Editing Rick Wakeman (section)

===1974–1980: ''King Arthur'', ''No Earthly Connection'', and second Yes run===
During his recovery at [[Wexham Park Hospital]], Wakeman started to write new music for his next album, ''[[The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table]]''. Despite being advised to reduce his workload and temper his excessive lifestyle, Wakeman made plans to record and tour and continued to smoke and drink.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=126}} In September and October 1974, he completed his debut North American tour, performing ''Journey to the Centre of the Earth'' plus selections from ''Six Wives'' with the [[National Philharmonic Orchestra]], the Choir of America, and his rock band named The English Rock Ensemble. Under doctors' orders, Wakeman was required to pass a heart monitor test before each performance.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=128}} The tour continued to Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, finishing in March 1975.

[[File:Wembley_Arena_-_geograph.org.uk_-_480295.jpg|thumb|left|In 1975, Wakeman performed his ''King Arthur'' album live with ice skaters for three nights at [[Wembley Arena]]]]
Recording for ''King Arthur'' finished in January 1975, and features the New World Orchestra, English Chamber Choir, and the Nottingham Festival Vocal Group.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=133}} Its a [[concept album]] based on [[King Arthur]] and its related characters and stories. Following its release in March 1975, the album went to No. 2 in the UK and No. 21 in the US, and earned gold certifications in Brazil, Japan, and Australia.<ref>Booklet notes to Wakeman's 1994 live album, ''Live on the Test'' (1994).</ref> The album was promoted with three sold-out shows at [[Wembley Arena]] with Wakeman performing with an orchestra, choir, and his rock band to a total of 27,000 people. As the arena floor was already set up as an ice rink for a different attraction, Wakeman chose to present the show as an ice pageant with fourteen ice skaters and the musicians' stage placed in the round and decorated as a castle. The shows, though well received and a contributory factor to the album's commercial success, were expensive to produce.<ref name="interview_2009"/><ref>{{cite web| last = Miller | first = Jonathan | title = Rick Wakeman: Cirque Surreal | publisher=Sound On Sound |date = November 1995| url = http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1995_articles/nov95/rickwakeman.html?print=yes | access-date =26 October 2009 }}</ref> In 2009, the concerts were listed in ranked 79th on VH1's ''100 Greatest Shocking Moments in Rock and Roll'' program.<ref>{{cite web|title=100 Most Shocking Moments in Rock & Roll |url=http://www.vh1.com/shows/the_greatest/episode.jhtml?episodeID=62200 |publisher=Vh1.com |access-date=17 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605050147/http://www.vh1.com/shows/the_greatest/episode.jhtml?episodeID=62200 |archive-date=5 June 2011 }}</ref> By 2008, the album had sold an estimated 12 million copies worldwide.<ref name=timesinterview>{{cite web| title = Prog Rock Britannia celebrates the men in loon pants| url = http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article5320354.ece | archive-url = https://archive.today/20110615054328/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article5320354.ece | url-status = dead | archive-date = 15 June 2011 |author=John Bungey|work=[[The Times]] |location=UK | date= 20 December 2008 |access-date =2 March 2010}}</ref>

From 1979 to 2005 (excluding 2001), and from 2019 onwards, the [[BBC]] configured "Arthur" to be the opening theme of its electoral Broadcast in the [[United Kingdom]].

Wakeman toured ''King Arthur'' with an augmented formation of the English Rock Ensemble for three months from October 1975, across North and South America.<ref name=1976tourbook/> The stage production was scaled back in comparison to his previous tours, featuring only his rock band with a two-piece wind section. The line-up was Wakeman's first with new drummer [[Tony Fernandez (musician)|Tony Fernandez]], who would perform on many of his future albums and tours.<ref name=1976tourbook>{{Cite book|title=Rick Wakeman: In Concert tour programme|date=1976|url=http://www.rwcc.com/programmes/1976RWInConcert.pdf}}</ref> In 1975, Wakeman composed the [[Lisztomania (album)|soundtrack]] for ''[[Lisztomania (film)|Lisztomania]]'', a biography film about composer [[Franz Liszt]] written and directed by [[Ken Russell]]. Wakeman appears in the film as [[Thor]], the god of thunder.<ref name=1991tourbook/> A few years later, he recalled the album in a more negative light as "there was hardly anything of mine on it in the end", and criticised its mixing and production.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=147}} ''[[No Earthly Connection]]'' (1976) was recorded in France and features Wakeman and his English Rock Ensemble. Initially it was to be about mythological gods, but its lyrical subject matter changed after he witnessed a flying object one night which inspired him to read up on the origins of man and mysterious phenomena such as the [[Bermuda Triangle]], [[Stonehenge]], and the pyramids.<ref name=melodymaker1976>{{Cite journal|title=Rick Wakeman: No Earthly Connection|first=Chris|last=Welch|date=3 April 1976|journal=Melody Maker|access-date=14 January 2016|url=http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/rick-wakeman-no-earthly-connectionam-amlk-64583}}</ref>{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=156}} Wakeman wrote the album without playing any of its music beforehand, and summarised it in the liner notes: "A futuristic, autobiographical look at music, the part it plays in our pre-earth, human and after life".<ref name=earthlyconnectionsleeve>{{Cite AV media notes|title=No Earthly Connection|publisher=A&M Records|id=AMLK 64583|year=1976}}</ref>{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=162}} Upon its release in April 1976, the album went to No. 9 in the UK and No. 67 in the US. Wakeman toured the album worldwide, which featured a scaled down stage production compared to his previous tours.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=172}}

By the summer of 1976, Wakeman fell into financial trouble after touring had met its minimal expectations and its expenses had exceeded its profits,{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=172}} and had to come up with £350,000 "in a matter of weeks".{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=171}} He sold his Rolls-Royces, ended his Fragile car service company, and disbanded the English Rock Ensemble,{{sfn|Wooding|1979|pp=172–172}} and saw further relief when A&M agreed to pay royalties in advance. At the suggestion of Wakeman's manager, [[Brian Lane (manager)|Brian Lane]], Wakeman rehearsed with [[Bill Bruford]] and [[John Wetton]] for six weeks with the plan to form a new band, but the story broke in ''[[Melody Maker]]'' which effectively caused the group to split.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=175}} Wakeman took up work recording [[White Rock (album)|the soundtrack]] to ''[[White Rock (film)|White Rock]]'', a documentary film about the [[1976 Winter Olympics]] directed by [[Tony Maylam]]. The film premiered in February 1977 as a double bill with ''[[Genesis: In Concert]]''. The track "After the Ball" was one that Wakeman forgot to write; he proceeded to play it as a completely improvised single take, rather than confessing to the producers. In 1977, the press named Wakeman as one of the acts on A&M Records who threatened to leave if the label signed the controversial punk band [[the Sex Pistols]]. He denied any involvement and said it was a publicity stunt derived by A&M to drop the band. Wakeman was a key figure in getting American punk band [[The Tubes]] their first record deal, having suggested to [[George Daly (music executive)|George Daly]] that he contact A&M executive [[Kip Cohen]], who signed the group.<ref name=LouderQA2014/>

Wakeman's fortunes changed when he was invited to join Yes in [[Montreux]], Switzerland, as they were working on new songs for ''[[Going for the One]]'' (1977), in November 1976. Keyboardist [[Patrick Moraz]] had left during the early stages in part due to the "enormous psychological pressures within the group".{{sfn|Hedges|1982|p=108}} Upon hearing the band's new material of more accessible and concise songs, Wakeman agreed to play on the album as a session musician and joined the band in Montreux. Wakeman subsequently agreed to rejoin the band full-time, but noticed the new edition of ''Melody Maker'' had printed the headline "Wakeman rejoins Yes" hours after he agreed. He then learned that Lane had informed the press of his return without consulting him.<ref>''YesYears'' documentary, 1991.</ref> Wakeman described ''Going for the One'' as "the album Yes should have made instead of ''Topographic Oceans''",<ref name=guardian2014/> and considered the 15-minute track "Awaken" as one of the group's best. ''[[Tormato]]'' (1978) features Wakeman playing a [[Birotron]], a [[tape replay keyboard]] that used [[8-track tape]] cartridges and contributed funds to its development. He is reported to have given the album its name by throwing a tomato at a showing of the art used for the album's cover.<ref name="interview_2002">{{cite web| last = Wright | first = Jeb | title = Rick Wakeman of Yes | publisher=Classic Rock Revisited |date = May 2002| url = http://www.classicrockrevisited.com/interviews02/Rick+Wakeman.htm | access-date =24 October 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040106024554/http://www.classicrockrevisited.com/interviews02/Rick+Wakeman.htm |archive-date = 6 January 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| last = Tiano | first = Mike | title = Conversation with Roger Dean [nfte #308] | publisher=Notes From the Edge| date = 3 September 2008 | url = http://www.nfte.org/interviews/RD308.html| access-date =24 October 2009}}</ref>

Wakeman's final albums for A&M were released in the late 1970s. ''[[Rick Wakeman's Criminal Record]]'' (1977) is an instrumental rock album (apart from humorous vocals from [[Bill Oddie]]) similar to ''The Six Wives of Henry VIII'' but loosely based on criminality, and features Yes bandmates [[Chris Squire]] on bass and [[Alan White (Yes drummer)|Alan White]] on drums, with [[Frank Ricotti]] on percussion. The album went to No. 25 in the UK and No. 128 in the US. The track "Birdman of Alcatraz" was used as the theme music to the BBC drama series ''[[My Son, My Son (TV series)|My Son, My Son]]'' and subsequently released as a single.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/3156265-Rick-Wakeman-Birdman-Of-Alcatraz-Theme-From-My-Son-My-Son|title=Birdman of Alcatraz (Theme from My Son, My Son)|publisher=A&M Records|id=AMS 7435|year=1979|via=Discogs|access-date=6 January 2023}}</ref> ''[[Rhapsodies (album)|Rhapsodies]]'' (1979) was recorded in Montreux and released as a [[double album]], with Wakeman playing shorter tracks of varied musical styles. It features [[Bruce Lynch]], [[Frank Gibson Jr.]], and [[Tony Visconti]] as guest musicians. It also peaked at No. 25 in the UK. After touring with Yes in 1979, and failed attempts at making a new album with the band in Paris and London, Wakeman and Anderson left the group in early 1980.