Rick Wakeman

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Rick Wakeman, 2012

Rick Wakeman (born May 18, 1949 in Middlesex , now Perivale , London ; actually Richard Christopher Wakeman ) is a British musician . He is considered one of the most important keyboard player of the progressive rock .

Wakeman's pioneering achievements in establishing the mellotron and his classical piano training had a decisive influence on the sound of his main band Yes in the early 1970s. His special relationship with Yes is evident from the fact that no one else left the band and later rejoined the band as often as he, who had a total of five new entries. His stage appearance is also characteristic and often imitated, mostly in a glittering cape , which has been preserved up to today's concert tours.

biography

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Wakeman grew up in a musical family, received classical musical training and, in addition to numerous keyboard instruments, also mastered the clarinet and saxophone . As a student he played traditional jazz with his cousin Alan Wakeman . In 1970 he joined the Strawbs and was involved in both their live production Just a Collection of Antiques and Curios and the subsequent album From the Witchwood (1971). In the same year he became a member of Yes , where he mainly played the organ, piano and synthesizer, and began a solo career at the same time.

Band musician

After his first band, The English Rock Ensemble , broke up, Wakeman sought a collaboration with Bill Bruford and John Wetton in the late 1970s , but this did not materialize. Instead, Bruford and Wetton formed the progressive rock band UK . Around 1980 the Geffen label tried to put together a supergroup with Rick Wakeman, John Wetton, Carl Palmer and Trevor Rabin , but Wakeman refused. The plan was dropped. Apart from Yes (and the 1989 formation of former Yes members Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe ) Wakeman had not played in any band afterwards. Along with David Biro, he developed the on the Mellotron constructive birotron . In contrast to the tape-based Mellotron, the Birotron is an electromechanical keyboard instrument that was based on an 8-track cassette that made it possible to hold a tone for longer than seven seconds via endless loops . Musically, however, the Birotron could not prevail.

In 2017 the band Yes celebrated the reunification with live concerts across the United Kingdom for the band's 50th birthday. Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Rick Wakeman, Lee Pomeroy and Lou Molino III and others performed. a. at the O2 Apollo Manchester .

Solo musician

In addition to his engagement with Yes, Wakeman contributed to an exceptionally extensive solo discography: over 90 albums were released under his name alone. Of these, the recordings from the 1970s era are stylistically most comparable to the previously released Yes albums. The most popular publications, some of which were made with the participation of various Yes musicians, include The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1973), Journey to the Center of the Earth (1974), The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (1975) and Criminal Record (1977).

The spectrum of his other works includes several film scores , pop / rock albums, numerous synthesizer and piano-heavy New Age compositions, some live recordings with an orchestra and attempts to approach world music . In the mid-1990s there were several co-productions with his second oldest son Adam, also a keyboardist. His eldest son Oliver also works with musicians from the progressive rock environment ( Steve Howe , Arjen Lucassen , Clive Nolan).

He rejected a legal dispute with Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber about the authorship of the famous opening chords of the musical The Phantom of the Opera (1986), which are almost identical to parts of the Wakeman instrumental composition Judas Iscariot (from his 1977 album Criminal Record ) humorous, because (quote from Wakemans from an interview during his 'Grumpy Old Picture Show Tour') “Anyone with ears knows where the Phantom of the Opera chords come from. I think my friend Tim Rice is the link between the two songs. Besides, my album is called Criminal Record - I can't do anything about that ”.

Studio musician

He was also able to make a name for himself as a session musician beyond his scene, for example, he worked with David Bowie (ao Space Oddity and Life On Mars ), Marc Bolan & T.Rex (ao Get It On ), Lou Reed (Lou Reed) and Cat Stevens (including Morning Has Broken from the album Teaser and the Firecat ) together.

Autobiographical

In his autobiography Say Yes , written with typically English humor , Wakeman describes the ups and downs of his career: the beginnings in the conservatory , the time as a sought-after studio pianist and his first engagement with the Strawbs , the crisis-filled years with the individualists at Yes and finally the pompous staged Solo tours with choir and orchestra (up to an ice skating revue in tropical Brazil ), which regularly drove him into financial ruin. Known in his early years as one of the most party-loving rock musicians, Wakeman had heart problems at an early age as a result of his drinking habits, and in 1975 he suffered a heart attack .

Wakeman has been a practicing Christian since the 1970s and a member of an English Lutheran free church . Rick Wakeman has been a member of the Freemasonry Association since 2007 and his lodge , Chelsea Lodge No.3098 , is based in London.

Discography

With Yes see Yes

With Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe, see Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe

solo

  1. 1971 piano vibrations
  2. 1973 The Six Wives of Henry VIII
  3. 1974 Journey to the Center of the Earth
  4. 1975 The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
  5. 1975 Lisztomania
  6. 1976 No Earthly Connection
  7. 1977 Rick Wakeman's Criminal Record
  8. 1977 White Rock ( soundtrack to the 1976/77 Olympic Winter Games )
  9. 1978 The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Performs the Best Known Works of Rick Wakeman
  10. 1979 Rhapsodies
  11. 1981 The Burning (Soundtrack)
  12. 1981 1984
  13. 1982 Rock 'N' Roll Prophet
  14. 1983 Cost of Living (Soundtrack)
  15. 1983 G'ole! (Soundtrack to a film about the 1982 World Cup )
  16. 1984 Crimes of Passion (Soundtrack)
  17. 1985 Silent Nights
  18. 1985 Live at Hammersmith
  19. 1986 Country Airs
  20. 1987 The Gospels
  21. 1987 The Family Album
  22. 1988 Time Machine
  23. 1988 Suite of Gods
  24. 1988 Zodiaque
  25. 1989 Black Knights at the Court of Ferdinand IV
  26. 1989 Sea Airs
  27. 1990 Night Airs
  28. 1990 Phantom Power (soundtrack)
  29. 1990 In the Beginning
  30. 1991 Rock'n'Roll Prophet Plus (new edition of Rock'n'Roll Prophet with four new songs)
  31. 1991 Suntrilogy
    1. Aspirant Sunset
    2. Aspirant Sunrise
    3. Aspirant Shadows
  32. 1991 The Classical Connection (new recordings)
  33. 1991 2000 AD Into the Future
  34. 1991 African Bach
  35. 1991 Softsword: King John and the Magna Charter
  36. 1992 Best Works Collections (Compilation)
  37. 1993 Heritage Suite
  38. 1993 Classic Tracks
  39. 1993 Wakeman with Wakeman
  40. 1993 No Expense Spared
  41. 1993 The Classical Connection II (new recordings, cover versions and an outtake from The Six Wives of Henry VIII. )
  42. 1993 Prayers
  43. 1994 Wakeman with Wakeman: The Official Bootleg (live)
  44. 1994 Live on the Test (live recordings from 1976)
  45. 1994 Rick Wakeman's Greatest Hits (new recordings of Yes pieces)
  46. 1995 The Piano Album (live)
  47. 1995 Seven Wonders of the World
  48. 1995 Cirque Surreal
  49. 1995 Romance of the Victorian Age
  50. 1995 King Biscuit Flower Hour - In Concert (live recordings from 1975)
  51. 1995 Visions
  52. 1995 Simply Acoustic (also released as The Piano Album )
  53. 1995 The Private Collection (Compilation)
  54. 1995 Almost Live in Europe (Live)
  55. 1995 Rock & Pop Legends Rick Wakeman (Live)
  56. 1996 Fields of Green
  57. 1996 Voyage (Compilation)
  58. 1996 The New Gospels
  59. 1996 tapestries
  60. 1996 The Word and Music
  61. 1996 Orisons
  62. 1996 Can You Hear Me?
  63. 1996 vignettes
  64. 1997 Tribute ( Beatles cover versions)
  65. 1998 themes
  66. 1999 Return to the Center of the Earth
  67. 1999 The Natural World Trilogy
  68. 1999 The Art in Music Trilogy
  69. 1999 White Rock II
  70. 1999 Stella Bianca alla corte de Re Ferdinando
  71. 2000 Recollections: The Very Best of Rick Wakeman 1973–1979 (compilation)
  72. 2000 Preludes to a Century
  73. 2000 Chronicles of Man
  74. 2000 Christmas Variations
  75. 2000 Rick Wakeman Live in Concert 2000 (Live)
  76. 2001 Out of the Blue
  77. 2001 Classical Variations
  78. 2001 Two Sides of Yes
  79. 2002 The Wizard and the Forest of All Dreams
  80. 2002 Wakeman & Cousins ​​- Hummingbird
  81. 2002 The Yes Piano Variations
  82. 2002 Two Sides of Yes - Volume 2
  83. 2003 Out There
  84. 2005 Wakeman & Cousins ​​- Live
  85. 2006 retro
  86. 2007 Retro 2
  87. 2009 The Six Wives of Henry VIII: Live at Hampton Court Palace
  88. 2010 Always With You
  89. 2010 Past, Present and Future
  90. 2010 The Living Tree (with Jon Anderson)
  91. 2017 piano portraits
  92. 2018 Piano Odyssey
  93. 2019 Christmas Portraits
  94. 2020 The Red Planet

Chart placements

see also Yes and Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
UK UK US US
1973 The Six Wives of Henry VIII UK7 (23 weeks)
UK 		US30th
gold
gold

(45 weeks)US
Instrumental album
1974 Journey to the Center of the Earth UK1
gold
gold

(30 weeks)UK 		US3
gold
gold

(27 weeks)US
Recorded live on January 18, 1974 at the Royal Festival Hall , London
1975 The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table UK2
gold
gold

(38 weeks)UK 		US21 (15 weeks)
US
1976 No Earthly Connection UK9 (9 weeks)
UK 		US67 (8 weeks)
US
1977 White rock UK14th
silver
silver

(9 weeks)UK 		US126 (7 weeks)
US
Instrumental soundtrack for the documentary of the same name
Rick Wakeman's Criminal Record UK25 (5 weeks)
UK 		US128 (8 weeks)
US
Instrumental album
1979 Rhapsodies UK25 (10 weeks)
UK 		US170 (5 weeks)
US
Instrumental album
1981 1984 UK24 (9 weeks)
UK 		-
Concept album for the novel 1984 by George Orwell
1987 The Gospels UK94 (1 week)
UK 		-
1999 Return to the Center of the Earth UK34 (3 weeks)
UK 		-
2017 Piano portraits UK6th
silver
silver

(15 weeks)UK 		-
Piano interpretations of pop songs
2018 Piano Odyssey UK7 (4 weeks)
UK 		-
Piano interpretations of pop songs
2019 Christmas portraits UK82 (1 week)
UK 		-

Autobiography

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Live at the Apollo
  2. ↑ Rick Wakeman Freemason on the homepage of: freemasonsfordummies.blogspot.de/ (accessed on November 16, 2012)
  3. ↑ Chart sources: UK
  4. ↑ Sources Awards: UK (database search) / USA

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Wakeman, Rick
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wakeman, Richard Christopher
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British musician
DATE OF BIRTH May 18, 1949
PLACE OF BIRTH Middlesex