Defend The Indefensible: Rick Wakeman

No it has to be the other way around if it's true at all. I'm sceptical that he would have had that much sway at the label, since sales were waning (though his late 70s stuff is good - often preferable to the earlier, better known albums). Wakeman's final album for A&M came out in 1979, two years after the fact. I know that Wakeman showed up in a documentary talking about this and said it was essentially a bullshit story.

xpost to earlnash - try Criminal Record, which is a digestible and enjoyably brief album from '77. It has a fair chunk of solo Rick mixed with Alan White, Chris Squire and Wakeman doing some fairly disciplined and enjoyable proggy bits.

Basically, McLaren had said that the Sex Pistols' signing had upset some of the proggers on the label (He'd read, upside down, a memo on the A&M-A&R's desk to the extent of "hey, do we all have to wear safety pins through our noses now?" and said more or less in passing that it was him wot got them sacked.

At which point lots of A&M staffers were all "yes, yes, that's exactly what happened", which got Rick extremely pissed off. Doubtless, that was not the only factor, but maybe one of them that made him see out his contract then goodnight vienna.

One further album, "Rhapsodies", then off. (his "Criminal Record" presumably well on the way by then..)

Thanks, that rings true. Wakeman was probably nearing the end at A&M anyway. "Criminal Record" did not sell too well I think - I recall stacks of copies marked down in Boots at the start of the 80s, which is where I got it from. Rhapsodies could be looked at as a stereotypical "last album for the label". It feels/sounds cut-price, has a terrible sleeve design (as did Criminal Record) and is all over the place, apparently hoping to appeal to the general public (there's everything from James Last-style orchestal disco to moogy riffs on famous classical/jazz tunes. This from a guy who has no business even considering what what "commercial" might sound like (listen to "Rock'n'Roll Prophet" to see how lamentable is his take on early-80s synthpop. Notwithstanding all that, to me there is some good stuff on these album due to his general creative quirkiness and blokey whimsicality.

People had some patience back in those days, I just don't see any of this kind of weird music being THAT popular.

hypothesis: prog rock fulfilled a cinematic purpose for fantasy/scifi/stoner nerds in the mid seventies, but that purpose was superseded by blockbuster sci-fi movies and the spread of D&D and then FPS videogames. Punk didn't kill prog rock, the triumph of nerdery in other pop culture areas did.

Not wanting to sound negative but no.

I'm totally digging Rock and Roll Prophet at the moment. It's like Wakeman meets the Buggles. And he sings weird duets!

http://open.spotify.com/album/1cOv3eKLgw8Tuas65QvaS6

totally insane that the brilliant No Earthly Connection is STILL unavailable on cd. that needs fucking sorting out.

i had no idea, but this was sorted out in 2012 with a US pressing, and the mastering is gorgeous, a lot richer than the cd editions of the other classics.

Cool. I need to catch up on Wakeman.

expanded remasters :

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Myths-Legends-Arthur-Knights-Round/dp/B00Q5V6QWO/ref=mb_oe_a

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Six-Wives-Henry-VIII/dp/B00Q5V6RYG/ref=pd_bxgy_m_h__img_y

about time.

I wonder why Journey To Centre Of Earth got that reissue with new cover so recently when these were going to come out?

those were new recordings ..
not reissues of the originals.

Oh! Good thing I didn't buy it! I don't remember there being any note of that on the cover.

its not that obvious at all.
i too nearly got the new editions but a nerd wakeman fan warned me.
however, these are indeed legit reissues !

I had the Strawbs 'All That Crazy Gift Of Time' pop up on my walkman a couple of weeks back. Got knocked out by the keyboard solo which sounded nicely distorto and had me thinking this is probably the closest RW came to garage punk like The later Seeds or something. Hadn't remembered the Antiques & Curios lp really going there but good lp.
I need to listen to the lp through again. Just had that track come up at random.

Interview in Rolling Stone is pretty interesting.

That site is making it very difficult to read with all the adverts shifting the page. I cant even copy and paste the thing.

Is he really known more for comedy in the UK?

he was on TV a lot* in the 90s in programmes like "grumpy old men", which i imagine were watched by many ppl who weren't much fussed abt the strawbs, but it's hard to run the numbers (this period seemed like forever at the time but in hindsight wasn't that drawn-out really)

*a bit

Who cares about solo careers and who needs defense when you played the gorgeous mellotron in "And you and I", on a five-stars record, in one of the 5 best classic prog rock bands ever.

As well with Yes stuff, I love his first album and Lisztomania soundtrack. Got a bunch of his other solo albums waiting.

I wonder what upsetting thing it was that his son saw on tour.

Mark S - just a bit? Check out his "self" credits on imdb.

Wakeman said that Have I Got News For You, Countdown (he's been on 87 episodes) and Grumpy Old Men opened a ton of doors for him, asked to lots of events and things as essentially a tv personality. On imdb I see he hosted a comedy club series. Not listed is a semi-regular (?) slot he had on Watchdog.

lol i was too lazy to check so i walked back "a lot" to "a bit" but i was right the first time i guess

(i am staying away from my first instincts in this thread so as not to upset all his loving fans)

he always seemed like the funniest and most down to earth Yesman there was, I'd def have a pint with him

Also was on Banzai:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRRxgapzsU8

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-conservative-party-conference-rick-wakeman-106703899.html

I did enjoy his sideman roles in the early 70s. Strawbs stuff is pretty great, especially the utterly repetitive bit on Where is the Dream Of Our Youth which reminded me of Terry riley or Darryl Hooper or something.

Not heard the solo lps.

actually I see that that's All That Crazy Gift of Time. Saw I mentioned it a couple of years ago.

Is that the same song as the Kevin Ayers song, "All That Crazy Gift Of Time"?

Had no idea he did a track with Chaka Khan...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bjmWuRG8vmE

no internet evidence i can find that the strawbs have a song called "all that crazy gift of time" or indeed "all this crazy gift of time" (the ayers song)?

(lol except on this thread)

the wakeman solo on "where is the dream of our youth" is i guess a bit more garagepunkish than he usually is, plus exhibits the one thing i will generally cede him = good taste in overall sonic settings and sound-colour sense: he switches the organ stops several times, and this is the best element of the solo.

(sund4r schooled me on this aspect of his play on a yes thread years ago and he's right and i shd be more generous to RW.)

but the solo also exhibits exactly the things which annoy me abt wakeman: superfast nerveless showoffy fiddliness endlessly undermined by needless fingering blunders, like he spends all his practice time aiming for high speed and none ironing out precison of detail. i suspect it's why his solos so often end up sounding so bought-by-the-yard. his presence on TV as a fun down-to-earth figure was the same, kind of: much lazier and more quickly boring than someone this gifted should really be sounding… but he's just a a least-effort kind of guy. COULD DO BETTER SEE ME.

also lol strawbs vocals are insufferable

Wonder if i was listening to the Kevin Ayers song since getting home the night I noticed that 4 years ago. I know it turned up on my walkman as i was waitiung at the bus stop waiting to head home as I noticed. I think I replayed it a few times at the time. & I just went from the memory as I made the comment today, though I used the tracklisting from RYM and assumed that was the track. Then looked up the thread and noticed i'd made the comment.
So looks like my initial post today was the more accurate one.

& yeah whoever that singer is with Strawbs really is an acquired taste. Is that Cousins?

The keyboards on "All This Crazy Gift of Time", the Kevin Ayers song, are by Mike Ratlege, in case of confusion.

I'm the confused one, there aren't any keyboards on "All This Crazy Gift of Time", I'm thinking of "Song for Insane Times"!

Most conservative thing I've seen him actually say: "hoodies should be shot on sight". That was on Grumpy Old Men at a time when lots of young people were wearing hooded sweaters, some were using it to hide their face, it was associated with criminality and old people were terrified of them. Probably a cringey phase for many youngsters.

grumpy old men did brexit >:(

(= true with and without caps and quote marks)

perhaps had prog not been so thoroughly devalued, brexit never would have happened

either way rick is to blame

He was asked to appear in Mighty Boosh but turned it down, don't know why.

He was at an awards ceremony for cats recently. Mostly talks about his diet and animal cruelty on twitter.

Love this so much
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdDpuT5stnk

grumpy old men did brexit >:(

(= true with and without caps and quote marks)

plus there's GasTank, which was this wretched rock prog from the early days of ch4. Wakeman and some other keyboard player were the presenters. It was terrible stuff. All long blues jams, yurgh.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, November 16, 2004 1:40 PM (fourteen years ago)

This is of course all on Youtube now, it's really bad (warning: 50 mins video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRvDoFGfWoE

I've never heard of this programme! I wonder if it was Not For Viewers In Scotland.

I remember watching it at the time but that was down in t'smoke, think yourself lucky you were spared the sight of an increasingly sloshed Tony Ashton banging out pub piano while Alvin Lee or someone of that ilk farted out a generic blues-rock solo. In fact Rick seemed the odd man out, what with his rococo synth fanfares and wizardly cape.

Living in Ayrshire a the time, I remember it took absolutely ages for C4 to get to us.

Hope Big World Cafe reached you.

'Anne Of Cleeves' on 'Six Wives ... '
is an absolute massive tune.

* Cleves *

to be fair this whole album is absolutely everything i love re PROG.
i rarely enjoy vocals in prog, so this album hits the spot more than most when the need for excess arises.

https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2020/06/the-stranger-than-fiction-secret-history-of-prog-rock-icon-rick-wakeman

Journey To The Centre Of The Earth is pretty great, especially the "save me!" and "praise god!" bits. Quite a departure from Six Wives.