Journey To The Temple - Llewellyn

Advantages: A fully formed musical interpretation of the classic novel
Disadvantages: Occasional "bum" notes and mastering

...When Jules Vernes penned his classic novel, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, I doubt that he expected an early 20s, long-haired keyboard player to turn it into a concept album. I doubt even more that he would have imagined it becoming one of the biggest selling albums of 1974. But that's exactly what happened. Rick Wakeman, whose tempestuous relationship with Yes was continuing, nearly killed himself through drink and exhaustion to write and stage one of the most ambitious rock projects to date. Riding high on the success of his first album, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Rick Wakeman challenged himself to turn the classic adventure story into a 40 minute musical spectacular. The album tells the story of Professor Lidinbrook and his nephew, Axel, as they join an Icelandic guide to find the centre of the earth. Piecing... Read review

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Advantages: Ten great songs
Disadvantages: None

...It was in the early 80s, when a lot of things were happening in my life, that I first began to develop an eclectic taste in music. I didn’t have much choice, living as I did with two older brothers and a younger sister. If my ears weren’t being assaulted by the unmelodious throb of Iron Maiden, they were being gently massaged by the tuneful baying of Spandau Ballet or screamed at by the newly famous Madonna. Yet through this hellish cacophony, I started to realise what music was all about. Recently, I wrote a review about a group called Toto, and their album IV, which I think is one of the best of all time, mainly because that was the ‘groove’ that I came to rest in after all the mixed sounds that were being fed to me. And now I want to turn some of you on to the strains of another early 80s group called Journey. A sorely... Read review

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Advantages: -
Disadvantages: -

...Ha ha ha!! Oh, man. Journey's Greatest Hits. Back to the 80's we go. Back to mushy AOR, back to crushing power ballads. Conjures up images of a band wearing leather pants, curly perms and throwing (sorry throwin') shapes on stage, as thousands of people in the crowd do that stupid dancey/shuffle thingy that only Americans know how to do. "Journey, wooo, man they rock!!!" Considering this band, all of the above is true. Most people who've heard of the band will know they began as something of a freeform experimental jazz-rock outfit (as did their contemporaries Chicago) before morphing into a 1980's AOR corporate monster (as did their contemporaries Chicago) and having a drippy-looking singer with a high whiny voice (as did....OK you know who). There is one difference though....Journey came from San Francisco... Read review

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