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What did they do next part 7a – Rick Wakeman – again – 406

Produced by Jeffrey Crecelius, Wayne Hall, Preston Frazier and Bill Govier

This week Mark and I start our look at what Rick Wakeman did after leaving Yes for the second time following the Paris Sessions of 1979. That means we need to listen to his double solo album, Rhapsodies. Stay tuned for Mark’s slightly strong feelings about this record a little bit later on.

Before that, there are no fewer than 3 press releases which show, once again, that it’s a fantastic time to be a Yes fan!

  • What sort of music is on Rhapsodies?
  • Was Rick pleased with it?
  • Is it worth picking up a copy?

Listen to the episode and let us know what you think!

If you would like to support the Yes Music Podcast financially and also have access to exclusive activity and opportunities, there is a special page you can use to sign up and 2019 is the time to join us:

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Jon Anderson and The Warriors
The road to Yes
David Watkinson

A new biography of Jon Anderson, which covers his early life and his
time in The Warriors, up to the formation of Yes and the release of the
band’s first album in 1969

To be published on December 13th via Summer’s End Festival
Promoter Stephen Lambe’s Sonicbond Publishing Company and will be
made available exclusively via Burning Shed.

Author David Watkinson takes us on a journey from the Lancashire
beat music scene in the early 1960s to the vibrancy of London later in
the decade. In the short time that The Warriors existed ‐ from 1963 to
1967 ‐ they released a single, appeared on TV and in a movie and spent
a year following in the Beatles’ footsteps as a working group in
Germany.

As well as providing a complete history of The Warriors, this book
also follows Jon’s subsequent career in London, via appearances with
Gun and his brief solo career as Hans Christian. He finally met Chris
Squire and found a home in Mabel Greer’s Toyshop, as that group
gradually morphed into Yes during the summer of 1968. The book
includes new interviews with Jon and many members of The Warriors,
who were in the band through its various line‐up changes, most for the
very first time. It also features a newly‐researched family tree, never
before seen photographs, both of the Warriors and the first line up of
Yes, plus many items of memorabilia and an exclusive look into the
band’s diaries. It closes with a comprehensive discography and a
collectables section.

Initially, the book will only be available only in a limited hardback
edition of 250, priced £25. All copies will be numbered and signed by
the author, David Watkinson, and will be made exclusively available via
Burning Shed. The book is 224 pages and features over 200
photographs, most unseen for over 50 years. A paperback edition will
be published in Europe on March 27th 2020, and June 26th in the USA.
This later edition will be available via all normal bookselling channels.

DOWNES BRAIDE ASSOCIATION (DBA)

Announce Additional Show at Trading Boundaries & reveal full band line-up. Live In England box set out 29th Nov
7th November 2019: Downes Braide Association (DBA) recently announced the release of Live In England a 2CD/DVD Box set on 29th November 2019 via Cherry Red Records. A double-vinyl edition will be released on 14th February. The album features stunning artwork by the legendary Roger Dean.
To coincide with the vinyl release of Live in England, DBA will be on stage once again at Trading Boundaries on 14th February. As the show is close to selling out, the band has added a second show on 15th February. These intimate gigs are totally unique. Joining Geoff Downes and Chris Braide this time around will be guitarist Dave Bainbridge (Iona, Lifesigns), together with bass player Andy Hodge and David Longdon (Big Big Train) and the show will again be narrated by Barney Ashton Bullock.
For full information and to book tickets please visit www.tradingboundariesmusic.com or contact the box office on 01825 790200
Live In England, the fourth album release by the duo Geoff Downes and Chris Braide, is their first live album, recorded at their first ever concert at Trading Boundaries, East Sussex, on 28th September 2108. Whilst DBA was conceived as a studio project, the concert was a great success and features material from the DBA albums Suburban Ghosts (2015) and Skyscraper Souls (2017) together with tracks from Geoff Downes’ time with Buggles and Asia.

The line-up for the Live In England album was the same as for the new live shows in Feb 2020 apart from featuring David Colquhoun on guitars.
Geoff Downes commented: “It was a most memorable evening, last September, at the iconic Trading Boundaries venue and we believe we have managed to capture the magic of the wholenight. Chris and I were supported by some amazing musicians – Andy Hodge, Dave Colquhoun, David Longdon and narrated by Barney Ashton Bullock. As well as songs from our albums we have added some extra special treats and we hope it gives a rare insight into the special songwriting and production relationship Chris and I have developed over the last decade on the journey that is DBA.“We sincerely hope you enjoy the music with us, from this very special occasion, in a raw and live setting, and we thank you for all your support.” Chris Braide says: “After many requests for DBA to perform live, Geoff and myself, along with the excellent musicianship of Andy Hodge, Dave Colquhoun, David Longdon and Barney Ashton Bullock, finally took to the stage for the first time at the stunning Trading Boundaries. It was a wonderful evening surrounded by friends and the beautiful English countryside and this live album is a great document of that magical evening and encapsulates what DBA is all about.”   The full track-listing is:
CD1
Prelude
Skyscraper Souls
Machinery Of Fate
Live Twice
Vanity
Suburban Ghosts
Bolero / Video Killed The Radio Star
Glacier Girl
Angel On Your Shoulder
CD2
Tomorrow
Lighthouse
Skin Deep
Darker Times
Finale
Heat Of The Moment
The Smile Has Left Your Eyes
Dreaming Of England

DVD
Prelude
Skyscraper Souls
Machinery Of Fate
Live Twice Vanity
Suburban Ghosts
Bolero / Video Killed The Radio Star
Glacier Girl
Angel On Your Shoulder
Tomorrow
Lighthouse
Skin Deep
Darker Times
Finale
Heat Of The Moment
The Smile Has Left Your Eyes
Dreaming Of England

You can pre-order the album here: https://geni.us/DBAlive

Downes Braide Association: Live In England is released on 29th November 2019 and is available to order from Cherry Red Records here https://geni.us/DBAlive A vinyl edition of the live album is scheduled for release on 14th February 2020.

Kickstarter for Lobate Scarp’s 2nd Studio Album !

Show notes and links:

YMP Patrons:

Producers:

  • Jeffrey Crecelius
  • Preston Frazier
  • Bill Govier and
  • Wayne Hall

Patrons:

Aaron Steelman
Dave Owen
Mark James Lang
Paul Tomei
Joost Maglev
David Heyden
Martin Kjellberg
Paul Wilson
Bob Martilotta
Lind
Michael O’Connor
Peter Hearnden
Brian Sullivan
David Pannell
Miguel Falcão
Lobate Scarp
Chris Bandini
David Watkinson
Neal Kaforey
Rachel Hadaway
Craig Estenes
Dem
Paul Hailes
Mark ‘Zarkol’ Baggs
Doug Curran
Robert Nasir
Fergus Cubbage
Scott Colombo
Fred Barringer
Scott Smith
Geoff Bailie
Simon Barrow
Geoffrey Mason
Stephen Lambe
Guy R DeRome
Steve Dill
Henrik Antonsson
Steve Perry
Hogne Bø Pettersen
Steve Rode
IanNB
Steve Scott
Jamie McQuinn
Steven Roehr
Ken Fuller
Terence Sadler
Jeremy North
Tim Stannard
Jim
Todd Dudley
John Cowan
Tony Handley
John Holden
Joseph Cottrell
John Parry
Keith Hoisington
John Thomson
William Hayes
Barry GorskyMichael Handerhan

Robert and David

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Theme music

The music I use is the last movement of Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite. This has been used as introduction music at many Yes concerts. My theme music is not take from a live concert – I put it together from the following two creative commons sources: thanvannispen and archive.org

9 replies on “What did they do next part 7a – Rick Wakeman – again – 406”

oh goody. “Rhapsodies.” The “musical” equivalent of Monty Python’s “Contractual Obligation Album.” As sad and pathetic as that was, it’s infinitely more entertaining than this.

YES – I agree, it should have been shorter. 00:00 would have been ideal.

This album confirmed for me that Rick should have never given up drinking… either that, or he had nothing else to do whilst snowed in at his Swiss chalet…

I bought this album the day it was released in the US, and it killed my Rick Wakeman adulation deader than a doornail. Up to that point I had purchased each and every Wakeman solo album — after this it was another 20 years before I got another one. It’s astonishing that Rick can look back on this disaster with any kind of fondness.

I had that Rick album from when it came out. One listen, two good tracks then in the bin! Oh my goodness from the cover to the last track….sorry Kevin, really sorry you have to listen as you wont get that time back in life. Gosh next week should be fun hearing what you think!

Maybe between now and then an advance copy if my work will take away the pain haha.

Mark is spot on and he loves wakey.

It’s certainly the least enjoyable or important of Rick’s albums on A&M, but there are Rick completists or fans who enjoy all of his different music releases who find it to their tastes. I look at it this way: any Rick is better than most of the crap on the radio during the last 20+ years.

Good to feel I am not alone – Yes I bought all the Rick Albums up to this one – Yes I was excited – I was also excited to see it was produced by Tony Visconti of Bowie/Bolan fame – and yes I think I tried it twice, or as Dylan says “don’t think twice is alright’ – It sounds/feels like what people who have never heard Rick would think it would sound like, ie lots of sounds with not much direction. I did end up , while on a holiday in France, picking up a copy of Criminal Record and thinking this was what I preferred, so faith ion Rick restored – Back to this, I was hoping you would shed new light on it knowing it was going to happen in a review soon, maybe I am missing something? – Let’s wait and see if you can turn it/me around.
Thanks for the podcast, I should have mentioned that if it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have the excellent “From a Page” as where else would I know it was available?

Hi John Thompson,

Thank you for the kind words regarding the podcast. It makes us very happy knowing that we made you aware of “From A Page”. It truly is a fantastic release.

Mark Anthony K

Thinking back to better received Wakeman albums, the BBC is going to use a remixed version of Arthur as the theme for their UK election night coverage on 12 December.

Hello all. It’s been a while but Rhapsodies, of all things promoted a comment or two. Rhapsodies was easy for me to get once I got deep into Yes in the 1990s because my favourite second record shop had LOTS of copies for sale at very low prices (the tell tale signs were there, weren’t they?).

As you said in the initial podcast, part of what makes this so awful a listen is the dated sound of the keyboards and the virtual ditching of the classic sounds (come back Criminal Record!!!). The majority of the tracks sound like theme tunes and incidental music for BBC detective series or science programmes of the early 1980s. But there are also some cringe inducing stinkers, mainly in the form of the cover versions… Rhapsody, Swan Lager and Summertime – that said they aren’t much worse than Willy Wooly Tango.

Unlike many albums this one gets worse with subsequent listens. But if this is where Rick was at creatively, thank goodness for Drama!!!!

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