Return to the Centre of the Earth Leskanich. The story is narrated by Patrick Stewart. Recording was delayed after Wakeman was hospitalised with a life threatening case of double pneumonia and pleurisy, and needed time to recover. Upon release, the album reached number 34 on the UK Albums Chart. In 1974, Wakeman released his second solo album "Journey to the Centre of the Earth", a concept album based on the same-titled science fiction novel by Jules Verne. It tells the story of Professor Lidenbrook, his nephew Axel, and their guide Hans who follow a passage to the Earth's centre originally discovered by Arne Saknussemm, an Icelandic alchemist.
Voyage: Inspired by Jules Verne heavily from the sequel "Around the Moon", which recounts the actual voyage. The main difference, Hozjan said, was that in the novel the protagonists fail to reach the moon, whereas in "Voyage" the trip is a success. Additionally, Alexis Lang attributed the inspiration for the Selenites to H.G. Wells' "The First Men in the Moon", explaining that: "[Wells] pictured a very ancient Selenite civilisation horrified at human roughness. Wells was more misanthropist than Verne. To balance this fact, we've added a touch of irony in our story and chosen a very optimistic and joyful main character." The Adventure Company announced