I was introduced to Prog Rock back in 1973 at the age of fourteen when I was completely blown away by the album 'Selling England by the Pound'. A year later I became blown away by the music of Rick Wakeman. September 2020 and I have just played 'The Red Planet'; an eagerly awaited CD from Amazon.
Initial impressions are not good. The songs sound bland and lacking in any message with the production sounding flat, contrived and artificial. Sterile..! That is the word that just sprung into my mind. The whole sound is just that, a sound, not really what could be called a performance. Lifeless and dull. His earlier albums are so much more than this sounding like a band of musicians performing. This definitely doesn't sound that way.
Stand out tracks..? None. Maybe track two because it resembles a track by Camel. Sadly though it still resembles a recording and not a performance.
Hugely disappointed.
I need to listen again.