DREEM BAND RICK WAKEMAN

"I’d pick Colonel Senders because of his drum sticks ”

These here Dreem Bands can be pretty curious creatures; why, just the other day we got Rick Wakeman on the phone and asked him to name his, and, boy, did he come up with some doozies.. .

Bill Bruford (drums): “He’s from King Crimson; he has absolute precision, and the sense of someone taking a real care over the tonal quality you can get out of a drum set. Or maybe I’d pick Colonel Sanders because of his drum sticks, you know...”

John Entwistle (bass): “He plays only what is necessary, and what is right. He’s happy to play what is necessary to enhance the music without deliberately trying to be clever. Evel Kneivel would be good, too, because he always seems to hit rock bottom...”

John Williams and Albert Lee (guitars): “John’d be on classical acoustic, to play the parts I’d ?n ily write, and Albert for the electrical work. Albert used to be with Heads Hands and Feet; now he’s with Cocker. He was also the main influence on Ritchie Blackmore. He can play admirably any kind of music at any time. He feels his music as well as being technically able to play it. We’ve also got Lawrence Welk, because in spite of his appearance, I think he’s really pulling wire. The way he fidgets on TV, he obviously has a lot of trouble with his G-string.”

Richard Harvey (woodwinds); “He’s in a band called Gryphon. He’s a friend of mine from the Royal College, who is undoubtedly the most outstanding woodwinds player in the world today.”

English Chamber Choir plus Ashley Hope and Gary Pickford Hopkins (vocals): “The people I have now. The rough, untrained edge of their voices contrasts beautifully with the severe training of the choir. The choir hates rock and roll singers, but they were overwhelmed with the range and control Ashley and Gary have over their voices, since they were untrained. But I might pick Linda Lovelace because she’s really hard to swallow.”