Published on Oct 2, 2002
Some people had to be scratching their heads when it came to
Rick Wakeman’s second solo release,
Journey To The Centre Of The Earth. Here, he had just left
Yes after the album
Tales From Topographic Oceans, which featured songs based on
a book – and now he was writing a 40-minute composition featuring
songs based on a book?
Ah, but therein already lie several differences. First, you’re
more apt to have read the Jules Verne novel this is based on than
the Shastras (at least I believe that was the scriptural writings)
that Jon Anderson based
Tales on – at least lyrically, anyway. (Confession time: To
the best of my knowledge, I’ve never read a single work of
Verne’s.) Second, Wakeman has always been a composer at heart –
something he proved with his previous effort,
The Six Wives Of Henry VIII. Pop culture be damned, he was
going to write music true to his own vision and drive.
Third – and most important –
Journey is listenable right out of the box. Admittedly, you
have to spend some time getting comfortable with this work, but it
all proves to be well worth the effort.
First, the sole complaints I have with this release – both of
which stand out after I watched the DVD of
Journey (see separate review). First, unless you have the
liner notes in front of you as this modern-day symphony starts, you
may find yourself lost in the story for a while. The introductory
piece which is printed on the gatefold jacket (at least on my
battered vinyl copy) is crucial to the storyline.
Second, while the interplay between Wakeman and the London
Symphony Orchestra is pretty fluid, it sometimes seems that there
is some tentativeness on both sides – almost as if Wakeman didn’t
want to step on the orchestra’s toes, and vice versa. A little more
rehearsal time, perhaps, could have cured this.
Yet these are minor points. Wakeman does an outstanding job of
working the classic tale into his synthesizer-laden musical
creations. To Wakeman’s credit, he knows when to step out of the
spotlight and let something else come to the forefront – the
orchestra, Mike Egan’s guitar work, the storyline, you get the
idea. One could dare call this work an expansive ego trip for
Wakeman… and they would be wrong. If anything, it’s a showcase of
his talents – as well as those of all who participated in the
project.
The first half, “The Journey / Recollection,” takes our
adventurers from the surface of the earth to the lost world inside
– encountering various difficulties along the way. The way the
music is structured around the tale serves both purposes well. The
second half, “The Battle / The Forest,” feels a litle rushed, and
leaves a few questions regarding the tale – for example, was there
reason to flee the battling monsters other than fear? The sudden
return to the Earth’s surface also feels a bit rushed, almost as if
Wakeman was compelled to tie loose ends up quickly.
What strikes me about
Journey To The Centre Of The Earth is not just the powerful
interplay between music and spoken word, but that Wakeman created a
piece of music that was approachable on many levels. There is
plenty in this work which would appeal to the classical music
lover, as much as it would appeal to the fan of progressive rock.
With one simple piece, Wakeman brought down several musical
barriers and opened up a world of discovery to those willing to
undertake this journey.