Rock 'n' Roll Prophet
| Rock n' Roll Prophet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Rock 'n Roll Prophet Plus.jpg | ||||
| Studio album by Rick Wakeman | ||||
| Released | 1982 | |||
| Recorded | 1979 | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock, synthpop | |||
| Label | Moon Records | |||
| Producer | Rick Wakeman | |||
| Rick Wakeman chronology | ||||
|
||||
Rock n' Roll Prophet is a 1982 album by Rick Wakeman. The album was recorded at Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland,[1] and was released by Moon Records.
The album was re-released in 1991 by President Records as Rock 'n' Roll Prophet Plus, containing four bonus tracks. These tracks were recorded at Wakeman's own[2] Bajanor Studios on the Isle of Man, and were mixed by Stuart Sawney. The re-release was mastered at Abbey Road Studios.[3]
As well as playing keyboards, Wakeman provided lead vocals for three tracks ("I'm So Straight I'm a Weirdo", "Maybe '80", and "Do You Believe in Fairies")[4] – the only album on which his singing appears.[5]
Critical reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [6] |
| Discogs | [7] |
Rock 'n' Roll Prophet has gained largely negative reviews, with comments describing the album as "goofy",[4] "novelty" and "crap".[8] McGlinchey does, however, recognise that the album was largely produced as a tongue-in-cheek project and that "the humour on [the] release is intentional".[8]
Due to his association with progressive rock (being the antithesis of punk rock), Wakeman wanted the album to be released under a pseudonym – his suggestion being "KUDOS". It was, however, released under his own name, which he called "a big mistake".[1] AllMusic described the album as sounding similar to The Buggles,[4] with Wakeman corroborating their influence by stating that the album was an attempted spoof.[1] Wakeman's vocals are also described as "serviceable but not strong" – with the instrumentals "not up to [his] highest standards".[4] Ground and Sky likened the album to "someone gleefully pressing the self-destruct button on whatever credibility they previously had managed to accrue as a music artist".[8]
Wakeman, however, has commented that he likes the analogue sounds and production on the album,[1] and that the album was "little ahead of its time [and] a little off the wall".[3]
Track list
LP
- "I'm So Straight I'm a Weirdo" – 3:54 - released as a UK single (1980)
- "The Dragon" – 3:34
- "Dark" – 5:07
- "Maybe '80" – 5:27
- "Early Warning" – 3:34
- "Spy of 55" – 5:07
- "Do You Believe in Fairies?" – 4:29
- "Rock 'n' Roll Prophet" – 4:40
1991 re-release
- "Return of the Prophet" – 6:03
- "I'm So Straight I'm a Weirdo" – 3:54
- "The Dragon" – 3:34
- "Dark" – 5:07
- "Alpha Sleep" – 6:00
- "Maybe '80" – 5:27
- "March of the Child Soldiers" – 6:05
- "Early Warning" – 3:34
- "Spy of 55" – 5:07
- "Stalemate" – 5:55
- "Do You Believe in Fairies?" – 4:29
- "Rock 'n' Roll Prophet" – 4:40
Personnel
- Rick Wakeman – Keyboards, vocals and production
- Lilianne Lauber – Backing vocals
- Gaston Balmer – Percussion
- Dave Richards – Engineering
- Martin Pursey – Executive producer
- Stuart Sawney – Engineering (CD bonus tracks)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Allmusic review
- ↑ Discogs review
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
