He was 24 years old, with immaculate curtains of strawberry blonde hair framing a fresh, intelligent face, flamboyant white satin cloak sweeping the ground, and fingers commanding a bank of keyboards and new-fangled electronic gadgetry – all confirming his status as a 1970s prog rock icon.
On stage with Rick Wakeman at London’s Royal Festival Hall, were the London Symphony Orchestra, the English Chamber Choir, plus assorted rock musicians and actors, performing his epic composition Journey To The Centre Of The Earth, for a record that went on to sell 15 million copies around the world.
Such an ambitious gathering was only repeated three times in the UK after the release of the chart-topping LP in 1974, and a few more occasions overseas in Australia and Japan.
The odds of the whole shebang turfing up on stage at Plymouth Pavilions 40 years later for a repeat performance were, at best, pretty slim. But never underestimate a chancer with a maverick streak, an enduring passion, a gung-ho spirit and, possibly, a death wish...
“Suicidal is probably the word I’m looking for, and definitely the one my accountant would use,” laughs Rick, as rehearsals get under way for a 14-date nationwide tour, which hits the Westcountry on Saturday, April 26, two nights after opening in Newcastle.
Read on...
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