Customer Reviews

Journey to the Centre of the Earth

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Having left YES behind, Rick Wakeman's follow-up to THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII proved less abstract and far more ambitious: adapting Jules Verne's classic novel to music in a mere 40 minutes! And while originally intended as a studio recording, it was instead performed LIVE, with the London Symphony Orchestra and The English Chamber Choir, and David Hemmings along for the ride as narrator. It blows my mind to think of all those musicians getting it perfect in ONE take! --but they did. I love to play this late at night with the lights turned down to simulate being underground. Amazingly the brief summary of the story is told more accurately here than in several film versions over the years. Rick has redone this at least 6 times (both live and in studio) but none has touched the original-- not the least reason being only this one has the narration. I wish Hemmings had returned on subsequent such ventures. Out of the 60-some solo projects he's done (so far! ) this remains my #1 favorite Rick Wakeman album.

It's easy to look down your nose at the Model T when you have a Transam or a Corvette, or an SUV or truck for that matter. However, in the day of the Model T, it was something to which everyone aspired.

So too we have an entire class of album that was more common and popular in the 70s than before or since, the story theme album. Epitomized by Jeff Wayne's outstanding "War of the Worlds", the story album is the concept album taken taken to an extreme, setting a story in a music framework. Rick Wakeman tried several variants on this style of album, with probably "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" and "Return to the Centre of the Earth" being the most story-like.

With so few entries in this genre, by definition the few that are there are the best. How fortunate that "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" really is good. I recall listening to a vinyl version of this album often in the mid-70s, along with a large group of nerdy electronics technicians because the structure and uniqueness of the music appealed to us. The synthesizers Rick Wakeman used were state-of-the-art at the time, and his skill was phenomenal.

As I listen to the music now, you could readily guess it is 70s music. The riffs and arrangement have that 70s flavor. Regardless, the music still retains its appeal. There are so many influences in this music that it would be difficult to point out half of them. Certainly Rick brought his Yes influences. You could perrhaps feel a bit of Hendrix in spots, maybe some Moody Blues, perhaps even a bit of Isaac Hayes. Throw that in with an orchestra and you have something that at that time was very progressive.

Okay, the lyrics are nothing to write home about. They are simple, almost juvenile. Fortunately they are not the main attraction, the music is. The lyrics do tell part of the story, so you should still understand what the singer is saying.

Other than the other story albums of the time, and the more symphonic productions of Yes, the closest album I can think of similar to this in terms of style is The Moody Blues "Days of Future Passed", which is completely different in concept.

Given the goal of the album, I think that the music is well-matched to the goal, not over-blown or pretentious. However, recall that much symphonic music is by its nature overblown and pretentious. Consider, as an example, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. Definitely overblown and pretentious. And who cares? It's good music well done.

As with much of the music I enjoy, this album is not for everyone. It is a niche album for those who like the fusion of rock and classical, with synthesizers and a story thrown in for good measure. There are a variety of styles represented, including Rick Wakeman's unique style. If you are still unsure whether you would like this, borrow a copy or download a portion from someone and give it a listen. If Yes and The Moody Blues are your idea of exciting music, I'm betting this album will soon be on your list of good music.

If Rick Wakeman could be remembered for one piece of music only, I reckon this should be it. Simply taking on the idea of translating Verne's classic into symphonic rock was audacious enough but to succeed as well as Wakeman does is pretty extraordinary, considering his age (24) and that he did it solo - with some help from orchestrators.

Apparently this was recorded live because it was cheaper than carting an orchestra and instruments into a studio for a week. The record company was not convinced, but I think the live 'special event' feel really makes the album, and the performances are pretty good from all involved.

Musically, it's brilliant - the main theme is very strong, very simple and very classic but soon the trademark Wakeman synths make their presence felt and thereafter it's a great mix of Moog, electric piano, clavinet, Hammond and orchestra and choir. If there is a letdown it's the choice of vocalists - I keep reading that Ashley Holt is a brilliant singer, but I've yet to hear it. He sounds better suited to this album than others he has collaborated on but he still irritates the pip out of me.

The other downside to the album is the lyrics - sorry, Rick but you should have done an Elton and got yourself a lyricist early on. Rick even invents a new word, stupefication. However the cheesy lyrics don't really take much away from the album. The narration is excellent, not only David Hemmings' elocution but the script really brings out Verne's sense of wonder and the pioneering aspect of this very early travel narrative - after all in the 1800s nobody could say you COULDN'T find a vast sea inside the Earth, complete with sea monsters. In fact this narration seems to be one of the better interpretations of Verne's Journey, better than some of the films, anyway.

Wakeman's keyboards dazzle, but never dominate or threaten to derail the overall musical experience - highlights are the funky Hohner clavinet solos at about 13 mins (whoever said Wakeman was ugly on a Clavy needs their head read), and the sea monster battle at the start of track two, with lots of Moog lavished around it.

As far as the audio sound goes, it's a good remaster, sounds are separated nicely and you can even hear individual choir voices which I don't remember hearing on the original vinyl.

I think the strongest aspect of this album is the atmosphere - it's eerie, wondering, and feels like you're on a journey somewhere strange.

There have been plenty of marriages of rock and classical music over the years - this one will go down as the standard.

Although not the instrumental tour-de-force that Six Wives was, Journey To The Center of The Earth is an interesting and highly ambitious effort. An adaptation of Jules Verne's early science fiction classic, Journey To The Center is a very pretentious work that I can't see anyone but Rick Wakeman pulling off without looking cheesy and over-indulged. But Rick does it. Whereas Six Wives was mainly just Rick and his keyboards (and some other instruments) this live performance features Rick, a full rock band, The London Symphony Orchestra, The English Chamber Choir, and the narraration of David Hemmings! The adaptation factor is successful, as there is a steady amount of narraration and vocals, and that his how the album really works. Those looking for pure instrumentation should look elsewhere... this isn't Six Wives type stuff. Which is not to say that there isn't any cool music here, there is. The best instrumentation is about half-way through the first track and the closing movement of the second. Journey To The Center is a highly ambitious, theatrical, and, for the most part, successful effort that could only have been pulled off in the 70's, and only by Rick Wakeman.

One of my earliest musical memories is of listening to my parent's copy of this album. At the age I was listening to this, I also had a several "learn-to-read" comic books that had an accompanying 45 that characterized the words in the book. I treated "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" and its full-sized LP liner notes (sadly missing from CD release) like one of those books, and read along. During the instrumental sections, I fantasized about the feelings and interactions of the characters as the narrator unfolded the plot.

As I grew older, I stopped listening to it, and I don't think it ever really registered that the album was by a guy named Rick Wakeman. How strange is it then, that a decade later I would be exposed Yes' catalog, and consequently Wakeman, by way of "90125"? There's probably a paper in there somewhere about exposure to music and how it shapes the musical tastes of young minds, but it should be written and printed elsewhere.

The immediately relevant point is that I have a unique perspective on "Journey to the Centre of the Earth". At such a young age, I had no problem digesting the lyrics to this album. It's easily digestible, all-visual lyric approach was fertile ground for my young imagination. However, when I rediscovered it in High School, I found myself needing to forgive a lot of the lyrics and the vocal performances. I think I had outgrown them. In addition, vocalists Garry Pickford-Hopkins and Ashley Holt epitomize long-haired, post-hippie, Uriah Heep-sounding, '70's sensitive-macho-male vocal stylings. By today's standards, they come off as embarrassing. In fact, when backed by musical atmosphere, I think Jules Verne's narrative s more convincing than the sung lyrics.

However, Rick Wakeman became my favorite keyboardist of all time. Whether you like him or not, it cannot be argued that Rick is in top form as a player and composer on this album. His creativity, musical concept, and unbridled raw playing ability shines through here. The second that the vocalists stop singing and Rick is in front, the quality of the performance is mesmerizing. Any person that can identify the sounds in Wakeman's keyboard arsenal can hear some of the most aggressive, unique, and passionate rock keyboards ever captured on record.

"Journey to the Center of the Earth" is quite mighty and impressive in its scope. Made during Yes' "solo record" period, of all of them it is probably the most distinctive and adventurous. It's a live recording of a musical adaptation of the Jules Verne book by the same name. Its instrumentation includes your basic rock guitar, bass, and drums, two vocalists, a percussionist, a full orchestra, and a full choir. In the seventies, when stage sound was not as advanced as it is today, such an undertaking was unheard of and probably considered at least crazy, if not impossible. Rick tried it though, and actually toured with this instrumentation quite extensively. All of the orchestral bits are extremely well-composed and powerful, and barring some very minor performance inconsistencies they stand very well on their own. It should be noted that the orchestra probably couldn't hear a note of what Rick Wakeman's band was playing, so one should probably forgive the occasional cracked or out-of-tune note.

As long as no one is singing (choir notwithstanding), the music on "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" is compositionally exceptional and inexplicable. Thematic use, arrangement, and orchestration are all of the highest quality. The introduction and overture section at the beginning is fantastically majestic and well-orchestrated. Personally, my favorite part of the whole thing is the first three minutes of the "second side", referred to as "The Battle". As in many other orchestral/rock collaborations, "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" does not really integrate the two. The orchestra and choir will play a section, then the rock group will play, but generally they do not blend. A big factor of this interaction is most assuredly the limitations of the live performance, and Rick obviously considered this during its composition. However, on "The Battle", we get closer to integration than on the rest of the album. The band, orchestra, and choir interact very convincingly. In addition to this, Rick's keyboard part is blisteringly intense, mind-bogglingly fast, and completely relaxed. Even the vocal melody is relatively accessible here, although the lyrics still come off as a little infantile.

The lowdown: "Journey to the Center of the Earth" represents what could probably be considered the greatest strengths of '70's then-progressive now-symphonic rock, as well as some of its greatest pitfalls. It's is quite bold and very adventurous and can make for great listening, if the listener can just forgive the vocals.

Love the music, but this particular release is poorly mastered for CD. Do yourself a favor, and pay more for the Japanese 24 bit remastered versions released this past Fall '03. Not only is the sound quality far superior, but it is packaged in a replica mini-Lp, complete with insert booklet. I purchased just the first three (Wives/Centre/MythsLegends), but practically, if not all, of the A&M catalog was re-released with 24bit remastering in Japan. Why Universal record company in the US can't get their act together and release these here is beyond understanding. Too busy prosecuting kids who download, I suppose.

I first heard this on vinyl as a young teen, when my father brought it home. At that time, and for the first time, music actually built stone cathedrals, and oceans, entire scenes in my mind. Better than any movie ever could, and more so than the books I so much love. I just purchased the disc, to share with my new wife, and her son. The looks on thier faces as the similar scenes developed in thier minds eye... pure magic. Rick Wakeman prooves to be not only the integral part of Yes' best years, but a true magician/painter. Every parent should share this with thier children, to show what TV lacks. Every audiophile should keep a pristine copy for when escape is needed most.

First of all, it's great. But I did not hear it until I heard its sequel, the Return, which admittedly is 25 odd years behind the rest of you prog fans, but hey. It was because I liked the sequel that I bought the Journey. It is admittedly not of the best sound quality but that's to be expected with a live disk. None the less the music is well crafted and of typical Wakeman style. If you have and enjoy any other of his albums then this will be the perfect one for you. Wakeman is at his best with twiddleing his fingers across those synthes, monogons and keyboards, making the rest of us who have tried to play a keyboard feel quite innadequate.
However, since I pesonnally am not trying to sell the album, I will inform you that there is a live DVD of the entire Journey and several other songs, available, most probably from Amazon. The DVD comes with the CD of the Journey so it is worth considering.
Whichever you will get/have got I'm sure you will enjoy/have enjoyed the feast that is Journey to the Center of the Earth. If only Jules Verne were here to listen to it now...

And the one that introduced me to sinfo-prog rock in the first place.I remember how astonished I was at the use of synthesizers,at the majestic orchestrations,at the excellent narrator's dramatization,and of course at the incredible performance of all of the musicians,taking me into a musical journey into one of the books that inflienced me the most as a child,J.Verne's.The sound was incredible for an early
70's album.I've owned this wonder in 4 track cartridge,cassette,lp,and now on cd.I hope I won't be able to wear it down like I did with the other formats.And next month I'm buying the DVD in spite of all the bad reviews.LONG LIVE THE MASTER !!!!

"Journey to the Centre of the Earth" is a 40 minute or so live performance of a piece of music based around and inspired by Jules Verne's original novel. It's composed by and features Rick Wakeman, the keyboardist of Yes. It's a really interesting and enjoyable listen, I think.

The performance features an orchestra, a choir, a couple of lead vocalists, a narrator and of course a whole lot of keyboards and effects. There's Moog, there's clavichord, there's electric piano, all of which Rick plays in that unique, wiggly way of his. He has a way of evoking images with sound, which really helps make this recording special. I love the burbling synthesizers that illustrate the bubbling water from the rock, and I love the uneasy sound of the choir evoking the sound of a heaving ocean on the second side, for instance. Getting everyone to play a bit of "The Hall of the Mountain King" as the volcanic Mt Etna erupts is pretty cool too, and kind of funny. There's a lot of moments like this which are really fun to listen to.

As for the lyrics and narration, the wording isn't exactly "high" literature, but it's all definitely got Rick's personality on it. I can just picture him writing the lyrics on his sheet music by the piano.

"By horse, by rail, by land, by sea, our journey starts..."

Being a live recording, there's a couple of imperfections, but that's all right by me. I'd recommend this to Yes and progressive rock fans and lovers of a good story. I'll have to see if I can get my hands on the sequel "Return to the Centre of the Earth", an album recorded in 1999 which picks up where this album, and Jules Verne, left off.