 Rick Wakeman Admittedly, I'm probably the least qualified member of the Loud Bassoon staff to tackle this one, which would be better assigned to one of the other Yes fans around here. Rick Wakeman has recorded a sequel to his 1974 album Journey to the Centre of the Earth (which I've never heard, and don't necessarily intend to), again using the London Symphony Orchestra (all-time #1 whore orchestra … Sir John Barbirolli rolls over in his grave) and an all-semi-star-cast that includes Patrick Stewart as narrator, and guest vocalists Ozzy Osbourne, Trevor Rabin, Bonnie Tyler, Justin Hayward and Katrina Leskanich (The Waves must have been busy). Now, as a rule, any CD with narration is automatically never going to get listened to in its entirety by me, and I won't pretend to have listened to this entire album, which feels like the first CD to successfully cram 900 minutes onto one disc. I listened to maybe 20 minutes of it and then just skipped around to hear the vocalists. Ozzy gets easily the best moment with "Buried Alive," Bonnie Tyler is what you'd expect, Justin Hayward sounds right at home, like he's recording a wimpy closing track for a Moody Blues album. And Katrina Leskanich actually gets a song that is not too far off from "Walking On Sunshine," if you can believe that. She acquits herself well, though. The music is decent, with cheesy choir vocals helping out quite a bit ("RETURN TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH!" they declare, much like the beginning of Vaughan Williams's Sea Symphony, which begins with a choir declaring "THE SEA!"). But with narration like "Descend into the crater of Sneffels Yokul, over which the shadow of Scataris falls before the kalends of July, bold traveller, and you will reach the centre of the earth" …I mean, what the hell am I supposed to do with that? That is not meant for me to hear. This CD was made entirely without me in mind. Keyboard solos over orchestral accompaniment … I dunno, ask me again in 50 years if that idea appeals to me. I doubt it. But really, I have no objection to the album whatsoever. However, being ill-equipped to rate it, I have no choice but to depart from our standard rating scale bestow the mysterious and enigmatic rating of 4 hobbits. That should draw a good enough line in the sand as to who wants Return to the Centre of the Earth and who just doesn't.
Review by Posey Barkowicz |
