No Earthly Connection

[David Momberg]

For those of you who aren't familiar with this CLASSIC from 1976, or haven't heard it in years, you need to check it out!!! It is incredible!!! Brings back some great memories,and even if you don't like it,the first 30 seconds on a kick*$# stereo make it more than worth it!! To me, it's much better and more consistent than Six Wives,Journey,or Arthur! I read a comment from Rick that said you either love it or hate it,Well I LOVE it. To give you an idea, I just purchased 3 Russian imports with 2 CD's on each(the others being:Arthur,White Rock,Cost of Living,1984,and Liztomania, and have listened to NEC more than all of the others combined! Check it out!!!! David.

[Martin Riley]

I haven't heard it in years. My vinyl copy went missing about 20 years ago and I've never seen a CD version - I'd love to get a copy although Rick's site RWCC suggests that it's unlikely that A & M will allow his 70s albums to be released in an updated format.


Have you heard Out There, his latest? The themes are similar to No Earthly Connection but the music is a bit harder hitting and rockier.

[David Momberg]

I haven't heard it in years. My vinyl copy went missing about 20 years ago and I've never seen a CD version - I'd love to get a copy although Rick's site RWCC suggests that it's unlikely that A & M will allow his 70s albums to be released in an updated format.


Have you heard Out There, his latest? The themes are similar to No Earthly Connection but the music is a bit harder hitting and rockier.
Yes, I have "Out there", and I like it ok, but it tends to run all together and sound the same,esp. Rick's keyboard parts. NEC is just so fresh and unique to me. Try Ebay, I got NEC/Cost of living for 6.79 plus postage. There are tons of those 2 CD Russian imports on there! Good Luck,David.

[Martin Riley]

Thanks for the info, David, I've never been on Ebay but I suppose I'd better give it a try

[Erdy1]

Wakeman has so many solo albums, I bought about 15 or so and then gave up. I've never heard this one though.

[ozwitch]

Wakeman has so many solo albums, I bought about 15 or so and then gave up. I've never heard this one though.

I think this is one of Rick's 5 best. It comes from a period when he was being highly creative and experimenting a lot with different ideas and this album, although not everybody's cup of tea thematically, is really worth a listen if you want to hear Rick with a band as he was when the English Rock Ensemble was just formed.

At the time it was way out there in terms of recording technique - the opening Moog chord is amazing. Rick wasn't allowed to use a full orchestra cos A & M weren't prepared to defray the expenses so he formed a small ensemble which I think was the best decision A & M made because the sound is very fresh and clean and quite a rocker in some areas. If you've heard Out There it's not as rocky as that and less grandiose and heavy, I suppose. It's a very English sound and quite different from his other albums.

I don't really care for Ashley Holt as a singer - never have - but his style suits the music reasonably and I love that all the horns and other instruments are not drowned out by dozens of violins but sound like an ensemble should. I really like Rick's melodies on this album - as I said, some of it is quite rocky like Prisoner but some of it is exquisite and delicate like The Maker. Nice spread of Rick's abilities as a composer and player.

I never really warmed to the Spacemen theme but it doesn't stop my enjoyment of the album as a whole. I think it's well worth investigating - you can buy it from cdjapan or HMV Japan or someone like that - I think cdjapan are on their second pressing of it by now cos it did sell out when it was first released this year. A very good recording too - quite crisp and that funny silver foil has been retained from the original LP sleeve for you to play with and see Rick look normal instead of a convex image.

I rate this my #2 behind White Rock and ahead of 6 Wives and Criminal Record, from Rick's best period before he nodded off musically for a few years less said the better.

[Dances w/PURPLE]

Thanks for the info, David, I've never been on Ebay but I suppose I'd better give it a try

Martin, Martin, uncle Martin! Your life will never be the same. Can I tell you the loads, you must have read the loads of stuff I just bought but cannot share them ALL here. If any of you were the sellers, THANK YOU for a great auction expereince. I bought 26 items in three days, 12 of which are either YES items or ABWH items or Howe items. Three of which are Bowie items. The rest is game gear for my son and my alternative daughter old school gets her Mary Jane Doc Martens we have long been waiting to find. It's a great place!

[tecladista]

QUOTE=Martin Riley]I haven't heard it in years. My vinyl copy went missing about 20 years ago and I've never seen a CD version - I'd love to get a copy although Rick's site RWCC suggests that it's unlikely that A & M will allow his 70s albums to be released in an updated format.

Have you heard Out There, his latest? The themes are similar to No Earthly Connection but the music is a bit harder hitting and rockier.[/QUOTE]


If you're looking for a legitimate CD copy of NEC, try Gary Davis' Artist Shop at
http://www.artist-shop.com/catalog/imports/japanese.htm

It's a Japanese "Mini LP" CD, just like many of the YES versions and the quality of the sound is INCREDIBLE!!! It will knock your socks off!!!

No Earthly Connection is certainly one of Wakey's best from the 70's

If you see Rick, ask him how they got the sound effect at the end of The Maker...

Personally, I don't see much similarity with NEC and Out There...

[the'YES'kid]

Another option to listen to some tracks from NEC, Criminal Record & others is
Recollections - The Very Best of Rick Wakeman ( 2000).
here's the link for that album at RWCC with links to Amazon.
http://www.rwcc.com/rwcc/code/title_detail.asp?int_titleID=123

or you can download it (legally) from the new Napster. (.99 per song) or the whole album for..............I don't remember.

[umgekehrt]

I love the little "trivia" fact about this album that I found written by Rick himself in http://www.rwcc.com/title_detail.asp?int_titleID=5

"The sound of the waterfall, (and I'm not telling you where it is on the album), was created by making the band and crew drink copious amounts of wine all day without being allowed to go to the bathroom and then were all marched down to the echo chamber which was actually a cellar in the old French Chateau and where they stood on a long bench and all weed simultaneously into an old metal bath tub. It was recorded with 2 microphones in stereo. For years people have believed it was a sample from a famous waterfall."

[the'YES'kid]

I love the little "trivia" fact about this album that I found written by Rick himself in http://www.rwcc.com/title_detail.asp?int_titleID=5...



check out this otherone for "Classic Tracks"
http://www.rwcc.com/title_detail.asp?int_titleID=63

I thought he was kidding. When I met Rick a few months ago we were only talking about his solo albums and I asked him if what he said about "Classic Tracks" was true.

I was 99% sure he was gonna say "oh!! no , that was just an altered story to add some humor to the site" or something like that. He told me "oh! that's true"

[the'YES'kid]

sometimes you get a CD and listen to it later, sometimes months later. That happens to me a lot specially when I buy 2 CDs at once.

Anyways, this past week I rediscovered a song from that album "The Realisation".......wow, heard it once and it imediatelly climbed up my favs lists. Ashley Holt is definitelly Rick's best singer. I love the sections in the song where he does those high notes:

"It's way too late to save the lives in time!!!!!!!"
:bowdown:

[stevepenn]

I love the little "trivia" fact about this album that I found written by Rick himself in http://www.rwcc.com/title_detail.asp?int_titleID=5

"The sound of the waterfall, (and I'm not telling you where it is on the album), was created by making the band and crew drink copious amounts of wine all day without being allowed to go to the bathroom and then were all marched down to the echo chamber which was actually a cellar in the old French Chateau and where they stood on a long bench and all weed simultaneously into an old metal bath tub. It was recorded with 2 microphones in stereo. For years people have believed it was a sample from a famous waterfall."


:dog:

[the'YES'kid]

that's the album I've been listening the most for the last weeks.....that and the bootleg from that tour.

[Phil Parratt]

:funmeter2

Hi everybody!

This is my first post despite being a 'viewing member' for a few months.

I have just managed to buy the vinyl in VGC for £4.00 although without the roll-up foil thingy. I will not be able to hear it until the weekend as I'm away from home at the moment. The minutes are ticking by very slowly.......

:keyboard: