Rick Wakeman - Return To The Red Planet Rick Wakeman

THE EPIC RETURN TO MARS FROM Rick Wakeman. A new progressive rock suite inspired by both the past & the latest discoveries on the Red Planet, featuring Lee Pomeroy, Dave Colquhoun, Adam Falkner & Mollie Marriott.

Following his acclaimed 2020 album The Red Planet, Rick Wakeman makes a triumphant & inevitable return to Mars with Return To The Red Planet, a sweeping new progressive work that fuses science, imagination & musical virtuosity into one of the most ambitious recordings of his career.

At a time when space exploration has moved back to the forefront of human endeavour—with missions to the Moon, Mars & beyond once again capturing the world's imagination—Return To The Red Planet feels both timely & visionary, rekindling the cosmic spirit that helped define progressive rock's golden age.

Where its predecessor opened the story, this album explores the planet's ancient lakes, vast canyon systems, shifting dust storms & geological epochs, drawing directly on the remarkable images & research that have transformed our understanding of Mars in recent years, Wakeman immersing himself in planetary research, data & mission reports before a single note was written.

"Once I started looking at the new data & photographs, I realised there was an entirely new album waiting to be written. There was simply too much more to say about Mars—musically & spiritually—not to return." — Rick Wakeman

Recorded between August 2025 & January 2026, the project also marks a welcome return to full band recording, with all musicians working together at Decoy Studios—a creative approach Wakeman considers essential to capturing the spontaneity & energy of progressive rock at its best.

The album is performed by Wakeman's English Rock Ensemble, featuring bassist Lee Pomeroy, guitarist Dave Colquhoun, drummer Adam Falkner & vocalist Mollie Marriott, daughter of legendary Steve Marriott. The album was mastered by renowned engineer Simon Heyworth.

"This isn't just another Rick Wakeman album. It's a bloody good one!" — Simon Heyworth, producer of Tubular Bells

Among the album's centrepieces is Bowie's Vision, a deeply personal homage to Wakeman's friend David Bowie, whose fascination with Mars helped shape popular culture's image of the planet. The connection is more than thematic: Wakeman performed the iconic piano on Bowie's Life on Mars?, making this tribute both musical & autobiographical—a reflection on a shared history, a lasting friendship & one of rock's most celebrated recordings.

The music was initially composed as keyboard "templates" at Nursery Studios before being expanded collaboratively by the band at Decoy Studios & engineered by Toby Wood. Final overdubs & mixing with producer/engineer Erik Jordan bring the vision into sharp focus, from sweeping symphonic passages to intricate rhythmic sequences & haunting choral textures.

Wakeman needs little introduction. A central figure during his many years with Yes, he is also one of the most successful solo artists in progressive rock history, with a catalogue of over one hundred albums & global sales in the tens of millions. His career as a session musician includes landmark recordings with David Bowie, Elton John, Cat Stevens & many more, establishing him as one of the most distinctive keyboard voices of his generation.

This 2-disc edition of Return To The Red Planet includes the Return To The Red Planet studio album on CD and a Blu-ray featuring Dolby Atmos, 5.1 Surround Sound & Hi-Res Stereo mixes.

"An astonishing return to form... Wakeman at his most imaginative" - Prog Magazine

"A richly detailed symphonic rock journey" -  Classic Rock