THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII

I really like Rick Wakeman. I enjoy the grandeur that some call over the top, and I can see their point when they say that. I love the tapestries of sound he brings to his best work, I love his relaxed and free technique, probably the best of any keyboard player in the whole rock era. The problem for me is that his composition isn't up to the same standard. It's a bit like the Eric Clapton scenario, when a famous guitarist placed in the spotlight had to sing and not just play. Rick's fame meant that he had to write, not just play, and that for me doesn't work as it should. Rick to me is at his best playing other people's work. But I still applaud anything he does. I have personal doubts and dislikes about this recording, but it would be churlish and inappropriate to give anything other than five stars. Otherwise, why does this genre exist at all?