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Your collection of the greatest ProgRock classics?
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David_D View Drop Down
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Points: 15248 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote David_D Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 27 2024 at 05:56
Originally posted by Starshiper Starshiper wrote:

Not everyone shares this sentiment. I, for one, have always preferred "No Earthly Connection" to "The Six Wives of Henry VIII."

Well, I more or less liked No Earthly Connection upon its release, got it again in my collection in the mid-'90s, and it has grown on me over the years, but I won't say that it's in general considered as one of the greatest Prog classics.


Edited by David_D - October 27 2024 at 06:26
                      quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond
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Starshiper View Drop Down
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Originally posted by David_D David_D wrote:

Originally posted by Starshiper Starshiper wrote:

Not everyone shares this sentiment. I, for one, have always preferred "No Earthly Connection" to "The Six Wives of Henry VIII."

Well, I more or less liked No Earthly Connection upon its release, got it again in my collection in the mid-'90s, and it has grown on me over the years, but I won't say that it's in general considered as one of the greatest Prog classics.
Isn't "No Earthly Connection" an album of crackers? You may look for such cute proggy odds in vain on Wakeman's other solo records. Atmospheric 'tron, flute interludes, acoustic guitar, choir sounds, jazz-rockesque moments, classical-like brass sections, and even trippy-like sound segments. The melodies themselves are also quite appealing. 
An accusation of being vulgar in music has been, I imagine, heard at times. However, who cares? The album is so lush that any complaint would seem irrelevant.
Personally, I am inclined to consider "No Earthly Connection" to be nothing less a classic album than "The Six Wives..." Furthermore, I believe that "No Earthly..." is his best concept album. Compared to the funky "No Earthly...," "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" seems to be a one-dimensional album, and not just because of the "No Earthly Connection" original sleeve design.
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richardh View Drop Down
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Points: 28405 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote richardh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 27 2024 at 17:51
Originally posted by Starshiper Starshiper wrote:

Originally posted by David_D David_D wrote:

Originally posted by Starshiper Starshiper wrote:

Not everyone shares this sentiment. I, for one, have always preferred "No Earthly Connection" to "The Six Wives of Henry VIII."

Well, I more or less liked No Earthly Connection upon its release, got it again in my collection in the mid-'90s, and it has grown on me over the years, but I won't say that it's in general considered as one of the greatest Prog classics.
Isn't "No Earthly Connection" an album of crackers? You may look for such cute proggy odds in vain on Wakeman's other solo records. Atmospheric 'tron, flute interludes, acoustic guitar, choir sounds, jazz-rockesque moments, classical-like brass sections, and even trippy-like sound segments. The melodies themselves are also quite appealing. 
An accusation of being vulgar in music has been, I imagine, heard at times. However, who cares? The album is so lush that any complaint would seem irrelevant.
Personally, I am inclined to consider "No Earthly Connection" to be nothing less a classic album than "The Six Wives..." Furthermore, I believe that "No Earthly..." is his best concept album. Compared to the funky "No Earthly...," "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" seems to be a one-dimensional album, and not just because of the "No Earthly Connection" original sleeve design.

''One-dimensional'' is stretching an argument to a breaking point. The music takes us to all sorts of places. Always loved the latin rhythms of Ann Of Cleeves especially but there also the beautiful melodies apparent on Catherine Of Aragon, Catherine Howard and Anne Boleyn. Then we have the full frontal organ bombast of Cartherine Parr and the pipe organ majesty of Jane Seymour. 


''Atmospheric 'tron, flute interludes, acoustic guitar, choir sounds, jazz-rockesque moments, classical-like brass sections, and even trippy-like sound segments. The melodies themselves are also quite appealing.''
You are not hearing any of this on Six Wives?!
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Starshiper View Drop Down
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Points: 2129 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Starshiper Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 27 2024 at 19:46
Originally posted by richardh richardh wrote:

Originally posted by Starshiper Starshiper wrote:

Originally posted by David_D David_D wrote:

Originally posted by Starshiper Starshiper wrote:

Not everyone shares this sentiment. I, for one, have always preferred "No Earthly Connection" to "The Six Wives of Henry VIII."

Well, I more or less liked No Earthly Connection upon its release, got it again in my collection in the mid-'90s, and it has grown on me over the years, but I won't say that it's in general considered as one of the greatest Prog classics.
Isn't "No Earthly Connection" an album of crackers? You may look for such cute proggy odds in vain on Wakeman's other solo records. Atmospheric 'tron, flute interludes, acoustic guitar, choir sounds, jazz-rockesque moments, classical-like brass sections, and even trippy-like sound segments. The melodies themselves are also quite appealing. 
An accusation of being vulgar in music has been, I imagine, heard at times. However, who cares? The album is so lush that any complaint would seem irrelevant.
Personally, I am inclined to consider "No Earthly Connection" to be nothing less a classic album than "The Six Wives..." Furthermore, I believe that "No Earthly..." is his best concept album. Compared to the funky "No Earthly...," "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" seems to be a one-dimensional album, and not just because of the "No Earthly Connection" original sleeve design.

''One-dimensional'' is stretching an argument to a breaking point. The music takes us to all sorts of places. Always loved the latin rhythms of Ann Of Cleeves especially but there also the beautiful melodies apparent on Catherine Of Aragon, Catherine Howard and Anne Boleyn. Then we have the full frontal organ bombast of Cartherine Parr and the pipe organ majesty of Jane Seymour. 


''Atmospheric 'tron, flute interludes, acoustic guitar, choir sounds, jazz-rockesque moments, classical-like brass sections, and even trippy-like sound segments. The melodies themselves are also quite appealing.''
You are not hearing any of this on Six Wives?!


In terms of music, "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" could just as easily have been dubbed "The Six Lakes," "The Six Isles," or "The Six Poplar Trees," and frankly, it would make no difference whatsoever. Take Anne of Cleves, for instance; that track has a rather funky vibe, yet history paints King Henry's fourth wife as a rather melancholic figure. 
Do any of these compositions truly capture the shambles and great suffering of that historical epoch? In my humble opinion, they do not. There's a distinct lack of musical themes. The basis of the music is rather straightforward chord progressions underpinning repetitive groovy jams, peppered with an abundance of moments steeped in self-indulgent noodling and a smattering of ostentatious bravado, all derived from one or two motifs filched from classical compositions—certain pieces shamelessly prancing about.
"The Six Wives of Henry VIII" trundles along without leaving much of a mark on my grey matter—unlike the concept album that graced us three years later, namely "No Earthly Connection," where everything I mentioned in the third sentence of my previous post finds its rightful place and significance in the album's musical themes.
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David_D View Drop Down
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Points: 15248 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote David_D Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 28 2024 at 06:59

If it should be of interest, The Six Wives is positioned at #161 on RYM's current Progressive Rock chart for the 1970s (with popularity weighting on 4), which is definitely underrated, as I see it.

( https://rateyourmusic.com/charts/top/album/1970s/g:progressive%2drock/pop:4/5/ )





Edited by David_D - October 28 2024 at 11:00
                      quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond
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