Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Journey to the Centre of the Earth - Revisited



I saw a report today that Rick Wakeman is reworking his 1975 album "Journey To The Center Of The Earth".  Complete with about 20 minutes of additional score (which was previously dropped due to the time constriants on vinyl records).  I remember seeing this performed live on one of the late night rock television shows that were popular in the mid 70's.  Probably "In Concert" but possibly "The Midnight Special".  Or maybe something else.  Apparently not "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert". Regardless, I did see it on TV.

While some call it one of progressive rock's crowning achievements, others counter with overblown, pompus and pretentious.  And I think that both sides probably have their point.  But, as a 14/15 year old kid, I was blown away, in a good way.  For me, the high points outweight the "not so high points" by a wide margin.  And while it probably hasn't aged as well as some other music of the time, it still has a place in my collection.

I'll be looking forward to the new version...

1 comment:

Lucy Corrander : Photos said...

I never went to one of his shows and have seen only clips on TV but found them impressive because he was able to make just him moving around in a small space interesting. I think too that his music is like ABBA's - in that everyone liked (likes) it even though for years it wasn't considered 'cool' to admit it. Now it's ok so perhaps several generations will feel free to wave their arms in their living rooms without needing a Wii first.