or a relatively brief period during the early- to mid-1970s, well-known rock groups such as Jefferson Starship, Genesis and Rush generated a variety of innovative LPs comprised primarily of interconnected songs with speculative themes. These highly imaginative projects delivered occasionally ambiguous but nonetheless fascinating science fiction tales that were often propelled by grandiloquent lyrics and philharmonic flourishes.
One of the most popular concept albums at that time was keyboardist Rick Wakeman's adaptation of Jules Verne's Journey to the Centre of the Earth. A former (and future) member of the band Yes, the musician recorded the work during a live concert staged at London's Royal Festival Hall on January 18, 1974. The presentation is divided into two extended tracks--"The Journey/Recollection" and "The Battle/The Forest"--which intermix brief narrative passages with movements that include classical, choral and progressive-rock elements.
Vocalists Garry Pickford-Hopkins and Ashley Holt relate most of the action through song, while noted British actor David Hemmings (Blow-Up, Camelot) voices the spoken-word segments. Wakeman and a small rock 'n' roll ensemble provide much of the musical accompaniment, with The London Symphony Orchestra and The English Chamber Choir contributing instrumental interludes and backup harmonies.
Ambitious and appealing
While other acts had previously infused rock melodies with symphonic sounds and speculative motifs, the resulting tunes usually suffered from vague lyrics and less-than-memorable story lines. By adapting a well-known SF story and presenting it in a forthright manner, Wakeman created an audio adventure that, though stylistically outdated by today's standards, remains surprisingly viable.
Beginning with a stirring orchestral overture, Journey to the Centre of the Earth offers melodies that are stimulating and sophisticated. The plot remains reasonably faithful to Verne's vision, with compositions that clearly advance the story and harmonic elements that evoke both the era in which the tale was originally written and the "hip" prog-rock trends of the 1970s. Hemmings' highly descriptive narration is also quite effective, and although the voices of the lead singers are at times woefully deficient, the other musical components are consistently first-rate.
Over the past 25 years various critics have derided Wakeman for this project, labeling it as self-indulgent and overblown. There's some truth to those charges, yet the recording remains one of the most ambitious and appealing concept albums ever created. Journey to the Centre of the Earth may not be perfect, but admirers of symphonic rock and speculative storytelling should find it extremely entertaining.
