After leaving Yes in early 1980, Wakeman resumed his solo career and reformed his band, the English Rock Ensemble, and completed a European tour. For his next project, Wakeman secured a recording deal with Charisma Records which granted him an advance and without a deadline to complete an album. Wakeman estimated the album took around two-and-a-half years to produce from conception to completion. It stemmed from his longtime wish of working with other musicians, blend electronic keyboards with an orchestra and choir, and to write an album based on the future rather than historical concepts. He chose to make a concept album based on the 1949 dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. Despite in thinking the book was "lousy", Wakeman adapted it with a more lighthearted approach. He encountered some difficulty with the lyrics as he was unable to write a set that he liked. The music was written during breaks in touring, including a period of time at his home in Beaulieu-sur-Mer near Monaco. He then got Tim Rice to make them more suitable for the songs he was writing. To sing them, Wakeman enlisted a group of vocalists which he thought suited the various tracks on the album, and was able to get his first choice each time. The album was recorded between 23 February–14 April 1981 at Morgan Studios in London, with Wakeman as the sole producer. It was then cut at Townhouse Studios. Upon completion, the album cost under £100,000 to make. At the time of recording Wakeman knew what keyboards he wanted to use and ordered some models from Korg, but they failed to arrive in time. Instead, he used a mix of his own instruments with rented or borrowed equipment. Wakeman said the finished product contains just one tape edit which occurs towards the end of "1984" so a better take could be inserted. A tape reversal effect was occurs on "Robot Man" with a series of arpeggios and Wakeman's then three-year-old son banging things on the piano. "Julia" was written during a difficult time that Wakeman and his then wife Danielle were going through. Wakeman added: "I was very low, but the result was that I wrote 'Julia' straight off in just a few minutes. I really wrote it for my wife". Wakeman dedicated the album to his late father Cyril, who died in 1980.
Release
Track listing
Personnel
Credits adapted from the 1981 and 1994 edition of the album. Music
