I'M SO STRAIGHT I'M A WEIRDO

Rubbish!

A two track single released in advance of the "Rock'n'roll prophet" album on which both tracks appeared.

The title track is just nonsense, with Wakeman actually singing over a funky rhythm, backed by female vocals. It's just repetitive pop, with nothing to commend it. "Do you believe in fairies" is a kiddies song, with high pitched processed vocals, and a very basic melody.

In between this single and the album which included it Wakeman released the excellent "1984". Here however he plumbs the depths.

wow...just the title is stupid enough. it could give a few chuckles when said to the right people and a whole session of rolling on the floor crying with laughter to some other people. very very very (i repeat) VERY horrible in my opinion. im not gonna say much about the music cuz theres just not alot to say about the music. "im so straight im a weirdo". thats going on my list of really crappy names for albums. but then again i guess i can relate to the title

Checked these out online to get a good taste. Forced myself to listen to each tune 5 times so I could write a fair review. Good punishment. Well...if I ever did believe in Fairies, this cured me. "Do you Believe in Fairies" sounds like it came from a Saturday cartoon show. Funky, disco song with annoying sound effects and Abba-like beat. Ugh. And it is hard to believe, but "I'm So Straight I'm a Weirdo" is even worse! Same type of beat as the other song but with a 70's new-wave type of feel. There is also a highly embarassing video of this. If some of the work by the Buggles was bad, than this is much worse. If this isn't the bottom of the barrel for Rick, then it's darn close. 1 star only because I must.

A very strange single released by Rick Wakeman. I remember that in 1980 or in 1981 I bought a Mexican Rock Magazine called "Sonido" (which is defunct since the mid eighties, I think) and I saw there a photo of Rick Wakeman dressed as a very conservative British businessman. The photo had a footnote which said that he recorded a video for this song and that he also sang lead vocals on it. I never saw that video on TV and I never listened to this song in those days, until finally today I found that video on youtube and I watched it. Well, the song sounds more like a joke to me, sounding like several bands from that period of time, like Wakeman was trying to sound like Synthpop bands like "The Buggles" or "Orchestral Manouvres in the Dark". I think that the song is funny in parts, and the video too. In fact, in his official website Wakeman refers to this song being like a "spoof on The Buggles", and I agree with him. The song is really silly in parts, but maybe Wakeman only wanted to have some fun, and I think that he sang good lead vocals (I really expected worst things from him as a lead singer, but not, he sang it well). There is also a female backing vocalist. So, this song is a very Pop Rock song from 1980, and I think that Wakeman succeeded at least in trying to sound like those bands I mentioned above. The B-side, titled "Do You Believe in Fairies", is also a funny but a bit silly song too, more oriented for the children´s music market, with some Chipmunk´s backing voices. Wakeman also sang lead vocals on it, but this song also has a Disco beat on it. A very atypical release from Wakeman, I think, that I finally listened to it 32-33 years after I bought that old and now lost magazine...