Rock 'n' Roll Prophet is a 1982

1982 in music

This is a list of notable events in music from 1982. 1982 was a big year in music with Madonna making her debut as well as the year that Michael Jackson released Thriller which became the world's best selling album and it still holds that title today....

 album by Rick Wakeman

Rick Wakeman

Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...

. The album was recorded at Mountain Studios

Mountain Studios

Mountain Studios is a recording studio previously located in Montreux, now located in Attalens, Switzerland. It was owned by the rock band Queen from 1979 until 1993...

 in Montreaux, Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

, and was released by Moon Records

Moon Records

Moon Records may refer to:*Moon Records Ukraine, a Ukrainian record label*Moon Ska Records, a former American record label*Moon Records , a former Canadian record label mainly for Rush...

.

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 Bajanor Studios on the Isle of Man

Isle of Man

The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...

, and were mixed by Stuart Sawney. The re-release was mastered

Audio mastering

Mastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...

 at Abbey Road Studios

Abbey Road Studios

Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...

.

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") – the only album on which his singing appears.

Critical reception

Rock 'n' Roll Prophet has gained largely negative reviews, with comments describing the album as "goofy", "novelty" and "crap". 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".

Due to his association with progressive rock

Progressive rock

Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...

 (being the antithesis of punk rock

Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s 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". All Music

All Music

All Music was an Italian free-to-air television station which mainly broadcast music videos and music programs. Originally called Rete A, the name was changed to Rete A - All Music , and for a brief period was affiliated before with MTV Italy and after with VIVA.-History:In late 2004 the former...

described the album as sounding similar to The Buggles

The Buggles

The Buggles were an English New Wave band consisting of Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes . They are remembered chiefly for their 1979 debut single "Video Killed the Radio Star" that was #1 on the singles chart in 16 countries. Its music video was the first to be shown on MTV in the U.S...

, with Wakeman corroborating their influence by stating that the album was an attempted spoof. Wakeman's vocals are also described as "serviceable but not strong" – with the instrumentals "not up to [his] highest standards". 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".

Wakeman, however, has commented that he likes the analogue sounds and production on the album, and that the album was "little ahead of its time [and] a little off the wall".

LP

1. "I'm So Straight I'm a Weirdo" – 3:54
2. "The Dragon" – 3:34
3. "Dark" – 5:07
4. "Maybe '80" – 5:27
5. "Early Warning" – 3:34
6. "Spy of 55" – 5:07
7. "Do You Believe in Fairies?" – 4:29
8. "Rock 'n' Roll Prophet" – 4:40

1991 re-release

1. "Return of the Prophet" – 6:03
2. "I'm So Straight I'm a Weirdo" – 3:54
3. "The Dragon" – 3:34
4. "Dark" – 5:07
5. "Alpha Sleep" – 6:00
6. "Maybe '80" – 5:27
7. "March of the Child Soldiers" – 6:05
8. "Early Warning" – 3:34
9. "Spy of 55" – 5:07
10. "Stalemate" – 5:55
11. "Do You Believe in Fairies?" – 4:29
12. "Rock 'n' Roll Prophet" – 4:40

Personnel

• Rick Wakeman
  Rick Wakeman
  Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
  
   – Keyboards, vocals
  Singing
  Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
  
   and production
  Record producer
  A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
  
  
• Lilianne Lauber – Backing vocals
• Gaston Balmer – Percussion
• Dave Richards
  David Richards (record producer)
  David Richards is an English-born Swiss-based record producer, engineer and musician. In the Mountain Studios in Montreux, owned by the rock band Queen, and in Attalens he engineered and co-produced many albums by Queen, David Bowie and other artists. Richards also played keyboards on some records...
  
   – Engineering
  Audio engineering
  An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
  
  
• Martin Pursey – Executive producer
  Executive producer
  An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
  
  
• Stuart Sawney – Engineering (CD bonus tracks)