Album: Unreleased Demos Volume 1
Artist: Rick Wakeman
2022 RRAW
CD: RWFC003CD

Caped Crusader Collector Club – Exclusively from the Rick Wakeman Archive, Release #3
Digital Audio Archaeology/Mastered by J Hughes

Rick Wakeman
with
Trevor Rabin (4, 15)
Chrissie Hammond (7, 8, 10)
Adam Wakeman (7, 8, 10)
Stuart Sawney (7, 8, 10)


Tracks 1-5: demos from Return to the Centre of the Earth (1999)
Track 6: demo from Fields of Green (1996)
Tracks 7-10: demos from Light Up the Sky (1994)
Tracks 11-14: demos from Heritage Suite (1993)
Tracks 15-16: live recordings from the Yes Union tour (1991)

 
Tracks:
1. "Demo Studio Track — “Dance of 1000 Lights”" (5:41)
2. "Demo Studio Track — Bass/Kit/Keys — Short Version" (2:41), demo of "The Return Overture"
3. "Demo Studio Track — Bass/Kit/Keys — Long Version" (5:17), demo of "The End of the Return"
4. "Demo Studio Track — Bass/Kit/Keys/Vox — “Never is a Long Time”" (5:17), demo of "Never is a Long, Long Time"
5. "Demo Studio Track — Guitar/Bass/Kit/Keys — (untitled)" (3:12), demo of "The Kill"
6. "Library Guitar Track — “The Nice Man”" (8:26)
7. "“Light Up the Sky” — Take 1 — Demo Studio + Fem Vox" (3:32)
8. "“Simply Free” — Demo Studio + Fem Vox" (3:51)
9. "Demo Studio + Instrumental — Keys (untitled)" (5:40), demo of "Starflight"
10. "“Light Up the Sky” — Take 2 — Demo Studio + Fem Vox" (3:31)
11. "Solo Piano — (untitled) Rehearsal" (3:06), demo of "The Bee Orchid"
12. "Solo Piano — “Peregrine Falcon” Rehearsal" (2:38)
13. "Solo Piano — “Mona’s Isle” Rehearsal" (4:15)
14. "Solo Piano — (untitled) Rehearsal" (2:47), demo of "The Painted Lady"
15. "Rick’s Solo Part (A Live Unlabelled Excerpt) #1" (4:18), "Catherine of Aragon/Catherine Parr"
16. "Rick’s Solo Part (A Live Unlabelled Excerpt) #2" (8:32), from "Awaken"


Notes: (****½) Release #3 of the Caped Crusader Collector Club more than makes up for the disappointment that was Release #2, as this one provides 72 minutes of alternate recordings from Wakeman's 1990s output, including a demo of "Never is a Long, Long Time" with Trevor Rabin on vocals and guitar. That several of the tracks were listed as "untitled" is slightly dismaying, but the tunes could be identified with relative ease. It remains unclear from which show(s) of the Yes Union tour the live recordings were taken. (Ray Riethmeier, 7 Aug 22)

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