Rick Wakeman/CA,USA 1975 Mike Millard Master Tapes

In 1975, Rick Wakeman reigned as the standard-bearer of symphonic rock, achieving huge success that surpassed even YES with his solo literary trilogy. A super-excellent live album that conveys the tour scene that became the largest scale of his solo career is now available. What is inscribed in this work is “Anaheim performance on November 11, 1975”. This is a superb audience recording using the master tape of legendary master Mike Millard. Speaking of 1975, the official video “JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH” and King Biscuit Flower Hour’s unearthed live album “RICK WAKEMAN IN CONCERT” were left behind, and it was also the year that his legendary solo first visit to Japan was realized. In order to sort out the circumstances around that, let’s first look back at the schedule at the time.・January 16th-24th: Japan (7 performances) ・February 4th-13th + March 15th: Oceania (4 performances) ← *Official video《March 27th “King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table” Release》・May 31st + June 1st: London (2 performances) ・October 3rd – December 1st: North America (37 performances) ←★Here★・December 18th – 21st: South America (4 performances) ) This is Rick Wakeman in 1975. In fact, there are many ambiguous points in the documents from that time, so the above information is for reference only. Details such as the number of performances are uncertain…I honestly don’t believe it. That said, I understand the general flow. The video version of “JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH” was performed in Melbourne immediately after arriving in Japan, but the Anaheim performance of this work was a US tour after the release of the 3rd album “King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table”. This is the 27th performance of the “North American” leg. In addition, KBFH’s “IN CONCERT” is also a record of the “North American” leg, and was performed in San Francisco (November 2nd) about a week before this work. This work recorded at such a show is an ultra-excellent sound in which the mirrored magic that opened its eyes is fully opened. As I have already mentioned several times, 1975 was a turning point for Millard. In the first half of the year, I was using “Shure microphone + Sony TC-152SD”, but in the middle I introduced “AKG microphone + Nakamichi 550″. The sound quality has improved dramatically since the beginning of wheelchair recording, which is now a myth. The technique that would make the name “Mirroard” famous throughout the world was established. By the way, the last recording using the predecessor “TC-152SD” is said to be JETHRO TULL in February 1975. Also, the equipment is not the only factor that made this work’s superb sound possible. The “Anaheim Convention Center” that became the site cannot be said to be Millard’s main battlefield, but luckily it had been captured in David Bowie’s “ANAHEIM 1974” the previous year. When it was Bowie, it seems that he had a hard time figuring out the reaction of the venue (it’s amazing that it doesn’t sound that way), but when it comes to licks, he has factored it in perfectly. Moreover, it seems that Rick’s equipment was the same as for YES (I don’t actually know, but Millard felt that way), and as an avid YES fan, Millard was able to perfectly understand the peculiarities of the sound output. It is. I’m sorry that I talked about the history of the recording rather than the “description of the sound” earlier, but the short story is that the sound proves those anecdotes. If you’re familiar with Millard’s previous works, you’ll probably think, “This sounds amazing,” and the sound that you imagined comes out of the speakers. What is depicted with such a miracle sound is the paradise of precious and exquisite symphonic rock. KBFH’s “IN CONCERT” mentioned above is the most recent, but unlike the cut broadcast sound board, this work is a full recording. Let’s organize the sets while comparing them. Literary trilogy ・The six wives of Henry VIII: Catherine Howard/Anne Boleyn/Catherine Parr ・Underground exploration: The Journey/Recollection/The Forest/The Battle (★) ・King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table: Sir Lancelot and the Black Knight／Arthur & Guinevere／Merlin The Magician Others・Down And Out (★)／Hungarian Rhapsody (★) *Note: The “★” mark can be heard on King Biscuit Flower Hour’s official excavation disc “RICK WAKEMAN IN CONCERT” No songs. …and it looks like this. The trilogy was also a concept album, but here there is no particular reproduction of the album, and it is replaced like a normal concert. Even in “Underground Exploration,” which is played in its entirety, the A-side part is played at the opening, but the B-side part is scattered. Although it is not conceptual, it is instead an amazing concentration that concentrates and reduces the essence of the first three works + “Ristomania”. The height of dramatism that far exceeds YES is truly a symphonic rock utopia, and it is a live album that also functions as the best album of early solos. Rick Wakeman and Mike Millard are remembered as geniuses in rock history, even though they have completely different viewpoints. This work was born because the two were in the same place in 1975, when their respective talents were in full bloom. The cultural heritage of recording art allows us to be present at the scene of such miracles. Superb audience recording of “November 11, 1975 Anaheim Performance”. This is a masterpiece digitized directly from the master tapes of legendary master Mike Millard. By starting to use the famous Nakamichi 550, which is synonymous with Millard, the quality has improved dramatically, and together with the sound output that closely resembles the famous YES, we have achieved one of the best sounds in the Millard collection. You can experience a full show that concentrates the literary trilogy, including “Down And Out,” “Hungarian Rhapsody,” and “The Battle,” which can’t be heard on KBFH’s official excavation album “IN CONCERT.” This is Mirrored’s highest quality title. A miracle piece. Live at Convention Center, Anaheim, CA, USA 11th November 1975 ULTIMATE SOUND Disc 1 (60:28) 1. Intro 2. The Journey 3. Recollection 4. Catherine Howard 5. Lancelot & The Black Knight 6. Down And Out 7. Anne Boleyn 8. The Forest Disc 2 (42:35) 1. MC 2. Arthur & Guinevere 3. Merlin The Magician 4. Catherine Parr 5. Hungarian Rhapsody 6. The Battle Rick Wakeman – keyboards, grand piano Ashley Holt – lead vocals Roger Newell – bass guitar John Hodgson – percussion John Dunsterville – guitar Tony Fernandez – drums Reg Brooks – trombone Martyn Shields – trumpet