Rick Wakeman Live in Cuba DVD & Retro CD - World-Designs-Forum

Scottmoose · #1 15th June 2006, 03:16 PM

If you're a progressive rock fan, you must buy these. I've had Retro for a while, and it's stunning. Minimum age of the keyboards is 25 years; Rick's decided to do a complete album using the old analogue stuff, so all the old favourites from the 1970s are in place. I'm not always convinced about Rick's lyrics, but the playing is as fantastic as ever. What further superlatives can you say about the greatest keyboard player of all time (and I'll argue that with anyone)? The rest of his group are as slick as ever, and it's nice to hear his daughter singing with them too. The recording and engineering quality is superb -getting on for reference standard. Compression? What compression? It was straight to HD in high res, and the CD mastering from that is excellent. I honestly can't fault the sound. It embarasses most modern rock recordings.

The DVD is the best recorded live show I've seen of Rick's to date. Some of the sound isn't perfect, but that adds to the live feel -ever been to a live rock concert with perfect sound? No, I haven't either. Great picture, true to the live-venue sound, fantastic playing, and all the old favourites in place. Rick's dressed like a goldfish in that legendary gold / red cloak, and the crowd clearly loved every second of it. You really have to try these. Even if you don't like progressive rock, but have rock leanings, give one or both a whirl (I'd advise the DVD initially). I promise you won't regret it -two of the most enjoyable silver disks I've bought for a couple of years.

John7 · #2 15th June 2006, 03:28 PM

Rick Wakeman? :p

The poor man's Keith Emerson!

Scottmoose · #3 15th June 2006, 03:41 PM

Where's my axe?

At least he never needed to shove knives into his keyboards to keep the audience's attention... :p

petercom · #4 15th June 2006, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scottmoose

Minimum age of the keyboards is 25 years; Rick's decided to do a complete album using the old analogue stuff, so all the old favourites from the 1970s are in place.

This is the chap who burnt two Mellotrons on a bonfire when the digital sampled keyboards came in. Has he bought another one?

Greg. · #5 15th June 2006, 09:30 PM

In the past I've been a fan of The Nice, ELP , Yes and both the above artists solo work, but over the passage of time I have become bored simply because they both have certain playing idiosyncracies which are rather simplistic and that they have never really moved on from or developed over the passage of time. Furthermore they both use these in there respective styles so repetitively in all their performances ad infinitum I've become discouraged from listening to their previous works again or buying their new releases. Have I got this wrong?

Best wishes,

Greg

Scottmoose · #6 15th June 2006, 10:58 PM

Dunno if the bonfire bit is apocraphal or not. Possibly not, Rick didn't like the mellotron much as he always found it too unrelaible. But yes, it's in there.

Re the simplistic -can't agree, at least regarding Rick. I can understand why people would find Keith Emmerson's stuff of limited extended appeal, shall we say -never liked his music, or his playing style. (I don't like the self-satified way he comes over in interviews either, but that's just a personality thing). But I never found Rick's to be so. He's far more versatile than just his 1970s stuff: a trip through his massive back catalogue is interesting. Piano Variations remains a favourite of mine for example. And his ambiant series, for when you need to practice your Tai Chi.

Greg. · #7 15th June 2006, 11:08 PM

I can't agree. If I was looking for performance versatility between the two, Keith Emerson wins hands down. Just my opinion.

Best wishes,

Greg

Shane · #8 16th June 2006, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greg.

I can't agree. If I was looking for performance versatility between the two, Keith Emerson wins hands down. Just my opinion.

Best wishes,

Greg

Both are adequately competent musicians but neither of them is a Daniel Barenboim, is he? But then that's not the point. They're both fantastic showmen and performers. Two of the best concerts I saw ever saw were ELP's debut concert, and Rick's first tour with the Strawbs. The music was good, but the shows were a riot!

You can't talk about their musical talent in isolation. Remember that Rick Wakeman was the man who put King Arthur on ice, and that Emerson was the man who pioneered the use of offensive cutlery for keyboard vituosos. Vladimir Ashkenazy never came close...

If I have a preference it's for Rick, because he doesn't pretend to be anything other than what he is, take it or leave it. Kieth Emerson, for all his talent and showmanship, takes himself far too seriously and as a result comes across as pretentious.

Scottmoose · #9 16th June 2006, 11:32 AM

That was always my major problem with everything KE has done. He clearly believes he's wonderful, both in himself, and his music, and that gets on my wick in no uncertain terms.

I hope that the madcap Arther shows were recorded, and that we might see them out on DVD at some point. It was never actually supposed to be on ice as I understand it -Wembly had apparantly been used for an ice show in the days immediately before the Arther concerts, and they didn't have time to shift it, so they decided that seeing as it was there anyway...

Wish someone would have the balls to do something like that nowadays.