For the second time, Belgian label One Way Static releases a rescore to the 1925 Universal Studios film The Phantom of the Opera. The first was 2014’s release of The Laze’s score, which was a fair-to-middling bit of work that either worked or didn’t but did manage to hit some rather impressive high points.
This release is the vinyl debut of Rick Wakeman’s 1990 rescore, which only made its official full-length appearance in any form on compact disc six months prior to One Way Static’s vinyl issue. Wakeman’s The Phantom of the Opera rescore was put out as an album, contemporaneously released with the film itself, and was entitled Phantom Power. That version was much-cut, however, containing only slightly more than half of the full 80 minutes of music.
It’s a staunch Phantom or Wakeman fan who can make it through all of this without a break, however. The renowned keyboard player is at full bombast, here, and while his work with the likes of Yes and the Strawbs is wonderful, when on his own, Wakeman’s music goes full progressive rock, with an incredibly large helping of self-indulgence.
It works best to consider The Phantom of the Opera Wakeman’s 1990 revisitation to the epics of the mid-’70s, such as Journey to the Centre of the Earth and The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table: long, winding journeys through a bombastic storyline, with excessive amounts of musical experimentation.
Wakeman’s The Phantom of the Opera is firstly music for the entire film. Essentially, if one watches the 1925 silent horror film, there is quite literally not a single moment wherein Wakeman and his musicians aren’t playing something. What worked for The Laze’s rescore was that it managed to let the film breathe and exist on its own, rather than trying to create an 80-minute, non-stop suite.
To his credit, Wakeman works in more modes than just score. There are passages with songs, there are excursions into reggae-tinged pieces and the expected prog excess. It’s a very expressive and intense listen, which challenges the listener, but it is a lot to take in. Divided as the album is into four vinyl sides, with no track breaks, The Phantom of the Opera is four suites, each of which are challenging to make it through and enjoy.
Were it possible to pick and choose certain passages from the double LP, the experience of Rick Wakeman’s The Phantom of the Opera rescore might be a more enjoyable listen. However, the sheer heft of four 20-minute tracks which swoop and swerve between generic styles requires quite a bit of one’s mental acuity in order to achieve a modicum of enjoyment. So much is thrown at the wall, here, but so very little of it manages to stick.
The presentation is quite lovely, with a gorgeously classy cover, and liner notes from Tim Scott adorning the inner gatefold. Scott’s notes are witty and clever, and hint more than a little at the impressive overreach of Wakeman’s task to rescore this classic film. Additionally, the record pressing sounds full and clear, allowing the listener to capture each and every one of the myriad nuances on the recording. Were that the music was as enjoyable as the presentation, though.
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA / COMPOSER: RICK WAKEMAN LABEL: ONE WAY STATIC / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
