Wakeman, Rick - Journey To The Center Of The Earth (DVD)

Year of Release: 2001
Label: Classic Pictures
Catalog Number: DVD1077X
Format: CD/DVD
Total Time: 164:05:00

It is fine to have new technologies devote itself to brand new releases, however it sometimes doesn't end up delivering the best results once it concerns the issue of vintage material. You can compare it with putting brand new tyres on an oldtimer: it doesn't change much to the car's appearance. Nevertheless if it concerns a very rare type of car it will add to the beauty of it and millions of people will be able to enjoy it in all it's splendour. That's about what you can say about the release on DVD of a rare Rick Wakeman live concert from 1975 in Melbourne, Australia. With new DVD's sporting the fabulous 5.1 surround sound, it is obvious that this gimmick is altogether missing here. Knowing that the video footage is also more than 25 years old, it is also logical that we are not treated to the latest state-of-the-art pictures, but in the end it's like admiring an authentic painting by an old master as opposed to looking at a digital copy.

When Rick took to the stage in Melbourne I was a mere seventeen years old and already such a Wakemaniac that I had drawn huge banks of synthesizers on my school desk. In between classes I would perform imaginary synth solos just like metalheads are playing air guitar. No wonder I couldn't pull any girls! Rick, on the other hand, was the world's number one keyboard player and no less than twelve million people would buy his theatrical Journey To The Centre Of The Earth album. Prior to delivering the entire Journey project live, he also performed some highlights from his much acclaimed debut album Six Wives Of Henry VIII (still my absolute favourite), and material from his then to be released third album The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table much to the delight of the many thousands who witnessed this great performance. It is clear that Ashley Holt is a much better singer than Gary Pickford Hopkins and one asks himself why the hell both men had to go on tour with the Wakeman extravaganza in the first place? But let us not forget that these were the days of Rick's heavy drinking (and smoking, just look at his teeth for proof!) recruting his backing band straight from the pub, although manager Brian Lane had offered Rick such guests as Eric Clapton and Roger Daltrey to name but two. Just look at the cans of beer on top of Rick's grand piano and I rest my case! [no pun intended? -ed.]

Dressed as the pure "caped crusader" you can see Wakeman struggling with his many synths sometimes having to spread his legs as wide apart as possible in order to tackle the right keys. Bearing in mind the difficulty in tuning the mini-Moogs correctly during live performances, it is inevitable that there is the odd bum note whether it comes from "uncle" Rick or from someone in the overenthusiastic orchestra or choir. Looking back at the crowd's enthusiasm however, one is saddened by the fact that this kind of respect and addoration is nowhere to be found nowadays. Can we still blame punk for what has happened since or do we have to include an hour's worth of 'respect for prog" each week in the school's programmes?

When you look at this DVD, it shows how much of a gamble every single concert with orchestra and choir really is, as Rick and the band applaud enthusiastically once the final note of the Journey epic has died down. It's as if they are glad it's all over and no harm has been done. Not in a big way anyway as throughout this concert you can hear the Moog sounding off-key, as is also the Mellotron for that matter. In the first part of Journey the brass section doesn't sound at all convincing and the choir sometimes has it hard to keep track. As opposed to it's vinyl counterpart, this concert shows the whole of Journey in one go even including the cheap inflatable dinosaurs (whose bad idea was this anyway?). But then again this is no ordinary DVD as it has a more historic importance rather than trying to obtain the highest recognition in the quality control department. The close-up Moog and harpsichord solos during "The Battle" simply are breathtaking. As an encore Wakeman performs "Catherine Howard" in a brand new arrangement giving guitarist Jeffrey Crampton the chance to really shine. During the then new song "Merlin" we see Rick running from one side of his keyboards to the other, from his Moog to the piano. Again the mellotron is completely out of tune here. It's wonderful to see how Wakeman is almost like in a trance during "Anne Boleyn." With a reprise of "The Forest" comes an end to a remarkable concert and recording. Even if at times someone runs in front of the camera throwing a huge shadow onto the stage, this live concert is of a big historical significance. As a bonus, an audio CD is thrown in sporting highlights from the concert. Whilst the poor quality of these recordings are nicely compensated by means of the DVD footage, as a stand alone the quality of the CD is rather poor and will probably only end up under the laser only once.

Recorded live on February 4th 1975 at the Sydney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, Australia featuring the Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra and The Melbourne Chamber Choir conducted by Verdon Williams

Tracklisting:
DVD: Catherine Parr / Guinevere / Journey To The Centre Of The Earth / Catherine Howard - Merlin / Anne Boleyn / Reprise From The Forest

CD: Catherine Parr (7:42) / Guinevere (6:05) / Catherine Howard (9:15) / Anne Boleyn (5:49) / Journey To The Centre Of The Earth (40:00)

Musicians:
Rick Wakeman - all keyboards
Jeffrey Crampton - guitars
Roger Newell - guitars
Barney James - drums
Ashley Holt - vocals
Gary Pickford Hopkins - vocals
John Hodgson - percussion

Terry Taplin - narration

Discography:
Piano Vibrations (1971)
The Six Wives Of Henry VIII (1973)
Journey To The Centre Of The Earth (1974)
Lisztomania (1975)
The Myths & Legends Of King Arthur & The Knights Of The Round Table (1975)
No Earthly Connection (1976)
Rick Wakeman's Criminal Record (1977)
White Rock (1977)
Animal Showdown (1979)
Rhapsodies (1979)
I'm So Straight I'm A Weirdo (1980)
1984 (1981)
The Burning (OST) (1981)
Rock N Roll Prophet (1982)
Cost Of Living (1983)
G'ole! (1983)
Crimes Of Passion (OST) (1984)
Live At Hammersmith (1985)
Lytton's Diary (1985)
Silent Nights (1985)
Country Airs (1986)
The Family Album (1987)
The Gospels (1987)
20th Anniversary Limited Edition (1988)
A Suite Of Gods (1988)
Custer's Last Stand/Ocean City (1988)
Time Machine (1988)
Zodiaque (1988)
Black Knights At The Court Of Ferdinand IV (1989)
Sea Airs (1989)
Phantom Power (1990)
In The Beginning (1990)
Night Airs (1990)
Phantom Power (1990)
2000AD Into The Future (1991)
African Bach (1991)
Aspirant Sunrise (1991)
Aspirant Sunset (1991)
Aspirant Sunshadows (1991)
Rock N Roll Prophet Plus (1991)
Softsword (1991)
The Classical Connection (1991)
Best Works Collection (1992)
Country Airs (1992)
Classic Tracks (1993)
No Expense Spared (1993)
Prayers (1993)
The Classical Connection 2 (1993)
The Heritage Suite (1993)
Unleashing The Tethered One - The 1974 North American Tour (1993)
Wakeman With Wakeman (1993)
Light Up The Sky (1994)
Live On The Test (1994)
Lure Of The Wild (1994)
Rick Wakeman's Greatest Hits (1994)
The Stage Collection (1994)
Wakeman With Wakeman - The Official Bootleg (1994)
Wakeman With Wakeman Live (1994)
Almost Live In Europe (1995)
Cirque Surreal (1995)
Rick Wakeman In Concert (1995)
Rock & Pop Legends (1995)
Romance Of The Victorian Age (1995)
The Piano Album (1995)
The Private Collection (1995)
The Seven Wonders Of The World (1995)
Visions (1995)
Can You Hear Me? (1996)
Fields Of Green (1996)
Orisons (1996)
Tapestries (1996)
The New Gospels (1996)
The Word And Music (1996)
Vignettes (1996)
Voyage (1996)
Welcome A Star (1996)
Fields Of Green '97 (1997)
Simply Acoustic - The Music (1997)
Tribute (1997)
Master Series (1998)
Themes (1998)
Official Live Bootleg (1999)
Return To The Centre Of The Earth (1999)
Stella Bianca Alla Corte De Re Ferdinando (1999)
The Masters (1999)
The Natural World Trilogy (1999)
White Rock II (1999)
Christmas Variations (2000)
Chronicles Of Man (2000)
Morning Has Broken (2000)
Preludes To A Century (2000)
Recollections - The Very Best Of Rick Wakeman (2000)
Rick Wakeman The Legend Live In Concert 2000 (2000)
The Caped Collection (2000)
Classical Variations (2001/2002)
Simply Acoustic (2001)
Out Of The Blue (2001)
Two Sides Of Yes (2001/2002)
Treasure Chest Volume 1 - The Real Lizstomania (2002)
Treasure Chest Volume 2 - The Oscar Concert (2002)
Treasure Chest Volume 3 - The Missing Half (2002)
Treasure Chest Volume 4 - Almost Classical (2002)
Treasure Chest Volume 5 - The Mixture (2002)
Treasure Chest Volume 6 - Medium Rare (2002)
Treasure Chest Volume 7 - Journey To The Centre Of The Earth (2002)
Treasure Chest Volume 8 - Stories (2002)
Two Sides Of Yes - Volume II (2002)
Wakeman & Cousins -Hummingbird (2002)
Out There (2003)
Retro (2006)
Retro 2 (2007)
The Six Wives Of Henry VIII Live At Hampton Court Palace (2009)
Always With You (2010)
Past, Present, and Future (2010)
Anderson/Wakeman - The Living Tree (2010)
In The Nick Of Time-Live In 2003 (2012)
Journey To The Centre Of The Earth 2012 (2012)
The Myths & Legends Of King Arthur & The Knigts Of The Round Table 2016 (2016)
Piano Portraits (2017)
The Phantom Of The Opera (2017)

Piano Odyssey (2018)
Christmas Portraits (2019)
Official Bootleg Series - Boston USA 1974 (2019) Official Bootleg Series - Osaka Japan 1975 (2019) Official Bootleg Series - Sheffield UK 1981 (2019) Official Bootleg Series - Vienna Austria 1976 (2019) Official Bootleg Series - Preston UK 1981 (2019) Official Bootleg Series - Tokyo Japan 2008 (2019) Official Bootleg Series - Cropredy UK 2010 (2019) Official Bootleg Series - Osaka Japan 2014 (2019) Official Bootleg Series - Tokyo Japan 2014 (2019) Official Bootleg Series - Daphne Du Maurier Festival UK 2001 (2019)

The Classical Connection (VHS) (1991)
The Very Best Of The Rick Wakeman Chronicles (VHS) (1994)
Simply Acoustic (VHS) (1996)
The New Gospels (VHS) (1996)
The Piano Tour Live (VHS) (1997)
Rick Wakeman Live (VHS) (1998)
An Evening WIth Rick Wakeman (VHS) (2000)
Rick Wakeman Live In Concert 2000 (DVD) (2000/2002)
Journey To The Center Of The Earth Live In 1975 (DVD) (2001/2002)
Rick Wakeman & The English Rock Ensemble - Live In Buenos Aires (DVD) (2001/2002)
Rick Wakeman & The English Rock Ensemble - Out There (DVD) (2004)
Journey To The Centre Of The Earth Live In 1975 - 30th Anniversary Edition (DVD) (2005)
Made In Cuba (DVD) (2005)
Amazing Grace (DVD) (2007)
The Other Side Of Rick Wakeman (DVD) (2007)
Video Vault Volume 1 - 1975 Live At Empire Pool, King Arthur On Ice (DVD) (2007)
Video Vault Volume 2 - Live At The Maltings 1976 (DVD) (2007)
Video Vault Volume 3 - Live 1980 Swedish Television Special (DVD) (2007)
Video Vault Volume 4 - 1984 Live At The Hammersmith Odeon 1981 (DVD) (2007)
Video Vault Volume 5 - Night Music (DVD) (2007)
Video Vault Volume 6 - Rarities Plus Interview (DVD) (2007)
The Six Wives Of Henry VIII Live At Hampton Court Palace (DVD/BR) (2009)
Classical Wakeman Volume 1 - Live In Lugano (DVD) (2010)
Starmus (DVD) (2017)
Live Portriats At Lincoln Cathedral (DVD) (2018)

Genre: Symphonic Prog

Origin UK

Added: March 24th 2002
Reviewer: John "Bobo" Bollenberg

Artist website: www.rwcc.com
Hits: 3531
Language: english