Rick Wakeman: Journey To The Center Of The Earth 1974 (2012 Reissue) + The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table 1975 (2016 Reissue)

 

One of the premier rock keyboardists of the progressive era, Rick Wakeman cut his teeth as a London

session musician at the tail-end of the 1960s before earning star status as a member of prog rock superstars Yes in 1971.
               

He left the band in 1973 to concentrate on his burgeoning solo career and within a few years had

released a trio of ambitious, classical rock albums that proved highly successful: The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, and The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
                  

Wakeman briefly rejoined Yes in the late '70s, and during the next decade produced the film score for

Ken Russell's Lisztomania; he also co-wrote a musical version of George Orwell's 1984 with lyricist Tim Rice. He subsequently recorded a series of acclaimed new age albums, recorded and toured intermittently with Yes, and maintained a prodigious recording and touring schedule, balancing his rock, new age, religious, and solo piano work.
                   

In the 21st century, albums like 2000's Preludes to a Century and 2017's Piano Portraits earned

Wakeman critical acclaim and even a return to chart success, especially on his prog-heavy 2020 outing The Red Planet.
                    

RICK WAKEMAN - JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH 1974 (REISSUE 2012)

            

Journey to the Centre of the Earth is one of progressive rock's crowning achievements. With the help of the London Symphony Orchestra and the English Chamber Choir, Rick Wakeman turns this classic Jules Verne tale into an exciting and suspenseful instrumental narrative. The story is told by David

Hemmings in between the use of Wakeman's keyboards, especially the powerful Hammond organ and the innovative Moog synthesizer, and when coupled with the prestigious sound of the orchestra, creates the album's fairy tale-like climate. Recorded at London's Royal Festival Hall, the tale of a group of explorers who wander into the fantastic living world that exists in the Earth's core is told musically through Wakeman's synthesized theatrics and enriched by the haunting vocals of a chamber choir.
               

Rick Wakeman - Journey To The Center Of The Earth
Label: Wasabi Records 4571136377923
Format: CD Reissue 2012
Released: 1974
Genere: Rock
Style: Progressive Rock, Symphonic Rock, Classic Rock

TRACKS

                 

01. The Preface (1:10)
-The Journey
02. The Journey Overture (2:25)
03. Journey's Dawn (3:39)
04. Crystals (0:34)
05. The Gothic Cathedral (1:07)
06. A Quest For Water (1:18)
07. The Hansbach (2:55)
- ...
08. Fervent Prayer (0:41)
09. The Recollection (2:32)
-Prayers
10. Lost & Found (0:44)
11. Echoes (3:49)
-The Battle
12. Miles (0:18)
13. The Reunion (2:42)
14. A New Vista (0:50)
15. A World Within A World (2:14)
16. The Raft (1:07)
17. The Battle (5:55)
-The Elements
18. Cumulus Clouds (0:38)
19. The Storm (2:02)
-The Discovery
20. The Cemetery (1:28)
21. Quaternary Man (4:50)
22. Mastodons (0:54)
-The Forest
23. The Forest (2:31)
24. Ages Of Man (1:56)
25. The Tunnel (1:53)
- ...
26. Hall Of The Mountain King (0:53)
27. Mount Etna (3:17)

Total time 54:22

MUSICIANS

           

Rick Wakeman - keyboards, additional choir arrangements, co-producer

WITH

                    

Hayley Sanderson - vocals
Ashley Holt - vocals
Dave Colquhoun - guitars
Lee Pomeroy - bass
Tony Fernandez - drums
Orion Symphony Orchestra
Danny Beckerman - original orchestrations
Wil Malone - original orchestrations
Ann Manly - additional orchestrations
English Chamber Choir
Guy Protheroe - additional orchestrations, choir conductor
Peter Egan - narrator

Flac Size: 341 MB

RICK WAKEMAN - THE MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF KING ARTHUR AND THE KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE 1975 (REISSUE 2016)

            

Rick Wakeman's third solo album is among his best, as he employs his vast array of keyboards to their full extent, musically describing the characters pertaining to the days of King Arthur's reign. With

orchestra and choir included, although a little less prevalent than on Journey, he musically addresses the importance and distinguishing characteristics of each figure through the use of multiple synthesizers and accompanying instruments. "Lady of the Lake" is given a mystical, enchanted feel, perpetrated by a more subtle use of piano and synthesizer, while the battle of "Sir Lancelot and the Black Knight" is made up of a barrage of feuding keyboard runs and staccato riffs, musically recounting the intensity of the duel.
                 

But it's on "Merlin the Magician" where Wakeman truly shines, as the whimsy and peculiarity of this

fabled figure is wonderfully conjured up through the frenzy of the synthesizer. As one of Wakeman's most famous pieces, it is here that his astounding musicianship is laid out for all to hear, a marvelous bisque of keyboard artistry. The album's entirety is a sensational execution of Wakeman's adroitness, and with vocals from Ashley Holt and Gary Pickford Hopkins, it still stands along with Journey to the Center of the Earth and The Six Wives of Henry VIII as one of his most astute pieces.
                     

Rick Wakeman – The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table
Label: Rick Wakeman – MFGZ017CD
Format: 2 x CD, Album, Stereo, Reissue 2016
Country: UK
Released: 1975    
Genre: Rock
Style: Prog Rock, Symphonic Rock

CD 1.

          

01. The Choice Of King    0:10
02. King Arthur    7:30
03. Morgan Le Fay    7:20
04. Lady Of The Lake    0:45
05. Arthur's Queen    0:35
06. Guinevere    6:00
07. Lancelot & The Black Knight    5:50
08. Princess Elaine    6:40
09. Camelot    5:50

Flac Size: 259 MB

CD 2.

           

01. The King Of Merlins    0:45
02. A Wizard's Potion    0:35
03. Merlin The Magician    7:35
04. The Chalice    0:45
05. The Holy Grail    6:05
06. The Best Knight    0:45
07. The Contest    0:35
08. Sir Galahad    5:00
09. Percival The Knight    9:25
10. Excalibur    0:30
11. The Last Battle    9:50

Flac Size: 253 MB

LINE - UP

Rick Wakeman - Piano, Keyboards, Lyrics By, Music By, Arranged By [Choir Arrangements - New Compositions]

WITH

Baritone Vocals – Allan Grant, Val Williams
Bass – Matt Pegg
Bass Vocals – Bob Hunter, John Parry
Choir – The Nottingham Festival Male Choir
Drums, Percussion – Tony Fernandez
Ensemble [Musicians] – The English Rock Ensemble
Guitar [Guitars], Banjo – Dave Colquhoun
Narrator – Ian Lavender
Painting, Illustration [Sketches], Typography [Cover Lettering] – Roger Dean
Tenor Vocals – Carey Wilson, Freddie Williams, Michael Pearn
Tenor Vocals [High Tenor] – Eric Gethin
Vocals – Ashley Holt, Hayley Sanderson
Written-By [Choir Parts - 1975 Pieces] – Wil Malone

Rick Wakeman on Urban Aspirines HERE

Rick Wakeman: The Six Wives Of Henry VIII 1973

 

Richard Christopher Wakeman CBE (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboardist. He is best known

for being in the progressive rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004 and for his solo albums released in the 1970s.
                                                                     

Y E S

Born and raised in West London, Wakeman intended to be a concert pianist but quit his studies at the

Royal College of Music in 1969 to become a full-time session musician. His early sessions included playing on "Space Oddity", among others, for David Bowie, and songs by Junior's Eyes, T. Rex, Elton John, and Cat Stevens.
                                     

Wakeman became a member of The Strawbs in 1970 before joining Yes a year later, playing on

some of their most successful albums across two stints until 1980. Wakeman began his solo career in 1973; his highest-selling solo albums are his first three: The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1973), Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1974), and The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (1975), all concept albums. He formed his rock band, The English Rock Ensemble, in 1974, with which he continues to perform, and scored his first film, Lisztomania (1975).
                                             

Wakeman pursued solo projects in the 1980s that varied in levels of success; his most successful album

was 1984, released in 1981, which was followed by his minor pop hit single, "Glory Boys", from Silent Nights (1985). He hosted the television show Gastank, and recorded his first of several New-age, ambient, and Christian music albums with Country Airs (1986) and The Gospels (1987), respectively.
                                        

From 1988 to 1990 he was a member of Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe which led to his third Yes stint until 1992. He returned twice more between 1995 and 2004, during which he completed several

more solo projects and tours, including his most significant of the decade, Return to the Centre of the Earth (1999). From 2016 to 2020, Wakeman was a member of Yes Featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Rick Wakeman. He continues to record albums and perform concerts worldwide in various capacities; his most recent album is The Red Planet (2020).
                                           

Wakeman's discography includes over 90 solo albums spanning a range of musical styles.
                                                         

KING HENRY VIII

King Henry VIII ruled England for 36 years (1509-1547). Henry VIII is best known for his six wives, and several mistresses he kept on the side. The monarch’s desperate quest for political unification and a healthy male heir drove him to annul two marriages and have two wives beheaded. His chaotic love life caused an unstable succession, foreign policy implications and even led to the break with the Church of Rome.
                                                     

In common parlance, the wives of Henry VIII were the six queens consort wedded to Henry between 1509 and his death in 1547. In legal terms, King Henry VIII of England had only three wives, because three of his marriages were annulled by the Church of England. However, he was never granted an annulment by the Pope, as he desired, for Catherine of Aragon, his first wife. Annulments declare that a true marriage never took place, unlike a divorce, in which a married couple end their union. Along with his six wives, Henry took several mistresses.
                                                   

What is extraordinary is that Henry was usually a very good husband. And he liked women – that's why he married so many of them! He was very tender to them, we know that he addressed them as "sweetheart." He was a good lover, he was very generous: the wives were given huge settlements of land and jewels – they were loaded with jewels. He was immensely considerate when they were pregnant. But, once he had fallen out of love... he just cut them off. He just withdrew. He abandoned them. They didn't even know he'd left them.

Who Were the Six Wives of Henry VIII?

Catherine of Aragon.
Anne Boleyn.
Jane Seymour.
Anne of Cleves.
Catherine Howard.
Catherine Parr.

                                            

The Six Wives of Henry VIII is the second 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 Strawbs, the group Wakeman was in prior to Yes, playing on the album.

Rick Wakeman – The Six Wives Of Henry VIII
Label: A&M Records – 5356246
Format:    CD, Album, Reissue
Country: Europe
Released: 2014
Genre: Electronic, Rock
Style: Modern Classical, Prog Rock

TRACKS

                                                   

01. Catherine Of Aragon  3:45
Bass – Chris Squire, Les Hurdle
Drums – Bill Bruford
Engineer, Mixed By – Ken Scott
Guitar – Mike Egan, Steve Howe
Percussion – Ray Cooper
Vocals – Barry St. John, Judy Powell, Liza Strike
02. Anne Of Cleves  7:50
Bass – Dave Winter
Drums – Alan White
Guitar – Mike Egan
Percussion – Frank Riccotti
03. Catherine Howard  6:36
Banjo [Electric] – Dave Cousins
Bass – Chas Cronk
Drums – Barry De Souza
Guitar – Dave Lambert
Percussion – Frank Riccotti
04. Jane Seymour  4:44
Drums – Alan White
05. Anne Boleyn 'The Day Thou Gavest Lord Hath Ended'  6:31
Arranged By [End Hymn] – Rick Wakeman
Bass – Les Hurdle
Drums – Bill Bruford
Engineer – Ken Scott
Guitar – Mike Egan
Mixed By – Dave Henshall*
Percussion – Ray Cooper
Vocals – Laura Lee, Liza Strike, Sylvia McNeill
Written-By [End Hymn] – E.J. Hopkins
06. Catherine Parr  7:00
Bass – Dave Winter
Drums – Alan White
Guitar – Mike Egan
Percussion – Frank Riccotti

MUSICIANS

Lead musician

                                     

Rick Wakeman – 2 Minimoog synthesisers, 2 400-D Mellotrons (one for vocals, sound effects and vibes; the other for brass, strings and flutes), frequency counter, custom mixer, Steinway 9' grand piano, custom-built Hammond C-3 organ, RMI electric piano and harpsichord, ARP synthesiser, Thomas Goff harpsichord, church organ at St Giles-without-Cripplegate, portative organ

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"

MP3 @ 320 Size: 89 MB
Flac  Size: 221 MB