It
is often said that the children of
famous artists never reach the success
of their parents. Generally, this
viewpoint seems valid, however it
does not apply to all cases. We all
know Rick Wakeman and it's
about time we met his son Oliver,
a most gifted keyboardist (how else
could it be?) and songwriter. Having
already released several personal
albums and having teamed up with
Clive Nolan and Steve Howe, he felt
certain enough to release this live
performance of Oliver Wakeman's
Band at Katowice. They opened the
show, Pallas took the baton and finally
that glorious evening came to an
end with Caamora. It was one of those
nights...
Set list includes 13 songs, of which
9 come from "Mother's Ruin" while
the others from Wakeman's collaboration
with Nolan on "The Hound Of The
Baskervilles" and "Jabberwocky".
A laconic description of this DVD should
be the following: choruses full of
70s hard rock and AOR flavour, while
the themes lean towards progressive
techniques and soundscapes plus a strong
emphasis on melody. Moreover, the show
is highly energetic even if 4 songs
in the middle are balladesque. One
of them of course is "Mother's
Ruin" with a remarkable melodic
line and an emotionally intensive chorus,
and another is "If You're
Leaving" a song made under the
rules of US AOR. Other highlights are "Agent" which
sets off based on prog metal riffs
to blossom through its art rock interludes,
the hard rocking "I Don't
Believe In Angels", the fantastic "Wall
Of Water" where a fierce fight
between keys and guitar takes place
to make room en route for some new
age hints. Not to mention "Walk
Away" and its AOR-prog heart,
all you have to do is listen to how
Oliver plays the keys and, in no time,
Asia will come to mind. Really enjoyable
set list by all means.
Wakeman through
his Olympian calm, Manzi through
his slick vocal performance and Pearce
through his poseur look and attitude
stole the show that evening. In a
time that proggers egos are not as
boosted as they used to be, I suggest
a third collaboration between Nolan
and Wakeman. This would work marvels. |
