Rick Wakeman
Journey to the centre of the earth

If the rock & roll of the fifties was music for the body, if the rock of the sixties, psychedelic and Californian, was music to free the body through the mind, the so-called progressive rock was music primarily for the mind, for the growth of the mind. And it was an essentially European phenomenon, because if there is a place to unite rock, art, and culture, the only possible place is Europe.

Symphonic progressive rock brought the new electronic keyboards into the limelight, a direct evolution of the legendary Hammond organ: Moog, Mellotron, synthesizers... mostly monumental devices capable of producing sounds never heard before. And among the synth wizards, one of the few virtuosos to challenge Keith Emerson for the title is Richard Christopher Wakeman, who boasts classical musical studies and notable personal ambitions.

He began his career in the '60s as a session musician for David Bowie, Cat Stevens, T. Rex, Lou Reed... then became part of the Strawbs before achieving fame with one of the leading groups of English progressive rock and among the most acclaimed of the symphonic-pop current, namely Yes. Immersed among dozens of synthesizers and Moogs, he created a keyboard style and technique that led him to ambitiously and majestically tackle themes straddling literature, history, and legend.

Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1974), inspired by the writings of Jules Verne, is the album of his consecration as a leading figure in English symphonic pop. The baroque flavors, the pomposity of the staging, the grandeur of the sounds, the classical breath, the orchestra, the narrating voice, the rock instrumentation, inevitably lead to losing sight of the substance of the pieces, giving shape to a huge instrumental sound mass that overwhelms the listener without being controlled or defined. The effect is nothing short of overwhelming, but in the long run, the weight becomes unbearable and already the subsequent albums lose almost every reason for interest. The majestic atmospheres, the technical virtuosity, and above all the classical inclinations make this album one of the most successful and interesting in its genre.

It was recorded in a single day and features the presence of the London Symphony Orchestra and the English Chamber Choir.