Journey
To The Centre Of The Earth is RickWakeman's second solo album, released
in 1974. It is loosely based on Jules Verne's novel Journey to the Center of the
Earth. It was recorded live at the Royal Festival Hall in London, England on January
18, 1974.
It is said that Wakeman had to sell many of his belongings and mortgage his house
to record it. He couldn't cut it in the studio because of the restricted budget.
It was originally written to be longer, but certain parts had to be cut and overdubbed
since the orchestra was expensive and Wakeman couldn't afford to re-record those
parts. Therefore, certain lyric sections are out of order. After the recording,
A&M UK did not wish to produce the album, so Wakeman convinced A&M USA to
do it. This was the first A&M Quadraphonic (Surround Sound) album to use the
CD-4 system.
This album is available in its original recording, a live DVD recording at the Sidney
Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, Australia in 1975, and a later orchestra-free/lyric
free studio version is available on the 1994 "Greatest Hits" album.
This was the first Wakeman album with vocals.