Prog's Advent Calendar - Day Twelve with Rick Wakeman

Rick Wakeman

Day twelve. Almost halfway to Christmas Day itself and halfway through our Christmas countdown of proggy festive favourites.

Today it's Rick Wakeman's turn. Rick released a Christmas album, Christmas Variations, in 2000, his own collection of Christmas Carols and a couple of religious tunes. From said album comes this version of Silent Night, emphasising the sense of peaceful tranquility a cold winter night can bring.

Rick is currently on tour around the UK in support of his Top Ten album Piano Odyssey. Maybe next year we'll get more new music from Yes feat. ARW. Now that would make for a great 2019 Christmas present.

So enjoy. And remember, this isn’t a “best of” list. We're not adhering to any numerical order. These are just 25 great seasonal songs for you to enjoy. It’s as simple as that. Season's greetings…

You can catch up with our previous Advent choices here.

Day Eleven - Nightwish

Day Ten - Genesis

Day Nine - John Wetton

Day Eight - Camel

Day Seven - Heather Findlay

Day Six - Steeleye Span

Day Five - Procol Harum

Day Four - Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Day Three - Moody Blues

Day Two - Gandalf's Fist

Day One - Jon Anderson

Jerry Ewing

Writer and broadcaster Jerry Ewing is the Editor of Prog Magazine which he founded for Future Publishing in 2009. He grew up in Sydney and began his writing career in London for Metal Forces magazine in 1989. He has since written for Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vox, Stuff and Bizarre magazines, among others. He created and edited Classic Rock Magazine for Dennis Publishing in 1998 and is the author of a variety of books on both music and sport, including Wonderous Stories; A Journey Through The Landscape Of Progressive Rock.