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Rick Wakeman - White Rock CD (album) cover

WHITE ROCK

Rick Wakeman

 

Symphonic Prog

3.29 | 166 ratings

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Gatot
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
3 stars I was hoping the succeeding album after No Earthly Connection was something phenomenal as I was so satisfied with musical quality of Ricks' previous works. But I was a bit disappointed with White Rock as it did not fulfill my expectations. I was not aware then that White Rock was actually a 1977 documentary film about the 1976 Winter Olympics held in Innsbruck, Austria - directed by Tony Maylam, who at around the same time had also made a concert film Genesis: In Concert. Having known this is a soundtrack I was then aware why the music is like this. The opening track actually impressed me at first spin of the cassette that I purchased back then. It contains all elements that Rick had always demonstrated in his previous works: inventive keyboard work in a dynamic composition and especially this time it's coupled with great percussion work. I really love the opening track "White Rock".

"Searching for gold" (4:20) is another excellent composition but in different style than the opening track. This time he delivers the melodic keyboard work that later it became the kind of his style as I could find with his later work "Criminal Records" released the same year. "The loser" (5:30) is actually not a bad composition at all - i contains very nice piano work coupled with synthesizers. "The shoot" (3:59) continues the style of previous one but then I get confused with the overall integrity of the music - again, If i'm not aware that this is a soundtrack music. Once I know about this then I understand why it has this style. "Montezuma's revenge" (3:56) brings the music into something in up tempo with dynamic beats - something that you might not expect that this is Rick's work. "Ice run" 6:11 is more like theme song than a full music composition and it can be well understood if we watch the film. But I enjoy the keyboard solo Rick plays plus the part with the drums where in some way it reminds me to his masterpiece The Six Wives of Henry VIII.

Overall, this is a well-written album for a film and it contains the characteristics of Rick's keyboard playing backed with good musicianship of Tony Fernandez on drums. I would say this album is a must for those who love Rick Wakeman early works. Keep on proggin' ...!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Gatot | 3/5 |

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