Rick Wakeman - (2002) Wakeman & Cousins - Hummingbird

RICK WAKEMAN - (2002) Wakeman & Cousins - Hummingbird

"This is a very nice album - and quite a pleasant surprise for Strawbs fans. The songs are good and melodic and the entire album is quite pleasant and relaxing. A must for all Strawbs fans, and also an album Rick fans should buy. (I had looked for it some time when I suddenly found it in the record shop under "H"... Someone in the shop obviously thought there was a band named Hummingbird who had just released an album called "Wakeman & Cousins"...)
review by Bjorn Olaf Syvertsen on 18/06/2003"
"You'll probably all know that Rick's big break before joining Yes was spending a year with The Strawbs. He made one full studio album and one live album whilst a member and, I think, contributed to Dave Cousin's solo album. To hear that Rick was making a new album with Dave after many years was great news, and the finished product does not disappoint. Dave Cousin's voice is unique - and I can certainly understand that some people don't like it. But believe me, the songs on this album will send shivers down your spine, they are that good. And Rick is certainly on form. Just listen to the keyboard solo that occupies the last minute of the opening track "The Young Pretender". To me this is the best Rick has sounded for many years. If you've not been sure about buying this album, please do: I know you'll like it!
review by Kevan James on 10/04/2003"


Track List:
01 - The Young Pretender 5' 50" /
02 - Hummingbird 3' 41" /
03 - So Shall Our Love Die 3' 36" /
04 - Steppes 1' 23" /
05 - October to May 3' 36" /
06 - Ice Maiden 0' 41" /
07 - Higher Germanie 4' 35" /
08 - Stone Cold is the Woman's Heart 4' 32" /
09 - Crie du Coeur 1' 26" /
10 - All In Vain 3' 49" /
11 - Can You Believe 4' 44" /
12 - Via Bencini 2' 12" /
13 - Forever Ocean Blue 3' 38"

Artist List:
Rick Wakeman - Keyboards / Chas Cronk - Bass /
Dave Cousins - Vocals, Guitar, Dulcimer, Banjo /
Tony Fernandez - Drums /
Ric Sanders - Violins /
Mac McGann - Tipple

Rick Wakeman - (2002) Two Sides of Yes - Volume 2

RICK WAKEMAN - (2002) Two Sides of Yes - Volume 2

"A second volume along the same lines as TWO SIDES OF YES had a release date of 1st July 2002 (Legends Records CRP0952). It cost about £15 including postage on release which was utterly ridiculous as it was over twice the price the first volume was when it was released (though that had been increased to the same price). Worse still only two of the six pieces are new (the insert tries to imply three with the incorrect studio credits). It took over six weeks for the distributor to get this to my supplier. Note the catalogue number might be seen as CRL0952 - they seem to have switched from Classic Rock Legends to Classic Rock Productions branding since listing the album. A double CD package with the first volume has appeared in 2003 and also the piano pieces are available separately.
review by Graham Johnson
http://recollection.co.uk/rickwakeman/"


Track List:
1 Awaken 8' 56"
2 Siberian Khatru 12' 30"
3 Madrigal 4' 5"
4 Starship Trooper 12' 24"
5 Heart of the Sunrise 7' 21"
6 Going for the One 7' 15"

Artist List:
Rick Wakeman - Keyboards
Alan Thompson - Bass
Tony Fernandez - Drums

Rick Wakeman - (2001) Two Sides of Yes - Vol 1

Track List:
1 Your Move 7' 31"
2 Wondrous Stories 7' 51"
3 Long Distance 7' 13"
4 Don't Kill The Whale 4' 8"
5 Close To The Edge 7' 35"
6 Roundabout 13' 19"
7 The Meeting 4' 13"


Artist:
Rick Wakeman - Keyboards
Alan Thompson - Bass
Tony Fernandez - Drums

Rick wakeman - (2003) OUT THERE

Studio Album, released in 2003

On many occasions I had read comparisons of 'Out There' to 'No Earthly Connection'. After I purchased it (Feb 2004), I arrived to the conclusion that, though the previous comparison was not totally out of the target, this specific record reminded me more of '1984', 'King Arthur' to a certain degree, and contemporary symphonic prog - even sometimes, prog metal (not only due to the style of Wilson's singing, but also to the somewhat heavy use of metal-like guitar riffs and solos). All in all, it was a record I enjoyed very much, because it includes lots of inspired melodic ideas, well achieved changes of tempo and mood, the typical Wakeman-pyrotechnics and keyboard 'wall of sound', and a sense of explosive energy that keeps the listener stuck on the music's pomp and circumstances. The opening and closing titles are the longest, therefore it is no surprise that they include the most complicated passages in symphonic terms, as well as an epic succession and reprise of various motifs. Tracks 4 and 5 are the most metallic-oriented, though they are not metal prog tunes per se: it's just the most aggresive attitude that a Wakeman rock tune can get, and it really works very fine (pay attention to the alternate solos of guitar and synths in the final 2 1/2 minutes of track 4). 'The Mission' is an excursion into a more funky-oriented realm, with hard rock attitude (think back of 'No Earthly Connection', as a point of reference), but it is the compelling semi-ballad 'To Be With You' that attracts most of my attention - besides the opening and closing numbers, that is. 'To Be With You' is constructed on a basis of eerie layers of synths and a computarized rhythm sequence, over which Pomeroy and Fernandez add their human touch with appropiate subtlety: Wilson's performance is particularly emotional as his singing almost reaches the point of whispering at times, though the most evocative singing comes from the chorale while in the background Wakeman displays some effective touches of piano - awesome! Generally speaking, 'Out There' is one of the best prog efforts of 2003, as well as one of Wakeman's best records in the last 20 years, which proves you that his musical creativity is still genuinely fruitful: lucky for us all prog-heads.
(Cesar Inca) progarchives.com)

Track Listings

1. Out There (13:11)
2. The Mission (6:29)
3. To Be With You (6:23)
4. Universe of Sound (7:43)
5. Music of Love (6:47)
6. Cathedral of the Sky (10:25)

Total Time: 50:57
Line-up/Musicians

- Rick Wakeman / keyboards
- Fraser Thorneycroft-Smith / guitars
- Tony Fernandez / drums & percussion
- Damian Wilson / vocals
- Ant Glynne / guitars
- Lee Pomeroy / bass
- English Chamber Choir / choir
- Guy Protheroe / conductor

Rick Wakeman - (2001) Out The Blue

"I puchased this at Rick's concert in Atlanta and recommend it to everyone, but esp. to those who will be catching the remaining concerts on this tour since it is one of only 3 available at the shows! For those of you who haven't heard the current lineup of the ERE-it is definetely a "heavier" sound esp. due to Damien Wilson's vocals and Ant Glynne's guitar-which are both excellent and spotlighted on this live recording from 2001. The updated versions of "Journey", "Jane Seymour", and "No Earthly connection/the prisoner" are better than ever, the version of "Buried Alive" really rocks hard, and "Starship trooper" features great playing by Rick, his son Adam, and Ant. The only thing I really missed was a audio version of "Merlin" with the dueling keyboards of Rick and son like that featured on the DVD-I realize it is a different show apparantely. Overall, great production and mixing-all of the musicans are very tight. Great addition to your RW collection!
review by David Momberg on 27/10/2003"

Tracking List:
1 Journey to the Centre of the Earth 16' 43"
2 Buried Alive 6' 45"
3 Jane Seymour 4' 42"
4 No Earthly Connection/The Prisoner 11' 49"
5 Catherine Parr 9' 45"
6 The Visit 5' 40"
7 Return of the Phantom 2' 20"
8 Starship Trooper 7' 21"
9 Wurm 9' 2"
Artist List:
Rick Wakeman - Keyboards
Adam Wakeman - Keyboards & Backing Vocals
Tony Fernandez - Drums & Percussion
Damian Wilson - Vocals
Ant Glynne - Guitars & Backing Vocals
Lee Pomeroy - Bass

Rick Wakeman - (1999) Official Live Bootleg

"This two cd set was recorded live in front of 8,000 people in Buenos Aires, Argentina during August 1993. On this tour, Rick was accompanied by his son Adam who also plays keyboards, long time collaborator Tony Fernandez on drums and Alan Thomson on Bass. "Lure of the Wild" opens the first cd with an atmospheric intro and some typically dazzling speed playing from Rick. Live regulars "Catherine Howard" and "Catherine Parr" both give him the opportunity to play a bit with the basic pieces, a task he accepts with relish. Rick's arrangement of the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby", is wonderful and a great live piece. Highlights from "The Myths and Legends of King Arthur" are played without the vocal accompaniment that makes an interesting change. The second cd is almost entirely devoted to "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" and very good it is too. Again, no vocals allows the music to paint the pictures and the arrangements are fantastic. Even if you know "Journey" really well, this live version will give you a whole new perspective on it. Rick's interpretation of "Paint it Black" the Rolling Stones hit, is the last track on the cd and is absolutely stunning. Throughout, it's practically note perfect and as the sleeve notes say, no jiggery-pokery has been done to the recording at the mastering stage so you can be assured this is exactly as the audience heard it. Rick Wakeman is at his very best in front of an audience and this cd proves it in great style.
review by Julia Harries on 11/11/2000"

Tracking List:
1 Lure of the Wild 7' 25"
2 Catherine Howard 9' 55"
3 Eleanor Rigby 7' 53"
4 The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table 12' 25"
5 Catherine Parr 9' 46"
6 Journey to the Centre of the Earth 38' 30"
7 Paint it Black 6' 20"

Artist List:
Rick Wakeman - Keyboards
Adam Wakeman - Keyboards
Alan Thompson - Bass
Tony Fernandez - Drums

Rick Wakeman - (1998) Best Live

Live, released in 1998

Track Listings

1. Elizabethan Rock/ Make Me A Woman (10:00)
2. After Henry (20:34)
a) Catherine Of Aragon
b) A Crying Heart
c) Jane Seymour
d) A Crying Heart (part 2)
e) Catherine Howard
3. The Realisation/ The Prisoner (9:40)
4. King Arthur (20:37)
a) Guinevere
b) Lancelot And The Black knight
c) The Last Battle

Total Time: 60:51
Line-up/Musicians


Rick Wakeman/ keyboards
Davy Paton/ bass, guitars
Tony Fernandez/ drums, percussion
Ashley Holt/ vocals, percussion

Rick Wakeman - (1995) The Private Collection

"This is a great collection of long lost and/or unreleased recordings like the only studio performance of "Battle" from "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" with original line-up and orchestra. Next rarity is a track from the "Journey" concert at the Royal Festival Hall ("The Pearl an Dean Piano Concerto"). Also four very nice previously unreleased solo-piano pieces to be found on this CD. Last but not least we have here two convincing rocking group tracks recorded during the early 80's.
review by Siggi Zielinski on 20/09/1999"

Track List:
1 The Battle 4' 35"
2 Penny's Piece 7' 43"
3 Pearl and Dean Piano Concerto 4' 35"
4 Piece For Granny 3' 58"
5 Steamhole Dance (Parts 1 & 2) 3' 37"
6 The Mountain 8' 18"
7 Warmongers 4' 14"
8 Aberlady 11' 18"
9 Now A Word From Our Sponsor 3' 14"

Artist List:
Rick Wakeman-Keyboards
Ashley Holt-Vocals
Barney James-Percussion
David Hemmings-Narration
David Measham-Conductor
English Chamber Choir-Choir
Gary Pickford Hopkins-Vocals
Geoff Crampton-Guitar
Jackie McAuley-Guitar
John Gustafson-Bass
London Symphony Orch-Orchestra
New York Symphony Orch-Orchestra
Roger Newell-Bass
Tony Fernandez-Drums

Rick Wakeman - (1995) Rick Wakeman In Concert

"Rick has rearranged the "journey"-parts very nicely. The whole album is performed in a "journey"-like way, with a trombone and a trumpet added. The way Rick fits the instruments with tracks like "lancelot & the black knight" and "anne boleyn" is great for a change, i like them better than the original versions. If you like when Rick plays classical piano, you should check out the "anne boleyn"-outro, where he improvises a lot and extends the outro to about 2 minutes. Merlin the magician is the weakest point of the album, the mics seem not to pick up the lower frequenzies of rick's synth-solo very good, so there's a big lost. Ashley's voice is better than ever, he sings the "forest"-part perfectly (where gary's voice cracks on the original journey)
by Max Hult on 12/01/2000"
"This album is one of the best live recordings I have heard. The skill of the musicians is heard throughout the recording and the vocals are excellent. "Journey to the Center of the Earth" is a beautiful rendition as is the extended version of "Catherine Howard
by Rhett Nilsen on 07/12/1997"

Track List:
1 Journey to the Centre... 12' 3"
2 Catherine Howard 11' 42"
3 Lancelot and the Black Knight 5' 30"
4 Anne Boleyn 8' 57"
5 The Forest 6' 43"
6 Arthur and Guinevere 14' 40"
7 Merlin The Magician 7' 21"
8 Catherine Parr 8' 29"

Artist List:
Rick Wakeman - Keyboards/
Ashley Holt - Vocals/
John Dunsterville - Guitars/Mandolin/
John Hodgson - Percussion/
Martyn Shields - Trumpet/
Reg Brooks - Trombone/
Roger Newell - Bass/Vocals/
Tony Fernandez - Drums

Rick Wakeman - (1995) Cirque Surreal

"Whilst a huge fan off all Rick's early, I haven't been a devoted follow for years. So naturally with the huge number of releases many have slipped by me. The last few years have been devoted to remedying that situation. Amongst the "new" discoveries is Cirque Surreal. Any what a find it is! If you like vintage Rick and all the great synth sounds, melodies and generally mind blowing playing, then get this album. Some stand out tracks for me Gnash, Wired for sound and Juliet. The whole band is a tight as all heck with precision playing throughout. Some pretty good guitar from Fraser Thorneycroft-Smith and the vocals from Chrissie Hammond (not all tracks) are superb. All in all a great Wakeman album.
review by Ian Rutherford on 30/05/2003"
"Rick goes to the circus! I've never seen Cirque Surreal, but the music does seem to convey that kind of circus atmosphere, something to accompany feats of daring, constantly active performance that you would expect. Wings Of Fortune and Static seem to convey this to me most strongly, with that carnival-like organ playing. I must freely admit I don't know much about keyboards, but at least one used here sounds exactly the same as that used in Return To The Centre Of The Earth (only 4 years between them after all), and so I was sometimes reminded of that album, especially during the songs on Cirque Surreal. I'm afraid that the songs here did little for me. They don't sound bad, but they don't stand out. To put it another way, if this had been the first RW album I'd ever heard, I would've concluded "Stick to the instrumentals Rick, that's where you shine so well." Of course I do know better, and he has written some great songs, from Guinevere to Still Waters Run Deep. But that greatness does not shine here for me. As I intimated though, the instrumentals are excellent. It probably comes as no surprise then that my favourites on Cirque Surreal are devoid of lyric, they being the aforementioned Wings Of Fortune, Static, and the final track, The Jig. The Jig is wonderfully upbeat, and sounds like modern day Celtic folk music. It's a perfect finale to the album. Overall, I think Cirque Surreal should appeal to those of you that liked Return To The Centre Of The Earth. It isn't the same huge production, but Rick and his band are so pumped up here, it doesn't need to be. There are definitely at least a few tracks here that deserve to stand out up among the greats.
review by Ben Jordan on 26/01/2003"
GREAT ALBUM!

Track List:
01 Gnash
02 Balance of Power
03 Wings of Fortune
04 Static
05 The Party
06 Wired For Sound
07 Juliet
08 Tubular Balls
09 Carlos
10 The Love That I Know
11 The Jig

Artist List:
Rick Wakeman - Keyboards
Adam Wakeman - Musical Director
Chrissie Hammond - Vocals
Fraser Thorneycroft-Smith - Guitar
Phil Laughlin - Bass
Tony Fernandez - Drums/Percussion

Rick Wakeman - (1995) Almost Live in Europe

"This album misses the big set of instruments that Rick used in earlier days, like Journey and Arthur. Ashley's voice is not as good as it use to be either. What's good about this album is "The Prisoner", where Rick shows his great ability of playing the keyboard in baroque-style, As voice fits nicely. The tracks on the Arthur and the Wives sections are put together in a different way, quite nice to hear as a change from the original albums. The best point of the album is "Jane Seymour" which is very different from the original, with great rock/heavy metal-guitar added. For more richful instrumentation, check out the "King Biscuit"-album.
review by Max Hult on 12/01/2000"

Track List:
01 Elizabethan Rock
02 Make Me A Woman
03 Catherine of Aragon
04 Crying Heart (pt 1)
05 Jane Seymour
06 Crying Heart (pt 2)
07 Catherine Howard
08 Music Reincarnate - The Realisation
09 The Prisoner
10 King Arthur
11 Guinevere
12 Lancelot and the Black Knight
13 The Last Battle

Artist List:
Rick Wakeman - Keyboards
Ashley Holt - Vocals/Percussion
David Paton - Bass/Guitar
Tony Fernandez - Drums/Percussion

Rick Wakeman - (1994) Live On The Test

"This recording from a 1976 Old Grey Whistle Test is most of all a lot of fun, in addition to that you get a perfect Catherine Parr, a happy mamma journey excerpt with terrible vocals and wonderful keyboard playing, a good Merlin and Lancelot and last but not least; three great songs from the rare No Earthly Connection album. I heard this album (Live on the Test I mean) was only just deleted from being on sale, I don't know if it is true, try to find a copy nonetheless it is definitely worth the money and the trouble!
review by Tim Boudewijn van der Wart on 26/10/2001"

"This BBC recording features the English Rock Ensemble in all their glory. They all must have had some drinks before the show. Off course they're promoting "No earthly connection" with the inclusion of 3 songs from the Album. The mix is typical "radio", but not bad. If you like Rick's legendary announcements, this is definetly the right CD for you. And don't miss John Dunsterville's Johnny Cash parody! All in all: a great mixture of good live music (some nice mellotron playing) and a lot of fun!
review by Christian Loebenstein on 20/12/1999"

Track List:
1 Recollection 13' 50"
2 Music Reincarnate - The Realisation 5' 12"
3 Sir Lancelot and the Black Knight 5' 47"
4 Music Reincarnate - The Spaceman 4' 25"
5 Catherine Parr 10' 17"
6 The Prisoner 7' 36"
7 Merlin The Magician 7' 29"

Artist List:
Rick Wakeman - Keyboards/
Ashley Holt - Vocals/
John Dunsterville - Guitars/Mandolin/
Martyn Shields - Brass/
Reg Brooks - Brass/
Roger Newell - Bass/Vocals/
Tony Fernandez - Drums

Rick Wakeman - (1993) Wakeman with Wakeman - No Expense Spared

"This marvellous recording is in my opinion very overlooked and underated to say the least. This masterpiece by the undisputed King and Prince of the Keyboard Kingdom is a wide variety of different sounds which will evoke a myriad of feelings from the listener. Some of the highlights of this recording are the songs "Dylic", the melodic and breathtaking "Children of Chernobyl", the get you out of chair and up dancing "Jungle", "Is it Spring", and "It's your Move." In addition to these excellent songs Rick and Adam once again demonstrate their committment to the causes of those less fortunate than ourselves with the heart breaking song "Dream the World Away" which speaks to the terrible tragedy of child neglect and abuse. Please do not overlook this stellar work by the Wakemans because it is just too incredible and powerful to not have in your RW and AW collection.
review by Joost Warners on 11/12/1997"

Track List:
01 No Expense Spared 5' 33"
02 Dylic 4' 28"
03 It's Your Move 3' 54"
04 No One Cares 7' 1"
05 Luck of the Draw 5' 50"
06 Dream The World Away 3' 32"
07 Is it the Spring? 4' 6"
08 Nothing Ever Changes 5' 2"
09 Number 10 5' 29"
10 Jungle 5' 39"
11 Children of Chernobyl 4' 58"
12 Find The Time 4' 41"

Artist List:
Rick Wakeman - Keyboards
Adam Wakeman - Keyboards/Vocals
Alan Thompson - Bass/Guitars
Chrissie Hammond - Vocals
Dr Doom - Guitar
Stuart Sawney - Percussion Programming
Tony Fernandez - Drums/Percussion

Rick Wakeman - (1991) African Bach

Rick's Perspective: Only after agreeing to make this album did I discover that it was meant as a tax loss for the investors which upset me greatly. The album is all about how I saw not just South Africa at the time but also countries and people of the world in similar circumstances. I rate this as the best album of songwriting that I have ever made.
Wakey's Verdict: This is an album that I genuinely recommend for both musical and lyrical content.

Track List:
1 African Bach 3' 56"
2 Message of Mine 4' 0"
3 My Homeland 4' 16"
4 Liberty 5' 18"
5 Anthem 6' 8"
6 Brainstorm 4' 35"
7 Face in the Crowd 4' 19"
8 Just a Game 4' 10"
9 Africa East 5' 44"
10 Don't Touch The Merchandise 4' 38"

Line-Up:
Rick Wakeman - Keyboards
Ashley Holt - Vocals
David Paton - Bass
D'zal Martin - Guitar
Tony Fernandez - Drums
South African Choir - Choir

Rick Wakeman - (1990) Phantom Power

Studio Album, released in 1990

As a large number of Rick Wakeman albums,especially the ones made in the 1986-1995 period are,this album called "Phantom Power" is only for the fans of this Rick Wakeman genre or for the persons who want to have a complete collection of everything Rick Wakeman has released. This is album is,in my opinion,very close to terrible,anyhow it is not good at all...Mainly all tracks are short and the music (more background than a higher role) is togheter with vocal...The special thing here is that the vocals are horible...Tracks like "The Visit","Heaven","Evil Love","Heat Of The Moment" leave you with the impression that you have wasted your time and money (probably) with this album,since there is too little Wakeman here and too much awful songs...

I don't know what the film represents or if this soundtrack is appropriate to the film,but I don't care too much,because I'm interested in music,in Rick Wakeman...and here I don't see almost at all the magic or,at least,the decent Wakeman...

Track Listings

1. The visit (3:44)
2. Heaven (4:14)
3. The rat (3:26)
4. The stiff (3:22)
5. Evil love (3:49)
6. The voice of love (3:07)
7. Heat of the moment (3:55)
8. Fear of love (3:27)
9. The love trilogy: (5:14)
a) One night
b) Dream sequence
c) One night in love
10. The hangman (2:48)
11. The sand-dance (2:49)
12. You can't buy my love (3:31)
13. Phantom power (2:48)
14. Rock pursuit (4:48)

Total Time: 50:12
Line-up/Musicians

- Rick Wakeman / keyboards, synthesizers
+ Tony Fernandez / drums, percussion
- Chrissie Hammond / vocals
- Ashley Holt / vocals
- D'Zal Martin / guitar
- Ramon Remedios / tenor vocals

Rick Wakeman - (1988) Zodiaque

"Very unusual record. Imagine: Milt Jackson and Modern Jazz Quartet finished their work and left the studio. Here comes Rick and Tony. They listened to MJQ and they began to play, but they did something different. It’s a jazz record not in style of music (let’s call it instrumental art-rock with a little touch of New Age), but in another sense: the album is a kind of dialog between keyboard player and drummer. It seems that not many overdubs were made there. And the mood in this record is a little bit darker than usually on Rick’s albums.
review by: Sergey Lenkov on 04/05/2003"
BOM ÁLBUM!

Track List:
01 Sagittarius 4' 19"
02 Capricorn 4' 42"
03 Gemini 2' 51"
04 Cancer 3' 17"
05 Pisces 4' 43"
06 Aquarius 3' 52"
07 Aries 5' 22"
08 Libra 3' 57"
09 Leo 3' 15"
10 Virgo 3' 48"
11 Taurus 4' 14"
12 Scorpio 3' 21"

Artist List:
Rick Wakeman - Keyboards
Tony Fernandez - Drums

Rick Wakeman - (1988) Time Machine

"Time Machine shows the influence of the 80s music in Rick's style. This is an album which has got one of the best moments from the keyboard wizard, and for the ones that haven't listened to the album, you should try to listen to songs like Ice, Angel of Time, Make me a Woman and Custer's Last Stand. Here comes a great album with great performances and great songs for people who like Rick's rock songs.
Reviews: Tatiana P.Wakeman on 07/01/1998"
BRILHANTE!

Track List:
1 Custer's Last Stand 4' 5"
2 Ocean City 4' 4"
3 Angel of Time 4' 51"
4 Slaveman 6' 44"
5 Ice 4' 52"
6 Open Up Your Eyes 9' 57"
7 Elizabethan Rock 3' 14"
8 Make Me A Woman
9 Rock Age 8' 37"

Artist List:
Rick Wakeman - Keyboards
Ashley Holt - Vocals
David Paton - Bass
John Knightsbridge - Guitar
John Parr - Vocals Roy Wood - Vocals
Tony Fernandez - Drums/Percussion
Tracey Ackerman - Vocals

Rick Wakeman - (1988) The Word and The Gospel

Rick's Perspective:
Notes: Originally recorded in Israel with a full orchestra and narration by Robert Powell the only tragedy is that I had not rewritten it before this filming took place. When the ultimate DVD is filmed of the New Gospels then certainly elements of this one will be incorporated as part of the music's history.

Track List:
01 The Word 1' 15"
02 Power 4' 15"
03 The Gift 4' 35"
04 The Magnificat 3' 50"
05 Welcome A Star 4' 20"
06 The Way 3' 35"
07 The Baptism 4' 20"
08 The Welcoming 4' 40"
09 Sermon On The Mount 7' 50"
10 The Lord's Prayer 3' 10"
11 Road To Jerusalem 5' 55"
12 Trial and Error 6' 50"
13 The Hour 5' 25"
14 The Children of Mine 12' 10"
15 The Last Verse 0' 55"
16 Galille 1' 40"

Artist List:
Rick Wakeman - Keyboards
David Paton - Bass
Eton College Chapel Choir - Choir
Ramon Remedios - Vocals (Tenor)
Robert Powell - Narration
The Israel Symphony Orchestra - Orchestra
Tony Fernandez - Drums

Rick Wakeman - (1988) A SUITE OF GODS

Studio Album, released in 1988

Track Listings

1. Dawn of time (4:45)
2. The oracle (4:32)
3. Pandora's box (5:46)
4. Chariot of the sun (4:20)
5. The flood (8:31)
6. The voyage of Ulysses (4:21)
7. Hercules (23:18)

Total Time: 55:33

Line-up/Musicians - Rick Wakeman / Korg keyboards
+ Tony Fernandez / percussion
- Ramon Remedios / tenor vocals

Rick Wakeman - (1985) Silent Night

Studio Album, released in 1985

Although, this is not Rick Wakeman's very best. Everyone agrees that his A&M recordings were his best. Had this album "Silent Nights" been done by any other obscure artist, I would say that it is quite good (for an 80's progressive output). I know that it's hard to except this as a Rick Wakeman album. For all the albums that Rick Wakeman has done, we cannot possibly expect everyone one of them to be a stellar masterpiece. In the 70's, musicians seem to have more liberty to be creative, and the media was open to expose any unique music concept. Many 70's artists are still legends today. 80's and 90's artists are generally easily forgettable. Thank the record companies for that because it seems that the record companies (from the 80's through to today) didn't allow new ideas to be recorded and sold to the media. This is probably why many people consider Prog Rock to be a dinosaur sound concept. Progressive Rock is intelligent music and yet it's not very popular. What does that tell you? People laugh at the 70's today, but yet, it was the most creative era of ALL music concepts. Now, to get back to Rick Wakeman's "Silent Nights": This is my last favorite album from Rick Wakeman. Basically, I usually enjoy Rick's instrumental works, but I'll say that I do enjoy this album, even for it's vocals. After this album, only a few moments of Rick Wakeman's following albums offered a spark of interest to me. I've bought many, and traded them away because of a lack of interest. The only other album I love from Rick Wakeman after "Rhapsodies", was his soundtrack for "The Burning". I wish it were on CD. "White Rock" is still my favorite Wakeman CD.

Track Listings

1. Tell 'Em All You Know (3:25)
2. The Opening Line (3:43)
3. The Opera (6:25)
4. Man's Best Friend (4:20)
5. Glory Boys (3:15)
6. Silent Nights (3:54)
7. Ghost of a Rock'n'Roll Star (3:30)
8. The Dancer (3:15)
9. Elgin Mansions (5:20)
10. That's Who I Am (4:15)

Total Time: 42:58
Line-up/Musicians

- Rick Wakeman / keyboards, synthesizers, lead vocals (10)
+ Bimbo Acock / saxophone (7-10)
- Tony Burrows / backing vocals (2-3-6-7-9-10
- Alan Carvell / backing vocals (3)
- Chas Cronk / bass
- Rick Fenn / guitars (except on 2)
- Tony Fernandez / drums, percussion
- Sue Glover / backing vocals (1-7)
- John Kirby / backing vocals (1)
- Sonny Leslie / backing vocals (1)
- Val McKenna / backing vocals (9)
- Gordon Neville / lead vocals (1 to 4,6-7-9) backing vocals (1-2-4-5-6-9-10)