Rick Wakeman
Two Sides of Yes, Vol. 2
Review by Gary Hill
I've read where people have been disappointed by this album because it was not full Yes versions of these songs. All I have to say is, if you want the original version, buy the original disc. What you get here are Rick Wakeman's reconstructions of the songs. There is certainly no mistaking these as the original performances, nor does Wakeman try to simply reproduce those songs. Instead, he reconstructs and rearranges the music into pieces that are both familiar and fresh and new. Wakeman is only accompanied on this album by Tony Fernandez on drums. And even, then two of the songs, the opening "Awaken" and "Heart of the Sunrise" are performed "classical" style with just piano. The rest are full keyboard arrangements. While these songs will without question never replace the original, hearing these reworkings gives one a new understanding of the songs. More importantly than that, though, it's a very entertaining disc to just sit back and enjoy. It would really be hard for me to pick a favorite here because I like all the songs for different reasons and in different ways. While I wouldn't recommend this disc for the casual Yes fan, I think that even casual Wakeman fans would appreciate it. I can tell you that this Yes fanatic does.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2006 Volume 1 at lulu.com/strangesound.
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