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Progland was founded by John Gabbard in 2005. It's purpose has been to provide you, the music community with the latest music and dvd reviews. It will continue to be your link to the most popular music reviews in the progressive world.

 

Rick Wakeman - Retro

Reviewed by: Tom Karr
Genre: Prog Rock
Country: USA
Language: English
Length: 69:01
Release Date: May 16, 2006
Label:
President Records
Band Members: Rick Wakeman / Keyboards  
     
Track Listing: 1.)- Just Another Day (11.14) 8.)-Homage To The Doctor (9.04)
  2.)- Mr. Lonely (3.47) 9.)- Can You Smell Burning? (6.30)
  3.)- One In The Eye (5.32 10.)-The Stalker (8.45)
  4.)-Men In Suits (8.05)  
  5.)- Leave The Blindfold (3.02)  
  6.)-Waveform (6.01)  
  7.) Retrospective (6.35)  
     
The Review

Notwithstanding the quality of this release, I take complete credit for this disc. Yup, I pestered Rick a great deal in the last two, three years about using vintage keyboards for an upcoming release. No, he told me in many emails. Absolutely no way, he told me in person. But did I give up? Hell no. I continued to bother him week after week, that's what I did.

And now we have this disc with Hammond, Mellotron, Clavinet and Moog. Oh, he came up with this idea on his own, yes a great many threads came together to make this release a reality. Sure.

So Rick puts away his stable of digital Korg keyboards (for the most part) to turn his attention to the traditional tools of the progressive rock keyboardist. And the results? Some of his best work since Criminal Record and White Rock. It's not all good stuff, not even by Wakeman's own standards, but it does have a couple of really nice tunes AND his best keyboard instrumental since his 1973 release The Six Wives Of Henry The VIII. And if you're a big keyboard fan then this is a disc you will probably want to hear. You've probably read reviews that describe some of Rick's work as "cheesy" and some of the music on this release will not escape that appellation. Now me, I would call a lot of this releases tunes lounge music. Most of these works are pretty shallow and most feature one of Rick's long time vocalists, Ashley Holt, one or two even features Wakeman's daughter Jemma on lead vocals. That being said, Retro does have two songs that make this disc quite desirable. Good "retro" symphonic prog is such a rare and wondrous thing that even this discs sparse supply of good material makes it a must have, and not just for Wakeman completists.

Retro begins on a strong note with the discs longest number," Just Another Day", which highlights Rick's classic Clavinet and Mellotron playing. Sporting a number of tempo changes and highlighting Rick's nimble and tireless arpeggios, this is the closest this disc will get to classic traditional symphonic prog.

Track nine, "Can You Smell Burning?" is a spectacular keyboard rave up and it is the best thing Rick has produced since "Catherine Parr". It showcases his organ and Moog playing and it is quite similar to a lot of Niacin's tunes.

The rest of this disc displays Wakeman as prog rocks Liberace. We have "Waveform", which will remind anyone who has ever been to Disneyland of its agonizing "Main Street Electrical Parade" theme. "Leave The Blindfold" features Jemma Wakeman imploring her lover to "leave the blindfold on the bedpost, I'm not ugly, you won't need it anymore". Call me a square, but I'm not sure I would want my daughter singing that. The majority of the tracks on this disc are neither good nor bad enough to even comment on, but this release still beats out a lot of Rick's recent work and "Can You Smell Burning?" is the track I've been waiting on for thirty years.

Retro may not turn many heads but it is still a worthy effort and it certainly contains a few gems that make the whole thing worthwhile.

RATING: 3/5

 

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