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Rick Wakeman: The Myths And Legends Of Rick Wakeman

All hail the keyboard king presiding over a box set that is as expansive and sprawling as his signature mystical cape. The Myths And Legends Of Rick Wakeman is a 4CD collection showcasing Wakeman at his most adventurous and mesmerizing performing tracks from the legendary albums "The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table", "The Six Wives Of Henry VII", "Journey To The Centre Of The Earth" and others. His advance press touts this as a treasure trove of vintage concert recordings from the wizard of keyboards and prog rock's knight in analog armor, the gallant Rick Wakeman! And we can't disagree.

"It's really lovely to see some of the music I'm most proud of, released in a new way and presented so well," says Wakeman of the repackaging of much of his most ambitious work. "I'm still wondering though if I am more of a myth than a legend!!!"

Rick Wakeman is best known for playing keyboards in the progressive rock band YES across five tenures between 1971 and 2004 and for his solo albums released over the past 5 decades. Wakeman has released over 90 solo efforts spanning a range of musical styles. He has made many television and radio appearances throughout the years and has written three books; an autobiography and two memoirs. In 2017, Wakeman was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of YES.

But, what truly sealed Wakeman's legendary status was the solo concerts that came near the end of his first tenure in and ultimate departure from YES. He staged big productions and these prog epics featured grand musical selections, long instrumental breaks, expressive singing and spoken word narrations that would go on to become the template for bands like Trans-Siberian Orchestra many decades later. All of that iconic musicality and more is revealed over four discs spanning Wakeman's live performance history - DISC 1: Live In North America 1974; DISC 2: Live at Winterland Ballroom 1975; DISC 3: Live at Hammersmith Odeon 1976 and DISC 4: The Maltings 1976.