vocals on "Catherine of Aragon"
  • Frank Ricotti – percussion on "Anne of Cleves", "Catherine Howard", and "Catherine Parr"
  • Chris Squire – bass guitar on "Catherine of Aragon"
  • Barry St. John – vocals on "Catherine of Aragon"
  • Liza Strike – vocals on "Catherine of Aragon" and "Anne Boleyn"
  • Alan White – drums on "Anne of Cleves", "Jane Seymour", and "Catherine Parr"
  • Dave Wintour – bass guitar on "Anne of Cleves" and "Catherine Parr"

Production and design

Charts

Chart (1973)Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [48] 9
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [49] 27
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) [50] 23
Italian Albums ( Musica e Dischi ) [51] 17
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [52] 21
UK Albums (OCC) [53] 7
US Billboard 200 [54] 30

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [55] Gold20,000^
United States (RIAA) [56] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 Kirkman 2016, p. 198.
  2. 1 2 3 4 The Six Wives of Henry VIII (Media notes). Wakeman, Rick. A&M Records. 1973. AMLH 64361.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. 1 2 3 4 Kirkman 2016, p. 199.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Wakeman, Rick (18 May 2021). "Rick Wakeman, The Six Wives of Henry VIII and Hampton Court". Loudersound. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Black, Alan (24 February 1973). "Rick Wakeman and the Making of The Six Wives of Henry VIII". Melody Maker. p. 11.
  6. 1 2 3 Valentine, Penny (27 January 1973). "The six wives of a Yes man". Sounds. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  7. 1 2 Wooding, p. 99.
  8. 1 2 "Music: Popping the Classics". Time. Time. 9 July 1973. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
  9. "How Rick Wakeman Made The Six Wives of Henry VIII". The Village Voice. 29 March 1973. p. 55. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  10. Wakeman, Rick (15 February 2015). "Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman: 'Books and places that inspired my art'". The Express. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Ling 2023, p. 30.
  12. 1 2 Wooding, p. 100.
  13. Kirkman 2016, p. 201.
  14. Wooding, p. 102.
  15. Mayer, Ira (1 February 1975). "New York Central" (PDF). Record World. p. 12. Retrieved 25 May 2022 via World Radio History.
  16. 1 2 Wooding, p. 107.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 Ling 2023, p. 33.
  18. 1 2 The Six Wives of Henry VIII Live at Hampton Court Palace DVD insert booklet. October 2009. Accessed April 3, 2011.
  19. 1 2 Wakeman, p. 117.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ling 2023, p. 34.
  21. Wooding, p. 104.
  22. Wooding, pp. 101.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 Pavia, Will (7 February 2009). "Rick Wakeman brings 'Tudor rock' to Hampton Court". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 11 May 2009. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  24. 1 2 Wooding, p. 103.
  25. Medium Rare (Media notes). Voiceprint Records. 2002. VPTCCD6. Retrieved 28 March 2023 via Discogs.
  26. Wooding, pp. 100-101.
  27. Christiansen, Rupert (22 September 2007). "The story behind the hymn". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  28. 1 2 Campbell, Mary (17 July 1973). "Records – Wakeman's 'Six Wives of Henry VIII' a Hit". York Daily Record. p. 30. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  29. 1 2 3 Behind the Scenes with Rick from The Six Wives of Henry VIII Live at Hampton Court Palace DVD. 5 October 2009. Eagle Vision.
  30. 1 2 Wooding, p. 98.
  31. 1 2 "Official Charts – Rick Wakeman – Albums". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  32. "RICK WAKEMAN - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company". Official Charts . Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  33. "Artists – Rick Wakeman – Chart history – Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  34. "RIAA - Gold and Platinum Search". RIAA. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  35. Mike DeGagne. "The Six Wives of Henry VIII - Rick Wakeman - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards - AllMusic". AllMusic.
  36. 1 2 Apple, Steve (21 June 1973). "Rick Wakeman: Six Wives Of Henry VIII". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  37. Ling, Dave (23 January 2024). ""By the time I swapped over the tapes I knew I was in the stinky brown stuff. Somebody said, 'God help us' … the budget for the cover was cut back": How Rick Wakeman proved everyone wrong with The Six Wives of Henry VIII". Louder. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  38. Valentine, Penny (10 February 1973). "Album Review: Rick Wakeman: "Six Wives of Henry VIII"". Sounds. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  39. "Rick Wakeman Six Wives Of Henry VIII CD". CD Universe. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
  40. "Music: The Year's Best". Time Magazine. 31 December 1973. Archived from the original on 14 December 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
  41. Wooding, p. 106.
  42. Mendoza, Henry (8 April 1973). "Soundings – Byrds Legend Back on Wax". The San Bernardino County Sun. p. 52. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  43. Barsocchini, Peter J. (28 April 1973). "Pop Corner – The Six Wives of Henry VIII". San Mateo County Times. p. 47. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  44. DeGagne, Mike. "The Six Wives of Henry VIII". Allmusic. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
  45. Evans, Jim (14 May 2009). "Arena Seating at Henry VIII anniversary". L&Si Online. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
  46. Scharf, Natasha (20 September 2022). "Rick Wakeman to perform his classic solo albums at two London shows in 2023". Loudersound. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  47. Ewing, Jerry (3 February 2025). "Rick Wakeman announces The Return Of The Caped Crusader Pt 2 tour dates for October". Loudersound. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  48. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  49. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4852". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  50. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN   978-951-1-21053-5.
  51. "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 27 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Rick Wakeman".
  52. "Charts.nz – Rick Wakeman – The Six Wives of Henry VIII". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  53. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  54. "Rick Wakeman Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  55. "Wakeman Liztomania Score Complete;Time Out For Gold" (PDF). Cash Box . 13 September 1975. p. 39. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  56. "American album certifications – Rick Wakeman – The Six Wives of Henry the VIII". Recording Industry Association of America.

Sources