This is a strange triple-CD compendium of
Rick Wakeman's work, representing solo and group repertory from across his career. It isn't quite what it would lead one to think it was -- a compilation of his work from established recordings in his output; rather, it is apparently assembled from live performances, although there's no audience sound or talk between the songs (you can usually tell by the timbre of the drums, if nothing else); and the songs are not always listed in correct order, in addition to the fact that some are not listed at all; so in that regard, it reminds one of any number of early-'70s bootleg live albums, on which the producers couldn't be bothered to check the real titles of the songs performed, or break a medley down into its component songs. That said, it should also be stated that this is not a bootleg, though it is sort of "gray market." On the plus side, the selection of material includes music from virtually every corner of
Wakeman's post-1970 career, even "Starship Trooper," which he really inherited from
Tony Kaye on joining
Yes; and speaking of
Yes, one major surprise here is "Revealing Science of God" from what was reportedly
Wakeman's least favorite classic
Yes album,
Tales from Topographic Oceans. And if you like
Wakeman's playing, there's a lot to love in this set. We get fresh interpretations of early works such as "Catherine Howard" and "Catherine of Aragon" from
The Six Wives of Henry VIII, plus bracing renditions of "The Myths and Legends of King Arthur & the Knights of the Round Table" and "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (sans orchestra) -- except on this last, the other musicians (all uncredited) are mostly not quite up to
Wakeman's standard, but he is so much of the show that it hardly makes a difference, and even the absence of
Jon Anderson on the
Yes repertory vocals can be forgiven -- it's not like they've done "Revealing Science of God" in too many shows since the mid-'70s. And then there are the covers of repertory well outside of
Wakeman's own orbit, including a synthesizer-driven "Paint It Black," which are as unexpected as anything else here -- the latter may not add much to the original, but it is great fun, and perhaps that's the real beauty of this collection, that it harkens back to a time when prog rock was as much fun as it was serious. Oh, and the notes are very thorough, even though they tell us nothing of the origins of these recordings. ~ Bruce Eder