Original released on LP A&M AMLH 64546
(UK 1975, October 20)
This record is pretty different from Rick Wakeman's usual progressive work: the songs here have almost all a different style: from classical music to floating mellotron ballads, passing by clavinet pop rock and piano solos, the repertoire is broad. Roger Daltrey's ordinary voice can be heard on the simpler songs (listen to the wonderful "Love's Dream"); there is another singer on "Excelsior song" (Paul Nicholas) that almost sounds like a crooner. The music does not sound like a movie soundtrack. There are some very good & bombastic orchestral arrangements. However some of the Wakeman's fans could be quite disappointed: the often pop compositions are not really complex: they are just slightly progressive! Wakeman claims that in 1975 A&M took his original tapes and gutted/changed them so completely that this resulting soundtrack bears no resemblance to what he'd intended it to sound like. In 2002 he and Voiceprint released "Treasure Chest Volume 1: The Real Lisztomania", which he feels is the correct version. Whether or not it's any improvement for the listener is probably debatable. (in RateYourMusic)