Rick Wakeman sets October ‘Return to the Red Planet’

Music News Group2 hours ago

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Rick Wakeman performs on stage during Music For The Marsden 2020 at The O2 Arena on March 03, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Former Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman released the album The Red Planet in 2020, and now he’s revisiting Mars for yet another album.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer will release Return to the Red Planet on Oct. 16, described as “a sweeping new progressive work that fuses science, imagination, and musical virtuosity.” The description adds that it’s inspired by “the remarkable images and research that have transformed our understanding of Mars in recent years.”

“Once I started looking at the new data and photographs, I realised there was an entirely new album waiting to be written,” Wakeman says. “There was simply too much more to say about Mars – musically and spiritually – not to return.”

The album, recorded between August 2025 and January 2026, has Wakeman backed by The English Rock Ensemble, made up of bassist Lee Pomeroy, guitarist Dave Colquhoun, drummer Adam Falkner and vocalist Mollie Marriott, daughter of English musician Steve Marriott.

Return to the Red Planet is available for preorder now.

The album will be released ahead of Wakeman’s upcoming memoir, The Wizard of Prog, which comes out Oct. 29. He’s also set to tour the U.K. in December and in early 2027. A complete list of tour dates can be found at rwcc.com.