Mars has always fascinated people - whether it is the question of life on the fourth planet of our solar system or its possible colonisation. Expeditions to the Red Planet seem to be getting closer, and Rick Wakeman has also caught the Mars fever. So much so that after several albums on which the piano was the focus of attention, the keyboardist has not only found his way back to his prog roots, but has also recorded his probably best solo work in many years. He tells in an interview what made him do this.
If you think of Rick Wakeman, the synthesizer immediately comes to mind. The traces that the famous musician has left in rock history with this electronic powerhouse are too deep. As a sound witch of Yes, but also as a solo artist who has created large-format works for symphony orchestra and choir. Now with "Piano Odyssey" he has once again recorded a quiet album, which shows him on the grand piano.
From Rick Wakemans to the hundred solo recordings, it is above all the early albums "The Six Wives Of Henry VIII", "Journey To The Centre Of The Earth" and "The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table" that have remained in the memories of rock and prog fans. These established him as the intoxication gold angel on the battlements of his synthesizer castles. But the 69-year-old Englishman has also repeatedly focused on the natural sounds of the piano, as in his current recording "Piano Odyssey", a follow-up to the very successful "Piano Portraits" from 2017 in Great Britain. On a Steinway grand piano he intones pieces by Yes, David Bowie, the Beatles and Queen as well as his own compositions.
The story of rock photography
Jimi Hendrix in Monterey on his knees in front of his burning guitar, conjuring up the flames; Janis Joplin laughing on a couch, his left arm up his hip, in his right hand a bottle of Southern Comfort; Johnny Cash with a rage-distorted face, his right middle finger drawn like a weapon; Jim Morrison with his bare upper body as the embodiment of the voluptuous shepherd god Pan as well as the hedonistic worry-breaker Dionysos; David Bowie with his face at the level of Mick Ronson's pelvis...
JOHN GARCIA - The free swimmer
Rick Wakeman cannot be blamed for a lack of productivity. The blonde keyboarder, who decisively shaped the sound of Yes, has recorded more than a hundred solo albums in the meantime. One of his favourite musical children is still the setting of Jules Verne's novel "Journey to the Centre of the Earth", which is now available in a completely renewed and expanded version. In an interview with eclipsed, Wakeman revealed how this new recording came about.
eclipsed: The current recording of "Journey" is an extended version of the 2012 re-recording, right?
