 |   Format : Color, DVD, NTSC Publisher : Classic Pictures List Price: Our Price: $170.32 Used Price : $24.99 |
Description
This spectacular 94-minute concert was recorded live with the Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra in 1975, at the Sydney Myer Concert Bowl in Melbourne Australia to a 30,000 audience. This mammoth sell-out concert to tens of thousands was at the end of the 'Journey Tour' to promote the album Journey to the Centre of the Earth, which sold over 12,000,000 copies worldwide. The concert opens with the greatest hits from Rick's biggest selling album The Six Wives of Henry VIII, followed by the complete 'Journey' and also includes hits from his then-new album King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. This is classic Rick Wakeman, one of the world's finest keyboard players, at the very pinnacle of his legendary progressive rock career.Amazon.com
They should have named this DVD Journey to the Centre of the '70s. Recorded before a huge Australian audience on February 4, 1975, this Rick Wakeman performance is precisely the kind of prog-rock pretentiousness that was so hilariously skewered in This Is Spinal Tap, and even Wakeman would have to agree it's pretty cheesy in retrospect. As a time capsule, however, this is must-see TV for Wakeman completists, albeit diminished by technical shortcomings of mid-'70s video. Remastering for 5.1-channel Dolby can't vastly improve the average recording--the Melbourne Philharmonic and Chamber Choir sound particularly muddy in this mix--so Wakeman fans will prefer the original Journey release to what is, essentially, an authorized video bootleg. Still, this is the only way to see the white-robed Wakeman in his solo prime, and offerings from his then-new King Arthur album (especially the fan-favorite "Merlin") are impressive highlights. Keyboard wizardry doesn't get any better, even when it's haphazardly preserved from an age best forgotten. --Jeff ShannonSimilarProduct
- The Six Wives Of Henry VIII [Blu-ray]
- Myths & Legends Of King Arthur & The Knights Of The Round Table
- Yes - Yessongs
- Journey to the Centre of the Earth
- Six Wives of Henry VIII
Customer reviews
I was at that concert and lusted for a video copy for 26yrs 
by .. Chris Mogford (Noble Park, Victoria Australia)
I'm a fan of Wakeman and so I went to that Feb '75 concert at the Bowl and loved it. I still remember being stunned by hearing the new 'Merlin" number. By coincidence I had just started working for channel 7 a few months prior (as a technician) although I didn't work that night, I saw the concert. Afterwards I went back to the Outside Brodcast Van and chatted about the night's production.
Colour tv didn't start in Australia till March 1975 in Australia so the amount of colour gear was very limited. a lot was still in boxes or being installed. The entire video and audio mixing was done in the OB van using a CDL vision switcher and a neve audio mixer of possibly about 12 to 18 channels. There 'may' have been another optronics audio mixer being used near stage but I can't be sure. The cameras were our brand new Marconi Mk8s, probably 3 on the night. I think the Marconi van was initially only 3 cameras, they were very expensive. This was one of the very first OBs done by the new van and it was excitement plus. There would have been almost no post production on the vision because I don't think any colour editing suites were up and running then. Only a recording VTR(2in) in the videotape room at the main studios in Sth Melbourne fed by radio microwave link directly from the Bowl. No video recording was done in the van.
I'd tried to get a vhs copy for ages but never managed to get one. Remember that vhs didn't take off until about 1980. I worked at ch7 but still couldn't get a copy, I kept asking.
In 1995 I was at the Isle of Man bike races and Wakeman was signing books for his little book called Yes. I spoke to him about that Melbourne night and he was amazed to find out that I was there and all the way from Australia. He lives on the IOM.
Anway, he said he remembered that night in Melbourne and said that it was one of his best concerts and that he had a great time. It was nice of him to say that but I think he meant it. He did say that he's amazed that he survived it all through the alcohoic haze. He doesn't drink now. Rick Wakeman was a thoroughly nice person to talk to. Anyway, he put me onto his secretary who could get a vhs video for me. I never got around to following it up. When I found that this DVD was available, I ordered a copy immediately and have not regretted it at all. I'd like to think that I might have had a small part in making this DVD happen because of my questioning him, I can dream.
In the opening credits it was neat to see the crew who I used to work with back then such as gilbs and wally gator. I worked with ch7 from 1974 to 1985.
I hope this little bit of history has interested the reader of this review.
CLASSIC DVD FOR WAKEMAN FANS by .. Anthony G Hajje (SYDNEY, NSW Australia)
I wasn't expecting much from this special DVD release (after reading some of the scathing reviews here) so when I received it in the post I put it in my DVD player squinting my eyes in anticipated disappointment.
HOWEVER, I was WELL surprised and extremely happy that I bought this DVD.
Sure it has a crappy blow-up dinosaur on stage; I'm sure that was just for a laugh anyway.
Sure the audio is not 48 Khz 24 bit DVD audio quality, but you should remember that this RARE classic performance is from 1975, filmed for television and sounds good anyway. By the way the other reviews sounded I thought that the audio would be in-audible but it's not bad.
Sure the video is not Digital quality; it's 1975 footage for goodness sake! Sometimes people are too unforgiving in light of the offering before them and just can't appreciate the fact that we have been presented not only with the opportunity to see Rick Wakeman in his Classic Best performance but also with the opportunity to view musical history in the making.
Aside from the comparisons to modern technology then, this DVD stands up to viewing as a classic performance by Rick Wakeman featuring the entire "Journey To The Centre Of The Earth" album and a few extra songs from King Henry and King Arthur.
I thoroughly enjoyed it as a piece of history that I missed and I felt that I was intimately there to re-live it live as it was intended.
I thoroughly recommend this DVD for any true Rick Wakeman fan who wishes to be transported back to the raw 70's to experience or re-live the era that essentially was an experimental era from which much influence for later years originated.
Very Enjoyable by .. John J. Kirschman (Albuquerque, NM United States)
If you're a fan of Rick Wakeman and haven't had the chance to ever see him in concert, like me, then this is very enjoyable. The only thing I wish they would have done was to show more of the area from his hands to his face while he was playing (perhaps a side view). I was surprised at the Journey Forest Reprise, as I hadn't checked to see what was going to be performed, and was glad to see it performed differently. Add to my surprise the CD that was included in the package, what else could I have asked for?
great purchase! by .. A. Bowman (The rugged lands of Shaolin)
This is an excellent value. Not only do you get the dvd, but it also comes with an audio cd of "journey". And, you get it all for a great price. The quality of the dvd is good. Some people were disappointed with the quality, but you have to take for granted that this was filmed in the mid seventies. We are lucky that it is available on dvd in the first place! All in all, if you are a Wakeman fan, this is an excellent buy.
You had to be there . . . by .. Mr. IT (The OC)
Just in case you missed it, there is a distinct split in the reviews of this product between those who were there and those who weren't. Those who "WERE" tend to love this DVD. Those who "WEREN'T" don't.
The words of the song say it so well,
"It was juvenile,
It was something wild.
Part of every child,
Yeah, you had to be there.
It was rough and tough,
It was peace and love,
All of the above,
Yeah, you had to be there."*
Personally, I WAS there (Anaheim Convention Center 1975) and I loved this DVD. I think that if you "WERE" too you will . . . too!
* excerpted from "You Had To Be There" by Peter Frampton