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Structure
Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 20 general entries.
Special Topics
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Wakeman, Rick
In hospital. Most of it was written in Wexham Park hospital after Rick suffered a heart attack. A specialist recommended he stop playing and retire. Thankfully, for his fans at least, he ignored the advice - after all he was only 25 years old!
| What rock band did Rick establish to accompany him on tour and on studio albums, appearing on "Journey", "The Myths and Legends" and "No Earthly Connection"? | Rick Wakeman's Early Years
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The English Rock Ensemble. Although the line up was quite fluid, regulars included Roger Newell (bass), Barney James (drums) and Mike Egan (guitar).
The Royal Festival Hall. The recording almost made Rick bankrupt because the record company restricted the budget. Rick sold many of his belongings and mortgaged his house to provide funds.
| In 1974 Rick's solo career took off with the release of "Journey to the Centre of the Earth", featuring a fusion of rock and classical. This was a "one-off" live recording with an orchestra and choir. Which well known actor narrated the production? | Rick Wakeman's Early Years
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David Hemmings. Patrick Stewart narrated the reprise album "Return to the Centre of the Earth" some 25 years later. The original music was several hours long and had to be severely edited. The UK arm of record company A & M did not want to release the finished product, but Rick persuaded the American arm to do so - and it was a success.
| While with Yes, Rick released his first solo album, "The Six Wives of Henry VIII". The album cover shows Rick at Madame Tussaud's with the wax effigies of the king and his wives. Which American President can just be seen in the background? | Rick Wakeman's Early Years
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Richard Nixon. Strange but true!
Fragile. "Close to the Edge" was his favourite album with the band. He left after disagreements over the album "Tales from Topographic Oceans".
Strawbs. Rick only stayed for two albums, "Just a Collection of Antiques and Curios" and "From the Witchwood" before moving on to join Yes.
| Rick started out as a session musician, playing with artists such as David Bowie and Cat Stevens. On which Bowie hit did Rick play the keyboards? | Rick Wakeman's Early Years
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Space Oddity. He also played on the Bowie hits "Life on Mars" and "Changes".
Royal College of Music. Rick studied piano, clarinet and modern music.
| Rick was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in his hands, a diagnosis that he thought would end his career in 1980. He often kept a bucket of ice into which he would plunge both hands between the numbers during a live show. However, this diagnosis turned out to be incorrect. What was causing Rick's hands to swell and inflame? | Rick Wakeman - The Later Years
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His fast keyboard playing. The simple answer was that Rick plays so intensely and so fast, and for so many hours each day, that his joints and tendons were becoming inflamed and swollen. The remedy was to gradually reduce his playing to a more reasonable level. Trigger Finger is where the sheath round the tendon becomes swollen and the finger cannot be straightened. When the finger does eventually release, it pops back into place, as if releasing the trigger of a gun.
Adam. 'Wakeman with Wakeman' featured Adam on keyboards and was recorded live in Argentina in 1993. The others are also Rick's children. Oliver also plays keyboards and was due to play on the 40th Anniversary tour of Yes. The tour was cancelled, however, because singer Jon Anderson was ill.
| In later years Rick contributed to a BBC television show, moaning about numerous facets of life in general. What was the show called? | Rick Wakeman - The Later Years
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Grumpy Old Men. Rick was a regular moaner on the series. Other moaners included Jeremy Clarkson, Arthur Smith and the late John Peel. Each contributor would put forward their views and pet hates on everything from mobile phones to Christmas.
| Rick returned to one of his most successful albums, 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth', for a sequel called 'Return to the Centre of the Earth'. He used several guest performers, including which rocker? | Rick Wakeman - The Later Years
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Ozzy Osbourne. Ozzy performed the track 'Buried Alive'. Other guest artists included Bonnie Tyler, Justin Hayward and Trevor Rabin. The production was narrated by Patrick Stewart. Bon Scott was with ACDC and Ronnie James Dio replaced Ozzy in Black Sabbath.
| Back to movie soundtracks and another Ken Russell film, this time 'Crimes of Passion' in 1985. Rick's compositions were loosely based on which well known classical symphony? | Rick Wakeman - The Later Years
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New World Symphony. Dvorak's 1893 symphony 'The New World' has no real connection with the film itself. 'The Pastoral' is Beethoven's 6th symphony, 'The Surprise' is Haydn's 94th symphony (he wrote over 100) and while there are various 'Requiem Symphonies', most people will know Mozart's 39th symphony. The film itself starred Kathleen Turner and Anthony Perkins.
| Rick's first live album for a decade was 'Live at Hammersmith' in 1985. Rick himself describes it as 'a pretty half decent live album'. However, a power cut caused problems during the show. What did Rick do during the power cut? | Rick Wakeman - The Later Years
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Told jokes to the audience. This was an easy choice as Rick is a great joke teller and raconteur. After the show Rick had to pay a fine for going into overtime. After his protests that the power failure was not his fault, he learned that he had told jokes for 45 minutes - but power had been restored after only 3 minutes!
| Rick had now moved away from the long album tracks he had once made famous and his next few albums were derided by critics, although still well received by fans. On the album 'Cost of Living', which famous actor narrated one of the tracks? | Rick Wakeman - The Later Years
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Robert Powell. The track was called 'Elegy - Written in a Country Churchyard' - a sort of tribute to the Thomas Gray poem. The critics also slated lyricist Tim Rice, with one critic stating that 'all the songs with lyrics on this effort are beyond redemption'. I guess he didn't like it then.
The Burning. 'The Burning' was a teen revenge/horror movie set in a summer camp. Rick was offered a percentage of the profits but elected to take a fee instead, as he didn't think the film was very good. The film ended up as the highest grossing horror move in Japan and made the name of the brothers who had made it - the Weinstein brothers and Miramax. The first soundtrack he wrote was for Ken Russell's 'Lisztomania' from 1975.
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