1984

I have just read Rick Wakeman's autobiography Grumpy Old Rock Star and I must admit I am a very very late convert to the music of Mr Wakeman . In the 1970s I would not have been seen dead carrying his LPs in my school satchel no way he always was perceived as a buffoon by many.

Fast forward to a year ago when I am now investigating 8-track recordings from that period and found that there were many recordings of Rick Wakeman available on 8-track cartridges so I start to get the classics the first three albums and find them to be amazing music truly amazing inspired music.

So when I am wrong I am wrong the guy is a genius I totally dismissed him all these years ago and was in any case always a very lukewarm admirer of Yes. I have also reviewed that attitude of mine and now think of them as a fairly fairly good group from the 1970s but to me never on a par with early Genesis or King Crimson.

Enough of my personal history and shortcomings.

Reading his autobiography you realise that the man is a natural-born contrarian so it is not surprising to see him here use Chaka Khan a disco queen and diva from the 1970s on a Prog concept album based on 1984 dystopian novel by Eric Blair also known as George Orwell.

It seems insane maybe he couldn't get Barry White maybe he couldn't get Perry Como to warble on his Opus; maybe he was in Vegas and unavailable. As many have remarked elsewhere the album is far too upbeat for a rendition of the feelings and tale told in 1984. It is one of the bleakest story available to mankind and here he makes it sound like the Phantom of the Opera or some West End musical

Tim Rice is involved here proving that point. I find his masterpieces from the 70s the three first albums very much on the borders of musical anyway. he also makes him sing here (more contrarian behaviour)

In tone and in feel this album is very very similar to the 1989 album by Mike Oldfield titled Earth Moving it reminds me of that due to the constant change of vocalist also this kind of 1970s Progmaster recycling himself into a sort of 1980s Power Rock pop extravaganza aficionado with clearly his heart in both cases only partly involved in this new persona.

All in all a mixed bag.

It really feels like all these tracks do not belong on the same album since they are completely different almost antithetic genres. Chaka Khan doing Musical Prog is at least quite unexpected. Tim Rice in fake discordant Punk (Proles) is mildly disturbing, Jon Anderson doing a God number like a visit from Yes; very odd combo indeed ... oh yes and a side-order of Steve Harley WTAF ...

Chaka Khan Tim Rice electronic organs pretty queer-sounding production I think Rick did most of it himself here maybe not so successfully maybe he should've use some professional producer and stayed on the artistic side anyway as others have remarked not anywhere near as good as the earlier 70s offerings but still totally worth a listen

EDIT: after a while Chaka has a voice which starts to grate like emery cloth on the nervous system; totally not suited to this type of music (she is great in her own field no doubt) but just too amped up for this ... he is really a twisted comedian is Rick ... mixing oil with orange juice or whatever he thought he was doing ... still ... a genius