Due for release 16th October 2026 via Madfish
CD / CD + Blu Ray / 2LP / Indies 2LP Clear Vinyl
Please note! David's Bookshop will be hosting : Rick Wakeman: Live in conversation & book signing on Friday 6th November - at The Broadway Theatre for an event with Rick Wakeman in conversation with David Learner. Celebrating the publication of his memoirThe Wizard of Prog. TICKETS HERE.
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 and 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 and 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 and geological epochs, drawing directly on the remarkable images and 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