Classic rock keyboard whiz Rick Wakeman, busy preparing for his tour with fellow Yes alums Jon Anderson and Trevor Rabin as ARW, is releasing numerous solo titles on the RRAW label through Gonzo MultiMedia this summer and fall. Besides DVD and CD, many are available in limited edition box sets signed by Wakeman.
Related: Details on the ARW tour which begins October 4
Starmus 2015 (with guest appearance by Brian May) – out now
Starmus is a festival of music and astronomy on the island of Tenerife, part of the Canary Islands. It is the brain child of astrophysicist Garik Israelian. Wakeman has made several appearances at the annual event, the most notable of which was in 2014 where he was joined on stage by Queen guitarist Brian May, who is also an astrophysicist. Wakeman and the English Rock Ensemble performed other tracks from throughout his career including “Starship Trooper” and numerous songs from his The Six Wives of Henry VIII album.
The Phantom of the Opera – Available August 5, 2016
The legendary 1925 Lon Chaney film was brought to life by Wakeman with a specially commissioned soundtrack, first issued in 2010. This is the first time this version of the film has being issued on DVD, and the images have been fully restored and the soundtrack remastered. The DVD has several bonus features including commentary from Wakeman. A double-CD offers the original Wakeman unedited soundtrack and contains the original mixes of the songs which are different to what eventually appeared on his album Phantom Power.
Gastank – Coming September 16, 2016
Gastank was a TV show that aired between 1982–1983 on England’s Channel 4. The series was hosted by Wakeman and featured a mix of interviews with and performances by 1970s-era classic rockers musicians with Rick and his house band in playing re-arranged versions of their classic songs, or entirely new pieces created for the show. Guests included Ian Paice, Steve Hackett, Andy Fairweather Low, John Entwistle, Godley and Creme, Eric Burdon and Phil Lynott. The entire Gastank series is available for the first time on DVD along with a CD.
Gospels – Coming October 21, 2016
Wakeman was asked to perform at an organ recital to raise money for the Camberley United Reform Church. He pondered what to play and decided to write a piece to the settings of the four Gospels. He invited tenor Ramon Remedios to perform the New Gospels with him and the benefit was a tremendous success. The complete Gospels is a limited edition box set containing all the known recordings of the project both audio and visual – including many never-before-seen, and an in-depth interview with Wakeman about the project.
All titles are available via links from Wakeman’s site.
