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Track Listings
| 1. Arthur |
| 2. Lady Of The Lake |
| 3. Guinevere |
| 4. Sir Lancelot And The Black Knight |
| 5. Merlin The Magician |
| 6. Sir Galahad |
| 7. The Last Battle |
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Rick Wakeman had truly hit his stride in his solo career by 1975 with two multi million selling records and various bank busting tours of various countries with the full scale band, orchestra and choir which had been huge successes, but which had thrown Wakeman to the brink of bankruptcy.
'The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and The Knights of The Round Table' is the last major work that Wakeman released in the 1970's. The fact that it's also his finest hour as a solo artist is therefore very fitting.
Highlights include gorgeous ballad 'Guinevere', the rocky 'Lancelot and the Black Knight' with a top vocal performance from Ashley Holt, and the swirling prog masterpiece and signature tune, 'Merlin The Magician'.
The orchestral arrangements work perfectly with the rock music and the choral passages add atmosphere and drama. The album isn't needlessly broken up with narration all over the place like 'Journey To The Centre Of The Earth', allowing the songs to flow freely together and Rick Wakeman himself gives some career best keyboard performances. 'The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and The Knights Of The Round Table' also provided Rick Wakeman with another worldwide multi million selling smash, and his legendary Wembley show on ice.
The whole album is so wonderfully overblown, it's simply irresistable. It's a big fat slice of prog rock indulgence that remains the pinnacle of Wakeman's 1970s heyday. Anyone wanting to know why progressive rock was both loved and hated by so many need look no further than this album. I can understand why people would recoil at this kind of music, but I'm not ashamed to say that I bloody love it.
Absolutely 100% top shelf stuff.
'The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and The Knights of The Round Table' is the last major work that Wakeman released in the 1970's. The fact that it's also his finest hour as a solo artist is therefore very fitting.
Highlights include gorgeous ballad 'Guinevere', the rocky 'Lancelot and the Black Knight' with a top vocal performance from Ashley Holt, and the swirling prog masterpiece and signature tune, 'Merlin The Magician'.
The orchestral arrangements work perfectly with the rock music and the choral passages add atmosphere and drama. The album isn't needlessly broken up with narration all over the place like 'Journey To The Centre Of The Earth', allowing the songs to flow freely together and Rick Wakeman himself gives some career best keyboard performances. 'The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and The Knights Of The Round Table' also provided Rick Wakeman with another worldwide multi million selling smash, and his legendary Wembley show on ice.
The whole album is so wonderfully overblown, it's simply irresistable. It's a big fat slice of prog rock indulgence that remains the pinnacle of Wakeman's 1970s heyday. Anyone wanting to know why progressive rock was both loved and hated by so many need look no further than this album. I can understand why people would recoil at this kind of music, but I'm not ashamed to say that I bloody love it.
Absolutely 100% top shelf stuff.
22 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
From the first inspirational narrative introduction by Terry Taplin, Rick Wakeman takes us on a rollercoaster ride through the mists of time to the legendary world of King Arthur. The haunting theme tune for Arthur through to the mastery and wzadry of Merlin, Wakeman's music paints the picture in glorious technicolour. The Chamber Choir provides the backdrop for the Lady of the Lake. The majestic orchestration of The Last Battle and the climatic finale of narrative make this one of the best of Wakeman's solo efforts. A true masterpiece and one that will go down in the annals of progressive rock as one of the best concept albums ever.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you only buy one Rick Wakeman album this is the one to get. OK it sounds dated now, and some of the synthesizer sounds are frankly horrible, but in many ways its a classic album.
The melodies are its strongest point. There really are some lovely tunes on this album, and they given extra emphasis by some great orchestral arrangements such as on the opening track "Arthur". There is also superb choral backing by the English Chamber Choir, perhaps most notebly used on the short track 2 "Lady of the Lake". I had Journey to the Centre of the Earth on vinyl decades ago and there is no comparison. Arthur is superior in every way.
The weakest part of the album for me are tracks 6 "Sir Galahad" and 7 "The Last Battle". I was never keen on them when I used to listen to the album years ago and to me it sounds as though Rick ran out of ideas towards the end.
The fact that punk came along and killed this sort of thing off as part of popular culture doesn't matter, it lives on in the recordings and who knows the next big thing might be the return of Progressive Rock! The great thing that punk did for us was give us the chance to find out that not only is Rick Wakeman a gifted keyboard player but he's also very funny. Go to his concerts and there's a struggling stand-up comedian trying to out.
Open your your ears and forget musical prejudices, about Punk and Progessive Rock, just enjoy the music.
The melodies are its strongest point. There really are some lovely tunes on this album, and they given extra emphasis by some great orchestral arrangements such as on the opening track "Arthur". There is also superb choral backing by the English Chamber Choir, perhaps most notebly used on the short track 2 "Lady of the Lake". I had Journey to the Centre of the Earth on vinyl decades ago and there is no comparison. Arthur is superior in every way.
The weakest part of the album for me are tracks 6 "Sir Galahad" and 7 "The Last Battle". I was never keen on them when I used to listen to the album years ago and to me it sounds as though Rick ran out of ideas towards the end.
The fact that punk came along and killed this sort of thing off as part of popular culture doesn't matter, it lives on in the recordings and who knows the next big thing might be the return of Progressive Rock! The great thing that punk did for us was give us the chance to find out that not only is Rick Wakeman a gifted keyboard player but he's also very funny. Go to his concerts and there's a struggling stand-up comedian trying to out.
Open your your ears and forget musical prejudices, about Punk and Progessive Rock, just enjoy the music.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
CD Review
A blast from the past, everything was exactly as my wife remebered and loved. No to today's tastes but whoo cares its all about entertainment.
Published 8 months ago by I. Palmer
The Myths and legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round...
Brilliant, I have had the audio tape for many many years and as I no longer have a player I decided to replace it with a CD. Its great to hear it once more. Read more
Published 14 months ago by camelot
Memories
I had this on vinyl back in the 70's.
A great piece of work, though some of the synthesiser arrangements are too avant garde and spoil the overall granduer of the piece. Read more
A great piece of work, though some of the synthesiser arrangements are too avant garde and spoil the overall granduer of the piece. Read more
Published 23 months ago by A Dad
Myths and Legends CD
CD in good condition and promptly delivered. I am pleased with the purchase as it had been difficult to find a suitable copy.
Published on 12 Feb 2010 by J. Chester
starts well, then declines
I am not generally one for track-selecting. I prefer to listen to entire albums. There are exceptions, such as Johnny Miles 'Music' track (the only decent one he did IMHO. Read more
Published on 18 Oct 2009 by Dr John N Sutherland
A fine wine that hasn't aged well
At the risk of getting the ire of Yes/Rick Wakeman fans everywhere this is not a very good album. The main positive elements of it are that once the first 7 tracks are over there... Read more
Published on 1 Sep 2009 by DARREN "Big Nose" WALKER
Wakeman at his peak
Rick Wakeman's output has been extensive, both as a solo artist and through his involvement with other projects, not least his stints as keyboard player for both Strawbs and Yes. Read more
Published on 13 Jun 2009 by M. Ash
If you are browsing, just buy it
Seminal Wakeman.
If you have heard it, you probably already own it. If you have heard it and do not own it, click the button, not that you need me to tell you to. Read more
If you have heard it, you probably already own it. If you have heard it and do not own it, click the button, not that you need me to tell you to. Read more
Published on 26 Feb 2009 by Steamin' Willie
Wakeman's finest
Rick Wakeman was the first person to really get me into synthesisers. Mainly that fat Mini-Moog sound, but also his writing style and lightning keyboard chops also attracted me. Read more
Published on 12 Nov 2008 by Robert Neal
As enjoyable as Pink Floyd
I play poker for a living, and this is the kind of music I love to listen to while playing. It's relaxing yet vibrant. Perfect for long monotonous tasks. Read more
Published on 4 April 2007 by Mr. Graham J. Ribchester
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