Latest News
2004 News
24th December
May we wish all visitors to the website a very Merry X-mas and Happy New Year.
12th December
Oliver and his wife, Lisa, were in attendance at the 2004 Classic Rock Society 'Best of the Year' show and met up with lots of friends and a great time was had by all.
Many of you may be aware that every year the readers & subscribers of the 'Rock Society' magazine vote for their favourite musicians and as with previous years Oliver is extremely pleased to see that he and his musical associates did rather well. He is especially chuffed to see the band voted for in the 'Best New Band' category.
The results were as follows
Oliver came 3rd in the Best Keyboard Player Category, just behind his father Rick and Martin Orford (IQ) who won.
Purification by Sound was 13th in the Best Album Category for the second year running!
The CRS show was voted 13th best show of 2004.
The Oliver Wakeman Band were voted 9th Best New Band of 2004 and 11th in the Best Band category.
David Mark Pearce came 22nd in the Best Guitarist category.
Paul Brown came 14th in the Best Bass Player category
Dave Wagstaffe came 10th in the Best Drummer category
Paul Manzi came 8th in the Best Male Vocalist category.
As usual, Oliver would like to say thanks to all who took the time to vote for him and the other musicians.
14th November
OLIVER WAKEMAN TO MAKE A RETURN TO THE CLASSIC ROCK SOCIETY WITH HIS BAND
The Oliver Wakeman Band will play at The Boardwalk, in Sheffield on Saturday 30th April, 2005.
Tickets will go on sale before Christmas - £10 (£8 to CRS members in advance). The support will be named nearer the time.
Click here to order tickets online from The Classic Rock Society Website or contact Martin Hudson on 01709 702575 for more details.
2nd October
Due to a computer problem we regret that any emails that have been sent via the website during the last month could well have been refused or not received by us.
Please resend them using the 'drop us a line' link above and typing 'Duplicate Email' in the subject box!
We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.
19th September
The GIG! (Quick report - full report to follow soon!)
Just a quick report to say how pleased we were to see so many familiar faces at the Classic Rock Society show last night.
It was a real pleasure to perform new and old material alike and the reception the band received from the crowd was tremendous. Oliver was really pleased with the bands performance and hopefully there will now be more shows in the not too distant future!
There will be a full report to follow shortly but for those eager to know what was played - here's the set list!
Intro Music (Alternative version of 'The Ages of Magick')
Shadows of Fate (Hound of the Baskervilles)
At Home in the Mire (Hound of the Baskervilles)
Dangerous World (Jabberwocky)
A Glimmer of Light (Jabberwocky)
Don't Come Running (Mother's Ruin)
In the Movies (Mother's Ruin)
Enlightenment (Jabberwocky)
3 Broken Threads (Hound of the Baskervilles)
Picture of a Lady (Hound of the Baskervilles)
Burgundy Rose (Jabberwocky)
Calling for You (Mother's Ruin)
I Don't Believe in Angel (Mother's Ruin)
Run for Your Life (Hound of the Baskervilles)
Walk Away (Mother's Ruin)
encore:-
Coming to Town (Jabberwocky)
Outro Music (The Ages of Magick & Hy Breasail)
Keep checking the concerts page for details of up and coming shows!
11th September
The OLIVER WAKEMAN BAND PRESS RELEASE
For the first time in two years Oliver Wakeman returns to the stage with a full five-piece rock band.
Following the collaborative pairing with Rachel (of Rachel and Common Ground), Oliver presents a dynamic and energetic set that is sure to satisfy those who have yearned to hear Oliver back in 'rock' mode. The band is a mixture of faces old and new, with stalwart sticksman Dave Wagstaffe now joined very ably indeed by nimble-fingered Paul Brown on bass to complete the rhythm section; David Mark Pearce is back on electric guitar following his acoustic excursions at Herringthorpe with Oliver last year, and the ensemble is now fronted by the extremely talented and animated vocalist Paul Manzi, respectfully doing justice in recreating the familiar studio performances from his honourable peers yet still bringing his own style and flair to the fore.
Followers of Oliver's musical career will be rewarded with familiar pieces from his back catalogue, but along with those new to the dextrously-digitted world of Oliver Wakeman, you will be amply treated to new material, with several never-before-performed cuts from the forthcoming Mother's Ruin release.
Be warned though - co-headlining with Erik Norlander and Lana Lane is not to be taken lightly, so the band are going to be earning their wages on the night and will be in full swing for much of the set, so if you're expecting an evening of candelabras, chords and caviar, you might want to bring a set of headphones...
15th August
We are now able to announce that the band line up for the CRS concert on the 18th September 2004 will be:-
Oliver - Keyboards & Piano
Paul Manzi - Vocals
David Mark Pearce - Guitar
Paul Brown - Bass
Dave Wagstaffe - Drums
The more observant amongst you will note that there are a couple of new names to the band following the last full band show Oliver played.
The two Pauls have proved themselves to be excellent musicians who have slotted into their new roles within the band superbly and Oliver reckons that this is the best the band has ever sounded!
22nd June
Oliver and his band will be performing for the Classic Rock Society in September as one half of a co-headlining concert with Lana Lane & Erik Norlander from the US.
See the Gigs page for further details!
12th JuneWe are delighted to report that 'The Human Equation" by Ayreon (which features a guest solo by Oliver) hit the top 10 in Holland - (No 7).
This is the first time Oliver has appeared on a top ten album and our congratulations go out to the Ayreon mastermind (and friend of Oliver's) Arjen Lucassen.
We have also heard that Peter Pracownik (the artist responsible for the Hound of the Baskervilles cover) is to release a book on the 14th September. This book covers all of Peters work and will include a section on the Hound cover and the 'The View from Here' cover.
One to watch out for!
19th May
Been a bit quiet of late hasn't it! No major news on Oliver's Mother's Ruin album yet, although as per usual things are busy behind the scenes!
However, Monday will see the release of the new Ayreon album - 'The Human Equation' which features Oliver on the track 'Day 17:Accident?'.
Oliver has received a copy of the album and it looks and sounds great. More info on 'The Human Equation' can be found by clicking here.
There are three versions of the album - the Limited Edition has a photo of Oliver (as well as the other artists!) in the sleeve and a DVD. The Special edition features the DVD as well (which features a small section on Oliver) and the normal release is a nicely packaged 2CD affair.
The album is well worth checking out and the limited editions are well worth picking up for their rarety value!
22nd March
The track 'Progress of the Soul' (from Oliver's Spiritual Enlightenment CD - one of the Divine Harmonies CD's) has been used as the title music for a new DVD called "Complimentary Medicine - The Facts"
Amazon.co.uk have described the album as
"A look at a large range of complementary medicines. Top professionals clearly explain nineteen complementary medicine subjects. The programme shows a variety of disciplines and demonstrates how practitioners apply their skills."
If you are interested in Complimentary Medicine or are a completist then there are copies for sale on Amazon.co.uk - click here to be taken directly to the DVD.
To find out more about the album - click on the reviews or the soundbites links above.
21st March
'Ayreon: The Human Equation':
Oliver has supplied a small piece of movie footage of him playing the solo but whether this will make it onto the DVD is not known as yet!
20th March
The RWCC shop now has copies of the 'Divine Harmonies' Boxset available to purchase. Click here to be taken to the RWCC site.
9th March
This information has been reported on the Ayreon website concerning Oliver's involvement on Arjen Lucassen's new album.
Arjen: In 2002 I played guitar on Clive Nolan's and Oliver Wakeman's 'Hound of the Baskervilles' album. Ever since then I've been in regular email contact with Oliver.
Already a long time ago we agreed to play on each others projects one day. For this album I had the idea to have Oliver and his father Rick do a synth-duel. Rick emailed me that he didn't have time because he was busy with 'all things Yes', but he would have time in a year or so- which would unfortunately be too late.
So Oliver played the solo on his own, and he played some beautiful melodies over a difficult 6/8 part. I love that last note, brilliant!
The release date for 'Ayreon: The Human Equation' will be May 24, 2004 in Europe, and the release date for the U.S. is May 25, 2004
11th February
The'Yes' fans amongst you will be interested to know that Oliver was involved in Steve Howe's re-recording of Australia for the 3-disc version of 'The Ultimate Yes'.
For more information about this have a look at the Q&A section of the site!
4th January
Happy New Year!
Well it's the time of year that lots of magazine polls and internet "best of...." lists start to appear and Oliver is extremely pleased to see that he and his musical associates did rather well in the CRS annual polls. This is a particularly rewarding poll as it is voted for by the readers and subscribers of the 'Rock Society' magazine.
The results were as follows
Oliver came 4th in the Best Keyboard Player Category (incidentally it was won by his father Rick!)
Purification by Sound was 13th in the Best Album Category (Ricks 'Out there' came 12th)
The Acoustic Sessions 2 gig was voted 13th best show of 2003 of which Oliver was one of the featured artists.
The Oliver and Rachel Band were voted 15th best live show of 2003 and 20th in the Best New Band category.
David Mark Pearce came 20th in the Best Guitarist category.
Tim Buchanan came 11th in the Best Bass Player category
Dave Wagstaffe came 14th in the Best Drummer category
Rachel heffer came 15th in the Best Female Vocalist category.
As usual, Oliver would like to say thanks to all who took the time to vote for him and the other musicians.
Top of page
2003 News
20th December
We would just like to wish all the visitors to the website a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Here's to 2004!
13th December
Well we know it's been a big quiet of late for which we apologise but with good reason.
Oliver has had some interest in the new album 'Mother's Ruin' from a few companies and is now starting to work through some of the options. As you are all aware, Oliver feels this is the best thing he has written so far and is extremely keen to make sure it gets the best chance possible.
The main news that we can report is that Oliver is to make a guest appearance on the new Ayreon album "The Human Equation". As many of you will know, Oliver doesn't tend to make too many appearances on other albums but is a big fan of Arjen Lucassen and the previous Ayreon albums.
Fans on Oliver's work will have noticed that Arjen played some stunning solos on "The Hound of the Baskervilles" and Oliver is keen to return the favour. The album will also feature (amongst others), James LaBrie (Dream Theatre) and Heather Finlay (Mostly Autumn). Oliver is looking forward to hearing the finished article! More news on that when we get it!
26th November
New mail order shop added to the website. You can now order all Oliver's albums via the website!
Simply Click on the 'Shop' link above to be taken there. Unfortunately, we can only accept Pound Sterling cheques at the moment.
14th November
Well the CRS Acoustic Sessions went down very well and a very enjoyable evening was had by all!
There will be a proper report on the show in the near future but for those of you who couldn't attend here is the set list!
1. Heaven's Isle/Montague's Wreck medley (Heaven's Isle)
2. Nature's Way (Purification by Sound)
3. Lutey and the Mermaid (3 Ages of Magick)
4. Glimmer of Light (Jabberwocky)
5. The Forgotten King (3 Ages of Magick)
6. Lisa's Piece (Unreleased at present!)
Oliver was joined on stage by David Mark Pearce on Classical Guitar for Nature's Way, The Forgotten King and Glimmer of Light. Oliver was also joined on stage for Glimmer of Light by Jo Knight (Vocals) and Troy Donockley (from Iona) on whistle.
Oliver finished his set with a new piano piece he'd been working on for his wife Lisa (who was watching from the audience!) This was the first performance of the piece and it was really well received by all the crowd and not just his wife!
The show was recorded for release next year through the CRS and was also shot on video so you may get to see the footage at some point!
Oliver would just like to say how nice it was to meet the people who came along to watch and to say thanks to the organisers of the show (Martin Hudson and the CRS), his wife Lisa for her support and to Dave Pearce and Mike Clarke who travelled up from Cornwall for the show.
7th November
Just a quick reminder of the CRS acoustic sessions that are being held tomorrow evening at the Herringthorpe Lesiure Centre in Rotherham.
Oliver will be the second to last act (just before the guys from Iona) and will be joined on stage for most of the set by David Mark Pearce on Classical Guitar.
If you can get to the gig it would be great for all the acts and it will also help the CRS develop and grow as it deserves. You may also get to hear a few of Oliver's pieces that haven't been played live before! More details can be found on the gigs page of the site.
Hope to see you there!!
1st October
Well it's about time we had a proper update after what has proved to be a very quiet summer for Oliver and the guys.
This update is instead of the regular newslist update that usually goes out once a month but because of a virus thing that attacked the computer in early September we lost the Newslist members details. So please re-join (if you haven't already done so) and the newslists will be back up and running soon. We promise!
Mother's Ruin is still being deliberated upon by various companies, one of which Oliver would really like to take it but more about that when (fingers crossed!) they say yes. We can only apologise for the delay in getting more information about the album to you but we were hoping by now that we would have a release date.
On a more positive move, Oliver has finished designing the artwork and inlay layout and is quite a departure from his previous design work.
Responses from the family and friends that have listened to Mother's Ruin continue to be full of praise for the album so please do keep checking back here for news on it's release - we're hopeful that you won't be disappointed!
Some of you were no doubt disappointed at the cancellation of the live date for the Classic Rock Society in September but all we can really say at this point is that there was a very real logistic problem with putting together the rehearsals for just one show.
It makes sense to hold back on lots of rehearsals until the album has a release date and then we can schedule more dates around the same time. Rehearsals are difficult for the guys as they all have to travel from different parts of the country and so it made sense to postpone the live show until the new year. All tickets purchased will be valid for the new show.
However, Oliver will be appearing at the 2nd CRS Acoustic sessions on Saturday 8th Novemeber for a short set. Oliver will be bringing along his guitarist David Mark Pearce (+ acoustic guitar) and the guys are due to start preparing for that very soon.
Oliver is planning to play some material that has never been performed live before so it should be an interesting night.
Some of you have been asking what has happened to the 'Anam Cara' project that was much talked about last year. Well nothing very sinister to report. Rachel discovered that she and her husband Mark were expecting their first child and with the birth due in November felt that they didn't want to be travelling around the country with Rachel pregnant.
We're sure that the 'Anam Cara' project, in one form or another, will be finished at some point in the future but for the time being we all wish the happy family all the best for the upcoming birth.
Oliver and Clive are still writing the new album. Nothing new to report there!
Well that's about it update wise. On a side note, Steve Hackett is touring the UK and Europe over the next month so if you get a chance go and see him perform. Oliver has been doing a lot of design work for Steve's office which includes the tour program!
21st September
Due to a computer bug we have unfortunately lost the details of all the members of the Newslist.
Please re-enter your details on the opening screen or alternatively click on the 'Oliver Wakeman Website' image above to get the intro screen appear below.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
The next Newslist will be sent out in Mid-October.
13th August
Some bad news to report we are afraid.
Due to logistical problems with rehearsals it is with great regret that Oliver and his band will be unable to fulfil their concert for the Classic Rock society on the 13th September 2003.
The concert will hopefully be re-scheduled for early 2004, hopefully to coincide with the release of Oliver's new rock album, Mother's Ruin.
We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause to any fans that have already bought tickets but they will be valid for the re-scheduled show in the New Year. Please contact Martin Hudson on 01709 702575 for any further information.
However, Oliver will be appearing at the 2nd CRS Acoustic sessions on Saturday 8th November at the Herringthorpe Leisure Centre.
Tickets are £12 on the night and £10 in advance to CRS subscribers. The evening will be recorded live for the second Acoustic Sessions CD! Doors will open at 7.00pm and we will kick off at 7.30pm prompt.
Appearing with Oliver will be the following artists:- Troy Donockley - Dave Bainbridge (Iona), Quecia, Pipol from France & Jo Knight
5th August
"Purification by Sound" is officially available in the US from today!
31st July
The last two poetry CD's that we mentioned earlier in the year, have been finished and are now available.
As with the other poetry CD's Oliver has been involved in - Oliver has only written the incidental music and this is not a poetry to music type of CD.
The "Heroic Poetry" CD features Derek Jacobi (known for such work as Gladiator, I Claudius, Cadfael and many many more - although Oliver loved his performance on Frasier!) and David Rintoul (a RADA trained actor who has appeared in many leading roles for many of Britain's most reputable companies - has also appeared on many TV shows including Horn Blower, Taggert and Doctor Finlay).
The "Lovers Trysts" CD, again, features David Rintoul along with Juliet Stevenson (known for her various leading roles for the Royal Shakespeare Company as well as her roles in various films such as Truly Madly Deeply.) and Judy Bennett (known for her varied career in voice over work for such loved children's classics as Rupert Bear and well as a regular in the British Radio Drama the Archers).
As with the other poetry CD's, if you love poetry then these CD's are for you but the music content is only a small section of the recorded work.
25th July
All the recording for the 'Mother's Ruin' album has been completed!
Dave Wagstaffe came in to Thin Ice Studios on Monday to complete his drums on the final three tracks for the album. He did a great job as per usual!
Tuesday saw Moon arrive for his stint in the studio and he proceeded to record some absolutely fantastic vocal parts. They really need to be heard to be believed, full of passion and the performances were first class.
All the musicians on this album have made it into something Oliver only dreamed would be possible.
Oliver is due up again in the studio for a few days next week to finalise the mix with Karl Groom and the mastering of the album has been set for early August.
The camera has been doing overtime at the studio as well so expect a few photos to appear on the photo album section of the site over the next few days.
19th July
Well we know it's been a little quiet on the site for the last few weeks but Oliver hasn't been away on holiday or relaxing. Quite the opposite in fact!
The last 3-4 weeks have seem a phenomenal amount of work being undertaken for the new 'Mother's Ruin' album. All the Bass Guitar parts have been finished and so have all of Dave Pearce's guitar parts.
The final tracks requiring drums are to be recorded early next week along with Moon's vocals.
The mix is due immediately after with Karl Groom in the chair (who recently completed John Wetton's latest album) followed by the mastering in early August.
No one is keener than Oliver to see this album finally released and it really is turning into something special.
As soon as we know the release date we will let you all know.
Work is due to begin immediately afterwards on the rehearsals for the Classic Rock society show on the 13th September 2003. The band are hoping to be out playing live again sometime in late October.
We do look forward to seeing you there!
26th June
Purification by Sound is due for official release in the United States on the 5th August 2003. The release is by President Records and the catalogue number is RWCD37.
25th June
Some time ago a discussion group was set up on Yahoo! for various fans of Oliver's to discuss his work.
After a quite enthusiastic start it seems to have gone quite quiet! If you fancy joining the discussion group and want to get involved in talking about Oliver's albums, simply click the link on the 'Links' page and follow the sign in instructions.
23rd June
The main piece of news this month is that Oliver has finally decided on the vocalist for the forthcoming 'Mother's Ruin' album. Various people were sought out and lots of demos were listened to but in the end we can announce that the new vocalist is a great singer call 'Moon Kinnaird'.
Many of you may not have heard of Moon but we can assure you that if you are a fan on Oliver's work with Clive you will have heard his voice. Moon played the part of 'Seldon' on the 'Hound of the Baskervilles' album and also sang in the choir on Jabberwocky.
All the band are extremely excited about the upcoming album with Moon singing, none more so than Oliver himself! More details about Moon are below along with details of the album.
Recording is continuing on the album with the music coming together at a great rate.Work on the guitars has started, the bass recording is nearly finished and as we mentioned above Moon is now happily (we hope!) learning his vocal parts. Dave Wagstaffe has just a couple of tracks left to finish off up at Thin Ice Studios and then the mix is set for late July.
The album will consist of 9 tracks and the album has a proposed release of September/October 2003 although who with has yet to be confirmed.
We shall take this opportunity to mention a bit more about Moon and his previous work:
Moon won the Classic Rock Societies best Vocalist of the year award in 1994. He studied voice and classical guitar at the Exeter school of music from 1981 until 1983 and has worked with (amongst others):
Big Silence, Valley Of The Kings (single) Go Go Baby (single)
The Edith Morgan Unit, These Are The Things (single)
Slaphead, Love For Me (single)
Goliath
Landmarq
Medicine Man, The Journey (album)
Martin Darvill & Friends, The Greatest Show On Earth (album)
Oliver Wakeman & Clive Nolan, Jabberwocky, and The Hound Of The Baskervilles
& Ken Hensley, (backing vocals for 2 live gigs)
The band are really looking forward to the live gigs towards the end of this year and rehearsals should begin shortly after the album is completed.
16th June
Oliver has been busy (in between writing and recording his new Mother's Ruin album) designing and putting together the new Adam Wakeman website!
Adam's new album 'Neurasthenia' is now available to purchase by mail order - the details are on his new site! To visit the site click here or visit it via the links page.
Some of you may be aware that Oliver also did the sleeve design and page layout too! The album is well worth purchasing and is full of great songs.
4th June
Those of you who subscribe to the newslist will be aware that Oliver has begun work on a new solo album 'Mother's Ruin'. We are now going to give the other visitors to the site a bit of an insight into this album and the up to date news on it!
It has been Oliver's wish for many years to write a rock album and it has been under development for a long long time now. However, the music is pretty much all new! Various songs have been discarded along the way or deemed not suitable and after writing about 30 songs, the nine songs that will appear have been chosen.
The album is to have a band approach and so ,continuing their great work on previous releases with Oliver, the line up is as follows - Oliver (Keys), Dave Pearce (Guitars), Tim Buchanan (Basses) and Dave Wagstaffe (Drums). The vocals position is currently being discussed and we will hopefully have some interesting news for you in the near future.
Dave has recorded most of his drum parts at 'Thin Ice Studios', the same place that 'Hound', 'Jabberwocky' & '3 Ages' were mixed. The drums were recorded by Karl Groom (from Threshold) who will also be undertaking the mixing job once again.
Dave Wagstaffe also played on 'The 3 Ages of Magick' and 'The View from Here' as well as appearing in the choir on 'Jabberwocky'. Oliver rates Dave's drumming extremely highly as he is able to deal with all of the 'clever bits' Oliver expects to be learnt by yesterday!
Tim Buchanan (also from the above mentioned recordings) has nearly completed his bass recording at 'The Opus Suite' in Devon and has done a fine job as usual!
Dave Pearce has started his Guitar recording and has the fun job of working out his own solo's after having had to learn Steve Howe's, Arjen Lucassen's and Peter Bank's for the live gig last year!
The album is to have a rocky band approach which is heightened by the fact that the guys spent a long time rehearsing for the CRS show last year and so are aware of each others styles. This makes the project all the more exciting and different from the approach taken with Oliver's previous albums.
We don't have any details of a release date as yet but with the mix penciled in for early August, expect the album to be available sometime in September/October.
26th May
'Purification by Sound' is officially released today!
16th May
President Records have announced that the official release date for 'Purification by Sound' is to be Monday the 26th May 2003.
President are, however, taking orders and posting them out in advance of this date! See the news item below for detail on how to order.
The first review has been added to the new reviews page. Use the link above to view this review and others relating to Oliver's albums.
22nd April
President Records have informed us that 'Purification by Sound' is due for official release towards the end of May or early June.
However, if you want to, you can order the album direct from President Records and receive your copy much much quicker!! The price for customers who wish to purchase directly from President is £12.98 (this includes p&p).
If you want to purchase a copy you can order it direct from President by clicking here or you can call them on +44 (if outside the UK) 020 7385 7700. Remember to quote the catalogue number when ordering - RWCD37!
16th April
The 'Chakras' album Oliver was commissioned to write last year is being released in Brazil through the company 'Cid'.
The CD is packaged in a CD jewel case as opposed to the Digipack packaging of the original release and subsequently has a new catalogue number of CD 00636/1.
For more information please visit www.cid.com.br
4th April
Oliver was extremely proud to see that 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' album was voted the 17th best album of 2002 by the Dutch Progressive Rock Page (DPRP).
This was a hard fought category in which 340 different albums were voted for, which makes the placing of the album even more rewarding. It is always an honour to be voted for, and he would like to thank all who voted for him.
The full results can be accessed by clicking here. You can also get to the DPRP pages by clicking on their link on the 'Links' page.
31st March
The "Questions and Answers" section of the site has been uploaded. Have a look and see if any of your questions about Oliver's music have been answered.
If you have a question why not submit it to the team!
27th March
After a great deal of coaxing, Clive and Oliver have revealed the subject for the next Nolan & Wakeman project.
They are, as they put it,"Going more over the top than ever before", and have chosen to call their next album "Frankenstein". Release is expected in early-mid 2004.
26th March
There are now audio samples of the 'Enlightenment' album available to listen to on the soundbites page!
25th March
Bad news we're afraid, but due to circumstances beyond our control the concert at the Acorn Theatre which had been advertised on this site no longer has Anam Cara's involvement.
21st March
Purification by Sound - Oliver Wakeman.
Good news for the people who emailed us asking for more information about this album. President Records have signed the rights for its release!
Oliver has just delivered the artwork and the CD master to President and the album is going into production this week
We do not have a release date as yet but as soon as we have the details we will let you know. We are hopeful that it will be before the summer.
The album is a collection of mellow instrumental keyboard work and has been very well received by all who have heard it!
The catalogue number will be RWCD 37 and for more details on President Records click here.
18th March
'The 3 Ages of Magick' - Oliver Wakeman with Steve Howe is re-issued in the US today by Navarre Distribution. Click here to be taken to their site and details on the album.
10th March
Disky communications have announced that the release date for the "Divine Harmonie" 3 CD box set is the 31st March.
This box set features an instrumental album by Oliver as well as instrumental albums by Harvey Summers & Dale Sumner. We will hopefully have some audio samples on the website in the near future.
As soon as we have any idea of where the box set is available - we'll let you know!
11th February
Resurgence have confirmed that 'The 3 Ages of Magick' - Oliver Wakeman with Steve Howe is due to be re-released, in the U.S.A., on Tuesday 18th March. It will be distributed by Navarre Distribution.
Great news for the US as the album has been difficult to come by since it's original release in September 2001.
9th February
Oliver and Rachel and the band are due to play various concerts this year in the UK. They will be performing under the name "Anam Cara" Featuring Oliver Wakeman & Rachel.'
Various dates have been booked so far and more are to come. We look forward to seeing you at a show or two!
Check the Gigs page for further details!
14th January
Audio samples of 'The View from Here" EP are now available to download from the Sounds link above!
If you like it - you can purchase the EP through either "PayPal" (see the Oliver & Rachel section of the site) or through the RWCC shop (click the shop logo above).
8th January
The Oliver Wakeman & Rachel section of the site is now online. It can be accessed by clicking on the albums link above and then by clicking on the cover of "The View from Here". It can also be accessed by using the Oliver & Rachel link above!
There is now a direct link to the RWCC Shop (Rick Wakeman Communication Centre!) where all Oliver's albums are available for purchase by credit card. Any queries should be directed by email to Mike Holden.
1st January
Happy New Year to all our visitors. Thank you for your support throughout 2002.
May we wish you all the very best for 2003!
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2002 News
24th December
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our visitors from all of us at the Oliver Wakeman Website.
Thanks for visiting the site over the last few years and we hope to see you all next year!
22nd December
Note to all webmasters who link to this site.
Our site host has now changed, and any direct links with 'soft.net/whitecottage' in are now going to be invalid - all links via www.oliverwakeman.co.uk have been moved to a new host, so service in this manner should not be affected. Any queries about any existing links you may have set up - please email us.
16th December
What a night!!
The gig in Rotherham for the Classic Rock Society on Saturday was a great success! Thanks to all who came along and supported Oliver & Rachel and the band. They all played superbly and an extremely enjoyable evening was had by all!! Martin had invited two very special guests to hand out the awards. They were Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone, both very well respected musicians who have had a long and successful careers in bands such as 'Argent', 'The Zombies' and 'The Alan Parsons Project'.
A bit of a surprise happened before the awards when Damian Wilson and Oliver got up on stage to perform two of Damian's songs,'When I Leave this Land' and'Homegrown' from Damian's 'Cosmas' album. The duo were extremely well received and it helped settle Oliver before the evenings main entertainment! A more in depth review of the evening will appear here very shortly!
Rachel was on great form and David Mark Pearce, Tim Buchanan and Dave Wagstaffe all played fantastically well. Oliver was as proud as could be as everyone seemed to be enjoying his songs and his playing!
Guests on the night included, Karnataka, Mostly Autumn, Damian Wilson, Rick Wakeman and most importantly for Oliver - his wife Lisa!
12th December
Well we are now just a couple of days away from the gig and the band sound great. We look forward to seeing you there!
The 4 track single has been mixed and mastered and will definitely be available on the night! The single now has a fourth track - a Celtic version of 'The View from Here'.
We are also able to take orders by mail order - simply send a cheque for £5.50 (this includes p&p in the UK - £6 all other countries) payable to 'Watermark Records' to PO Box 109, Truro, Cornwall. TR1 1WN. For alternative payment options including 'Paypal' (www.paypal.com) and 'Nochex' (www.nochex.co.uk), email us!"
This single is only a limited release and is not currently available anywhere else. Order yours whilst you can!
Below is the review of the 3 track promo from 'Rock Society' magazine.
Anam Cara Promotional CD (now "The View from Here" Single)
This is Oliver Wakeman's latest project giving us a chance to have an early look at three tracks from the forthcoming album. Oliver draws on the beautiful voice of Rachel of Rachel & Common Ground fame, Landmarq's drum ace Dave Wagstaffe, bass man Tim Buchanan and David Mark Pearce on guitar.
The CD starts out with 'The View from Here'; a steady paced ballad where Rachel sounds stunning, Oliver's keyboard style is reminiscent of his famous father and the injection of a guitar solo perfect. Classic rock fans that want to associate Oliver with the rockier face of music ought to get off the boat right here because his music has nothing less than beauty and a classical appeal that he has been building on for several years. His work with Clive Nolan (Jabberwocky and Hounds of the Baskerville) has obviously been a stepping-stone towards this and other work for the future. What does shine through is Oliver's obvious ability to write music for concepts and even for a West End show, a place where he must aim for.
His use of pure piano and the more electronic side slots in to place perfectly and with Rachel's easy on the ear voice and the clean nature of the music it will appeal to a wider audience. He is, in essence, a totally different style of keyboard player to younger brother Adam and where a juicy guitar solo bursts in to a song like 'Instead of my Fear' you could be forgiven in thinking that Oliver is trying hard to appease progressive rock fans as well as those with leanings towards the classical concepts.
"1000 Autumn's" is the third track and again the pace of the song is gentle and totally right for Rachel's voice. It all melts together so well this could be a partnership made in Devon!
Martin Hudson
20th November
Some of you may be aware that a 3 track promo of the 'Anam Cara' album has been favourably reviewed by a few magazines.
Oliver & Rachel have decided to release these three tracks as a CD single called 'The View from Here'. The CD has been mixed and mastered and will be available at the CRS Awards concert on the 14th December. Copies will also be available through the website soon. Keep checking the site for more information!
Peter Pracownik (the artist who painted the 'Hound of the Baskervilles' cover) has supplied the artwork for the single and as per usual it is a stunning piece of work!
6th November
Oliver and Clive have been in discussion concerning their latest album together and the concept has been chosen!! As per usual with the pairs albums, they take a while to develop and record so don't expect a quick release.
We'll let you have more details as we get them.
24th October
Photo Album updated with a few wedding shots - more to come!!
To view the Photo Album just click on the link in the navigator above.
23rd October
Oliver has completed the incidental music for two further poetry CD's, one of which features the voice of actor, Derek Jacobi. He has appeared in many films and television shows, one of the more recent being Gladiator, in which he played the part of Senator Gracchus.
The release date is unknown at the moment, but our understanding is that the new CD's will be included with the previous four in a box set.
17th October
'Chakras', Oliver's New Age/Relaxation release, is now being stocked by Jungle.com.
15th October
The quiz CD's entitled "Name That Tune" (for which Oliver wrote the jingle) are now available to purchase through various outlets as a box set. One that we have found is CDzone which has the box set for £7.90. The quickest way to find the CD is by searching for it using the catalogue number : CB793802.
As before, Oliver is very pleased with the jingle he wrote but unless you are really into music quizzes, this album might be for 'completists' only!
14th October
Rehearsals are now well under way for the show in December and the planned shows in 2003. First impressions are that it is going to sound great and also be a lot of fun!
8th October
We have now updated the links page and the more observant of you will have noticed that the 'Opus Music' link is now up and running. The page still needs a few tweeks but the information about 'Purification by Sound' is currently up to date.
Opus Music are currently in discussions with a distributor to hopefully get the album released in the near future and we will keep you informed with any news relating to 'Opus Music' when it becomes available.
3rd October
This months Classic Rock Society magazine features an article and a double page spread of photos from the wedding. Very nice it looks too!
It also features a great review of the promo 3 track 'Oliver Wakeman & Rachel' CD. We will soon be putting together a section on this site dedicated to this new project.
If you want to get hold of a copy of the magazine - contact Martin Hudson on 01709 702575 or email him at MHudsonrok@aol.com
1st October
Oliver & Rachel will be performing as the headline act at this years Awards Night for the Classic Rock Society.
The set will include material from the new album 'Anam Cara' along with material from 'The Hound of the Baskervilles', 'Jabberwocky' and 'The 3 Ages of Magick'.
The Band will be
Oliver - Keyboards
Rachel - Vocals
David Mark Pearce - Guitars
Tim Buchanan - Bass
Dave Wagstaffe - Drums
It should be a great evening as the awards nights are usually something very special. The gig will be at the Oakwood Theatre on the 14th December. for more information or tickets contact Martin Hudson on 01709 826777. This will be the band's only 2002 outing but more shows are planned for the new year. We look forward to seeing you there!
5th September
Well it happened and went superbly! We are talking of course about Oliver's marriage to Lisa Dennison.
The Wedding was held at a Manor House close to Dartmoor, one of the buildings that 'Baskerville Hall' is allegedly based on. The Manor even has the portrait hanging on the wall of the member of the family who nearly ruined the family!
The Ceremony was wonderful and included a beautiful reading by their friend Diane along with Rick performing Pachabel's 'Canon in D' for the bride's entrance and Handel's 'Where'er You Roam' for the signing of the register.
Following the meal and speeches, which were extremely entertaining, the evening guests arrived and the entertainment started! 'Smokestack', the blues band Oliver used to play with were the basis of the band and they were augmented by various musicians through out the evening.
The evening started with Damian Wilson leading the band through 'Fly Me to The Moon' for Mr & Mrs Wakeman's first dance.
The musicians throughout the evening included,
Damian Wilson - Vocals
Rachel (from Anam Cara) - Vocals
Bob Catley - Vocals
Oliver & Adam Wakeman (at the same time for the first time ever!!) on Keyboards
Steve Howe - Guitar
David Mark Pearce (Anam Cara) - Guitar
Dave Wagstaffe (Landmarq & Anam Cara) - Drums
Also present were, Peter Pracownik (the artist for Hound) and Mick Pointer (ex-Marillion & Arena).
The festivities drew to a close in the early hours of the morning and a wonderful time was had by all and Mr & Mrs Wakeman both said that it was the greatest day of their lives. They would like to thank all the visitors to the site who passed on their good wishes for the happy couple.
4th September
The Anam Cara project is now building up steam! The first three tracks have been mixed and are now in the offices of various record companies so if you could all keep your fingers crossed it would be much appreciated!!
We'll try and get some MP3's of some of the new material on the 'Soundbites' page very soon.
1st September
Oliver has completed work on a new instrumental album due for release at the end of the year. Again commissioned for release on the Balance & Harmony label (as was Chakras).
It is one CD of a three CD set due for release under the subject of Angels. Oliver had a lot of fun recording the album and is best described as a cross between '3 Ages' and 'Heaven's Isle'. The album is due for release in January 2003.
25th July
As some of you are aware, Oliver has designed the new RWCC (Rick Wakeman Communication Centre) logo for his father's newsletter - it can be seen on the new (!) Spring newsletter.
14th July
The July issue of the 'Devon Life' magazine is now out and features a great two page spread about Oliver and his work so far. The magazine is available in all good newsagents in the South West of England or in Sainsburys, Safeway, Tescos etc... Alternatively, you could contact Devon Life direct at info@devonlife.co.uk.
13th July
The 60's, 70's & 80's Quiz CD that Oliver supplied some music for (we mentioned it here some time ago) has now been pressed with in 3CD box set and is due for release on Friday 20th July. The quiz CD's are entitled "Name That Tune". The concept is a quiz game based on the TV show using snippets of music and the players have to... we're pretty sure you can guess! Oliver is very pleased with the jingle he wrote but unless you are really into music quizzes, this album might be for 'completists' only!
12th July
This has been posted on the Verglas website:
From Robert van Ling: I just want to congratulate and thank Clive and Oliver for their beautiful album "The Hound of the Baskervilles". I love the album, especially musically, and look forward to any new albums of this collaboration.
From Verglas: Both Clive and Oliver (and indeed, Verglas Music!) are overwhelmed with the positive response this album has had. It has already surpassed "Jabberwocky" in terms of sales and has encouraged the team to consider a follow-up. Very exciting!
11th July
Well, it's been a busy few weeks for Oliver!
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the original deal for the 'Anam Cara' album (billed as Oliver Wakeman & Rachel) is now not going to happen. Part of the original deal was for a laid back Celtic feel album featuring keyboards, vocals and harp. Now that Oliver and Rachel have more control over the project the decision was reached to expand the possibilities of the project somewhat.
So in to the fold have come Dave Wagstaffe (Drums) and Tim Buchanan (Bass), the rhythm section from the 3 Ages album, to add some dynamics and colour to the album. The drums were recorded back at Goodmerry Farm studios which the credit readers amongst you will notice that that is where 3 Ages was recorded.
Also adding some colour to the proceedings is a new name to this set-up, David Mark Pearce, an excellent guitarist who has previously added acoustic guitar to a couple of the tracks. He has now been given a little more freedom and we are looking forward to hearing the results! Dave also mixed the original album and will be carrying out the duties again when this recording is finished.
The mix is due in early August and we will keep you well up to date on what is happening with the album!
23rd May
The four spoken poetry CDs mentioned below featuring Oliver's incidental music are now appearing in listings. For example CDzone has them for £5.70 each. Many thanks to Graham Johnson for letting us know.
22nd May
Last year we mentioned that Oliver had been commissioned to write the incidental music to four spoken work poetry CDs. These have now been printed and pressed and are due for release at the end of May/early June. The four CDs are being released by Disky and the titles are as follows:
The Great Love Poets - Shakespeare, Browning, Clare, Hardy & Keats - DC793322 - read by Sian Phillips, Samuel West & Steven Crossley
The Great War Poets - Brooke, Owen, Thomas, DH Lawrence & Rosenberg - DC793302 - read by Christopher Farries, Anthony Davies & Pat Nelson
The Great Epic Poems - Tennyson, Scott, Gray, Coleridge & Fitzgerald - DC793312 - read by Anthony Davies, John Green & Christopher Farries
Poems of Natural Beauty - Wordsworth, Clare, Arnold, Keats, Burns & Hardy - DC793332 - read by Sian Phillips, Samuel West & Steven Crossley
Although his name does not appear on the front cover of the album, Oliver is fully credited with the composition and performance on the inside cover of the booklet. The music for these albums was written around the time of the launch of the "3 Ages of Magick". The War poetry album features Jo Greenland on Violin on a couple of pieces and the Epic poetry album features Tony Dixon on whistle.
Much to Oliver's amusement, he is included in the running order of the CD under authors' credits and so is placed between such illustrious persons as Shakespeare, John Keats & Thomas Gray!
18th May
Apologies for the lack of activity at the website during the last month or so but there has been good reason! Oliver has now completed his latest album, called 'Anam Cara' and is a joint project with a very talented singer/harpist called Rachel. Some may know of her work with the band 'Rachel & Common Ground' or may have seen her as a support artist on the recent Midge Ure tour. The album features a couple of arrangements of traditional pieces, along with a lot of new original material. As soon as we have a release date we shall keep you informed. Oliver is extremely pleased with the result and is looking forward to their next collaboration!
15th May
Oliver's brother Adam is due to release his new album in the near future - it is called 'Neurasthenia' and Oliver is responsible for the sleeve design and layout. Although not many people know of Oliver's other work, he has been involved with the design and layout of a lot of his album covers having qualified as a graphic designer!
For more details about Adam's CD and to see examples of the CD sleeve, visit www.adamwakeman.com.
9th May
News from the Hybrid website, regarding the forthcoming album, 'Regeneration':
"Speaking of which, we are incredibly happy to announce that John Jowitt [who also featured on 'Hound'] will be man of the moment on bass this time. John has been our first choice for every project, but this is the first time that our schedules have coincided. Needless to say we are very excited. Just as exciting, of course, is the prospect of working with Oliver Wakeman again. Several songs have been arranged with Oliver specifically in mind as we agree that he is one of the most talented (and underrated) keyboard players around at the moment."
Thanks guys!
7th May
Work is continuing in the studios on the latest projects and Oliver and Clive have been in contact to start the discussions and preliminary meetings for their next project together. Don't hold your breath for news about a release just yet as they haven't decided what to do yet!
6th May
The Oliver Wakeman Website now has a new domain name - http://www.oliverwakeman.co.uk. All of the existing links to the website will still work though - the actual location of the website has not changed, so service will be maintained as usual!
1st May
The Classic Rock Society Magazine (formerly Wondrous Stories) printed a list of the top 10 selling albums through their mail order department for the first 4 months of the year and 'Hound of the Baskervilles' was the best seller. A great achievement when the album wasn't released until February!
28th April
Oliver was recently interviewed for the Westcountry publication "Devon Life", a glossy magazine that appears in all the major supermarkets and newsagents in Oliver's home county. We don't know when the interview is likely to go print but we will keep you informed.
Even though the website has been quiet for a while there has been no lack of activity behinds the scenes. Oliver has continued with the promotion for 'Hound' as well as writing a new album - details to follow later!!!
Mother's Ruin - We know that this album has been mentioned for quite a while now and the production schedule of it keeps being put further and further back. This may be a bit unfortunate for those of you waiting to hear it, but certainly it is extremely frustrating for Oliver who really wants this album released. The reason behind the constant delays is that Oliver wants to make sure this album gets the proper promotion and support that this album needs to make sure it gets the best chance possible. It is a rock album with a band that Oliver has put together for it. The songs are all written and the performers chosen (quite a line up too!), although we are waiting for more concrete interest from record companies before going into the studio with the material. So please, bear with us on this one!
Oliver is currently working extremely hard on a new project. We cannot disclose too many details at the moment but if you liked the track 'Standing Stones' on 3 Ages then this one shouldn't disappoint.
Oliver is hoping to mix his latest New Age album 'Purification by Sound' in the near future. This will hopefully be getting a release through the Opus Music label towards the middle of the year. If you have a copy of the original Heaven's Isle, you will see that Opus Music was the company that originally released it. More news on this as we get it.
Wedding plans are also going well as the big day approaches!!!!
1st April
The track, 'Standing Stones' from 'the 3 Ages of Magick' is to appear on the North Devon Hospice charity CD. The CD is being produced to raise funds for this worthwhile cause. The CD will also feature, amongst others, Elkie Brooks and Joss Ackland. More details can be found by visiting the website at www.oneheart.org.uk.
5th March
In the March issue of Wondrous Stories in an interview with Bob Catley, Bob had this to say about the new Hound of the Baskervilles album:
"I play Sir Henry Baskerville on that. I've done about four songs for them. It's a really good album I like doing session work, as long as it is good stuff. It has got to be a great song. I'm not going to sing shit! But I've been lucky so for I've been presented with great songs. I love conceptual albums. They never really went away, but they're not fashionable. It doesn't make them crap, just unfashionable. It's good music that deserves good publicity."
High praise indeed!!
1st March
Apologies for the late inclusion, but February's issue of Wondrous Stories features an interview with Oliver & Clive focusing on their latest release. This issue also features a full colour advert for 'Hound' and a smaller one for '3 Ages'. So if you'd like an A4 printed copy of the sleeve, contact Martin Hudson (MHudsonrok@aol.com) to purchase a copy!
The Total Rock channel interview mentioned previously is scheduled to take place during Malcolm Dome's show at or shortly after 19:00 GMT on Saturday 2nd of March.
19th February
The satellite radio channel Total Rock have asked to conduct an on-air interview with Oliver on Saturday 2nd March on Malcolm Dome's show. We'll try and get more details for you about this nearer the time. For those of you able to receive Sky Digital, Total Rock broadcasts on channel 885. They also broadcast via the internet. More information on this and Total Rock in general is available from their website at http://www.totalrock.com. This channel played "Run for Your Life" from the new 'Hound of the Baskervilles' album last Saturday evening.
3rd February
'Chakras' has now been released - as part of the 'Spiritual Vitamins' series by New Age label 'Balance&Harmony'. Although his name does not appear on the front cover of the album, Oliver is fully credited with the composition and performance on the inside rear cover of the booklet. The release appears to be somewhat limited, however, with only certain stockists carrying the title, or even able to access it via its catalogue number. One source however is http://www.cdzone.co.uk, where it can be located by searching for 'Spiritual Vitamins' as the artist name, 'Chakras' as the title or 'BH790062' as the catalogue number.
Tower Records are listing it under Oliver's name: http://uk.towerrecords.com/product.asp?pfid=2628550. Other sources are Skivhugget (http://www.skivhugget.se) in Sweden and in the UK, Tesco! It appears that changes to the release date as detailed elsewhere on this page have influenced suppliers' databases accordingly.
Thanks to Graham Johnson and Bruce Treadwell for the information!
If anyone has difficulty locating this disc, please let us know, and we will endeavour to find it for you.
19th January
'The Hound of the Baskervilles' is now available to order from the Verglas store at www.verglas.com. Get ahead of the game and get your copy in advance of the official release!!!
11th JanuaryOliver has played his last gig with the North Devon Band Smokestack. The album work is now taking up most of his time (along with wedding preparations!!) and Oliver would like to concentrate on promoting his own music through live shows. Does this mean a tour? Well, not immediately, but keep your eyes peeled for the odd live show!
10th January
Further delays to the Chakra's release, unfortunately. This is something we wanted to avoid with this direct information approach, as we all know how annoying it is to anticipate something and then be told it is delayed. Sadly though, this is out of our hands. Here is the latest from the publisher:
"Chakras is now scheduled to be released at the end of January as part of a 12 Cd release." They also lead us to believe that the bulk of anticipated sales will be in Europe, with copies available in the UK in mid-February.
We can only apologise for being unable to get you any more detailed information, but as soon as we know more, we will be sure to let you know.
1st January 2002
Well, it's this time of the year that the best-of-year lists come out and we are very pleased to see that Simon from the New Horizons Website had this to say...
SIMON
Top 5 Albums: This year has seen a lot of really good, quality releases and choosing only five has been a very hard job. In the end those chosen have tended to be those that have wound up being played the most, since at the end of the day this is what counts. For justification of my choices please check out the reviews! So in no particular order:
Glacier - Monument
Jump - On Impulse
Oliver Wakeman - The 3 Ages of Magick
Pendragon - Not of This World
Damian Wilson - Disciple
Nice to see a couple of familiar faces in this top five- Nick Barrett of Pendragon who came to the 3 Ages Launch party in the Summer and Damian Wilson who has been a good friend of Oliver's for several years.