Rick Wakeman said: "It's just one of those decisions a manager has to make." Wakeman described the record as "the album Yes should have made instead of "Topographic Oceans"." Released in July 1977, the album spent two weeks at No. 1 in the UK and spawned the No. 7 single, "Wonderous Stories". Wakeman considered its fifteen-minute track "Awaken" as one of the band's best. During the "Going for the One" tour, Wakeman released "Rick Wakeman's Criminal Record", a solo album loosely based on criminality with Squire on bass, Alan White on drums, Frank Ricotti on percussion, and Bill Oddie on lead vocals
Piano Vibrations described as "slightly cheesy", especially in light of Wakeman's later involvement in progressive rock, but still listenable. Piano Vibrations Piano Vibrations, though promoted in its re-release as the first studio album by English progressive rock keyboardist Rick Wakeman, is not considered a Wakeman album, even by himself. His contributions were limited to performing as a session musician and he did not compose any of the tracks. The album was released in 1971 on Polydor, after Wakeman had signed on to A&M Records. The album developed from Wakeman's time as a session musician. A&M Records had signed Wakeman on as the