The Six Wives of Henry VIII (album) He loosely compared the music to that of progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and mentioned Wakeman's "lyrical" and "deep, vast sound". In a retrospective review, Mike DeGange of AllMusic described Wakeman's use of his synthesizers as "masterful" and "instrumentally stunning", and rated the album 4.5 out of 5. Excerpts from the album were first performed during Wakeman's solo spots on Yes's Fragile Tour from 1971–1972. A recording of his solo was included on the band's first live album "Yessongs" (1973) titled "Excerpts from 'The Six Wives of Henry VIII'", as well as their same-titled concert film (1975) and
1984 (Rick Wakeman album) edition of the album. Music Production 1984 (Rick Wakeman album) 1984 is a studio album by the English keyboardist Rick Wakeman, released in June 1981 on Charisma Records. After reforming his band The English Rock Ensemble in 1980 and completing a European tour, Wakeman entered a recording deal with Charisma and began preparing material for a studio album. He decided on a concept album based on the dystopian novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four" by George Orwell. The lyrics are by Tim Rice. The album received a warm reception, and peaked at No. 24 on the UK Albums Chart. Wakeman promoted it further