Adam Wakeman

What better way to celebrate the Golden Anniversary of the release of keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman’s, celebrated Journey To The Centre Of The Earth opus than to present it, not only in its entirety, but with an additional 40 minutes or so that was cut from the original score due to the time constraints of vinyl? With a show split across two parts, the first delved into Wakeman’s illustrious past with Prog Rock legends Yes and kicked off with their stage favourite “Roundabout” before heading into a rather mesmerising “The Yes Suite” which included new takes on “The Meeting”, “Wonderous Stories”, where Wakeman chuckled as he recalled appearing on Top of the Pops only for them to fall down the charts the following week and “South Side of the Sky”. Closing the first set with “And You And I” from the classic Closer To The Edge release featuring some fine guitar work, both acoustic and electric from Dave Colquhoun while the gorgeous, dreamy vocals of Mollie Marriott suited the music perfectly. Wakeman announced a short “bladder break” for those of a certain age with his customary wry smile before Part 2 commenced. First performed in 1974, “Journey To The Centre Of The Earth” was based on the timeless Jules Verne novel of the same name with Wakeman putting the story to music complete with narration to create a piece that was cinematic in scope on a grand scale. From the opening “The Preface” and “The Journey Overture” through the choral epic “Fervent Prayer” featuring some stirring vocals from Tess Burrstone, Izzy Chase and Nick Shirm to the Funky vibe of “The Reunion”, this was one thrilling ride with musicianship that was off the scale, whether it was Wakeman’s mazy runs across his Mini Moog in “The Tunnel” or the layers …READ MORE