Reviews
Artist: Rick Wakeman
DVD: The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Label: Eagle Vision
Cert: Unclassified
Website: http://www.rwcc.com
In 1973, when Rick Wakeman released his first solo album, The Sixth Wives of Henry VIII, he was offered the chance to perform the music live, at any venue of his choice, such as the Albert Hall. He chose Hampton Court Palace, but he was told that to play there would be tantamount to treason. Rick would accept no substitute, so the music, in it's entirety, has therefore never been played live before, until now.
To celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the start of the reign of Henry the Eighth (crowned on 21st April 1509), Hampton Court approached Rick, who gleefully accepted. For two nights only this year, Rick, supported by a host of musicians, performed the piece some thirty-six years later than originally planned.
Having spent a fortune on tickets for the Memories of Woodstock festival in Shrewsbury, we didn't have sufficient funds to attend either of the live shows, (which was a shame as we live within walking distance from the Palace), but luckily the concerts were filmed and have now been released on DVD.
The DVD comes in a presentation case, like a box-set, but, sadly, it only consists of one disc. There's a very extensive booklet which comes with it, though. As well as potted histories of each wife and of Henry, and as well as pages giving biogs of each musician, Rick has written a complete history of the album (six wives), dating back to when he was a Strawb. He hadn't realised that when he signed the contract with A and M he had committed himself not just as a band member to the label, but also as a solo artist. He was touring with Yes when A and M approached him and demanded he gave them a solo album.
When he had finished the album, the Vice President of A and M listened to it and said that it would be OK once Rick added the vocals. When RW explained that he didn't sing, the VP announced that an instrumental concept album was unsellable. In order to break even they would have to sell 12,500 copies, and he didn't think that would sell 12 copies! To date it has now sold in excess of 15 million.
The DVD, itself, is brilliant. Fantastic sound quality, and fantastic cinematography. It's the first Hi-Def release of any Rick Wakeman concert. Probably as good as being there. Rick is famous for his over the top performances, such as staging King Arthur on ice, but this one might even excel that. He has a full orchestra, (the Orchestra Europa), and the English Chamber Choir, a full church organ, all on raised platforms set against the stunning back-drop of the palace, with enough lighting to have lit a small city.
Can't believe how quickly they have managed to put the DVD together. It only took place in May this year.
It's worth buying the DVD just to see Brian Blessed introducing the songs. Mad as a hatter, he even shouts his immortal line from Flash Gordon - "Gordon's alive!"
Must confess that when I first bought the vinyl, I played this album to death (suppose I didn't own many other albums back in those days). So much so, that I had got to the point where I had become bored of it. Probably haven't listened to the album more than twice in the last twenty years. Sat down to watch the DVD thinking, "Oh God, not this again", but it blew me away. With the huge orchestrations, the music has been completely refreshed.
In addition to the original six tunes, Rick originally wrote a seventh piece to represent Henry, called Defender of the Faith, but there was no room to include that on the album. It's very majestic, as you'd expect, but at times it is vaguely reminiscent of Curved Air's "Back Street Luv", which must have been written about the same time.
In 1973, I had a very narrow perspective on history. The Tudors and Stuarts seemed to be very ancient history. It all seems much more recent now. Yes, there have now been five hundred years since the start of Henry's reign, but Elizabeth the First died in 1603, so anyone born during the last year of her reign who reached the age of 100 would have died sometime after 1703. The Queen Mother, who died recently, was born in 1900, so less than two hundred years may separate someone alive during my life-time and someone born during the Tudor era. In other words, any of us could have met someone who could have met someone who could have met someone who could have met someone who was born during the Tudor reign. You could have a closer degree of separation to the Tudors than you do to Kevin Bacon!
Another way of looking at how short a five-hundred year span is: Just think how quickly the last 36 years, since The Sixth Wives was released, have flown by. That's over a third of a century gone in a flash.
Pete Bradley