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From the Vault...
01/04/2015
#1445 |
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info
Rick Wakeman
"Wakeman With Wakeman: The Official Bootleg"
© Griffin Records
Year of Release: 1994
Rating:
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track listing
Lure Of The World
Catherine Howard
Eleanor Rigby
Past And Present
The Myths And
Legends Of
King Arthur
Catherine Parr
Disc Two:
Journey To The Centre
Of The Earth
Paint It Black
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Rick Wakeman
"Wakeman With Wakeman: The Official Bootleg"
Rick Wakeman is back again this week, along with his son, Adam -- Wakeman With Wakeman: The Official Bootleg. How great is it to be a son
of a famous musician, and get to follow in his Dad's footsteps? Not only that, but play, tour, and record with dear ol' Dad? This is the case with
son Adam, as he, along with father Rick, formed Wakeman With Wakeman. (Also to mention, Rick's other son, Oliver would record as well.)
Father & Son would record numerous albums together, Wakeman With Wakeman: The Official Bootleg was a 2-disc concert set. Rick Wakeman's
live albums normally contained tracks from his famous albums, The Six Wives Of Henry VIII ["Catherine Howard," "Catherine Parr"] and
Journey To The Centre Of The Earth ["The Journey/The Recollection/The Battle/The Forest"]. By 1994, he would also include track(s)
from another previous album, his King Arthur album ["King Arthur Overture/Arthur/The Last Battle"]. By 1994, WwW had released their
self-titled album, and from it, would be the interesting cover of the Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black." (Another track from this album was
"Lure Of The Wild.")
To start things off, let's just say that I am not really a huge fan of live albums. But being a huge fan of Rick Wakeman, I've learned that his
concert performances as a soloist have been truly incredible. And to mention incredible, this bootleg concert is just that. The main reason, is that
this concert is live, and as you're listening to the songs (most of them long in minutes), you're hearing how quick and fast Rick Wakeman is playing his
keyboards. Lightning speed fast in some instances, and playing at this rate, you can only close your eyes and envision the keyboards, watching in amazement
on how truly gifted Rick Wakeman is, as a musician, songwriter, and performer.
The concert (and first disc) starts off with a track from Wakeman With Wakeman: "Lure Of The Wild." -- Progressively Rock styled, it gets
the audience started on what would become a great concert. "Catherine Howard" is next (originally from Six Wives Of Henry VIII), it's a mix
of Classical, Progressive, and even Calope music. What is impressive is the fast, lighting speed of the keyboards. Truly incredible.
Wakeman's take on the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" is here (originally from his Classical Collection 2 release), it's just kind of funny how
Rick asks the audience "Anyone remember The Beatles?" His version is way different than the original, in it's Progressive Rock style.
"Past And Present" (originally from Wakeman With Wakeman) starts out as Classical, then turning into Progressive.
"The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table" is an entourage of songs originally from the album of the same
name. Progressive Rock, as only Wakeman can perform: "King Arthur Overture/Arthur/The Last Battle" Disc one ends with a track originally from
Six Wives Of Henry VIII, "Catherine Parr" another great Progressive Rock piece.
Disc two has only two tracks, and the first one is monumental, this being a live performance -- The 38-minute masterpiece, "Journey To The Centre
Of The Earth" featuring "The Journey/The Recollection/The Battle/The Forest" The album closes with the 6-minute Stones' classic, "Paint It
Black."
As mentioned before, I am not a huge fan of concert releases. But only because of the incredible music contained on Wakeman With Wakeman: The
Offical Bootleg is live, and the fact that most of the tracks are over 10 minutes in length, it is just amazing to be in that audience, watching a live
performance of such large amounts of time for each particular song. The Journey To The Centre Of The Earth track is no doubt, the most impressive.
Rick Wakeman (and son Adam) put the Progressive Rock touches on each song. Sure, some have its Classical overtones, but as Rick Wakeman is probably best
known for being a keybaordist for the Progressive Rock band Yes, he continues to shine with Progressive Rock masterpieces. I would have to mention though,
his Classical albums are really the albums to look for. Not only are they impressive, but Wakeman's love of Classical music has his name on them, as he
wrote many Classical tracks.
Progressive Rock fans will enjoy this concert. I'm sure there is a DVD of it somewhere out there. It would be way impressive just to watch this concert
live. For those who were in the audience, I am sure it was an event they would never forget. Wakeman's piano playing is an another outstanding feature.
Watching him perform at lightning speeds on the piano, without a mistake would be something to watch and cherish, and admire. Rick Wakeman, in my own
opinion, has to be the most impressive keyboard musician ever to live. Although many of his live recordings have the same songs, this concert album does
stand out. All the tracks are instrumentals, and it's great to hear Rick Wakeman introducing most of the tracks here. Like at the end of "Paint It
Black," he mentions the names of the bandmembers: "Alan Thomson (Bass), Tony Fernandez (Elecronics, Percussion), Adam Wakeman (keyboards), and ME.
God Bless." God Bless you, Rick Wakeman, you are a true Legend.
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