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.

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...