Wakeman attended Drayton Manor Grammar School. He initially studied piano, clarinet, orchestration and modern music at the Royal College of Music, but he left of his own accord after a year and a half in favour of work as a session musician.
In 1970, Wakeman played with Strawbs and was an active studio musician, playing with such artists as David Bowie, Cat Stevens and Al Stewart, notably playing piano on both Bowie's Life on Mars? and Morning Has Broken by Cat Stevens He joined Yes in 1971, after keyboardist Tony Kaye was asked to leave the band because of his refusal to play anything more than the organ. His first album with the band was Fragile released 1971 in the UK and 1972 in the US, and very nearly his last was Tales from Topographic Oceans, released in 1973. He also played on the studio album Close to the Edge (his favourite Yes album) and his live performances with the group were released as Yessongs. He left the band following the Tales from Topographic Oceans tour.
During his time with Yes, he released his first solo album, The Six Wives Of Henry VIII, which showcases his skills with various electronic and acoustic keyboard instruments. Some members of Yes played their respective instruments on certain tracks.
In 1975, he released the concept album The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table which was supported by a live show featuring ice skating theatrical performances accompanied by a large number of musicians, an orchestra and choirs. The cost of the show was extravagant and it caused Wakeman to declare bankruptcy.
Of all the members of the band, Wakeman is the only non-vegetarian, a difference which contributed to his first departure from the band. The primary reason for that initial departure, however, was musical differences. Wakeman felt Tales from Topographic Oceans was thin on substance and did not connect with its themes. Further, he did not enjoy the experience of reproducing the entire work on stage each night. He felt the length of the songs prohibited the band from playing many of their more popular songs of the time. Following the tour, as the band began work on what would become Relayer, Wakeman felt further alienated from the group. Disenchanted with the direction in which Yes were going, and already into a successful solo career, Wakeman jumped ship.
He rejoined Yes for their 1977 album Going for the One. He remained until their next album, Tormato, a year later. He is reputed to have given the album its name by throwing a tomato at a showing of the art used for the album's cover.[citation needed]
In 1989, he joined with three fellow ex-Yes members to form Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe (a.k.a. ABWH). After ABWH's first album, some of the completed tracks for a planned second album were merged with tracks from an in-progress Yes album to create the album Union. Wakeman, along with the combined members of both bands then joined to form a Yes supergroup (made up of past and present members of Yes) for the subsequent tour in 1991. When the tour ended a year later, Wakeman left again. He then returned in 1996 for the Keys to Ascension albums but left before the band could tour. In 2002, he rejoined Yes and has been with the group ever since, but also enjoys a successful solo career.
He has also performed as a guest or session musician for artists as disparate as:
* John Williams,
* Brotherhood of Man,
* Elton John,
* Lou Reed,
* David Bowie (notably mellotron on 'Space Oddity', piano on 'Life On Mars' and 'Changes'),
* Cat Stevens (including piano on Stevens' hit cover of the hymn "Morning Has Broken"),
* T. Rex,
* Ozzy Osbourne,
* Black Sabbath (playing keyboards on "Sabbra Cadabra" and "Who are You" on 1973's Sabbath Bloody Sabbath),
* Brian May and played piano on "There's no one quite like Grandma"[citation needed] by St. Winifred's School Choir.
Although Wakeman was a noted player of the Hammond Organ and the Minimoog, he also played a key part in the popularisation of the Mellotron – an electronic musical instrument that used a bank of prerecorded tape strips, activated by each key on its keyboard. It proved too unwieldy and unreliable for regular touring, and Rick eventually doused his in petrol and set fire to it in a field . Undeterred, Rick worked with David Biro to develop the Birotron, which used the then popular 8-track cassette format rather than bare tape strips. Only 35 Birotrons were produced, it was not a commercial or technical success, and Rick eventually threw his across the stage after it broke down mid-concert, an action he now regrets, as there are only 6 known remaining examples.
He has written the soundtracks for two films by Ken Russell: Lisztomania (1975), which features vocals from Roger Daltrey and which takes as its starting point the music of Liszt and Wagner; and Crimes of Passion (1985), much of which is built around themes taken from Dvorak's New World Symphony.
As announced on the official Yes website, Rick Wakeman will not be joining Yes on their 40th Anniversary tour, he will instead be replaced by his son Oliver Wakeman. In 2008, Wakeman has been touring with a solo show, "Rick Wakeman's grumpy old picture show", an evening of biography, stories and music.
Personal life
A self-confessed former alcoholic, he had several heart attacks in his twenties. The first of them occurred just after he left Yes in early 1974, during the release of Journey To The Centre Of The Earth. He married former Page Three model Nina Carter, although they have since divorced. He has had a renewal of his Christian faith, which began around the time of their marriage.
Children include Adam Wakeman, Oliver Wakeman, Oscar Wakeman, Jemma Wakeman, Ben Wakeman, and Manda Wakeman, who have inherited their father's interest in music.
A passionate football fan, Wakeman has supported Brentford F.C. since he was a child, and later on he also became a director of the West London club. After a disagreement with the board, he moved on to Manchester City F.C. but never stopped loving the Bees. He was also involved in the ownership of the American soccer club Philadelphia Fury in the late '70s, along with other rock celebrities such as Peter Frampton and Paul Simon.
He is a strong supporter of the UK's Conservative Party, and performed a concert in September 2004 for the benefit of the party. The Arthur section of his King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table suite is used as the theme tune to the BBC's Election Night Coverage since 1979 (with the exception of 2001). Wakeman's album Fields of Green '97 featured the track "Election '97/Arthur", which was used by the BBC for their coverage of the 1997 General Election. The music was further revamped for the BBC's 2005 Election Night coverage.
Rick can currently be seen as a contributor on BBC Two's series, Grumpy Old Men. He has also appeared in a number of episodes of Countdown; about twenty per year, according to Wakeman. He currently (2008) presents a weekly Saturday morning programme, "Rick's Place", on Planet Rock. He has also appeared on the satirical panel show Have I Got News For You as a guest.
Rick appeared as himself in "Journey to the Centre of Rick Wakeman", the last episode of season two of Mitch Benn's Crimes Against Music, a BBC Radio 4 comedy programme. The episode detailed a fictional war between England and Wales in 2009 which only Rick could stop. The majority of the episode was set inside Rick where Mitch and his team are sent to rouse him from a coma and thus stop the war.
In December 2006, Rick was the guest host for an episode of The Personality Test, a BBC Radio 4 programme where the panel stay the same and the host changes each week. The questions set in the programme are all about the host. Rick set a challenge for a new concept album idea, and the comedian Will Smith suggested "Spiders and Other Invertebrates". Rick said he liked that idea so much, he would include a track of his next album called "Spiders and Other Invertebrates", and would include a sleeve credit to Will. Will responded by saying that Rick had "...just made my life".
Rick has been president of the show business charity The Heritage Foundation (formerly Comic Heritage) for the past two years. The charity erects blue plaques on the homes and/or work-places of late entertainers and sportspeople. He is also Honorary President of the Classic Rock Society, a UK-based organisation helping to promote classic and progressive rock. In October 2007 Rick commenced a new tour 'Rick Wakeman's Grumpy Old Picture Show', where Rick accompanies video performers such as Gordon Giltrap and the English Rock Ensemble.
He also appeared on Top Gear and got a lap time of 1.55.26.
In December 2006 and 2007, Rick was the celebrity who turned on the Christmas lights in Diss, Norfolk, a town close to his home.
On 25 June 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Wakeman among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire. In September and October 2019, Wakeman embarked on his first solo American tour in 13 years, playing piano shows. Wakeman's Christmas-themed piano album, Christmas Portraits, was released in November 2019.
In January 2020, Wakeman started recording a new progressive rock album which was set for release in March. The album's title was revealed as The Red Planet and, according to Wakeman, harks back to albums such as The Six Wives of Henry VIII and Criminal Record; it was due for release on 3 April 2020 and features the English Rock Ensemble. It was delayed again to be released "nearer to June realistically", due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
The Forest
Rick Wakeman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Past rocks of quartz and granite, which gave mother nature birth
Burial ground of ancient man, his life no more is seen,
A journey through his time unknown, I wonder where he's been
Wonder where he's been, wonder where he's been, wonder where he's been
The shore now gone behind the hills, a forest in our sight,
Rocks and distant mountains, bathed in waves of blinding light
Forests from far gone time, no living man has seen,
Brownish hue dictates my eye, no colour hides their fear,
Flowers faded, dull and cold, now bleached by atmosphere
Creatures twisting under trees, huge monsters soaked with rage
Hidden deep below our earth, a frightening, bygone age
Their shepherd came, now long extinct, a huge primeval man
The three men filled with disbelief, just turned as one and ran.
The lyrics to Rick Wakeman's song The Forest are a call to journey through time to the centre of the earth, where ancient rocks of quartz and granite have given birth to mother nature. The burial ground of ancient man is seen, but his life is no more, leaving behind a journey through his unknown time. The lyrics explore the wonders of nature and the mysteries of the prehistoric world, as the shore is left behind and a forest is discovered beyond the hills.
The forest is described as a private prehistoric world that no living man has seen. The creatures that twist under the trees and the huge monsters soaked with rage are a reminder of a frightening, bygone age. The shepherd who once roamed the forest is now long extinct, leaving behind only the echoes of his memory. The lyrics evoke a sense of fear and awe at the wonders of nature and the mysteries of the past.
The three men who come across the forest are filled with disbelief and fear, turning as one and running away from the frightening, bygone age. The lyrics are a reflection on the mysteries of nature and the power of the past that can still evoke powerful emotions today.
Line by Line Meaning
Journey on through ages gone, to the centre of the earth
Travel back in time and descend through the Earth's layers
Past rocks of quartz and granite, which gave mother nature birth
Descend through these rocks that were born through natural processes
Burial ground of ancient man, his life no more is seen,
Pass by the resting place of an ancient human who has long since perished
A journey through his time unknown, I wonder where he's been
Take a journey through time that is unknown and contemplate where this ancient man might've traveled
Wonder where he's been, wonder where he's been, wonder where he's been
Repeated expression of curiosity for where the ancient man has been
The shore now gone behind the hills, a forest in our sight,
Leave the shore behind and see a forest ahead
Rocks and distant mountains, bathed in waves of blinding light
Witness rocks and mountains illuminated by bright light
Forests from far gone time, no living man has seen,
See forests from ancient times that no one living has witnessed
A private prehistoric world, for you and I a dream
The past, prehistoric world is a dream or a fantasy for us in the present
Brownish hue dictates my eye, no colour hides their fear,
The brown shade dominates the color of near objects and their fear is impossible to conceal
Flowers faded, dull and cold, now bleached by atmosphere
Flowers have lost their vibrancy and liveliness and the atmosphere has bleached them
Creatures twisting under trees, huge monsters soaked with rage
Monstrous creatures are twisted beneath trees and are filled with fury
Hidden deep below our earth, a frightening, bygone age
A scary and ancient time is concealed deep within the Earth
Their shepherd came, now long extinct, a huge primeval man
A giant prehistoric man who used to take care of these creatures is now extinct
The three men filled with disbelief, just turned as one and ran.
Three men who witnessed this turned as one and ran away filled with disbelief.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RICK WAKEMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
tuppence2
The Forest
Journey on through ages gone, to the centre of the earth
Past rocks of quartz and granite, which gave mother nature birth
Burial ground of ancient man, his life no more is seen,
A journey through his time unknown, I wonder where he's been
Wonder where he's been, wonder where he's been, wonder where he's been
The shore now gone behind the hills, a forest in our sight,
Rocks and distant mountains, bathed in waves of blinding light
Forests from far gone time, no living man has seen,
A private prehistoric world, for you and I a dream
Brownish hue dictates my eye, no colour hides their fear,
Flowers faded, dull and cold, now bleached by atmosphere
Creatures twisting under trees, huge monsters soaked with rage
Hidden deep below our earth, a frightening, bygone age
Their shepherd came, now long extinct, a huge primeval man
The three men filled with disbelief, just turned as one and ran.
A. P.G.
Additional musicians
Gary Pickford-Hopkins – vocals
Ashley Holt – vocals
Mike Egan – electric guitar
Roger Newell – bass guitar
Barney James – drums
David Hemmings – narration
David Measham – conductor
London Symphony Orchestra
English Chamber Choir
Fuente: Wikipedia
Tom Schultz
My wife and I were married to this music in 1981. The justice of the peace had this playing on his office stereo when we walked in. He started to turn it off, and we asked him to let it play! We love Rick Wakeman -- and it must have been magic. 30 years later, and we're still married.
ongkie emir
Congratulations to you ...
sparetoothbrush
The forest is one of my favorite tracks ever. Unbelievable music!
Dos Gardenias
Hacía tanto que no oía esta canción en esta versión. Amigo me has llevado a un viaje al centro de mi alma!!
zademil
Amo todo trabalho do R. Wakeman, tenho 6 vinis dele , são meus xodó. A 1ª que ele veio ao Brasil saí de casa escondida para ir ao Rio vê-lo, não piscava para não perder nada, depois já assistir dois shows dele aqui em BH ( 1984 e quando ele trouxe o filho dele ). Me emociono sempre que escuto ele, LINDO!!!!!!
Debbie Ross
35 years....THIS! IS! The epitome of TRUE MUSIC!!!!!!!! I SSSSOOOOO LOVE THIS!!!!!!
Rick Struhar
Man, I just can't get enough of that Mini Moog lead starting at 04:00 ! It Shreds, Love it!
Dos Gardenias
I want to thank you warmly for posting this version, I haven't listened to this song for years. It takes me to my twenties!
Americus Patrioticus
Brings back lots of memories for me as well! This is truly a modern masterpiece!
Celio Pereira Marcuci MarcuciMr
Gosto muito de todo o álbum de " viagem ao centro da terra". Rick Wakeman realmente é incrível.