NOLAN & WAKEMAN

Many years later the plan arose to release a box set featuring remastered versions of "Jabberwocky" and "The Hound Of The Baskervilles". When asked if there was any leftover material Nolan and Wakeman brought forward their ideas for Frankenstein as well as some leftovers from "The Hound Of The Baskervilles" and a poem recited by Rick Wakeman that didn't make it onto "Jabberwocky" back then. The two keyboard virtuosos received the green light and so various singers and fellow musicians came together during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2020 to breathe new life into Frankenstein. At the beginning of 2021 the box set "Tales By Gaslight" was released containing the two aforementioned remasters and a third disc titled "Dark Fables". Half a year later "Dark Fables" also saw the light of day as a separate CD.

It is an enjoyable album, although not as grandiose as its predecessors but good enough to be positive about. It remains impressive to hear them galloping over the keyboards. The sound fluctuates between bombastic and atmospheric, always with well-placed instrumentation whether it's David Marc Pearce's fat electric guitar or Adam Nunes' buzzing cello.

The vocals also add value to the songs. Don't be afraid of an overdose of theatricality because it's not there. You might expect it considering Andy Sears (Twelfth Night) is one of the vocalists. You can't tell that he sings in Clive Nolan's musicals. His expressions are always genuine and fueled by his passion. He is present in two songs, I'd Give You Anything and Time Passes. Another singer is Paul Manzi, a man with a history in both Oliver Wakeman's band and Clive Nolan's Arena. His warm rock voice adds color to the music. In Why Do You Hate Me he tackles the task with a biting voice reminiscent of Fish. We also hear Nolan himself singing The Mirror which has a Shadowland/Arena-like vibe and Charlotte Dickerson shines with her often doubled angelic voice in The Wedding Approaches. Beautiful in this song is also Gordon Giltrap's subtle play on the classical guitar making each song unique.

The album starts with the bombastic The Overture in a style that feels immediately familiar. It underscores that both keyboardists know their way around majestic themes, big chords, and seductive Moog riffs. However the album has more of a singer-songwriter signature a thought fueled by the abundance of piano playing in most songs. Remarkably, the piano acts as a sort of binding agent on this album and it's needed too. With a bit of luck "Dark Fables" could be considered a compilation album. And it is but what I want to say is that there is a pleasant flow to the album a rhythm of enjoyable songs with occasional highlights. The riffing section of I'd Give You Anything always brings a smile to my face and I always have a great time when I hear the piano in Elizabeth. Why Do You Hate Me has a delightful passage with instrumental indulgence from the guitar and keyboards. The Wedding Approaches is a tasteful event in a folky atmosphere and both the instrumental A Descent Into Madness and The Man Called Sherlock which has a gothic vibe can be considered highlights. Personally I find it incomprehensible that this song was left out during the selection process for "The Hound Of The Baskervilles". Enjoyable swirling sections revolving around the main theme of "The Hound" and strong vocal sections alternate regularly. The album has an intriguing ending with the aforementioned recitation of the "Jabberwocky" poem. You don't expect it.

In conclusion "Dark Fables" contains enjoyable tunes and that's what we're here for. The fact that the album requires some perspective is not actually a hindrance. Go for it!

Orginally posted on www.progenrock.com

This set brings together both albums released by Clive and Oliver, namely 'Jabberwocky' and 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' along with 'Dark Fables' which is more of a bonus disc, containing songs from the unfinished 'Frankenstein' project plus a few others which did not make it onto the first two. Here we find Clive really pushing away from the progressive scene and instead much more into theatre, although using many from that genre to provide the music and vocals. Bob Catley (Magnum) and Tracy Hitchings (Quasar, Landmarq) are two key lead singers on both albums, but Ashley Holt is also involved and he is not the only Rick Wakeman musician as Tony Fernandez is also here, while Clive also reached into his back pocket to involve Karl Groom (Threshold) who was involved in virtually everything Clive was doing back then, as well as the likes of John Jowitt, Peter Gee etc.

'Jabberwocky' has less in the way of narration, but Rick does a nice job, while the songs and performances are a delight throughout. I have always felt that Tracy has been an under-utilised and somewhat under-rated singer, and throughout this and the next album she is an absolute delight, certainly showing no sign of nerves of being pitted against Bob Catley. Playing this album now, one can almost feel this is a transitional piece in some ways, as Clive and Oliver moved into theatrical but not leaving the prog world too far behind. There was a higher concentration on performances and songs than spoken word, and while there are some incredible passages, in some ways they were holding back a little.

After it had been released, Clive was at one of Rick's parties where he met Robert Powell. The actor said he had enjoyed 'Jabberwocky' and would be pleased to be involved in the next one, which is how he came to be an integral part of 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'. I have no hope at all of saying anything useful about this album as not only has it been one of my favourites ever since it was released, it was also the same for one of my daughter's and there was a solid year when it was the only music played in the car when she was in it (strangely enough, one of her older sisters had the same affinity with the debut Shadowland album). It is the perfect bringing together of music and narration, telling the story of Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes and the case of the hound of the Baskervilles. Clive and Oliver have warmly embraced the storytelling, and have combined to produce an album which to my mind is incredibly important to this day. Just putting this on the player was like listening to an old friend and I was immediately transported back in time and up to Dartmoor.

It is a faultless album from start to end, and if one listens to this with an open mind with no expectation of it being an overbearing progressive masterpiece then there is much to be gained from it. Yes, of course there are proggy elements but there are also times when we get Russian folk dancing, classical, theatre, and so much more. Powell adds a certain gravitas, something which comes through with the singing as well, where all the performances have been taken to a new level.

'Dark Fables' is in many ways a bonus disc, and as I have only just written my review I suggest you seek that out separately, but to hear Rick closing the complete set with his rendition of "The Jabberwocky" is fitting.

For those who did not come across these albums the first time around then now is the time to discover the wonderful music of Clive Nolan and Oliver Wakeman. They have stood the test of time, while 'Baskervilles' will always be a classic in my mind.

In many ways this is almost impossible to review, in that it is a collection of rarities as opposed to a single considered concept, and one cannot be sure what would have been left in the final version of the 'Frankenstein' release, while the songs from 'Hound' seem somewhat strange to me in that I know the original album so very well indeed. This actually fits much better as part of the 'Tales by Gaslight' set, as there one understands this is more of a "bonus disc" than an album in its own right. It certainly pales when compared to the other two albums, and if someone heard this without the others they may come away with some false impressions as although there are some wonderful moments on here, such as "Why Do You Hate Me?" where Frankenstein's monster questions why he exists, this is going to be mostly for already-existing fans who will be pleased to finally have this material available.

Consequently, many will pass this album by which is a real shame as songs such as "The Wedding Approaches" show the guys at their most delicate with some wonderful female vocals, while Andy Sears puts in a wonderful performance on the dramatic and crunching "Time Passes" ? his vocal prowess has continued to increase since the first time Twelfth Night called it a day, and this is a blast from start to end.

If one already has the other two albums then this should be invested in, but otherwise get the set and have them all in one place.

A number of reviewers have compared the first two albums to Rick's (I will use the Wakeman's first names to avoid confusion) "Journey to the Centre of the Earth"; I couldn't disagree more. Journey was a mainly instrumental composition punctuated by a few songs. Journey also featured the London Symphony Orchestra and the English Chamber Choir, neither of which appear here in person or sound. There is a choir in Jabberwocky, but it sounds nothing like the ECC.

On the other hand, the Nolan and Oliver works are very close to stage musicals/rock operas, whatever you wish to call them. Like the theatre pieces, each "role" is sung by a different singer, and much of it sounds like a Lloyd Webber piece. So much so that when my wife passed my room she said, "That's not the type of music you usually listen to!". And she was right.

Like "Journey" they have a narrator. The narrator takes the place of the stage action and spoken lines, linking the songs together into a coherent story. I wonder whether Nolan and Oliver had hopes of actually staging them as musicals?

Many well-known musicians (some of whom are associated with Rick) appear including, Tony Fernandez, Jon Jeary and the late Peter Banks,

The first album, "Jabberwocky", is based on a Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking-Glass". It's full of nonsense words and phrases: "Twas brillig, and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe..." It is about a young boy (knight?) who slays the fearsome Jabberwock.

Rick acts as the narrator and does a passable job. I don't particularly enjoy Bob Catley singing on this CD and indeed all the vocals have a stage musical sound. For me the most successful bits are the Instrumentals.

The second album, "The Hound of the Baskervilles", is the more successful of the two. It has a bit less of a stage musical feel and there is a bit more "prog" in it. It follows a similar path to "Jabberwocky" but there is quite a lot more narration as "The Hound" is quite a complex novel, so lots of links are required.

Robert Powell as the Narrator (Dr John Watson of course) has far more gravitas than Rick. Many of the same musicians and singers turn up for a second outing. Again the instrumentals featuring the two keyboardists are the highlights. I especially enjoy the closing "Chasing the Hound".

Both discs have been re-mastered and guitar solos have been added to "The Burgundy Rose" (Jabberwocky) and "Three Threads" (Hound) by David Mark Pearce.

The new CD, "Dark Fables" is a mish-mash of pieces that Nolan and Oliver had written for a third album, "Frankenstein", which didn't get off the ground and pieces not good enough to be included on "The Hound". Oliver rather disingenuously suggests they didn't fit the story, but it begins at 221B, so that would fit, and "The Baker Street Irregulars" is an instrumental. The song excluded from "The Hound", "The Man called Sherlock" is quite plodding and it is obvious why it was cut. The stand-outs on this are "The Overture" and "The Descent into Madness".

I doubt these albums will get played in full again. I'll probably put together a compilation of the better instrumentals (when these guys are good, they are very good). Overall a bit of a disappointment.

As this is a concept album with many narratives at the beginning of every single track, it of course reminds me to Rick Wakeman's Journey to the Center of The Earth. The fundamental difference is of course on the use of orchestra as Rick really used it "live". This album of Nolan & Wakeman is merely keyboard-drenched composition from start to end. I actually enjoy the opening track "overture" that sets the overall tone of the album. But then the following tracks do not stem from what that has been laid out nicely in the overture part as the music flows in flat nuances. It's a pity that there is too much keyboard on the first half of the album and the only stunning guitar solo only happens when it reaches track 6 "Run for Your Life" with female vocal.

On the line-up actually there are big names like Arjen Lucassen of Ayreon, Karl Groom of Threshold, Peter Banks (veteran of Yes), John Jowitt (IQ / Jadis) a well as Tony Fernandez who helped Rick Wakeman albums. Unfortunately the great line-up does not help a lot if the album suffers its fundamental composition issue.

Overall, this is just a mundane album with many keyboard sounds. Those of you who like keyboard sounds would enjoy it. Keep on proggin' ...!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

With different singers taking on roles (the usual suspects include Bob Catley, Tracy Hitchings and Ian 'Moon' Gould as well as others such as Ashley Holt from the Rick Wakeman Band), the idea behind the album is to turn the story into a concept album and to my ears they succeed brilliantly. While there is plenty of help on the musical front (Karl Groom, Peter Banks, John Jowitt, Peter Gee to name just a few), there are a lot of keyboards on the album which give it an orchestral feel, particularly in the long linking passages.

However, the songs themselves are often full of passion and dynamics, such as the exciting "The Curse Of The Baskervilles". I have known Clive for many years and I think I have heard just about all that he has released in all of his guises, and can say honestly that this is the finest work with which he has been associated. The biggest problem he now has is getting this album out to those who need to hear it, because properly marketed this could be a huge commercial success. Get in before the rest and buy this superb concept album. Visit the web site at www.verglas.com

Originally appeared in Feedback #66, Feb 02

Backed by an all-star cast, Clive Nolan and Oliver Wakeman create a bombastic, theatrical concept album. Those who like Rick Wakeman's classic Journey To The Centre Of The Earth album will most probably like this one too, or at least recognize the similarities between the two albums. It is actually rather remarkable just how similar Oliver's keyboard playing is to that of his legendary father. Rick himself is even present here, as the narrator of the whole thing. All the clichés of a fantasy-tinged concept album are present, but it is not too cheesy or overdone. Everyone involved are super professional and know exactly what they are doing. They are having fun!

The vocals are handled by Bob Catley from Magnum, Tracy Hitchings and a couple of others. Catley and Hitchings are great. And so are the keyboardists, of course, and the band backing them all. This is simply a quality product. But it still has somewhat limited value due to the very nature of the project. They are doing this for fun and this fun then spreads to the listener who is entertained. Once or twice, that is. The albums does not have any staying power. It is like a theatre play or movie - you may enjoy it while it lasts, but you almost never want to witness it again.

A pretty good album of its kind, but absolutely not essential

Whole idea and reason for three stars can be described by one sentence which describes it all. "Intro track is a very good one for a intro, but the rest of record seems exactly like it." You simply can't take album with 68 minutes which all sounds like intro to prog heights. OK, there are exceptions (second track for example), but that's it, just exceptions. This is reason why I'm giving 3+. Another good thing is this whole story thing. We like stories, right ? And when you combine it with prog rock, then something wonderful is here.

It sounds very much like Arena. That's another advantage. Their guest list is long enough to make supergroup, but not much of this potential is used (hello Asia).

If you like Arena, you will enjoy this too. 3(+) and good feeling from it.