Customer Reviews

Six Wives of Henry VIII

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Rick Wakeman has produced a lot of music in the last 35 years, but this second solo album of his still is his is among his best, if not his best. Based on the BBC television life of Henry VIII's caprious attempts to further both his family's hold on power and England's revolution against the Papacy, Wakeman's music really has little to do with the history, real or imagined. Still, this Album does capture some history - that of early analog synths and samplers, and of an era of musical freedom.

Conceptual failure notwithstanding, Wakeman produces six long tracks that have a cohesion that does hold up. Trained for a time at the RCM, Wakeman absored lessons on structure along with a lot of beer. The focus of each song is based on thematic material that Wakeman explores as any classical composer might do, but with the instrumentation and rythym of jazzish rock.

Take Jane Seymour (not Dr. Quinn) for example. The piece starts out with a church organ playing a Bachish modal theme. A harpischord answers the organ in counterpoint, and them finally a Minimoog enters, doubling the organ's new thematic material, now in an ominous minor theme. Occasional drums add tension to the piece, but the organ keeps returning to the main theme and its variations.

My favorite is the jazzy "Anne Boleyn," which comes closest to portraying the alluring and doomed second wife of Henry. Wakeman again establishes a flowing theme, works it out on the piano, then contrasts with a new theme on rock instrumentations. A quiet interlude with acoustic guitars, basses, and background vocals accompany's Wakemans' restatement. The piece builds back to the the rockish part, then moves into a minor key movement, introducing a newer faster theme and electronic instruments.

This simply good composing, arraging and playing, and to me it hasn't aged as fast or as badly as people claim. Not as bad as I have aged, anyway.

Put simply, this album is THE album from Mr Wakeman. I love virtually everything he has ever done, but his first three albums are still his best three albums, and "6 Wives" is the best of them all. It has not aged in nearly 30 years and can still be listened to almost as if for the first time. When it was first released it broke barriers of inventiveness and originality, both in terms of genre and of sound. Rick's playing sounds good on any keyboard, but with this album you are taken through the best of all the keyboards available back in 1973 (and, frankly, they are still the best). A masterpiece.

To some people Rick Wakeman is flashy and self-indulgent. Well, that's why I love him. He's unique and nobody else sounds anything like him, which is partly why he will be remembered. The other part is that he wrote some damm good stuff, especially his first solo outing here.

There are six tracks which are supposed to interpret Henry 8's six wives. If you want them to, Rick. I don't go for this idea much, but it is brilliant music whosever musical portraits you want to put upon it, and it was certainly fantastic marketing in the early 70s - classically-influenced synthesizers with some old English history chucked in by a long-haired precocious prog rocker. Nice mix.

The six tracks are more than just keyboards for their own sakes - they are strong and complex compositions, well arranged with interesting timbral choices between the different instruments - lots of theme and variation, different moods such as jazzy pieces like Anne Boleyn and traditional organ arrangements like Jane Seymour (which is a little too Bach Toccata-like for me, but this was early in Rick's career when he was busting with classical influences.)

My favourite pieces are the three Catherines - the opening, Catherine of Aragon is mostly piano with some interesting rhythm changes (try keeping time to it). Catherine Howard is the one most people will know if they've ever been to a Wakeman or a Yes concert but this original version is very different from the one he plays these days with the Celtic jig added. I think his later versions are actually better, but it's still a good solid piece of music.

Anne of Cleves is the most unusual track - it almost sounds out of place amongst the more conventional compositions. It's the track that sounds most like a synthesizer exercise, but it's worth a listen (apart from the prominent split note near the beginning!) for the unusual time signatures (again) and the fantastic Hammond organ work and Bill Bruford's drumming together. Yes musicians abound on this album and it does have a slight Yes feel but it's definitely NOT a Yes album and definitely classic Wakeman.

I don't think time has worn this one out. If anything I enjoy listening to it more than I did in the past. I love listening to the old analogue sounds. I know nobody would be without digital keyboards these days but there is something about analogue sounds which can't be reproduced - they're more individual, less tinny and less predictable. I guess they were also a nightmare with going out of tune or not working but somehow that added to their individuality - you never knew what you were going to get, which did make for interesting live experiences.

Elton John said this album is in his top twenty of all time. Won't argue with him on that.

This 1973 debut was the album that my friends and I got excited about in high school. In fact, with perhaps the single exception of Criminal Record (1977), The Six Wives of Henry VIII stands as Rick's finest solo album. Apparently, the album reflected his attempt to match up the personalities of the six wives of King Henry the VIII with music. I do recall reading the descriptions of each wife while listening to the music and occasionally finding little to no relationship - then again, I really did not care too much (it's the thought that counts). When coupled with his work with Yes, this album stands as a testament to his superior skills as a keyboardist and influenced virtually scores of other keyboardists, most notably Rick van der Linden of the Dutch band Trace.

Rick plays no fewer than eight keyboard instruments on this album including a Steinway piano; Hammond C3 organ; pipe organ; RMI electric piano and harpsichord; mini moog synthesizer; A.R.P. synthesizer; and mellotron model 400-D. He is joined on this album by members of Yes (Alan White - drums; Bill Bruford; drums; Chris Squire - bass; and Steve Howe - guitar). Unfortunately these guys only play on a few tracks including the opening piece, although Bill only plays on Ann Boleyn. As you can imagine the opening track is my personal favorite and features Squire, White, and Howe. The remaining musicians include Strawbs members Chas. Cronk (bass) and Dave Cousins (electric banjo) along with several other bassists, drummers, percussionists, guitarists, and vocalists (a choir including female vocalists with more of a blues/gospel/soul style). If that last bit caused some panic don't worry - this album is 98% instrumental and the vocal parts work pretty well with the material. Speaking of which, the playing is excellent and there are some pretty exhilarating moments where Rick rips away on a majestic-sounding pipe organ (Jane Seymour).

The music is generally very good and for the most part, this is a great album that features some very classically influenced playing and supremely haunting and brooding melodies (especially on Catherine Howard). Rick's playing really shines on all of the tracks, although the album is not merely a vehicle for his remarkable skills. He works in a range of dynamics, moods, tempi, and playing styles, which makes for a very interesting and enjoyable listening experience. Furthermore, he does a great job integrating the properties of each keyboard into the pieces to accentuate certain moods, e.g. mellotron = sadness etc.

Overall this is Rick's finest solo album and is highly recommended to all proggers along with Criminal Record (1977) and all of Rick's work with Yes (yes, Tormato too!). For those of you that are interested, the band Trace seems to have based their entire approach to prog on The Six Wives... In fact, the albums Trace (1974) and Birds (1975) might prove enjoyable. By the way, Rick van der Linden (of Trace) is an incredible player and has the same style as Wakeman.

If you have ever had an opportunity to see Yes, as I have 8 times, you will really be able to appreciate this outstanding display of classical,electric collection of keyboard work by one of the masters, Rick Wakeman. Live he puts on an absolutely outstanding show! To see his intensity playing live is one of the best experiences one would have for live music. I purchased this "album" in 1977, and am still an avid fan and listener to Yes and Wakeman. A must listen to for any progressive or classical keyboard fan!

This is BY FAR the best solo album Wakeman ever did. Students of analog keyboards TAKE NOTE: This album was THE album to listen to (along with perhaps Yes' "Close To The Edge") that *taught* those of us who OWNED and played Mellotrons in the '70's how to play them *well*.

They are a tough beast to master and Wakeman was one of the very best to play them. When I saw him with Yes on the Close To The Edge Tour in the '70s his solo part of the show was comprised mostly of material from this album. And play it he did! And his setup looked exactly like the picture of him playing his keyboards that graces this album. He was *amazing* to watch and hear!

I bought this record when it was first released in 1973 (not the 60s, as other reviews here would suggest) at the tender age of 14. Now, at the ripe age of 40, "Six Wives" remains one of my favorite albums of music. Only the overlong "Anne of Cleves" cut mars an otherwise great collection of progressive rock compositions. To call them "songs" does the music an injustice -- these are complex and entertaining works that invite listening over and over again. I've since purchased five copies of this record, and now that I've got it on CD, I hope it will last a while! Very highly recommended!

Rick Wakeman shines best when two elements are present: (a) he surrounds himself with other top-flight instrumentalists, and (b) he avoids lyrics. "Six Wives" is the perfect example. The focus is purely on the music: lyrical piano lines, rich organ fills, exciting changes of tempo, and a percussive and bass beat that drives it all forward. Wakeman brought in the perfect people to accompany him on these tracks -- Bruford and White on percussion, Dave Lambert and Charles Cronk on guitar, and Chris Squire on bass, among others. All of these instrumentalists add their own individuality to the music, and the sum of the parts equals a wonderful whole. No track has lyrics, aside from some choral background humming; subsequent Wakeman recordings ("Journey to the Center of the Earth", "King Arthur") are marred by intrusive, simplistic songs that over-ride any chance for the music to shine through.

From the very first time I heard "Catherine Howard" more than 30 years ago, I've always been able to picture her sad story as I listen to the various segments of what continues to be one of my favorite songs of all time.

As the track begins, Catherine meets and marries her king, followed by passion and wedded bliss (0:20) as Catherine assumes the duties and perks of the Queen of England. Later, the youthful queen dances through the castle with her entourage as she leads them to a large wooden door, behind which King Henry is meeting with his advisors. Catherine bursts in playfully, interrupting her husband's business, for which he scolds her (1:20) and sends her away.

Catherine withdraws to her chambers (1:40), embarrassed by her public humiliation. A male member of the court, witnessing Catherine's dejection, secretly enters her room (1:50) and comforts his queen. Soon the two embrace in the throes of passion (2:04).

Suddenly, the chamber door opens and the king enters, discovering the infidelity (2:31). A great argument ensues, with the cuckolded king verbally lashing out at his wife. Catherine tries to defend herself against Henry's onslaught (2:58), but to no avail. The argument between husband and wife, which seems to go on forever, morphs into the subsequent trial of the queen, accused of both adultery and treason (3:55). Catherine's eyes dart around the courtroom, looking in vain for her lover... or anyone supportive of her... but only the grim, accusing faces of those loyal the king meet her gaze (4:10).

The next scene finds Catherine in a dark, dank cell in the Tower of London (4:24), where she quietly awaits her fate. Not surprisingly, the verdict is guilty (4:43), and Catherine collapses, crying.

The final scene is of the doomed queen, slowly ascending the steps of the wooden platform which has been constructed for her beheading (5:07). Catherine kneels before the executioner, forgives him for what he is about to do (5:25), and turns her eyes upward as she pleads to God for her own forgiveness. As she prays, the camera follows the executioner's upraised arms, focusing momentarily on the axe's blade before continuing its way skyward (5:48). A momentary glint fills the screen (6:11) as we imagine the falling of the axe, followed by a white dove that passes through the frame on its way to heaven.

I am longtime Strawbs and Yes listener, so I know Rick Wakeman's music very well. I am a proud owner of the album. It's one of the best records ever. And, with musicians like Bill Bruford, Chris Squire, Barry De Souza, Dave Cousins and Alan White lending a hand, you know it's going to be great.

The record was released in 1972 on A&M records, and features six songs based on all six of Henry VIII's wives. As Wakeman describes it, he tries to put the women's stories into music, which is a brilliant concept to me.

And, it paid off. 'Anne Of Cleves,' 'Anne Boleyn,' and 'Catherine Howard' are also masterpieces. Consider this rock and roll with a touch of classical.

Rick's unique keyboard style really shows on this record. I prefer this over 'King Arthur' and 'White Rock,' believe it or not. This record has a charm that no other Wakeman record could quite capture. But all of Wakeman's records are great!!!

Overall, this is highly recommended for any prog rock, Yes, Strawbs or Rick Wakeman fan. This is a very entertaining record that I love.

ENJOY!!!