Customer Reviews

Piano Album

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This album has a wide selection of Rick Wakeman's piano-only interpretations of some of his old standards as well as some other songs you wouldn't hear in a piano-only version. For instance, hearing something like Catherine Howard or Merlin the Magician on piano is something like a Rick Wakeman "unplugged" album. Hearing Wondrous Stories or Morning has Broken is like hearing those songs for the first time. Everyone who has listened to this album has commented on how exceptional it is and has wound up buying it.

Even though the sound quality of this recording is not terribly good, this a wonderful recording of Wakeman live. in fact, I will even go as far as to say that the recording quality takes the listener closer to the actual event. No clean ups, no touch ups: just the man and the piano. This is one of those instances where Wakeman's genius and sense of feeling come together for a marvelous rendition.

Only Rick Wakeman can transform complex orchestral-rock compositions like "And You and I" and "Major Tom" into breathtaking demonstrations of piano virtuosity. Equally impressive are his passionate renderings of "Morning has Broken" and "Wondrous Stories". Anyone who appreciates extraordinary piano music on par with such greats as Franz Lizst and Rachmaninov will certainly enjoy this CD. Those of us who know and love Rick's music will find this an exceptional addition to our collections.

Rick Wakeman performs solo, from his March 1994 "Simply Acoustic Tour". This could have been subtitled THE CLASSICAL CONNECTION 3, as it shares with those albums the idea of redoing earlier classics on a piano. There's a bit of everything here: "A Glimpse Of Heaven" (Strawbs), "Morning Has Broken" (Cat Stevens), "Wondrous Stories" & "And You And I" (Yes), "Space Oddity" and "Life On Mars" (David Bowie), "The Meeting" (A.B.W.H.). And from Rick's own works there's the ubiquitous "Catherine Howard" (version 7 on disc by my count!), "Chapel Hill" & "St. Michael's Isle" (the 2 best tracks from his gorgeous piano album, HERITAGE SUITE), "Merlin The Magician" (version 8!) and "Gone But Not Forgotten" (the best thing from COST OF LIVING). Without any orchestra, singers or any other musicians, this still manages to be one of Rick's BEST live albums!