The Seven Wonders of the World (album)

The Seven Wonders of the World
Studio album by Rick Wakeman
Released	June 1995[1]
Recorded	September 1994–May 1995
Genre	Progressive rock, art rock, symphonic rock, new-age
Length	57:03
Label	Pure Sounds (United States), President (UK)
Producer	Stuart Sawney
Rick Wakeman chronology
New Gospels (1995) The Seven Wonders of the World (1995) Visions (1995)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]

The Seven Wonders of the World is a studio album by progressive rock artist and keyboardist Rick Wakeman, released in 1995.^[3][4] The album explores instrumentally the themes of each of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. Each track is introduced by Garfield Morgan, giving a short biography of each wonder before the instrumental track begins. The album is free of any bombastic attack, and each track has a refined tempo and instrumental progression that outlines each wonder's attributes.^[5]

Idea

"The idea for an album with this title was first decided upon in the 1970s and indeed in my racehorse ownership days, there was indeed a race named after the title. The Seven Wonders of the World Handicap Hurdle, which sadly never happened on the day because of a frozen course!"

— Rick Wakeman^[6]

Album artwork

The artwork is made to look like a vintage painting of one of the wonders, most likely the Statue of Zeus. "Rick Wakeman" and "The Seven Wonders of the World" are written in the font Papyrus.

Track listing

All music is composed by Rick Wakeman

The Seven Wonders of the World

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Pharos of Alexandria: narration"	0:43
2.	"The Pharos of Alexandria"	9:40
3.	"The Colossus of Rhodes: narration"	0:43
4.	"The Colossus of Rhodes"	7:04
5.	"The Pyramids of Egypt: narration"	0:38
6.	"The Pyramids of Egypt"	6:30
7.	"The Hanging Gardens of Babylon: narration"	0:53
8.	"The Hanging Gardens of Babylon"	5:10
9.	"The Temple of Artemis: narration"	0:58
10.	"The Temple of Artemis"	6:27
11.	"The Statue of Zeus: narration"	0:47
12.	"The Statue of Zeus"	5:36
13.	"The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus: narration"	0:42
14.	"The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus"	11:12
Total length:		57:03[7]

Personnel

• Rick Wakeman - Keyboards
• Garfield Morgan - Narration
• Stuart Sawney - Percussion Programming, Engineering^[8]

References

1. Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 879. ISBN 9780862415419.
2. Allmusic review
3. "Rick Wakeman's Website Discography". Archived from the original on 2 July 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
4. Progarchives.com Reviews
5. Allmusic.com's Review Page
6. "Quote about the idea from Rick Wakeman's website". Archived from the original on 8 January 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
7. Allmusic.com Track listing
8. "Personnel list". Archived from the original on 8 January 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2010.

External links

• Allmusic.com