| Rock 'n' Roll Prophet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Rick Wakeman | ||||
| Released | 1982 | |||
| Recorded | 1979 | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock, synthpop | |||
| Label | Moon Records | |||
| Producer | Rick Wakeman | |||
| Rick Wakeman chronology | ||||
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Rock 'n' Roll Prophet is a 1982 album by Rick Wakeman. The album was recorded at Mountain Studios in Montreaux, Switzerland,[1] and was released by Moon Records.
The album was re-released in 1991 by President Records as Rock 'n' Roll Prophet Plus, containing four bonus tracks. These tracks were recorded at Wakeman's own[2] Bajanor Studios on the Isle of Man, and were mixed by Stuart Sawney. The re-release was mastered at Abbey Road Studios.[3]
As well as playing keyboards, Wakeman provided lead vocals for three tracks ("I'm So Straight I'm a Weirdo", "Maybe '80", and "Do You Believe in Fairies")[4] – the only album on which his singing appears.[5]
Contents |
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [6] |
| Discogs | [7] |
Rock 'n' Roll Prophet has gained largely negative reviews, with comments describing the album as "goofy",[4] "novelty" and "crap".[8] McGlinchey does, however, recognise that the album was largely produced as a tongue-in-cheek project and that "the humour on [the] release is intentional".[8]
Due to his association with progressive rock (being the antithesis of punk rock), Wakeman wanted the album to be released under a pseudonym – his suggestion being "KUDOS". It was, however, released under his own name, which he called "a big mistake".[1] All Music described the album as sounding similar to The Buggles,[4] with Wakeman corroborating their influence by stating that the album was an attempted spoof.[1] Wakeman's vocals are also described as "serviceable but not strong" – with the instrumentals "not up to [his] highest standards".[4] Ground and Sky likened the album to "someone gleefully pressing the self-destruct button on whatever credibility they previously had managed to accrue as a music artist".[8]
Wakeman, however, has commented that he likes the analogue sounds and production on the album,[1] and that the album was "little ahead of its time [and] a little off the wall".[3]