------------------------------------------------------- JUNE 15, 1980 ------------------------------------------------------- Source: Melody Maker A Yes man's vision By Karl Dallas Not content with having traveled to the centre of the earth and back in time, Rick Wakeman's now planning to conquer the future in what he describes as "the most extravagant thing I've done" -- a work based on George Orwell's "1984" which he plans to premier in Australia toward the end of his eight-month world tour which began in Oslo in June. Rick was looking bronzed, healthy and confident as he sipped a Coke -- he's only allowed one Scotch a month, on doctor's orders -- and discussed his plans now that he's left Yes for the second and, presumably, final time. He's got the arthritis out of his hands by a course of painful Harley Street treatments and looked well able to cope with possibly the most punishing itinerary since Hannibal crossed the Alps. Obviously, one doesn't just put together a tour like this overnight, and the sheer size of it confirmed what I had suspected all along; that though Rick and Jon Anderson's departure from Yes was only a month or so ago, it had been a fact as long ago as Christmas. "It was decided that we'd all keep pretty quiet until everybody'd got themselves all sorted out, to put it crudely, so that nobody gained any advantage by having themselves ready before anybody else," he said. Though for the most part he'll tour with a five-piece, on the Brazilian and Australian dates he'll have a full orchestra, plus of course the inevitable effects for "1984." "It'll be totally over the top," he said, with enthusiasm. "What you can do with projections and light and holograms has advanced so quickly and so much but nobody so far has actually had time to sit down and put them into a package. For example, someone may have a piece of music and then they'll just decide to use a laser somewhere in it. "What I'm going to do is to actually incorporate it all within the music. If you saw the score of the piece, then you'd see the effects and the holograms scored just like the other musical instruments. It's an attempt at a sort of 3D cinema. "If it works, I can imagine us bringing it back to Europe and performing it here round about next Easter." Meanwhile, from the Jon Anderson camp there's nothing but silence. He appears to have split from manager Brian Lane -- who continues to look after Wakeman as well as his ex-Yes buddies -- and can only be contacted via a Greek personage known as Yannis. "Jon doesn't want to talk to the press yet," explained that worthy one to me over the phone. "There are...er...legal problems to be ironed out." Close Window YesInThePress.com For site comments, inquiries, corrections, or additions, contact yitp@yesservices.com