Progressive rock keyboard maestro Rick Wakeman has announced the release of his classic album “Return to the Centre of the Earth” in deluxe and super deluxe boxed set formats.
“Return to the Centre of the Earth” is a studio album released on March 15, 1999 on EMI Classics. The album is a follow-up to Wakeman’s 1974 concept album “Journey to the Centre of the Earth”, based on the same-titled science fiction novel by Jules Verne.
Wakeman composed a new story of three unnamed explorers who attempt to follow the original journey two hundred years later. The album includes guest performances from Ozzy Osbourne, Bonnie Tyler, Tony Mitchell, Trevor Rabin, Justin Hayward, and Katrina Leskanich. The story is narrated by Patrick Stewart.
Rick Wakeman recently said about the album: “I am immensely proud of Return To The Centre Of The Earth, as when I look back, it appears to have been almost suicidal to have recorded and released it when prog was at such a low status, but thanks to Richard Lyttleton, the president of EMI Classics, who believed so much in the music, it was recorded to the highest standard possible and I can honestly say that without him, the music would not exist today.”
The “Return to the Centre of the Earth” Deluxe version is signed and has a numbered certificate. It contains the “Return to the Centre of the Earth” CD; “Return to the Centre of the Earth” – Live double CD from a Canadian performance where the narration is in French; CD of Radio Edits; a DVD of surround sound mix and enhanced stereo by Simon Heyworth; approximately 80 minutes unseen footage filmed in the studio, at the album launch as well as featuring Rick Includes Bonnie Tyler and Justin Heywood; reproduction press pack; reproduction press photo; reproduction ticket to the album launch; and 2 x A3 posters.
The “Return to the Centre of the Earth” Super Deluxe edition includes the same as above plus a 180 gram double vinyl album.
To pre-order: deluxe-box-set and super-deluxe-box-set