JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH

I remember watching the TV special of the performance of this album, and being underwhelmed then, too. While the idea is tremendous in scope, the production, and some of the compositions bring the entire album down. Although it's good to hear that Wakeman went back to this piece and spruced it up, with great results (check out The Definitive Music collection to hear it).

The book is well known, and the narration is kept to a minimum, but it does help to know what part of the story the music is depicting, especially since the singers and chorus can barely be understood on most of the album. The orchestrations are grandiose, and Wakeman's keyboard work is strong. But that makes the contrast of the weak vocal sections that much more difficult to listen to.

And coming back to the album years later, it doesn't get any better.