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| Rick Wakeman - Journey To The Center Of The Earth Live in 1975 |
  Released: 2001 Label: Classic Pictures Cat. No.: DVD1077X Total Time: DVD: ~95:00 / CD: 69:05 | |
Reviewed by: John "Bo Bo" Bollenberg, March 2002 It is fine to have new technologies devote itself to brand new releases, however it sometimes doesn't end up delivering the best results once it concerns the issue of vintage material. You can compare it with putting brand new tyres on an oldtimer: it doesn't change much to the car's appearance. Nevertheless if it concerns a very rare type of car it will add to the beauty of it and millions of people will be able to enjoy it in all it's splendour. That's about what you can say about the release on DVD of a rare Rick Wakeman live concert from 1975 in Melbourne, Australia. With new DVD's sporting the fabulous 5.1 surround sound, it is obvious that this gimmick is altogether missing here. Knowing that the video footage is also more than 25 years old, it is also logical that we are not treated to the latest state-of-the-art pictures, but in the end it's like admiring an authentic painting by an old master as opposed to looking at a digital copy. When Rick took to the stage in Melbourne I was a mere seventeen years old and already such a Wakemaniac that I had drawn huge banks of synthesizers on my school desk. In between classes I would perform imaginary synth solos just like metalheads are playing air guitar. No wonder I couldn't pull any girls! Rick, on the other hand, was the world's number one keyboard player and no less than twelve million people would buy his theatrical Journey To The Centre Of The Earth album. Prior to delivering the entire Journey project live, he also performed some highlights from his much acclaimed debut album Six Wives Of Henry VIII (still my absolute favourite), and material from his then to be released third album The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table much to the delight of the many thousands who witnessed this great performance. It is clear that Ashley Holt is a much better singer than Gary Pickford Hopkins and one asks himself why the hell both men had to go on tour with the Wakeman extravaganza in the first place? But let us not forget that these were the days of Rick's heavy drinking (and smoking, just look at his teeth for proof!) recruting his backing band straight from the pub, although manager Brian Lane had offered Rick such guests as Eric Clapton and Roger Daltrey to name but two. Just look at the cans of beer on top of Rick's grand piano and I rest my case! [no pun intended? -ed.] Dressed as the pure "caped crusader" you can see Wakeman struggling with his many synths sometimes having to spread his legs as wide apart as possible in order to tackle the right keys. Bearing in mind the difficulty in tuning the mini-Moogs correctly during live performances, it is inevitable that there is the odd bum note whether it comes from "uncle" Rick or from someone in the overenthusiastic orchestra or choir. Looking back at the crowd's enthusiasm however, one is saddened by the fact that this kind of respect and addoration is nowhere to be found nowadays. Can we still blame punk for what has happened since or do we have to include an hour's worth of 'respect for prog" each week in the school's programmes? When you look at this DVD, it shows how much of a gamble every single concert with orchestra and choir really is, as Rick and the band applaud enthusiastically once the final note of the Journey epic has died down. It's as if they are glad it's all over and no harm has been done. Not in a big way anyway as throughout this concert you can hear the Moog sounding off-key, as is also the Mellotron for that matter. In the first part of Journey the brass section doesn't sound at all convincing and the choir sometimes has it hard to keep track. As opposed to it's vinyl counterpart, this concert shows the whole of Journey in one go even including the cheap inflatable dinosaurs (whose bad idea was this anyway?). But then again this is no ordinary DVD as it has a more historic importance rather than trying to obtain the highest recognition in the quality control department. The close-up Moog and harpsichord solos during "The Battle" simply are breathtaking. As an encore Wakeman performs "Catherine Howard" in a brand new arrangement giving guitarist Jeffrey Crampton the chance to really shine. During the then new song "Merlin" we see Rick running from one side of his keyboards to the other, from his Moog to the piano. Again the mellotron is completely out of tune here. It's wonderful to see how Wakeman is almost like in a trance during "Anne Boleyn." With a reprise of "The Forest" comes an end to a remarkable concert and recording. Even if at times someone runs in front of the camera throwing a huge shadow onto the stage, this live concert is of a big historical significance. As a bonus, an audio CD is thrown in sporting highlights from the concert. Whilst the poor quality of these recordings are nicely compensated by means of the DVD footage, as a stand alone the quality of the CD is rather poor and will probably only end up under the laser only once. Recorded live on February 4th 1975 at the Sydney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, Australia featuring the Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra and The Melbourne Chamber Choir conducted by Verdon Williams [With the recent reissue of this title, as represented by the right most cover, the track "Guinevre" has been added to the DVD... See also Keith's review of this title -ed.] More about Journey To The Center Of The Earth Live in 1975: Track Listing: DVD: Catherine Parr / Journey To The Centre Of The Earth / Catherine Howard - Merlin / Anne Boleyn / Reprise From The Forest Musicians: Contact: Website: www.rwcc.com Discography
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