Prog is rocking back

AS that futuristic philosopher, Captain James T Kirk, once said: space is the final frontier. In his 54th year, musical explorer Rick Wakeman has returned to his quest into the galaxy beyond, believing space may hold the key to the origins of music.

In a five-year project, the cloaked crusader has conceived and crafted the concept album Out There, his "first true studio progressive rock band record" since 1976 when No Earthly Connection sold five million copies (and none of them to aliens, as far as we know).

With a full choir on three numbers and track titles such as The Cathedral Of The Sky and Universe Of Sound, this is the unashamed return of prog rock, once mocked by Spinal Tap and Johnny Rotten alike.

On Sunday, on a 43-date tour that visits Scarborough's Futurist Theatre on May 25, Wakeman and The New English Rock Ensemble play highlights from Out There along with a multitude of Wakeman classics at the Grand Opera House, York.

Expect a "huge production show", with projections, cameras, a kingdom of keyboards and a vast PA system, all transported in three trucks and two buses. Very prog rock, very Wakeman.

Yet since 1976, Wakeman has busied himself with all manner of recordings, from New Age music to religious oratorios, film scores and television themes to piano albums: everything but prog rock.

How come, Rick? "Prog rock was something I always wanted to still do but I knew that if I did it I'd get slated," he says. "It was like the porn of the rock world: when you went into a shop, you'd have to whisper 'Have you got any prog rock?', and you'd expect to get it in a brown paper bag from under the counter."

Wakeman is chuffed at the positive response to Out There since its release last month on his own Music Fusion label. "What's really strange is that as you get older, one of the things that makes doing music so interesting is that whatever you expect never happens," he says. "I've been amazed that we've had such good reviews."

Progressive rock has indeed progressed. "I've heard all the jokes that if there was a gap in music, prog rock would fill it, always using a 40th note where 39 would do, but now I think we like to have light and shade in the music," says Rick.

"If I didn't feel that prog rock could move forward then I would have scrapped it, but what I've done with this album is to take bits from all the music I've made since No Earthly Connection."

Prog rock offered myriad opportunities for experimentation, and still does, according to Rick. "What we did with prog rock was paint from more paint pots, and there were no rules as to what we could use in the colouring box. For this album, I went back to the principle that everything must start from melody because music has gone on to that thing of everything beginning with rhythm, and too much so," he says.

Significantly too, technology has been catching up with Wakeman's ambitious music on such epic albums as his solo debut, The Six Wives Of Henry VIII, now 30 years old. "Technically and sound-wise, I couldn't have done this new album ten years ago, or 20 years ago. I was in at the start of technology in rock music with Yes and my solo work, when it would take a week to assemble a keyboard! Mind you, I'm old school. I still like to take a key-board and put all my own sounds in."

The prog rock revival gathered pace last year when Wakeman and his New English Rock Ensemble toured Europe, South America and South East Asia. "We were planning to do 20 shows and ended up doing 63, playing to 20,000 crowds. We were thinking 'What's going on here?', as we were getting all sorts of age groups and people at last were saying the words 'prog rock' out loud - as if they'd opened a cupboard and said 'Look what I've found'."

Prog rock has long faced prejudice. "People will say 'I don't like prog rock' but then you ask them 'Have you ever heard it?' 'No'. 'Have you ever been to a concert?' 'No'. It's like asking 'Do you like sprouts?' 'No'. 'Have you ever eaten any?' 'No'."

That said, prog rock can be its own worst enemy. If a satirist had wished to send up the genre's tendency to excess, the spoof would have ended up exactly like Rick's notes on Out There. These open with: "Since the dawn of time, man has tried in vain to discover from where the unseen, unknown source of music has its origins" and close with "All you need to know, is that the answer is Out There".

In between, he talks of music as being the "missing sense" beyond the psychic sixth and familiar five. "I firmly believe that the origins of all music do not begin in this world as we understand it, but are subconsciously taken from what can best be described as unseen dimensional astral plains in a living void somewhere Out There amidst universes known and unknown".

This is Spinal Tap surely, Rick? "There's a fine line between sanity and madness and a fine line between the real rock world and Spinal Tap, and every so often we all tread over it," he says. "I don't take myself seriously but I do take my music seriously.

"Prog rock is music played seriously by people who can really play but the subjects are fun, fantasy, believably unbelievable and unbelievably believable. Basically you're asking people to play with their imagination."

Are you ready to play again?

Fact file:

Name: Rick Wakeman

Occupation: Cloak-wearing king of all he surveys in the land of prog rock

Born: Perivale, Middlesex, on May 18, 1949

Early musical steps: Studied classical piano from age of five. At 14, joined local band Atlantic Blues. In 1967, aged 18, won scholarship to Royal College of Music.

Change of plan: Abandoned planned career as a concert pianist, leaving college to become a session player. By 20, he had credits with the likes of Elton John, Al Stewart, Marc Bolan and David Bowie.

Days in folk rock: Joined The Strawbs in March 1970 for two albums

Oh, Yes: Wakeman and his truckload of synthesisers, Mellotrons, electric and acoustic pianos joined prog rock founders Yes in 1971 for Fragile, their fourth album but first with Roger Dean sleeve design

First solo album: The Six Wives Of Henry VIII, instrumental interpretations of the famous six, 1973. Sales to date stand at ten million

Second solo album: Journey To The Centre Of The Earth, January 1974. Adapted from writings of Jules Verne, it features rock band, narrator (David Hemmings), orchestra and choir.

Wakeman on ice: Next album The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table was premiered as an ice show.

Ken Russell connection: Wrote film score for Russell's Lisztomania, also appearing as the God Thor

Yes, no, Yes, no, Yes, no, Yes: Subsequently returned to Yes for Going For The One; left again in 1980. Rejoined in 1991 for aptly named Union tour; promptly quit again. Rejoined for short period in mid 1990s, left but is "back for good" as of 2002.

NASA connection: In 1995, music from Wakeman's album 2000AD In To The Future was flown aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour's 68th flight; in February 2000, music from Journey To The Centre Of The Earth was sent aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour on Shuttle Radar Topography Mission

New solo album: Out There, released last month.

Where, why and when in York: Grand Opera House, Sunday, 8pm, playing songs old, new and Yes with The New English Rock Ensemble.

Tickets update: Still available at £15 and £13.50 on 01904 671818.

Updated: 09:25 Friday, April 18, 2003