in Trevalga, Cornwall, near to the legendary site of Arthur's castle in Tintagel, for five months in his youth, an experience which had stuck with him ever since. This influenced his decision to make a concept album based on the legend of King Arthur and the people and stories based around him. The album was revealed in the music press as early as August 1974. "The Last Battle" was the first track that Wakeman worked on, its title being a reference to his near-fatal condition. Wakeman kept track of his musical ideas by humming them into the microphone of a cassette tape recorder that someone he knew brought into his hospital room in secret. Upon leaving hospital Wakeman retreated to his new home at Burnham Beeches in Buckinghamshire, and tested the parts he had written. Before King Arthur was recorded, Wakeman underwent his 1974 North American tour, his first full-scale tour as a solo artist, in September and October which featured his band, an orchestra and choir. The production ultimately cost him around £125,000. Shortly before the tour, Wakeman had assembled a demo tape containing the main themes of King Arthur and played it to Melody Maker journalist Chris Welch, who described it as "a stately, inspired follow-up" to Journey. Recording and music Upon his return to England from his North American tour, Wakeman and his band retreated to Morgan Studios in Willesden, London to record King Arthur from 16 October 1974 to 10 January 1975. The line-up of Wakeman's band had changed by the time of recording, with Gary Pickford-Hopkins and Ashley Holt on lead vocals, Jeffrey Crampton on acoustic and electric guitars, Roger Newell on bass, Barney James on drums, and John Hodgson on percussion. They were joined by the New World Orchestra, an ensemble formed by musicians picked by David Katz that included members of the London Symphony Orchestra, conductor David Measham, the English Chamber Choir with choirmaster Guy Protheroe, and the Nottingham Festival Vocal Group. Before recording could begin, the band had to wait for their equipment to be transported from the US and repaired, after the roadies had damaged the flight cases carrying their instruments. Rehearsals then took place for around two and a half weeks. An early idea for the album had engineer Paul Tregurtha inform Wakeman that what he wanted was "technically impossible", partly due to the lack of available tracks on the