THE MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF KING ARTHUR AND THE KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE

Well, if I had to say who are my two favourite keyboardists, Tony Banks and Rick Wakeman are cerntainly them. I call Tony Banks the "keyboard-genious", and Rick, the "wizard of keyboards". Now, it's time to talk about Mr.Wakeman, of course. This is his fourth solo record and it's great. I would say this is like "Journey to the centre of the Earth part II" (musically) as it uses and orchestra and a choir, its synth solos are similar to those on "Journey", its based on a story, making a concept album and it repeats a main theme all the way through (and the band is also the same.The guitarrist is anotherone, though). But, still I guess this one doesn't reach the high quality of the previous release.

1) Arthur: A great openning track. The narration by Terry Taplin sets the mood for the album. The harpsichord and piano are played with a lot of class. There's also some great syth playing accompained by a wonderful orchestra. The vocals sound quite sh*tty but they fit perfectly on this one. 4/5

2) Lady of the lake: A short song for choir solo, which sounds pretty much like gregorian chant. Nice melody (this is one of the themes that gets repeated) and interesting voice mixes. It also acts like a bridge between "Arthur" and "Guinevere", and makes the album flow greatly. 4/5

3) Guinevere: A nice ballad, with great piano and synths. Nothing really great about the vocals, but very good melodies. There's also some cool guitar work. 4/5

4) The best track on the album. Surprisingly, the vocals rock here! First, they're sung agressively, and, all of a sudden, they change to softness. The orchestra does a very good job here, and Rick's syths are mind-blowing! The drums and bass are also great. A very adrenalinic piece.5/5

5) Merlin, the magician: An awsome instrumental. Some of the most inspired and awsomely played pianos (classical and honky-tonk-like) are here. The bass is heavy and it accompains the piano wonderfully, together with the orchestra.4.5/5

6) Sir Galahad: Not a bad track at all, but it lacks inspiration. The vocals are quite a disaster, but I like the fast organ and the electric piano. 2.5/5

7)- The last battle: Great ending for a great concept album. It features some awsome piano arpegios, and the vocals are nicely combined, making this really progressive. Great bass, guitars and drums, as well as a really powerful orchestra. Another narration can be heard here. 4/5

So, overall, although it's not as great as "Journey", it's and excellent addition to your progressive music collection. Get it, it's worth having. But, firts you should get the previous album from 1974. If you like it, you'll like this one.

LONG LIVE PROG!