Musicians Corner - Live

I thought I would take a different slant on this feature by revisiting a few of the recent live gigs by some of the other artists whose work you may have heard me mention in this feature. There may be a few surprises too!

First up: Rick Wakeman. Now as most of you know, Rick is a hero of mine; the finest exponent of Progressive Pomp Rock the world has ever seen. So, when it was announced that he would be performing a brace of gigs at the prestigious London Palladium at which he would be performing his first three solo albums in their entirety along with a selection of Yes classics over the two nights, well, I simply had to go. Tickets duly purchased, the day of the first gig arrived and I took my rather excellent seat in the stalls to watch the spectacle unfold.

As I recall it was Six Wives Of Henry VIII and Yes Classics tonight. Having missed the Hampton Court performances of this album (less said about that the better!) I was in heaven.
It really is difficult to describe just what this music means to me. Rick and his cohorts from the English Rock Ensemble were bang on the money with my old chum Lee Pomeroy obviously in his element and grinning from ear to ear. I have to say the Classic Yes selection didn't really float my boat and I could not take to singer Hayley Sanderson on these classic tracks but that's a minor gripe as the music was a delight.

Second night and the BIGGIES. Yes, both Journey To The Centre Of The Earth AND The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table. Once again these two albums retain a special place in my musical affections, especially the latter. Rick has expanded both these works to reincorporate material omitted from the originals due to the constraints of vinyl. When you are as familiar with the originals as I am, this makes it quite disconcerting at times when you realise you aren't singing the same words as the band!
What the hell, the joy was in the music and on both of these albums Hayley Sanderson really came into her own and rocked out with some corking vocals. Augmented by the English Chamber Choir these two albums were simply superb, not a moment which was not a joy to listen to. Not ashamed to admit that I cried like a baby throughout Myths. Good music always moves me and this was GOOD music!

And the best part of it is, I can relive the entire experience as our good friends at Esoteric Records recorded both nights and have since released them as a four disc box set!

Next up a band which might take you by surprise - The Hollies. A mainstay of my childhood, their songs, like those of The Beatles, are ingrained in my musical psyche. Seeing them perform at my second home: the Philharmonic Hall was a delight. We were pretty much treated to the whole card tonight: Jennifer Eccles, Bus Stop, On A Carousel, Carrie Anne, Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress and many, many more. Memories from a lifetime ago kept flashing through my mind. The band may only retain two original members these days but that doesn't stop the sheer magic of the music, and this was a very magical night.

Moving slightly forward in time both artistically and gig wise, next week have the recent gig by Richard Marx. Perhaps another artist you would not think I have any interest in. But you would be wrong as Mr Marx and I go back some thirty five years! Aaah yes, the gig at Liverpool University back in 1989 which Richard himself mentioned during the show. Once again, an artist with a phenomenal back catalogue of music, songs he has written for himself and for other artists.

Tonight we got the lot. Richard and his band - the guitarist from which was actually the support act tonight - gave us hit after hit as well as some deep cuts too and some of the songs he has written for other artists. Stand out tracks are hard to pick when you have so many but for me the highlight was Hazard complete with music video accompaniment. It wasn't all rock and roll though, as Richard also demonstrated his talents for acoustic guitar and piano work in equal measure with equally impressive results.

And more recently still gig wise if not quite so musically - Yes. Opinion is divided on Yes. Not that that's anything new as opinion has always been divided on them. To many of the so-called “purists” the band now treading the boards are nothing more than a tribute act. Strange that each and every one of them has been in Yes for some considerable time.

Me? I don't care about that crap. It's the music that matters and the show loved up to its title - The Classic Tales Of Yes. Spanning all the way back to the first album with stops at several other important milestones along the way, and with some surprises too. I forgot one was not expecting to hear BOTH Going For The One AND Turn Of The Century but we got them both. Steve Howe's guitar work on the latter was sublime.

I shed a tear or two during Don't Kill The Whale - always a criminally underrated track from an underrated album. The band were on top form delivering an impeccable and demanding set and everyone was in great form. The medley from Tales Of Topographic Oceans was another highlight featuring sterling rhythm work from Jay Schellen and Billy Sherwood whilst Jon Davidson delivered sylph like vocals throughout.

Next up, 10CC, a band I am sure many of you are familiar with. These days it is very much Graham Goldman's incarnation of the band but with long standing live cohorts, Paul Burgess (drums) and Rick Fenn (guitar) alongside other newer blood, 10CC are still very much alive and gigging. Tonight at the Philharmonic Hall it was very much hits as usual and with a playlist like theirs, there is so much to choose from. For me, the likes of Dreadlock Holiday and the evergreen I'm Not In Love brought back happy teenage memories. Rubber Bullets got the audience rocking and the entire evening was another celebration of the band who even had the balls to label themselves “the worst band in the world” a title which, on tonight's performance at least is totally undeserved.