RICK WAKEMAN & THE ENGLISH ROCK ENSEMBLE: A GALLERY OF THE IMAGINATION

I always find it annoying when reviewers claim that Wakeman is not progressing anywhere and producing the same fare. The man has created 80 "solo" albums (including those who shared with his son) which range from new age, to ground-breaking prog to straight piano pieces. In addition, he has released countless live albums, worked with the Strawbs, and more famously Yes; as well as contributing to Black Sabbath tracks, and numerous other works (including a couple with his close friend John Anderson). Sheesh, how much variation does one require from an artist.

(I can always pick a Tchaikovsky orchestral piece due to his distinctive use of the strings. I don't suppose he showed any musical progression or maturity either!)

Now on to album 81. The cover includes with "The English Rock Ensemble" which gave me a bit of a giggle. Many of Wakeman's early albums (No Earthly Connection for instance) included the English Rock Ensemble. Like Yes, its membership changed a lot but with Ashley Holt and Tony Fernandez in most lineups. Again, like Yes, none of the current members on this album were in the original lineup.

This is quite a serene, laid-back album with a touch of melancholy on some tracks. There are a couple of more upbeat lively tracks (Cuban Carnival & A Dinner Party) which, for me, are the least successful. This is a fine album, nothing like his previous red Planet album.

If you like his quieter music (Two Sides Of Yes, The Legend Live in Concert, or Live at Lincoln Cathedral, etc.) then you will probably enjoy this. Unlike the albums I just listed, this does include a singer, not Ashley Holt, but Hayley Sanderson. Her singing is not unlike that of Wakeman's daughter, Jemma, on Retro.

This is a fine album by my favourite keyboardist (sorry Keith & Bo).