RICK WAKEMAN REVIEW

Rick Wakeman Crimes of Passion Review by Gary Hill This is a new release of Rick Wakeman's 1984 soundtrack album. There are two songs here with vocals (one is a bonus track) serving as book-ends to the release. Most of this is the kind of music you'd expect from Wakeman, but there are at least a couple surprises within. I like this album a lot. I'd say that it's not one of Wakeman's best, but it's definitely in toward the upper end of the spectrum. It's also well worth having. This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2017  Volume 6 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review

It's a Lovely Life The opening section here almost feels like something Black Sabbath might have done in the mid-1970s. The vocals by Melody Bell bring a soulful, bluesy power to the piece. The song still has plenty of Wakeman trademarks built into it. This is a smoking hot rocker.

Eastern Shadows While this is distinctly a rock song, it also has a lot of classical music built into it. The instrumental is really classic Wakeman.

Joanna A mellower piece, this seems to combine classical music stylings with folk music. It's another that's more trademark Wakeman.

The Stretch There are some intriguing changes here. There is a bit of a "weird" quality to this piece. Still, it's instantly recognizable as Rick Wakeman. It gets a more rocking thing right at the end.

Policeman's Ball Coming in more rocking, some saxophone really sets this cut apart. It has an almost funky vibe and is one of the most fun pieces here. This has a number of variations and really rocks.

Stax This sounds in some ways like something that would have been released on Stax. There is a bit of a jazz vibe to it. It's retro in texture and quite interesting.

Taken in Hand Classical music and rock seem to merge here. This is another that's a classic Wakeman instrumental. The keyboard soloing on this is particularly noteworthy.

Paradise Lost A more sedate piece of music, this is slower and quite pretty.

The Box Faster paced and rocking, there is a bit of a jazz angle to this cut. It's a real powerhouse. This gets into some seriously hard-edged territory. CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FROM GONZO Rick Wakeman Richard Christopher 'Rick' Wakeman (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboard player and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes. He is also known for hi.. Read More Rick Wakeman and Brian May Starmus is a festival of music and astronomy on the beautiful island of Tenerife. It is the brain child of Garik Israelian (the astrophysicist who led the team which found the first observational.. Read More Rick Wakeman and Mario Fasciano On this extraordinary album, legendary keyboard player teams up with an Italian singer named Mario Fasciano. Stavros Moschopoulos  writes: 'Recorded on the Isle of Man, the CD contains 8 new.. Read More Rick Wakeman and Tony Ashton With special guests  Various artists including: Ian Paice, Rick Parfitt, Steve Hackett, Andy Fairweather Low, John Entwistle etc.. Read More Rick Wakeman and Various Artists Richard Christopher 'Rick' Wakeman (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboard player and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes. He is also known f.. Read More Rick Wakeman, Alan Parsons, John Wetton , Chris Squire, Steve Hillage and others Musician, producer and former Yes member Billy Sherwood has put together what he’s dubbed “the biggest super group of progressive rock players ever assembled,” to form .. Read More Rick Wakeman, Karnataka, Gentle Giant and more 26 tracks in all, of which 10 are previously unreleased (these including an epic version of Matthew the Man - live in Tokyo 2001 and Beijing - widescreen remix from Iona, and other unreleased tra.. Read More