Journey To The Centre Of The Earth

In early 1974, Rick Wakeman took a break with Yes to complete the even more ambitious Journey To The Centre Of The Earth with the London Symphony Orchestra. Recorded live at the Royal Festival Hall on January 18th, 1974 with full choir, narrator David Hemmings and Wakeman's own English Rock Ensemble, his interpretation of Jules Verne's classic tale had little to do with prog rock, let alone rock music. That hardly mattered: By the time the keyboardist announced his departure from Yes, the album was a UK No. 1 and US No. 3, and even earned himself a Grammy Award nomination. The public's appetite for Wakeman's grandiose works was certainly real. So real, in fact, that Wakeman wrote The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table in 1975 while recovering from a mild heart attack (incurred following the last performance of Journey). Obviously not heeding his doctor's advice, Wakeman had that live premiere, complete with orchestra and ice-skating extravaganza, at Wembley's Empire Pool; and the album rose to No. 2 in the UK and the Top 20 in the US. But despite the success, Wakeman's finances took a nosedive and a rethink was in order. In the interim, he composed the soundtrack for Ken Russell's Lisztomania, which featured Roger Daltrey as the 18th Century "pop" sensation. The next year saw Wakeman scaled back with a new English Rock Ensemble and world tour for 1976's sci-fi album No Earthly Connection. Somewhat a return to form, it would make the UK Top 10, yet only rise to No. 67 in the US. By the end of 1976, Wakeman's solo career was on hold, with the world awaiting his next move.