Rick Wakeman: The Caped Crusader of Prog

"Back in the early 80s, a wonderful TV series called A Little Night Music, filmed in Birmingham had quite an assortment of musical styles over the weeks that the series ran.
The performance was recorded live at Pebble Mill in Birmingham and a small budget was given to me to do some orchestrations for the additional orchestral musicians that were booked to perform with me. A children’s choir was also brought in for Bedtime Stories, but they were perhaps a little too young and brings to mind the well known saying “Never work with children or animals”! Whilst they were very angelic and looked great, trying to get them to sing at the same time proved virtually impossible, but the piece certainly ended up with a lot of charm.
I recall the evening very well for a very sad reason and that was that Robert Powell, who narrated Gray’s Elegy, had tragically just lost his father to cancer and so Gone But Not Forgotten took on a new and very special meaning that night."

"Rick Wakeman plays Night Music? No witty lines but a musical highlight!! A late night show with Rick more laid back work. The sound quality is excellent and the choice of the songs is superb. An absolute knockout version of Gray's Elegy In a Country Churchyard by Robert Powell. A must have and by far the best volume in the Video Vault series."

"This is the album we have been waiting for! It is truly a trip back in time. It takes me back to the first albums right through to the latest albums with the keyboards from the golden days and the production and energy of now. Ashley Holt’s voice is in top form, and the (fantastic) voice of Rick’s daughter Jemma is really British and very gentle (on Leave The Blindfold), love it! And even though the album spans nearly 70 minutes, it leaves one wanting more, so putting your CD player on repeat, will give you the thrill of this album again and again. Rick mentions in the sleeve notes that this is a truly one off album, due to the condition of the older keyboards etc., but let’s hope he grabs one of them from time to time on his new albums to come! This albums bursts with an incredible energy, and leaves me wondering what it would sound like if Rick would guest play on an IQ album, because their styles are very similar. The tribute song for Bob Moog is a fitting one, it is not a sentimental slow song, but instead a rocker (Mr. Moog would have been proud). I can go on and on, but experience this CD yourself, you will not be disappointed! PLAY IT LOUD! (but be careful). Rick, you did it again, and please keep doing it! Out of 5 stars I give it 6!"

"This DVD is a must have for two reasons: We all know how difficult it is to record a live concert. Technically this is one of the best live recordings of Rick and NERE ever made. A lot of camera's in the right places. Editing the pictures logically with the performance of all musicians. Excellent picture quality. And good sound. Not perfect sound, but hey, it is a live concert. Compliments to the makers. But of course more important, this has been a great concert. I envy those who could attend. The band was sharp as a slingblade. Timing was excellent, tempo changes made without any hiccups. Everybody playing together as a band, supporting each other. But, most of all, having fun. Rick was playing with a glint in his eyes, clearly enjoying playing with such excellent musicians. And then to think that the rehearsal time for this short tour was very limited. What else to say? This is Rick Wakeman at his best. Sorry I wasn't there, happy that there is such an excellent recording available. If you like Rick playing live, this DVD is a must have."