Here is some exciting news for those who pre-ordered Rick Wakeman\u2019s \u201cThe Prog Years 1973-1977\u201d CD+DVD box set: the expansive collection will now include 17 discs\u2019 worth of never-before-released concert material totaling 300-plus minutes \u2013 or a whopping five hours \u2013 of live recordings all previously unreleased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now known as \u201cThe Prog Years: Redux,\u201d the 32-disc box set is back in production, with a brand-new list of content and a new release date of 23rd February 2024. Explaining the decision to overhaul the collection at the 11th hour, compiler Rob Ayling says that he had a duty to do it for the fans:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTotally out of the blue came a wave of previously unreleased concert recordings. I couldn\u2019t believe it when I discovered them. I generally know what was recorded and what wasn\u2019t \u2013 and then to find entire gigs from the 70s that had never before been released\u2026 I simply couldn\u2019t ignore them! Especially if they got released later, the fans would rightly ask the question, why weren’t these recordings in the \u2018Prog Years\u2019 ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was a really tough decision to make, to stop a box set in full production. But it was also a no-brainer to remove releases which have already been available in different formats over the years and replace them with a trove of music no one will own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy feeling is that the true fans will already have most if not all of the previously planned \u2018Prog Years\u2019 content, like the Winterland Ballroom and Hammersmith Odeon shows. They have been officially available for years. Yet how many fans have Rick Wakeman\u2019s full 1975 concert from Boston Music Hall, or the opening night of that year\u2019s Japanese tour, with the orchestra, or the Montreux concert from 1979?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe newly discovered material will replace these recordings in what we\u2019re calling \u2018The Prog Years: Redux,\u2019 which now boasts over five hours of previously unreleased music! That, to me, is a game-changer. I know it means fans will have to wait a little longer to receive the box but given that it will contain these newly unearthed gems, I hope everyone will understand why I had to make this decision. I am convinced that everyone will enjoy the gigs as much as I do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI also want to thank everyone who has pre-ordered the release for their patience, and promise that it will be worth the wait when \u2018The Prog Years: Redux\u2019 lands on your doorstep!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The previously unreleased discs are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1). The Six Wives\u2026 alternative versions
2). The Three Wives: Radio session, 27 February 1973
3). Boston Music Hall, Massachusetts, 10 October 1975, Part 1
4). Boston Music Hall, Massachusetts, 10 October 1975, Part 2
5). Missing Pieces and interviews
6). Apollo Theatre, Glasgow, Scotland, 7 May 1976
7). Koseinenkin Hall, Osaka, Japan, 21 January 1975, Part 1
8). Koseinenkin Hall, Osaka, Japan, 21 January 1975, Part 2
9). Nakano Sunplaza, Tokyo, Japan, 16 January 1975, Part 1
10). Nakano Sunplaza, Tokyo, Japan, 16 January 1975, Part 2
11). Live in Anaheim, 11 November 1975, Part 1
12). Live in Anaheim, 11 November 1975, Part 2
13). Reflections Of Winter (White Rock sessions), Part 1
14). Reflections Of Winter (White Rock sessions), Part 2
15). White Rock Original soundtrack music and FX soundtrack
16). Live From London 1979
17). Live at Montreux 1979<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Previously released:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
18). Live in Melbourne, 4th February 1975, Part 1*
19). Live in Melbourne, 4th February 1975, Part 2*<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To purchase:<\/strong>https:\/\/www.musicglue.com\/rick-wakeman-the-prog-years\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n