Take Five: Rick Wakeman’s A&M Years

Virtuoso keyboardist and composer Rick Wakeman has been incredibly prolific. Since the release of his solo debut, 1973’s The Six Wives of King Henry VIII, the British musician has released well over 100 albums. His wide stylistic range has taken in progressive rock, classical, new age and much more. And his session credits are of the highest caliber as well, including classic like Cat Stevens’ “Morning Has Broken,” David Bowie’s “Changes,” T. Rex’s “Bang a Gong (Get it On),” Black Sabbath’s “Sabbra Cadabra” and countless others. And then of course there’s his work as a member of Strawbs, and his decades-long, on-and-off role in Yes.

For many listeners, the golden age of Wakeman’s solo output came during his years recording for the A&M label. In that period – 1973-79 – he released eight albums of new material, establishing and expending his dedicated following that continues to this day. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of one of those albums – 1976’s No Earthly Connection – here are five notable tracks from Rick Wakeman’s A&M years.

“Catherine of Aragon” from The Six Wives of King Henry VIII (1973)
Wakeman’s solo debut was an inspired work, a concept album without lyrics. Six Wives is a series of evocative instrumental pieces designed to capture and express the composer’s thoughts and feelings about the succession of spouses of the imposing and legendary British monarch. Six Wives reached No. 30 on the U.S. album charts, earning a Gold record, and peaked at No. 7 in his native England. Wakeman performed a medley of songs from the album as a solo showcase in Yes concerts of the era. Bits of “Catherine of Aragon” figured prominently in that piece.

“The Journey” from Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1974)
For his second album, Wakeman went in a different direction. Working with singers, a massive choir and orchestra, he adapted Jules Verne’s classic 1864 science fiction novel to the symphonic rock idiom. Some critics panned the record for its excesses, coming as it did shortly before the dawn of the punk era, but Journey was a massive hit around the globe, reaching the No. 1 spot in Wakeman’s native England, and No. 3 in the United States.

“Arthur” from The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (1975)
Wakeman continued in an adaptation mindset with his third solo release; Myths and Legends brilliantly combined rock and symphonic textures. An ambitious work, the album earned him another hit, reaching No. 2 in the UK and No. 21 in the States. Like Six Wives before it, the album has been revisited by its composer in subsequent years, both live onstage and in a modern day re-recording.

“Part II: The Maker” from No Earthly Connection (1976)
After releasing his King Arthur-inspired work, Rick Wakeman took on a soundtrack project, creating music for Ken Russell’s over-the-top film Lisztomania. Shortly after completing that project, he began work on a project based on a greatly scale-down instrumental setup. No Earthly Connection is based in part on the composer’s fascination with UFOs and creation myths, but taken as a whole, it’s less conceptual than his previous works. The original album came packaged with a mirrored piece of film that listeners could fashion into a tube, allowing them to view the record sleeve’s cover image in a less-distorted fashion. Longtime associate Ashley Holt provided lead vocals on “Part II: The Maker” and other tracks.

“Rhapsody in Blue” from Rhapsodies (1979)
The final release from Rick Wakeman’s time on A&M Records, Rhapsodies came after a pair of 1977 releases: the White Rock soundtrack and the conceptual-instrumental Rick Wakeman’s Criminal Record. For his sixth studio album, Wakeman composed and recorded enough shorter instrumental pieces to fill a double album. A musically varied collection, Rhapsodies doesn’t have a conceptual theme. While most of the tracks are Wakeman originals, a pop arrangement of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” is a centerpiece of the record. Rhapsodies reached No. 25 in the UK, but only made it to No. 170 in the U.S.

Personal note: I wrote the liner notes for a 21st century reissue of Rhapsodies (and for a reissue of Rick Wakeman’s Criminal Record as well). And one of my interviews with Wakeman formed the basis of a chapter about his first album in my third book, What’s the Big Idea: 30 Great Concept Albums.