“By the time I swapped over the tapes I knew I was in the stinky brown stuff. Somebody said, ‘God help us’ … the budget for the cover was cut back”: How Rick Wakeman proved everyone wrong with The Six Wives of Henry VIII

Rick Wakeman.

Soon after he’d joined Yes, Rick Wakeman turned to the history books for his solo debut, The Six Wives Of Henry VIII. Inspired by the spouses of one of England’s most famous monarchs, the six complex instrumentals had record label execs chewing down their nails and tearing their hair out. In the wake of its 50th anniversary in 2003, Wakeman told Prog about the album that launched his solo career.

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