ack in 1974, Rick Wakeman, a classically trained pianist best known at the time as the keyboard player for the band Yes, decided that Jules Verne's epic adventure Journey to the Centre of the Earth was the perfect source material for an extravagant musical production. The resulting album, recorded live with a full-scale orchestra and chorus, was a phenomenal success, selling more than 12 million copies worldwide.
Unfortunately, 25 years ago the inherent limitations of technology kept the artist from presenting his vision as fully as he'd hoped. So, with the increasingly sophisticated digital techniques now readily available to musicians, Wakeman decided to remedy that situation by revisiting Verne's fantastic fable on his latest disc, Return to the Centre of the Earth, due out later this month.
The CD contains 22 all-new tunes that, like the original outing, relate Verne's tale through both classically inspired compositions and contemporary melodies. Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath), Trevor Rabin (Yes), Justin Hayward (Moody Blues), Katrina Leskanich (Katrina and the Waves), Bonnie Tyler and Tony Mitchell each sing on one track apiece, while Star Trek: The Next Generation's Patrick Stewart provides appropriate narrative segues. The vocal cuts are primarily accompanied by Wakeman and a trio of rock musicians, with The London Symphony Orchestra and The English Chamber Choir providing ethereal embellishments and short instrumental passages throughout the work.
A phenomenal follow-up
Although Wakeman's vintage presentation of Journey to the Centre of the Earth remains highly enjoyable, the technological restrictions of the time, along with a few significant shortcomings in the performance itself, meant that the recording was unable to fully express some of the most wondrous aspects of its literary provenance. Return to the Centre of the Earth fortunately does not suffer from such handicaps, and as a result it presents a wholly compelling version of Verne's 1863 masterpiece.
Wakeman, who in addition to playing on the disc also composed and orchestrated the entire production, wisely exploits the talents and musical reputation of each guest artist. He utilizes Osbourne's considerable skill (and inherent notoriety) to invigorate a chilling number early in the story titled "Buried Alive," while lighter tunes are voiced by singers such as Hayward and Leskanich, who capitalize on their somewhat more pop-oriented proficiencies. Meanwhile, whether describing the stark Icelandic landscape or such unbelievable sights as a giant shepherd leading a troop of mastodons, Stewart's narration is exceptionally erudite and absolutely enchanting.
The diverse voices are augmented by consistently rich melodic components, which fuse symphonic, classic and modern rock elements into a stirring and highly cohesive collection. In the end, Return to the Centre of the Earth is unequivocally exhilarating and exceptional. It serves as a fitting and phenomenal follow-up to Wakeman's earlier adaptation.
