RICK WAKEMAN & NEW ENGLISH ROCK ENSEMBLE
Piazza Della Republica, Jesi
July 28, 2001
by Igor Italiani
I know that it will be impossible for me to efficiently sum up the colossal flow of emotions that struck me today, but I have to find something to write about the concert of Mr. Rick Wakeman, the KEYBOARD player of progressive rock! So welcome to the eulogy reserved to the English maestro, a person that has a unique touch on stage, and that still possesses an unparalleled gentleness [when] speaking about PR (public relations).
Yes, because the day started in the best possible mood, with an interview in the company of the great musician that proved almost endless (more than an hour!), as Rick couldn’t stop talking once he started, taking care of the audience like he was speaking to close friends. Incredible! But the best was yet to come, as this magic feeling transported itself to the night’s concert with Rick, [a feeling] that started right away to put the centre of Jesi on fire, surrounded by the great New English Rock Ensemble. And the centre of Jesi slowly caught this magic feeling, with the audience that finally bowed to the feet of Rick and his ensemble, a group deeply concentrated in giving their best with their two hours of music.
From the wonderful Return To The Centre Of The Earth were taken various songs, one of which was the majestic “Never Is A Long, Long Time”, but the past reclaimed its space as well, with scintillating performances of “Catherine Parr”, “Starship Trooper” and even [a] Beatles-cover [of] “Eleanor Rigby”, played with an unfamiliar fast pace that simply stunned me, the final arrow that ended this unbelievable show. However it must be said that not only Rick shined throughout the songs, [but also] the New English Rock Ensemble gave a flawless effort, with the guitarist (who was substituting [for] Rick’s son Adam, [who was] on [a] honeymoon) showing his great skills in various solos (and even duelling with Rick at one moment), and the rhythmic section supporting the music with uncanny precision. A story of his own was the vocalist, great ex-Threshold frontman Damien Wilson: 
He sung like on CD, and if you have ever heard some Threshold material you know what that means. The boy has clearly a great pair of lungs (and he is also a great guy. Go Damien!), and he is the perfect complement for the blonde Englishman, entrenched as always behind his historic wall of keyboards. The final say is that this was a night to remember forever, and if you think that I’m biased, you should know that a friend of mine, a disco-maniac, followed me, and to this day he still talks about how much he enjoyed the show. Well…you know, sometimes you don’t even need words, only notes…thanks Rick!!!
Discography
- Piano Vibrations (1971)
- The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1973)
- Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1974)
- Lisztomania (1975)
- The Myths & Legends of King Arthur & The Knights of the Round Table
(1975)
- No Earthly Connection (1976)
- Rick Wakeman's Criminal Record (1977)
- White Rock (1977)
- Animal Showdown (1979)
- Rhapsodies (1979)
- I'm So Straight I'm A Weirdo (1980)
- 1984 (1981)
- The Burning (OST) (1981)
- Rock n Roll Prophet (1982)
- Cost of Living (1983)
- G'ole! (1983)
- Crimes of Passion (OST) (1984)
- Live at Hammersmith (1985)
- Lytton's Diary (1985)
- Silent Nights (1985)
- Country Airs (1986)
- The Family Album (1987)
- The Gospels (1987)
- 20th Anniversary Limited Edition (1988)
- A Suite of Gods (1988)
- Custer's Last Stand/Ocean City (1988)
- Time Machine (1988)
- Zodiaque (1988)
- Black Knights At The Court Of Ferdinand IV (1989)
- Sea Airs(1989)
- Phantom Power (1990)
- In The Beginning (1990)
- Night Airs (1990)
- Phantom Power (1990)
- 2000AD Into The Future (1991)
- African Bach (1991)
- Aspirant Sunrise(1991)
- Aspirant Sunset(1991)
- Aspirant Sunshadows(1991)
- Rock n Roll Prophet Plus (1991)
- Softsword (1991)
- The Classical Connection (1991)
- Best Works Collection (1992)
- Country Airs (1992)
- Classic Tracks (1993)
- No Expense Spared (1993)
- Prayers (1993)
- The Classical Connection 2 (1993)
- The Heritage Suite (1993)
- Unleashing The Tethered One - The 1974 North American Tour (1993)
- Wakeman with Wakeman (1993)
- Light Up The Sky (1994)
- Live On The Test (1994)
- Lure Of The Wild (1994)
- Rick Wakeman's Greatest Hits (1994)
- The Stage Collection (1994)
- Wakeman with Wakeman - The Official Bootleg (1994)
- Wakeman with Wakeman Live (1994)
- Almost Live in Europe (1995)
- Cirque Surreal (1995)
- Rick Wakeman In Concert (1995)
- Rock & Pop Legends (1995)
- Romance of the Victorian Age (1995)
- The Piano Album (1995)
- The Private Collection (1995)
- The Seven Wonders of the World (1995)
- Visions (1995)
- Can You Hear Me? (1996)
- Fields of Green (1996)
- Orisons (1996)
- Tapestries (1996)
- The New Gospels (1996)
- The Word And Music (1996)
- Vignettes (1996)
- Voyage (1996)
- Welcome A Star (1996)
- Fields Of Green '97 (1997)
- Simply Acoustic - The Music (1997)
- Tribute (1997)
- Master Series (1998)
- Themes (1998)
- Official Live Bootleg (1999)
- Return To The Centre Of The Earth (1999)
- Stella Bianca Alla Corte De Re Ferdinando (1999)
- The Masters (1999)
- The Natural World Trilogy (1999)
- White Rock II (1999)
- Christmas Variations (2000)
- Chronicles Of Man (2000)
- Morning Has Broken (2000)
- Preludes To A Century (2000)
- Recollections - The Very Best Of Rick Wakeman (2000)
- Rick Wakeman The Legend Live In Concert 2000 (2000)
- The Caped Collection (2000)
- Classical Variations (2001/2002)
- Simply Acoustic (2001)
- Out Of The Blue (2001)
- Two Sides Of Yes (2001/2002)
- Treasure Chest Volume 1 - The Real Lizstomania (2002)
- Treasure Chest Volume 2 - The Oscar Concert (2002)
- Treasure Chest Volume 3 - The Missing Half (2002)
- Treasure Chest Volume 4 - Almost Classical (2002)
- Treasure Chest Volume 5 - The Mixture (2002)
- Treasure Chest Volume 6 - Medium Rare (2002)
- Treasure Chest Volume 7 - Journey to the Centre of the Earth + (2002)
- Treasure Chest Volume 8 - Stories (2002)
- Two Sides Of Yes - Volume II (2002)
- Wakeman & Cousins - Hummingbird (2002)
- Out There (2003)
- Retro (2006)
- Journey To The Center Of The Earth Live In 1975 (2001/2002) (DVD)
- Rick Wakeman The Legend Live In Concert 2000 (DVD) (2001/2002)
- Rick Wakeman & The English Rock Ensemble - Live In Buenos Aires (DVD) (2001/2002)
- Rick Wakeman & The English Rock Ensemble - Out There (DVD) (2004)
- Journey To The Centre Of The Earth Live In 1975 - 30th Anniversary Edition (DVD) (2004)
- Made In Cuba (DVD) (2005)
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