Journey to the Centre of the Earth (album)
Encyclopedia
Journey to the Centre of the Earth is the second album (and first live album
) from the English keyboardist and composer Rick Wakeman
, released through A&M Records
in May 1974. The album is a live recording from his second of two sold-out concerts on 18 January 1974 at the Royal Festival Hall
in London. Its concept
is based on Jules Verne's
eponymous science fiction novel, which tells the story of Professor Lidenbrok, his nephew Axel, and their guide Hans, who follow a passage to the Earth
's centre originally discovered by Arne Saknussemm, an Icelandic alchemist
. Wakeman performs with the London Symphony Orchestra
, the English Chamber Choir, and a group of hand-picked musicians for his rhythm section. Actor David Hemmings
provides the narration to the story.
As the cost of recording the album in a studio
was too high, the 40-minute piece was instead recorded live. After a number of problems were resolved during the mixing of the album, Journey to the Centre of the Earth was overall well-received by music critics. The record topped the UK Albums Chart
, the first album from A&M Records to do so, and peaked at number 3 on the US Billboard 200
. It was certified gold
by the Recording Industry Association of America
in October 1974, and earned Wakeman an Ivor Novello Award and a nomination for a Grammy
. A total of 14 million copies of the album have been sold worldwide. In 1999, Wakeman released a sequel titled Return to the Centre of the Earth
.
, in October 1972. He performed at the rock opera concerts of The Who
's Tommy in December 1972 that featured the London Symphony Orchestra
, the English Chamber Choir, conductor David Measham
and arranger Will Malone
. The producer of the shows, Lou Reizner
, learned of Wakeman's ideas for Journey that night and put him in contact with Measham, and the two subsequently met. Wakeman formed a rough demo tape of notes that he played on Minimoog
synthesiser, Mellotron
, Rhodes piano
and Clavinet
, and played it to Measham, indicating where the orchestral parts would come in. Measham agreed to take part in the project, and Wakeman met with his manager Brian Lane to discuss a follow up to Six Wives, where he pitched the idea of performing Journey with an orchestra, choir, and a rock band. As the cost of producing the album in a studio was too high, A&M Records
agreed to record the album live. To help finance the project, Wakeman had to sell a few of his cars and "mortgage [himself] up to the hilt to help finance the whole thing", which had cost around £40,000.
Wakeman received help with the orchestral score from Malone and arranger Danny Beckerman. In selecting the musicians for his band, Wakeman chose people he used to play with at a country pub in Buckinghamshire
called the Valiant Trooper. "I'd played with them for fun quite a bit on Sunday evenings...I was playing keyboards with the lads when I thought, they could play Journey for me. I'm sure they could do the concert and do it well", said Wakeman. He picked vocalists Ashley Holt and Gary Pickford-Hopkins, drummer Barney James
, and bassist Roger Newell. Guitarist Mike Egan, who previously played with Wakeman on Six Wives, rounded out the band. A&M Records had wanted Wakeman to pick more well-known musicians, but Wakeman intended for the album to be known for its music than those who performed. Richard Harris
was the first choice to narrate on the album, but he was unavailable. Actor David Hemmings
was then chosen, who agreed to take part.
Two concerts were held at 6 and 8 pm on 18 January 1974 to sold-out crowds of 3,000. Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio
was used to record the music. Wakeman had hoped to have both performances recorded, with the better of the two being used for the album release. However, as the London Symphony Orchestra requested double pay if both shows were to be recorded, Wakeman took "the frightening decision of only recording the second performance and hoping there weren't too many mistakes". The show opened with "Catherine Parr", "Catherine Howard" and "Anne Boleyn" from The Six Wives of Henry VIII, followed by a comical version of "Twelfth Street Rag
". Journey was performed in the second half. Screens were installed to display excerpts from the 1959 adventure film
of the same name to accompany some of the music. Permission was granted from 20th Century Fox
to use footage of mountains and underground caves from the movie.
in London, where they were mixed by Wakeman and engineer Paul Tregurtha between 21–29 January. The two encountered a number of problems. "Someone in the street had accidentally kicked out the vocal mike cable just before we started recording. So we boosted up the vocals that were picked up on the other mikes", Wakeman explained. A snare drum
and its microphone also broke during the performance, and Hemmings recorded more narration in the studio since a tape change occurred in the middle of one of his passages.
in California
, who agreed to release the record. Journey to the Centre of the Earth entered the UK Albums Chart
s at number 14, before topping the chart on 25 May for one week, becoming the first album from A&M to do so. It peaked at number 3 on the United States
Billboard 200
chart for two weeks in July during a stay of 27 weeks. The album became a multi-million dollar seller in six weeks. Wakeman received an Ivor Novello Award
for the album, and earned a Grammy Award
nomination. The record was certified
gold by the Recording Industry Association of America
in September 1974, and in Brazil a year later for sales over 200,000. In total, the album went on to sell 14 million copies. In late 1974, the album was released in the four-channel Quadradisc CD-4 format.
The album received some negative reaction upon its release, with music critics having described the record as a "classical pastiche...genuinely appaling" and "brutal synthesiser overkill". Journey however, was well-received by others. Mike DeGange of Allmusic called the album "one of progressive rock's crowning achievements" and noted "interesting conglomerations of orchestral and synthesized music".
by Edvard Grieg
, who is credited in the album's liner notes but not on the LP's labels.
Side one
Side two
Side one
Side two
Additional musicians
Production
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
) from the English keyboardist and composer Rick Wakeman
Rick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
, released through A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
in May 1974. The album is a live recording from his second of two sold-out concerts on 18 January 1974 at the Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
in London. Its concept
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
is based on Jules Verne's
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
eponymous science fiction novel, which tells the story of Professor Lidenbrok, his nephew Axel, and their guide Hans, who follow a passage to the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
's centre originally discovered by Arne Saknussemm, an Icelandic alchemist
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
. Wakeman performs with the London Symphony Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
, the English Chamber Choir, and a group of hand-picked musicians for his rhythm section. Actor David Hemmings
David Hemmings
David Edward Leslie Hemmings was an English film, theatre and television actor as well as a film and television director and producer....
provides the narration to the story.
As the cost of recording the album in a studio
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
was too high, the 40-minute piece was instead recorded live. After a number of problems were resolved during the mixing of the album, Journey to the Centre of the Earth was overall well-received by music critics. The record topped the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, the first album from A&M Records to do so, and peaked at number 3 on the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. It was certified gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
in October 1974, and earned Wakeman an Ivor Novello Award and a nomination for a Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
. A total of 14 million copies of the album have been sold worldwide. In 1999, Wakeman released a sequel titled Return to the Centre of the Earth
Return to the Centre of the Earth
Return to the Centre of the Earth is a 1999 concept album by Rick Wakeman. This work is a sequel to Journey to the Centre of the Earth, an earlier album by Wakeman released in 1974.-Track listing:# A Vision # The Return Overture...
.
Development
Wakeman had started work on Journey to the Centre of the Earth in November 1971, but put the project on hold until the completion of his first album, The Six Wives of Henry VIIIThe Six Wives of Henry VIII (album)
The Six Wives of Henry VIII is the debut studio album from the English keyboardist and composer Rick Wakeman, released in January 1973 on A&M Records. It is an instrumental progressive rock album with its concept based on his interpretations of the musical characteristics of the six wives of Henry...
, in October 1972. He performed at the rock opera concerts of The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
's Tommy in December 1972 that featured the London Symphony Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
, the English Chamber Choir, conductor David Measham
David Measham
David Michael Lucian Measham was a British-Australian conductor and violinist. Measham was born in Nottingham, England, to a musical family. His father, Lester, had trained as an opera singer and his mother, Joan, was a pianist. He began violin studies at age 7, and first conducted at age 13...
and arranger Will Malone
Will Malone
Will Malone is a British music producer, who has worked with artists including Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Todd Rundgren, The Verve, Massive Attack and Italian rocker Gianna Nannini. In 1976, Malone & Lou Reizner covered a Beatles song, "You Never Give Me Your Money", for the evanescent musical...
. The producer of the shows, Lou Reizner
Lou Reizner
Lou Reizner was a record producer, A&R executive and head of Mercury Records European operations. As a producer, he is perhaps best known for Rod Stewart's first two solo albums, for the orchestral version of The Who's rock opera Tommy, and Rick Wakeman's Journey to the Centre of the Earth...
, learned of Wakeman's ideas for Journey that night and put him in contact with Measham, and the two subsequently met. Wakeman formed a rough demo tape of notes that he played on Minimoog
Minimoog
The Minimoog is a monophonic analog synthesizer, invented by Bill Hemsath and Robert Moog. It was released in 1970 by R.A. Moog Inc. , and production was stopped in 1981. It was re-designed by Robert Moog in 2002 and released as Minimoog Voyager.The Minimoog was designed in response to the use of...
synthesiser, Mellotron
Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
, Rhodes piano
Rhodes piano
The Rhodes piano is an electro-mechanical piano, invented by Harold Rhodes during the fifties and later manufactured in a number of models, first in collaboration with Fender and after 1965 by CBS....
and Clavinet
Clavinet
A Clavinet is an electrically amplified keyboard instrument manufactured by the Hohner company. It is essentially an electronically amplified clavichord, analogous to an electric guitar. Its distinctive bright staccato sound has appeared particularly in funk, disco, rock, and reggae songs.Various...
, and played it to Measham, indicating where the orchestral parts would come in. Measham agreed to take part in the project, and Wakeman met with his manager Brian Lane to discuss a follow up to Six Wives, where he pitched the idea of performing Journey with an orchestra, choir, and a rock band. As the cost of producing the album in a studio was too high, A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
agreed to record the album live. To help finance the project, Wakeman had to sell a few of his cars and "mortgage [himself] up to the hilt to help finance the whole thing", which had cost around £40,000.
Wakeman received help with the orchestral score from Malone and arranger Danny Beckerman. In selecting the musicians for his band, Wakeman chose people he used to play with at a country pub in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
called the Valiant Trooper. "I'd played with them for fun quite a bit on Sunday evenings...I was playing keyboards with the lads when I thought, they could play Journey for me. I'm sure they could do the concert and do it well", said Wakeman. He picked vocalists Ashley Holt and Gary Pickford-Hopkins, drummer Barney James
Barney James
Barney James is an English drummer, actor and writer. He is known for being the drummer with Warhorse and Rick Wakeman. His acting credits include the Derek Jarman films, Sebastiane and Jubilee....
, and bassist Roger Newell. Guitarist Mike Egan, who previously played with Wakeman on Six Wives, rounded out the band. A&M Records had wanted Wakeman to pick more well-known musicians, but Wakeman intended for the album to be known for its music than those who performed. Richard Harris
Richard Harris
Richard St John Harris was an Irish actor, singer-songwriter, theatrical producer, film director and writer....
was the first choice to narrate on the album, but he was unavailable. Actor David Hemmings
David Hemmings
David Edward Leslie Hemmings was an English film, theatre and television actor as well as a film and television director and producer....
was then chosen, who agreed to take part.
Recording
Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio
Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio, also known as LMS, is a mobile recording studio originally owned by Ronnie Lane.Lane acquired the studio in 1972. It was one of the first ever mobile recording studios, and consisted of a 16 track studio housed in a 26' Airstream trailer, with a Helios mixing console,...
was used to record the music. Wakeman had hoped to have both performances recorded, with the better of the two being used for the album release. However, as the London Symphony Orchestra requested double pay if both shows were to be recorded, Wakeman took "the frightening decision of only recording the second performance and hoping there weren't too many mistakes". The show opened with "Catherine Parr", "Catherine Howard" and "Anne Boleyn" from The Six Wives of Henry VIII, followed by a comical version of "Twelfth Street Rag
Twelfth Street Rag
"Twelfth Street Rag" was composed by Euday L. Bowman in 1914. It is one of the most famous and best-selling rags of the ragtime era. It has been recorded by many artists, ranging from Louis Armstrong to Lester Young. Bowman worked as a pianist in some of the bordellos of Kansas City...
". Journey was performed in the second half. Screens were installed to display excerpts from the 1959 adventure film
Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959 film)
Journey to the Center of the Earth is a 1959 adventure film adapted by Charles Brackett from the novel by Jules Verne. It stars Pat Boone, James Mason, Arlene Dahl, Peter Ronson, Diane Baker, Thayer David and Alan Napier...
of the same name to accompany some of the music. Permission was granted from 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
to use footage of mountains and underground caves from the movie.
Mixing
The concert recordings were taken to Morgan StudiosMorgan Studios
Morgan Studios, also known as Morgan Sound Studios, were recording studios in Willesden, North London. The studios were notable for many recordings of the 1960s and 1970s by many British bands and artists such as Ten Years After, Yes, The Kinks, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Joan Armatrading, Cat...
in London, where they were mixed by Wakeman and engineer Paul Tregurtha between 21–29 January. The two encountered a number of problems. "Someone in the street had accidentally kicked out the vocal mike cable just before we started recording. So we boosted up the vocals that were picked up on the other mikes", Wakeman explained. A snare drum
Snare drum
The snare drum or side drum is a melodic percussion instrument with strands of snares made of curled metal wire, metal cable, plastic cable, or gut cords stretched across the drumhead, typically the bottom. Pipe and tabor and some military snare drums often have a second set of snares on the bottom...
and its microphone also broke during the performance, and Hemmings recorded more narration in the studio since a tape change occurred in the middle of one of his passages.
Release and reception
Upon its arrival at A&M Records, the finished album was poorly-received among management, and refused to sell it. As Wakeman was under contract with A&M in America, a cassette was sent to co-founder Jerry MossJerry Moss
Jerome S. "Jerry" Moss is an American recording executive, best known for being the co-founder of A&M Records, along with trumpeter and bandleader Herb Alpert....
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, who agreed to release the record. Journey to the Centre of the Earth entered the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
s at number 14, before topping the chart on 25 May for one week, becoming the first album from A&M to do so. It peaked at number 3 on the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart for two weeks in July during a stay of 27 weeks. The album became a multi-million dollar seller in six weeks. Wakeman received an Ivor Novello Award
Ivor Novello Awards
The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Cardiff born entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They are presented annually in London by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and were first introduced in 1955.Nicknamed The Ivors, the awards take place...
for the album, and earned a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination. The record was certified
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
gold by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
in September 1974, and in Brazil a year later for sales over 200,000. In total, the album went on to sell 14 million copies. In late 1974, the album was released in the four-channel Quadradisc CD-4 format.
The album received some negative reaction upon its release, with music critics having described the record as a "classical pastiche...genuinely appaling" and "brutal synthesiser overkill". Journey however, was well-received by others. Mike DeGange of Allmusic called the album "one of progressive rock's crowning achievements" and noted "interesting conglomerations of orchestral and synthesized music".
Track listing
All tracks were written by Wakeman. "The Forest" ("The Return" on the LP's North American promotional version) includes an excerpt of In the Hall of the Mountain KingIn the Hall of the Mountain King
In the Hall of the Mountain King is a piece of orchestral music composed by Edvard Grieg for the sixth scene of Act II in Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt, which premiered in Christiania on February 24, 1876....
by Edvard Grieg
Edvard Grieg
Edvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is best known for his Piano Concerto in A minor, for his incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt , and for his collection of piano miniatures Lyric Pieces.-Biography:Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born in...
, who is credited in the album's liner notes but not on the LP's labels.
Generally Released Version
The generally released LP version of Journey to the Centre of the Earth did not quote timings for the album's selections; the timings listed below were provided on cassette versions, and are consistent with those of later CD pressings of the album.Side one
- "The Journey"/"Recollection" – 21:20
Side two
- "The Battle"/"The Forest" – 18:57
North American Promotional Version
In North America, A&M Records distributed specially "banded for radio airplay" promotional LP copies of Journey upon the album's release. This version divided the album's content into shorter cuts, and provided timings for the selections.Side one
- "Introduction" – 2:43
- "The Journey" – 3:25
- "Isles of Gothic Cathedral" – 1:53
- "The Hans Bach" – 3:53
- "The Recollection" – 6:24
- "The Lidenbrook Sea" – 2:51
Side two
- "The Battle" – 5:13
- "The Storm" – 2:13
- "The Forest" – 3:45
- "The Return" – 7:34
Charts
| Chart (1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
1 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
3 |
Certifications
| Date | Country | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| 1974-09-04 | United States (RIAA) | Gold |
| 1975 | Brazil | Gold |
Personnel
Wakeman's equipment- 3 MellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
s - 2 MinimoogMinimoogThe Minimoog is a monophonic analog synthesizer, invented by Bill Hemsath and Robert Moog. It was released in 1970 by R.A. Moog Inc. , and production was stopped in 1981. It was re-designed by Robert Moog in 2002 and released as Minimoog Voyager.The Minimoog was designed in response to the use of...
synthesisers - 2 grand pianos
- Hammond organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
- Rhodes electric pianoRhodes pianoThe Rhodes piano is an electro-mechanical piano, invented by Harold Rhodes during the fifties and later manufactured in a number of models, first in collaboration with Fender and after 1965 by CBS....
- RMIRMIRMI can refer to:In computing:* RMI Corporation, a semiconductor company manufacturing CPUs* Remote Method Invocation, a Java application programming interface* Rights Management Information, under WIPO Internet Treaties...
electric piano - HohnerHohnerHohner Musikinstrumente GmbH & Co. KG is a company specialising in the manufacture of musical instruments. Founded in 1857 by Matthias Hohner , Hohner is identified especially with harmonicas and accordions. The Hohner company has invented and produced many different styles, and most of the...
electric piano - Honky-tonk piano
Additional musicians
- Gary Pickford-Hopkins – vocals
- Ashley Holt – vocals
- Mike Egan – electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
- Roger Newell – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Barney JamesBarney JamesBarney James is an English drummer, actor and writer. He is known for being the drummer with Warhorse and Rick Wakeman. His acting credits include the Derek Jarman films, Sebastiane and Jubilee....
– drums - David HemmingsDavid HemmingsDavid Edward Leslie Hemmings was an English film, theatre and television actor as well as a film and television director and producer....
– narration - David MeashamDavid MeashamDavid Michael Lucian Measham was a British-Australian conductor and violinist. Measham was born in Nottingham, England, to a musical family. His father, Lester, had trained as an opera singer and his mother, Joan, was a pianist. He began violin studies at age 7, and first conducted at age 13...
– conductorConductingConducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble... - London Symphony OrchestraLondon Symphony OrchestraThe London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
- English Chamber Choir
Production
- Danny Beckerman – arrangements
- Will MaloneWill MaloneWill Malone is a British music producer, who has worked with artists including Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Todd Rundgren, The Verve, Massive Attack and Italian rocker Gianna Nannini. In 1976, Malone & Lou Reizner covered a Beatles song, "You Never Give Me Your Money", for the evanescent musical...
– arrangements - Pete Flanagan – engineer
- Keith Grant – production engineer
- Lou ReiznerLou ReiznerLou Reizner was a record producer, A&R executive and head of Mercury Records European operations. As a producer, he is perhaps best known for Rod Stewart's first two solo albums, for the orchestral version of The Who's rock opera Tommy, and Rick Wakeman's Journey to the Centre of the Earth...
– production co-ordination - Paul Tregurtha – engineer
- Michael Doud – original art direction
- Michael Wade – original design
- Chris Foster – photographer
- Paul Wakefield – photographer
- Peter Waldman – photographer
- Nigel Messett – photographer
- Ken Randall – photographer