It would seem easy to assume that for Rick Wakeman conceptual ideas come with the territory if all his works were as earthbound as a certain dilogy was, yet, fortunately, they’re not. With the ivories wizard’s link to other part of the Solar System initiated when he laid memorable parts for “Space Oddity” and “Life On Mars” more than five decades ago, fans still felt pleasantly surprised by the veteran’s delivery of "The Red Planet" in 2020 – and they should be more surprised by its sequel, which will see the light of day on October 16th.
Return To The Red Planet
“Return To The Red Planet” – titled so to signal the continuity just like “Return To the Centre Of The Earth” did – is a result of Rick’s further interest in Mars and his application of it to keyboard templates THE ENGLISH ROCK ENSEMBLE – featuring guitarist Dave Colquhoun and bassist Lee Pomeroy, both of whom played on “The Red Planet” six years ago, as well as the delectable Mollie Marriot providing vocals – built into a proper prog performances. Of note is a track called “Bowie’s Vision” which re-establishes Wakeman’s original link to the great beyond.
The record will be made available in a variety of formats, including a single-disc version, a CD/Blu-ray edition, with stereo, Dolby Atmos and 5.1 Surround Sound mixes alongside “The Making Of” documentary, and a two-LP variant with a 3D-pop-up of a spacecraft landed on Mars.
1. The Jezero Crater
2. Bowie’s Vision
3. Noctis Labyrinthus
4. Noachis Terra (Land Of Noah)
5. Witch Hazel Hill
6. St Paul’s Bay
7. Martian Dust Devils
8. Medusae Fossae
9. The Epochs Of Mars
