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
Rick Wakeman next album, "Relayer", stressing he could no longer contribute to the material the band were developing for it. Later that day, A&M called him with the news that "Journey" had entered the UK charts at No. 1, the label's first to do so. Wakeman called it "a day I will never forget for as long as I live". "Journey" also reached No. 3 in the US, and earned Wakeman an Ivor Novello Award The album went on to sell 14 million copies worldwide. On 27 July 1974, Wakeman headlined the Crystal Palace Park Garden Party concert, performing selections from "Six