Journey To The Centre Of The Earth - RICK WAKEMAN***

The Journey/Recollection/The Battle/The Forest

Journey To The Centre Of The Earth was an ambitious live project from keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman in which he calls in aid the London Symphony Orchestra. Unfortunately, it is let down by too much mediocre material and an intrusive narration. (US:3 UK: 1)

“Journey To The Centre Of The Earth is not for the faint hearted. It’s a heavily orchestrated and dense album with an intermittent narrative and far too many synthesiser solos. For a prog-rock fan it’s an example of just how far the genre could cross-over into orchestral music. If you’re a fan of orchestral music, you’ll find much to admire and much to baffle you.”

“When I first heard this I thought it the biggest load of old tosh I had ever heard, the passing of almost 40 years hasn’t changed my mind. This is in spite of Yes being one of my favourite all time bands. I would be much better without the tedious narration.”

“This is a grand progressive rock album which features a unique concept supported by suitably epic music. The vocals are lacking, and the music seems to run out of steam towards the end, but overall this is a very good showcase for Rick’s talents for playing keyboards and composing for orchestra. The album does indeed take you on an epic journey.”

“This is so utterly bloated and pompous that it make your head spin. I really love progressive rock, and it really irks me when something this self-indulgent is released. Albums like this are sometimes the only exposure that people curious about progressive rock get to hear, and then they go running from the genre.”

“Wakeman, whose keyboard playing is excellent is backed by London Symphony Orchestra and its choir is great. There are some flaws here and there. Mixing such a melting-pot of different kinds of music is not that easy. The orchestra sounds a bit confused in a too big reverberation with exaggerate bloated effects. The rock band sounds rather more studio than live and the voices are sometimes a bit strained.”

“This is not an for everyone. Rick Wakeman dominates the majority of the album, often using outlandish synthesizers. There are moments when things don't seem to fit, and the male vocal harmony section goes flat. However, counterbalancing these points, are some of the most inspired passages in prog history.”