Christmas Variations - Rick Wakeman

Advantages: the beautiful voice of Bonnie Tyler
Disadvantages: nothing

...I would like to speak to you about Rick Wakeman, the famous keyboard player of your country (i'm french !) Little story of RW The little Rick learns the piano in five years because his father is one very big soloist ! Years pass and the young man plays in the english group "YES" with the very good singer Jon Anderson ! Wakeman amazes everybody and all the criticisms. He decides to steal his own wings and composes for him. In 1971, RW takes out his first album, alone in piano ! Three years after "Journey to the center of the earth" from Jules Verne. It's a world success ! Now, nobody can't stop him ! He composes more 50 albums in 20 years (studio, live and best of !) But, EMI, the famous english société ask to Rick to compose a suite (25 years after !) and gives him all the means necessaire for there ! Return to the Center... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Set a precedent for future use of keyboards in rock music
Disadvantages: Mastered from tape which "whines" on occasion

...it sound like the authentic original vinyl release and so is arguably keeping the album natural! This was also put onto CD after Wakeman was forced to sell the rights to his early works, and so this may explain something about the qaulity of the release. As a result the inlay is a little washed-out, but still features the astounding gatefold birds-eye view of Rick in amongst his enormous rig of keyboards. The album is worth acquiring if only for Catherine Parr. However, listening to the other tracks (especially Catherine Howard) may help you recognise Wakeman's influence on popular music throughout the 1970s. You can definitely hear piano parts reminiscent of his session work on Cat Stevens' "Morning Has Broken" and Bowie's "Life on Mars".... Read review

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Advantages: progressive rock classic
Disadvantages: no

...Released back in 1972, "Fragile" is considered one of the greatest examples of the movement conventionally named as British prog/art rock. Unusually high trained rock musicians combine powers in order to produce an album that, for sure, has everything a good prog album needs. Sheer but controlled virtuosity, beautiful innovational melodies, complex but coherent structured music forms. A flavour of classical music is always being implied from times to times throughout the record, mostly due to Rick Wakeman's keyboard work. It was no surprise that Rick Wakeman followed a more "classical influenced" way in his solo works(check "journey to the center of the earth" to get a better idea of Rick's solo works). I think the title "Cans and Brahms" warns one clearly. What we actually have in this album, is a collection of progressive rock classics... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful