Description
Release Date Friday 16th October 2026
All pre-orders will be dispatched/made ready for collection on that day.
THE EPIC RETURN TO MARS FROM RICK WAKEMAN A NEW PROGRESSIVE
ROCK SUITE INSPIRED BY BOTH PAST & THE LATEST DISCOVERIES ON THE
RED PLANET FEATURING LEE POMEROY, DAVE COLQUHOUN, ADAM
FALKNER & MOLLIE MARRIOTT .
RELEASED ON CD/BLU-RAY EDITION - INCLUDES CD OF THE STUDIO ALBUM
+ BLU-RAY DISC FEATURING DOLBY ATMOS, 5.1 SURROUND SOUND & HIRES STEREO MIXES & THE MAKING OF THE 'RETURN TO THE RED PLANET'
DOCUMENTARY + 20-PAGE PRINTED BOOKLET / CD EDITION / 2LP VINYL
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.
CD Tracks: The Jerezo Crater (06:56) / Bowie's Vision (05:45) / Noctis Labyrinthus
(05:28) / Noachis Terra (Land Of Noah) (06:23) / Witch Hazel Hill (04:02) / St. Paul's
Bay (06:53) / Martian Dust Devils (04:53) / Medusae Fossae (04:26) / The Epochs Of
Mars (07:45)
LP Tracks: The Jezero Crater (06:56) / Bowie's Vision (05:45) / Noctis Labyrinthus
(05:28) / Noachis Terra (Land Of Noah) (06:23) / Witch Hazel Hill (04:02) / St.Paul's
Bay (06:53) / Martian Dust Devils (04:53) / Medusae Fossae (04:26) / The Epochs Of
Mars (07:45)
CD Tracks: The Jezero Crater (06:56) / Bowie's Vision (05:45) / Noctis Labyrinthus
(05:28) / Noachis Terra (Land Of Noah) (06:23) / Witch Hazel Hill (04:02) / St. Paul's
Bay (06:53) / Martian Dust Devils (04:53) / Medusae Fossae (04:26) / The Epochs Of
Mars (07:45) / The Jezero Crater (Dolby Atmos / 5.1 Mix / Hi-Res Stereo ) (06:56) /
Bowie's Vision (Dolby Atmos / 5.1 Mix / Hi-Res Stereo ) (05:45) / Noctis Labyrinthus
(Dolby Atmos / 5.1 Mix / Hi- Res Stereo ) (05:28) / Noachis Terra (Land Of Noah)
(Dolby Atmos / 5.1 Mix / Hi-Res Stereo ) (06:23) / Witch Hazel Hill (Dolby Atmos / 5.1
Mix / Hi-Res Stereo ) (04:02) / St. Paul's Bay (Dolby Atmos / 5.1 Mix / Hi-Res Stereo )
(06:53) / Martian Dust Devils (Dolby Atmos / 5.1 Mix / Hi- Res Stereo ) (04:53) /
Medusae Fossae (Dolby Atmos / 5.1 Mix / Hi-Res Stereo ) (04:26) / The Epochs Of
Mars (Dolby Atmos / 5.1 Mix / Hi-Res Stereo ) (07:45) / The Making Of 'Return To The
Red Planet' (Documentary Film) ( 29:46)
LP Indie Excl Crystal Clear 2LP Edition Tracks: The Jezero Crater (06:56) / Bowie's
Vision (05:45) / Noctis Labyrinthus (05:28) / Noachis Terra (Land Of Noah) (06:23) /
Witch Hazel Hill (04:02) / St. Paul's Bay (06:53) / Martian Dust Devils (04:53) /
Medusae Fossae (04:26) / The Epochs Of Mars (07:45)
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