The Red Planet - Rick Wakeman album review

With all due respect, I got to say that this album came like a breath of fresh air. After many non-appealing releases by Rick Wakeman, this one was well received. This is my 20th (I think; I need to check) from his vast collection of music. I know, I’m only scratching the surface, it’s just that some of his previous efforts are not that interesting to my musical taste. Maybe is great music, but not what I’m looking for.

This album came right in the middle of the pandemic. I followed the recording process thanks to his YouTube channel. It helped to build up this sense of anticipation towards this piece of work. Don’t get me wrong, I really like his music. As a token for my appreciation, I bought tickets for his The Even Grumpier Old Rock Star Tour concert near my town. The only problem is that it was cancelled and now I have to wait until March for the rescheduled date. Well, I know it’s worth the wait.

Without any further introduction, let’s dive right into it.

The concept for the album is a homage to the many exploratory missions to Planet Mars. Each track takes the name of a specific place in Mars landscape explored by unmanned spacecraft and landers. Recorded with a full band of drums, bass, guitars, and as expected, a myriad of keyboards.

“Aseraeus Monk” Starts the album in pure Prog Rock fashion, percussion, organ chord progression and the exquisite touch of female choir. A very, very good start.

“Tharsis Tholus” Here we got good old Rick Wakeman doing what he does best. A bit all over the place, guitars, keyboard runs, there’s no doubt, this is the Rick Wakeman we all want to hear. Even if it may sound dated, this is what we all love about his music.

“Olympus Mons” Even proggier than the predecessor, drum and bass take the lead to what it seems when all the pieces fit together. If you’re here for the Minimoog, there you go.

“The North plain” Soft and filtered piano sounds guide your step in this non-familiar landscape. Out of the sudden, drums and keys take the lead to a full prog extravaganza. That’s the only way I can describe it, you got to hear it to believe it, marvelous tune.

“Pavonis Mons” A heavy guitar driven tune. Not my favorite but it can grow on me with further listens. It happens, sometimes I don’t get it and with time, it can become one of the hightlights.

“South Pole” Here Rick dives deep into the lavishing sounds of a Vangelisesque quality tune. It build up and distance itself from it. I like it, I really do.

“Valles Marineris” Powerful drumming by Ash Soan to end this album. It has what you payed for, drums, guitar, keyboards that come and go. Wakeman and his band created their own bolero kind of rhythm that drives the song to a pleasant conclusion.

To some, this record is one of his finest works, I got to say that I feel that way too. It has everything, never sounding dated. The production is better than those albums from the early 2000s', it sounds up to date and classic at the same time. I was a bit worried about the sound, is not the case, nice sounding cd and stunning artwork.

To sum things up, if you’re longing for the classic Rick Wakeman sound, this is a must in your collection. Well, what else can you expect if the Minimoog is displayed of the cover of the album? It’s there, wandering the Mars landscape as a token of human invention. Highly recommended release by Rick Wakeman and his band.