The Six Wives of Henry VIII (album)

The Six Wives of Henry VIII
The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Studio album by Rick Wakeman
Released	23 January 1973
Recorded	February–October 1972
Studio	Morgan and Trident, London
Genre	Progressive rock; instrumental rock; baroque pop;
Length	36:36
Label	A&M
Producer	Rick Wakeman
Rick Wakeman chronology
Singles from The Six Wives of Henry VIII
	"Catherine Parr"/"Anne Boleyn"; Released: 23 March 1973;

The Six Wives of Henry VIII is the second studio album by English keyboardist Rick Wakeman, released in January 1973 on A&M Records. It is an instrumental progressive rock album with its concept based on his interpretations of the musical characteristics of the wives of Henry VIII. After signing with A&M as a solo artist, Wakeman decided on the album's concept during a tour of the United States with the progressive rock band Yes. As he read a book about the subject on his travels, melodies he had written the previous year came to him and were noted down. The album was recorded throughout 1972 with musicians from Yes and The Strawbs, the group Wakeman was in prior to his work in Yes.

The Six Wives of Henry VIII received mostly positive reviews from critics. It reached number 7 on the UK Albums Chart and number 30 on the Billboard 200 in the United States. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1975 for over 500,000 copies sold in the United States. In 2009, Wakeman performed the album in its entirety for the first time at Hampton Court Palace as part of the 500th anniversary celebration of Henry's accession to the throne, released as The Six Wives of Henry VIII Live at Hampton Court Palace. The tracks were rearranged with sections, including a track dedicated to Henry himself, that were left off the original album due to the limited time available on a single record. The Six Wives of Henry VIII was reissued in 2015 with a quadraphonic sound mix and bonus tracks.