THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD

This as a solid (yet non-essential) new age album. I think this is one of best of Rick Wakeman's new age material

Starting with a very solid composition of long soloing, and its following track containing a very memorable riff that can stay in your head for ages... it is a great start. Unfortunately, the middle of the album is very mellow, average, and a little boring. Luckily, the last track redeems the album somwhat : It is an epic of brilliant atmosphere and amazing piano soloing.

My Grade : D+

As always with Rick's instrumental concept albums, any connection between the music and the concept are in your head. Still, the narrative introductions are particularly well done and help you as you try to make those connections.

There's an awful lot that's good on this album. You won't listen to this and give up in frustration after the first ten minutes. (I wish I could say that about every Rick release, but unfotunately Rock and Roll Prophet is in his catalog.) On the other hand, there is hardly anything memorable on it either. This album is diet soda: it tastes good but there's absolutely nothing nutritional in it.

If you are a fan of Rick's or if you are a fan of New Age, this is definitely one to pick up. Otherwise, Rick has plenty of other releases that will please you better.

"Seven wonders of the world" is another of Rick's new age style albums where he dispenses with the band and plays all the music himself. The music is generally rather more inspired than on many such albums by him, although it is highly questionable how much inspiration was actually gleaned from the wonders themselves.

Each piece is prefaced by around a minute of introductory narrative spoken by Garfield Morgan. This gives the album an element of authenticity, but there is little or nothing about the actual tracks to bring to mind a specific wonder. "Pyramids of Egypt" for example does not sound remotely Egyptian, and I failed to spot anything botanical about "Hanging gardens of Babylon".

If we forget the supposed concept though, and simply focus on the music, then this is by and large pleasant and relaxing. There is no dextrous keyboards wizardry, soaring synth solos, or plunging bass lines. All we have is gently unassuming melodies which drift along, offering what largely amounts to background music for a suitably undemanding activity.

If this is prog at all, it is lounge prog. If the sound of that that appeals to you, this is good quality lounge prog!

New Age indeed. But I believe that even in this genre, one can make strong and solid music with atmosphere. You just have to try hard to achieve what's so easily to be done with full band. New Age music, it's something I can like. Not usually listen, but I certainly like it. 7 tracks, 7 intros to said tracks, impressions of Big Old 7, they sound quite faithful to what can be considered as impression. Almost sounds like right way to do this kind of album. Believable.

4(-), do you believe in this rating ?

A historical (as most of his releases are) new age album, The Seven Wonders of the World is a creative piece born out of synthesizers and drum machines. The melodies are very relaxing, flying in and out of instrumental concepts about each of the 7 ancient wonders of the world. Each track is introduced by a narrator (Garfield Morgan), giving each wonder a short little bio before the instrumental track begins. For a history buff, it's nice to maybe learn a thing or two before being taken by Mr. Wakeman upon a great journey of synths and melodies.

The Pharos of Alexandria is easily one of the best tracks, using beautiful synth melodies to display the majestic lighthouse of Alexandria. You can visualize the light at the top shining brighter with each musical direction taken. The images that can flow out of the music is wonderful.

The Colossus of Rhodes is the next wonder explored. The track is a wonderful mesh of melody and interesting new age synth voices. The synth fret less bass is actually quite nice, despite the fact that it's synth and not real bass... But the monstrous statue is very accurately displayed through the music. A good track.

The Pyramids of Egypt are explored next. The track is a little weaker than the other songs, being very similar and not as rhythmically or melodically creative. Certainly the immensity of the pyramids are displayed, but the melody can drag over the 6 minute track.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon is the next not so impressive track. The melodies are a little traditional, and not very interesting. The whole aura of the mystical Gardens isn't really portrayed very well by the music, either. A weaker track on the album.

The Temple of Artemis is a much more majestic track than the previous two, and returns to the full new age glory of the first tracks. The sweeping melodies really capture the essence of the famous temple. Creepy melodies and symphonic sections are placed strategically along the track, adding a nice flavor to the music.

The Statue of Zeus is next. The track has much more relaxed melodies and synth passages. The melody can get boring at times, but when it changes here and there, the track is nice to listen to.

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the final, massive (in relation to the album!) 11 minute track, uses the most relaxed, haunting, and beautiful melodies of the album. The song takes a little while to really get into the "trance" of the song. But once Wakeman starts to go up and down those keys, it's wonderful. Overall, one of the better songs on the album.

ALBUM OVERALL: The Seven Wonders of the World is definitely one of Wakeman's many overlooked gems of his dozens of studio records. It's new age, yes, it uses (sadly) a drum machine, yes, and EVERYTHING is synthesized, but it is still a beautiful album. The instrumental passages (their all instrumental....) are fantastic, really extending Wakeman's proficiency for fantastic music. However, some of the songs can be a little boring and redundant. Other than this however, the album is most definitely 4(+) stars!