Emerson, Lake & Palmer

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Hightea
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Re: Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Postby Hightea » 22 Jun 2021, 21:34

Matt Wilson wrote:Never saw them. I saw Carl with Asia though - does that count?


:lol: never saw Asia. (hope you didn't frame an Asia poster) :lol:
I did see ELP back in the day too - it was their orchestra show - I liked it but it was the end of ELP in my eyes.
otherwise I saw Emerson and his band twice
Emerson and Lake (great show with audience questions)
Saw Palmer and his band a few years ago and wasn't that impressed.

girl requested to lie under Keith's Piano(said her brother always played ELP on his piano) so he did a solo for her.
Image

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Re: Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Postby C » 22 Jun 2021, 22:05

Hightea wrote:Image


A great photo of the late wonderful Mr Emerson





.
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Re: Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Postby Matt Wilson » 22 Jun 2021, 23:14

C wrote:No Matt my dear friend your opening statement is not correct.


How so?

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Re: Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Postby Jimbly » 22 Jun 2021, 23:51

I would've loved to have seen them live as a group. I saw them all solo. Emerson twice which was good, Palmer loads of times in small clubs great fun. Lake was one of the worst gigs I've ever been at.

still love the silly old buggers
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Re: Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Postby Matt Wilson » 23 Jun 2021, 02:21

Jimbly wrote:
still love the silly old buggers


You must to have had that album as your avatar all these years.

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Re: Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Postby Hightea » 23 Jun 2021, 02:48

Matt Wilson wrote:Any band not enjoyed by both C and John Coan has to be worth writing about. I'm not entering into the world of ELP without knowing these albums like some of the Soft Machine discs I explored before, no - I know these records well but thought I'd listen again and document my thoughts because believe me, I have nothing better to do. I was going to wait until I'd listened to a few more, but when Stephen and John both chimed in expressing disdain, something had to be done!


Image
Emerson Lake & Palmer
Outstanding debut from the cream of the UK prog crop circa 1970. Emerson dominates as you'd imagine, but really - they all do. Greg Lake is one of my favorite singers from the golden age of progressive rock, and to think he sang on this and In the Wake of Poseidon in the same year makes him extra cool. This is even better than Crimso's son of Crimson King though, isn't it? If anything, I think it's underrated. Nothing against that second KC effort, but this is a whole new thing.

1. "The Barbarian"
Wiki tells us that this is an arrangement of Béla Bartók's 1911 piano piece "Allegro Barbaro," but that the band tried to claim credit for it on initial album pressings. A superb, menacing number with loud guitar and an interesting musical motif. No vocals. Keith had been plundering classical music since his Nice days and this is an extension of what he had been doing in the late '60s. The shortest cut here.

2. "Take a Pebble"
The longest number on the LP is a Lake tune with outstanding dynamics and great playing - but I guess I can say that about everything here so I'll have to think of new ways to describe the music. Let's start with how well this is recorded, something The Nice albums had problems with. You can hear everything perfectly for one thing. Even Keith scraping the piano strings before Greg's acoustic part with the dripping water in the background. Little vocals to get in the way of the music and an extended jazz piano solo to set the mood.

3. "Knife Edge"
Wiki again: "Knife-Edge" is based on the first movement of Leoš Janáček's orchestral piece "Sinfonietta" (1926), with an instrumental middle section that includes an extended quotation from the Allemande of Johann Sebastian Bach's first French Suite No. 1 in D minor, BWV 812, but played on an organ rather than clavichord or piano. OK then, so what we have is another borrowing of early 20th Century classical music updated by the boys with Greg writing words with the help of a roadie. The most conventional-sounding ELP track thus far, but it rocks.

4. "The Three Fates"
Side one was pretty pretension-free but the bombast begins here. This is mostly an Emerson trip concerning three sisters in Greek mythology which uh, oh who cares? - as the almost eight-minute track is an excuse for another pretty piano solo interspersed with bits of pipe organ and Palmer's drumming accompinament. No vocals again. In fact, there's very little of them on the record.

5."Tank"
The requisite drum song so Palmer can show us Keith isn't the only one who can show off. Like "Toad," "Moby Dick,"and "Rat Salad," it starts off with group playing and then becomes a showcase for Carl's talents before coming back to ensemble work from the other two.

6. "Lucky Man"
Greg's big number was the only thing played from the album that I can tell. Least ways it's the only thing I've ever heard on the radio. Written when Lake was a boy and apropos for the Vietnam era, it features an incredible first take Moog solo which I don't seem to tire of.

Nice write up.

ELP were exactly what Emerson needed as the Nice were just a little too psychedelic, not that there is anything wrong with that. Times had changed-Lake and Palmer(although in my eyes another drummer could have done even better) were the formula. Yes in the end they got over the top but the core first few albums all have their moments and hen the three lads were in unison they were a force.

The Barbarian shows the difference from the Nice. Emerson did the same classical passages in The Nice however I thought Palmer's drumming and Lake's guitar riffs were a better new sound although you can hear they weren't a complete band yet.

While not back in the day Take a Pebble is one of my favorites ELP songs. The song has the nice mellow Lake opening mixed with Emerson's jazzy piano and cool Lake guitar work. Then eventually into an an all out jazz jam intertwined with Lake's KC style vocals.

Knife Edge is the first poppy powerful rock song for ELP. All three sound great together here.

The Three fates and Tank are forgettable showcases from Emerson and then Palmer. The lack of Lake on both of these shows there are a few nice bass lines on Tank. Although both Emerson and Palmer show some nice touches on both songs.

The album ends with the brilliant Lucky Man even if Lake wrote it as a boy. Emerson's Moog sound is a gem.

All in all I think the debut is split - Side one is an incredible piece of work with all three playing a part. Side two is saved by Lucky Man.
Nice write up.

ELP were exactly what Emerson needed as the Nice were just a little too psychedelic, not that there is anything wrong with that. Times had changed-Lake and Palmer(although in my eyes another drummer could have done even better) were the formula. Yes in the end they got over the top but the core first few albums all have their moments and hen the three lads were in unison they were a force.

The Barbarian shows the difference from the Nice. Emerson did the same classical passages in The Nice however I thought Palmer's drumming and Lake's guitar riffs were a better new sound although you can hear they weren't a complete band yet.

While not back in the day Take a Pebble is one of my favorites ELP songs. The song has the nice mellow Lake opening mixed with Emerson's jazzy piano and cool Lake guitar work. Then eventually into an an all out jazz jam intertwined with Lake's KC style vocals.

Knife Edge is the first poppy powerful rock song for ELP. All three sound great together here.

The Three fates and Tank are forgettable showcases from Emerson and then Palmer. The lack of Lake on both of these shows there are a few nice bass lines on Tank. Although both Emerson and Palmer show some nice touches on both songs.

The album ends with the brilliant Lucky Man even if Lake wrote it as a boy. Emerson's Moog sound is a gem.

All in all I think the debut is split - Side one is an incredible piece of work with all three playing a part. Side two is saved by Lucky Man.

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Re: Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Postby pcqgod » 23 Jun 2021, 06:07

I'll bet that I would have enjoyed seeing them play live in their prime. On record, they are poison to my ears.
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Re: Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Postby Jimbly » 23 Jun 2021, 09:54

Matt Wilson wrote:
Jimbly wrote:
still love the silly old buggers


You must to have had that album as your avatar all these years.


one of the worst albums ever released
So Long Kid, Take A Bow.

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Re: Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Postby Jimbly » 23 Jun 2021, 10:00

every album just about had an absolute stinker on it. apart from the first album which sounds like a band searching for a cohesive path.
So Long Kid, Take A Bow.

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Re: Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Postby ConnyOlivetti » 23 Jun 2021, 10:38

The Slider wrote:I love the records up to 77
They are shit - objectively - but I love them all the same
I have no love whatsoever for anything recorded after Works

I rank them
Brain Salad Surgery
Emerson Lake and Palmer
Pictures at an Exhibition
Tarkus
Trilogy
Works


Good lad, yes, good lad! :)
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Re: Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Postby Matt Wilson » 24 Jun 2021, 01:34

Image
Brain Salad Surgery
The title is taken from a line in a Dr. John song and this is my favorite ELP album. Most everything here counts and the usual joke track aside there is no filler. The Giger artwork is iconic and the guys really lost a step by taking four years to release a followup. Though perhaps not as great as other 1973 progressive rock LPs such as Dark Side of the Moon, Selling England by the Pound, or Larks' Tongues in Aspic, this is the ELP LP (see what I did there?) I'd give a newbie. I have this album in two different 5.1 mixes.

1."Jerusalem"
Lyrics by none other than William Blake with music by Hubert Parry, "Jerusalem" starts things off with aplomb. This celebration of Englishness was banned by the BBC, natch. Damned if you do, damned if you don't I guess.

2."Toccata"
A piece by Alberto Ginastera which Keith had used before is given an over-seven minute workout which sounds an awful lot like The Nice methinks. But then the difference between the music of the two groups isn't as vast as some here would believe. Lots of Emerson wankery in the middle but would we have it any other way?

3."Still...You Turn Me On"
Greg Lake does it again. The first bit of music on the record to be written by a member of the band wasn't released as a 45 because Carl isn't present. Pity, as it's one of the Emerson, Lake and Palmer cuts I've heard on the radio the most. Bet it would have charted. Short and sweet.

4. "Benny the Bouncer"
Their 'humor' on display again - they get it out of the way early though. Pete Sinfield had to be enlisted to help Greg with the Shakespearean verbiage. Let's just say it's no "The Sheriff."

5."Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression—Part 1"
And now we're into it! The first part of the suite is over eight minutes and ends the first side of the LP. If the entire half hour thing would've been one track, then this, and not "Tarkus," would be their best long sci-fi song. I'd love to see some kind of video of this. All of the musical motifs are established except for the "Welcome Back My Friends..." part which begins...

Image

6."Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression—Part 2"
I've heard this part on the radio as much as I've heard "Still...You Turn Me On." Again, this sounds like it could've charted to me. Who was in charge of releasing ELP singles at the time?

7."Karn Evil 9: 2nd Impression"
The second impression sounds like a completely different song. Wiki tells us that part of the solo very briefly quotes the main melody from Sonny Rollins' "St. Thomas". There's a lot of what sounds like a Caribbean flavor to be found as well. At almost the three-minute mark, the music stops and piano slowly starts up again. Keith exploring dynamics I guess, but I'm not sure it works as well as the faster parts. Luckily, after not too long it works up a nice head of steam again.

8. "Karn Evil 9: 3rd Impression"
The last section is also the longest to end the album with a bang. The tale (in terms of the lyrics) from the first impression begins again after another musical beginning which sounds like yet another new song. Again - I'll point out that I almost never pay attention to prog lyrics (Jon Anderson is the worst offender), and have never contemplated the story being told. Sinfield isn't a bad writer either - some of his Crimson stuff is memorable, but I'm scared that if I scrutinize the words, dismay will follow. I guess joining all these sections into one track wouldn't work as aside from the first two cuts of the first impression, the rest of it doesn't even sound like the same song. I swear, Keith solos more than virtually any guitarist I can think of.

Image
Welcome Back My Friends to the Show that Never Ends...
Sorry, this is another one that I love. A live triple (not to be outdone by Yessongs!) which sold quite well thank you very much. They should've not taken time off and released another studio album in 1975. Alas - 'twas not to be. Not every moment is transcendent, but it's good enough to count among my top five live prog albums of the '70s. I wonder if they thought they were being ironic with the title?

1. "Hoedown"
Taken at an even faster clip than the one on Trilogy. A dizzying display of pyrotechnics as if they can't wait to jump out onstage and impress the punters.

2."Jerusalem"
They dive right into the last album too. Again, a sense of 'we can't wait to give you the good stuff' permeates these proceedings.

3."Toccata"
You'd think they were gonna do the entire Brain Salad Surgery album by this point. By the end of the album, they almost do! To be frank - I think I prefer this to the studio version. Louder, more bombastic (been a while since I used that word, but believe me - I'm thinking about it all the time when I listen to this music), and it must have been a thrill to watch this music being performed. The cut fades away at the end as the LP side one finishes.

4."Tarkus"
Oh, you know I'm in heaven now. A "Tarkus" to fill the entire second side of the original album and almost eleven minutes on side three! And it's all on one track on the CD too!! LOL. Look, either this does it for you, or it doesn't. If you're a card-carrying middle aged punk rocker who wouldn't be caught dead with an ELP album and still navigates the world with a "What would Johnny Rotten do?" mentality, then brother - what are you doing reading this? It's over seven minutes longer than the studio cut and functions as a litmus test for fans. Dig this, and you're in the club for life. I'm playing it right now and Greg is slipping Crimson's "Epitath" in - how cool is that?

5."Take a Pebble" (including "Still...You Turn Me On" / "Lucky Man")
This is Lake's portion of the show, combining three of his better-known songs and it completed the third side of the album. None of these numbers will make you forget the studio versions unfortunately.

6. "Piano Improvisations" (including Friedrich Gulda's "Fugue" and Joe Sullivan's "Little Rock Getaway")
The second half of the presentation begins with Keith's piano musings for almost twelve minutes. Do you think his hands ever got tired? Still a virtuosic display of course, because you'd expect nothing less. Don't know why he thought he needed this though when he takes every opportunity to solo during the rest of their repertoire, but there you have it. The least ELP-sounding part of the concert, but perhaps the most Emersonian as well.

7. "Take a Pebble (Conclusion)"
Wait, Greg wasn't done with this song? The shortest cut on the album. More like a continuation of Keith's piano stylings, really.

8. "Jeremy Bender" / "The Sheriff"
Were people clamoring for their hokey numbers in concert? One wouldn't think so, and yet... Or maybe the group was being perverse. The barbarians...

9. "Karn Evil 9"
Yep, the whole thing. Remember how I wrote that "Tarkus" was the litmus test? I lied. What took up three cuts and all of the third LP is on one thirty five minute track on the CD. I'd be fronting if I didn't say it kicks ass! I'm blasting this at the moment, neighbors be damned. I think they're scared of me anyway. Were you wondering where Carl's epic drum solo was? Fear not prog brethren, tis buried within.

Image
Last edited by Matt Wilson on 10 Jul 2021, 05:38, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Postby ConnyOlivetti » 24 Jun 2021, 04:54

Matt Wilson wrote:Image
Brain Salad Surgery
The title is taken from a line in a Dr. John song and this is my favorite ELP album. Most everything here counts and the usual joke track aside there is no filler. The Giger artwork is iconic and the guys really lost a step by taking four years to release a followup. Though perhaps not as great as other 1973 progressive rock LPs such as Dark Side of the Moon, Selling England by the Pound, or Larks' Tongues in Aspic, this is the ELP LP (see what I did there?) I'd give a newbie. I have this album in two different 5.1 mixes.

1."Jerusalem"
Lyrics by none other than William Blake with music by Hubert Parry, "Jerusalem" starts things off with aplomb. This celebration of Englishness was banned by the BBC, natch. Damned if you do, damned if you don't I guess.

2."Toccata"
A piece by Alberto Ginastera which Keith had used before is given an over-seven minute workout which sounds an awful lot like The Nice methinks. But then the difference between the music of the two groups isn't as vast as some here would believe. Lots of Emerson wankery in the middle but would we have it any other way?

3."Still...You Turn Me On"
Greg Lake does it again. The first bit of music on the record to be written by a member of the band wasn't released as a 45 because Carl isn't present. Pity, as it's one of the Emerson, Lake and Palmer cuts I've heard on the radio the most. Bet it would have charted. Short and sweet.

4. "Benny the Bouncer"
Their 'humor' on display again - they get it out of the way early though. Pete Sinfield had to be enlisted to help Greg with the Shakespearean verbiage. Let's just say it's no "The Sheriff."

5."Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression—Part 1"
And now we're into it! The first part of the suite is over eight minutes and ends the first side of the LP. If the entire half hour thing would've been one track, then this, and not "Tarkus," would be their best long sci-fi song. I'd love to see some kind of video of this. All of the musical motifs are established except for the "Welcome Back My Friends..." part which begins...

6."Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression—Part 2"
I've heard this part on the radio as much as I've heard "Still...You Turn Me On." Again, this sounds like it could've charted to me. Who was in charge of releasing ELP singles at the time?

7."Karn Evil 9: 2nd Impression"
The second impression sounds like a completely different song. Wiki tells us that part of the solo very briefly quotes the main melody from Sonny Rollins' "St. Thomas". There's a lot of what sounds like a Caribbean flavor to be found as well. At almost the three-minute mark, the music stops and piano slowly starts up again. Keith exploring dynamics I guess, but I'm not sure it works as well as the faster parts. Luckily, after not too long it works up a nice head of steam again.

8. "Karn Evil 9: 3rd Impression"
The last section is also the longest to end the album with a bang. The tale (in terms of the lyrics) from the first impression begins again after another musical beginning which sounds like yet another new song. Again - I'll point out that I almost never pay attention to prog lyrics (Jon Anderson is the worst offender), and have never contemplated the story being told. Sinfield isn't a bad writer either - some of his Crimson stuff is memorable, but I'm scared that if I scrutinize the words, dismay will follow. I guess joining all these sections into one track wouldn't work as aside from the first two cuts of the first impression, the rest of it doesn't even sound like the same song. I swear, Keith solos more than virtually any guitarist I can think of.

Image
Welcome Back My Friends to the Show that Never Ends...
Sorry, this is another one that I love. A live triple (not to be outdone by Yessongs!) which sold quite well thank you very much. They should've not taken time off and released another studio album in 1975. Alas - 'twas not to be. Not every moment is transcendent, but it's good enough to count among my top five live prog albums of the '70s. I wonder if they thought they were being ironic with the title?

1. "Hoedown"
Taken at an even faster clip than the one on Trilogy. A dizzying display of pyrotechnics as if they can't wait to jump out onstage and impress the punters.

2."Jerusalem"
They dive right into the last album too. Again, a sense of 'we can't wait to give you the good stuff' permeates these proceedings.

3."Toccata"
You'd think they were gonna do the entire Brain Salad Surgery album by this point. By the end of the album, they almost do! To be frank - I think I prefer this to the studio version. Louder, more bombastic (been a while since I used that word, but believe me - I'm thinking about it all the time when I listen to this music), and it must have been a thrill to watch this music being performed. The cut fades away at the end as the LP side one finishes.

4."Tarkus"
Oh, you know I'm in heaven now. A "Tarkus" to fill the entire second side of the original album and almost eleven minutes on side three! And it's all on one track on the CD too!! LOL. Look, either this does it for you, or it doesn't. If you're a card-carrying middle aged punk rocker who wouldn't be caught dead with an ELP album and still navigates the world with a "What would Johnny Rotten do?" mentality, then brother - what are you doing reading this? It's over seven minutes longer than the studio cut and functions as a litmus test for fans. Dig this, and you're in the club for life. I'm playing it right now and Greg is slipping Crimson's "Epitath" in - how cool is that?

5."Take a Pebble" (including "Still...You Turn Me On" / "Lucky Man")
This is Lake's portion of the show, combining three of his better-known songs and it completed the third side of the album. None of these numbers will make you forget the studio versions unfortunately.

6. "Piano Improvisations" (including Friedrich Gulda's "Fugue" and Joe Sullivan's "Little Rock Getaway")
The second half of the presentation begins with Keith's piano musings for almost twelve minutes. Do you think his hands ever got tired? Still a virtuosic display of course, because you'd expect nothing less. Don't know why he thought he needed this though when he takes every opportunity to solo during the rest of their repertoire, but there you have it. The least ELP-sounding part of the concert, but perhaps the most Emersonian as well.

7. "Take a Pebble (Conclusion)"
Wait, Greg wasn't done with this song? The shortest cut on the album. More like a continuation of Keith's piano stylings, really.

8. "Jeremy Bender" / "The Sheriff"
Were people clamoring for their hokey numbers in concert? One wouldn't think so, and yet... Or maybe the group was being perverse. The barbarians...

9. "Karn Evil 9"
Yep, the whole thing. Remember how I wrote that "Tarkus" was the litmus test? I lied. What took up three cuts and all of the third LP is on one thirty five minute track on the CD. I'd be fronting if I didn't say it kicks ass! I'm blasting this at the moment, neighbors be damned. I think they're scared of me anyway. Were you wondering where Carl's epic drum solo was? Fear not prog brethren, tis buried within.


Great write up!
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Re: Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Postby C » 24 Jun 2021, 10:36

Matt Wilson wrote:Image
Brain Salad Surgery
The title is taken from a line in a Dr. John song and this is my favorite ELP album. Most everything here counts and the usual joke track aside there is no filler. The Giger artwork is iconic and the guys really lost a step by taking four years to release a followup. Though perhaps not as great as other 1973 progressive rock LPs such as Dark Side of the Moon, Selling England by the Pound, or Larks' Tongues in Aspic, this is the ELP LP (see what I did there?) I'd give a newbie. I have this album in two different 5.1 mixes.

1."Jerusalem"
Lyrics by none other than William Blake with music by Hubert Parry, "Jerusalem" starts things off with aplomb. This celebration of Englishness was banned by the BBC, natch. Damned if you do, damned if you don't I guess.

2."Toccata"
A piece by Alberto Ginastera which Keith had used before is given an over-seven minute workout which sounds an awful lot like The Nice methinks. But then the difference between the music of the two groups isn't as vast as some here would believe. Lots of Emerson wankery in the middle but would we have it any other way?

3."Still...You Turn Me On"
Greg Lake does it again. The first bit of music on the record to be written by a member of the band wasn't released as a 45 because Carl isn't present. Pity, as it's one of the Emerson, Lake and Palmer cuts I've heard on the radio the most. Bet it would have charted. Short and sweet.

4. "Benny the Bouncer"
Their 'humor' on display again - they get it out of the way early though. Pete Sinfield had to be enlisted to help Greg with the Shakespearean verbiage. Let's just say it's no "The Sheriff."

5."Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression—Part 1"
And now we're into it! The first part of the suite is over eight minutes and ends the first side of the LP. If the entire half hour thing would've been one track, then this, and not "Tarkus," would be their best long sci-fi song. I'd love to see some kind of video of this. All of the musical motifs are established except for the "Welcome Back My Friends..." part which begins...

6."Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression—Part 2"
I've heard this part on the radio as much as I've heard "Still...You Turn Me On." Again, this sounds like it could've charted to me. Who was in charge of releasing ELP singles at the time?

7."Karn Evil 9: 2nd Impression"
The second impression sounds like a completely different song. Wiki tells us that part of the solo very briefly quotes the main melody from Sonny Rollins' "St. Thomas". There's a lot of what sounds like a Caribbean flavor to be found as well. At almost the three-minute mark, the music stops and piano slowly starts up again. Keith exploring dynamics I guess, but I'm not sure it works as well as the faster parts. Luckily, after not too long it works up a nice head of steam again.

8. "Karn Evil 9: 3rd Impression"
The last section is also the longest to end the album with a bang. The tale (in terms of the lyrics) from the first impression begins again after another musical beginning which sounds like yet another new song. Again - I'll point out that I almost never pay attention to prog lyrics (Jon Anderson is the worst offender), and have never contemplated the story being told. Sinfield isn't a bad writer either - some of his Crimson stuff is memorable, but I'm scared that if I scrutinize the words, dismay will follow. I guess joining all these sections into one track wouldn't work as aside from the first two cuts of the first impression, the rest of it doesn't even sound like the same song. I swear, Keith solos more than virtually any guitarist I can think of.

Image
Welcome Back My Friends to the Show that Never Ends...
Sorry, this is another one that I love. A live triple (not to be outdone by Yessongs!) which sold quite well thank you very much. They should've not taken time off and released another studio album in 1975. Alas - 'twas not to be. Not every moment is transcendent, but it's good enough to count among my top five live prog albums of the '70s. I wonder if they thought they were being ironic with the title?

1. "Hoedown"
Taken at an even faster clip than the one on Trilogy. A dizzying display of pyrotechnics as if they can't wait to jump out onstage and impress the punters.

2."Jerusalem"
They dive right into the last album too. Again, a sense of 'we can't wait to give you the good stuff' permeates these proceedings.

3."Toccata"
You'd think they were gonna do the entire Brain Salad Surgery album by this point. By the end of the album, they almost do! To be frank - I think I prefer this to the studio version. Louder, more bombastic (been a while since I used that word, but believe me - I'm thinking about it all the time when I listen to this music), and it must have been a thrill to watch this music being performed. The cut fades away at the end as the LP side one finishes.

4."Tarkus"
Oh, you know I'm in heaven now. A "Tarkus" to fill the entire second side of the original album and almost eleven minutes on side three! And it's all on one track on the CD too!! LOL. Look, either this does it for you, or it doesn't. If you're a card-carrying middle aged punk rocker who wouldn't be caught dead with an ELP album and still navigates the world with a "What would Johnny Rotten do?" mentality, then brother - what are you doing reading this? It's over seven minutes longer than the studio cut and functions as a litmus test for fans. Dig this, and you're in the club for life. I'm playing it right now and Greg is slipping Crimson's "Epitath" in - how cool is that?

5."Take a Pebble" (including "Still...You Turn Me On" / "Lucky Man")
This is Lake's portion of the show, combining three of his better-known songs and it completed the third side of the album. None of these numbers will make you forget the studio versions unfortunately.

6. "Piano Improvisations" (including Friedrich Gulda's "Fugue" and Joe Sullivan's "Little Rock Getaway")
The second half of the presentation begins with Keith's piano musings for almost twelve minutes. Do you think his hands ever got tired? Still a virtuosic display of course, because you'd expect nothing less. Don't know why he thought he needed this though when he takes every opportunity to solo during the rest of their repertoire, but there you have it. The least ELP-sounding part of the concert, but perhaps the most Emersonian as well.

7. "Take a Pebble (Conclusion)"
Wait, Greg wasn't done with this song? The shortest cut on the album. More like a continuation of Keith's piano stylings, really.

8. "Jeremy Bender" / "The Sheriff"
Were people clamoring for their hokey numbers in concert? One wouldn't think so, and yet... Or maybe the group was being perverse. The barbarians...

9. "Karn Evil 9"
Yep, the whole thing. Remember how I wrote that "Tarkus" was the litmus test? I lied. What took up three cuts and all of the third LP is on one thirty five minute track on the CD. I'd be fronting if I didn't say it kicks ass! I'm blasting this at the moment, neighbors be damned. I think they're scared of me anyway. Were you wondering where Carl's epic drum solo was? Fear not prog brethren, tis buried within.


Great write up Matt

Yes, great write up but this is were ELP and I part company

Overblown, overrated and overlong

*reaches for Ars Longa....*





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Re: Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Postby Six String » 24 Jun 2021, 17:15

I enjoyed your posts Matt and you covered the albums I bought back in the day. I heard Works Vol.1 but was not impressed with it or anything that followed. I don’t even own any of their music anymore. Some of it might have been lost in the flood of ‘90.
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Re: Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Postby C » 24 Jun 2021, 18:43

Six String wrote:I enjoyed your posts Matt


Indubitably Les



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Re: Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Postby Matt Wilson » 25 Jun 2021, 03:25

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Works
Three years after the last ELP album, and four since the last one with new material, the trio finally decided they could get along enough to fatten their bank accounts and grace us with another record - and a double as well. The progressive rock landscape had changed in the interval and most of the giants in the field had seen better days. Yes came back strong with Going for the One, Rush were still fighting the good fight with A Farewell to Kings (but they started later than most), and acts like Tull and Floyd were still putting out music which ranked with their best, but King Crimson had folded by then, Gentle Giant, Camel, and Caravan had all begun their downward slide and punk rock was now the popular music of the masses in England. The states were a different thing though, and the first-tier prog bands were still selling tickets en masse. Come to think of it - prog was still a going concern concert-wise in the UK too. The time had come for the return of Emerson, Lake and Palmer. The record was/is highly divisive. It's fine, just not nearly as good as any previous album to bear the ELP name. And that's another thing, is it really a band effort in the first place? The other two don't play on any individual's LP side until Keith turns up on the last Carl song on side three.

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1."Piano Concerto No. 1"
Works allowed the guys to each have their own LP side to individually write and perform - so you're not really getting ELP music here folks. Since Keith has always been the star, he got to start. Emerson was fond of piano pieces which demonstrate his keyboard skills, so naturally given the choice he's going to bring in the London Philharmonic Orchestra to class the song up and he's going to throw in some of his jazz leaning as well. One wonders why he never attempted this kind of thing before. You know how I've been mentioning certain Soft Machine and ELP songs have a kind of cinematic quality to them? Well, here ya go... In three movements, all of which get Italian names of course. Bet you can't hum it when it's not playing either. Oh, and did I mention that it's over eighteen minutes long? I guess the takeaway here is that he was tired of adapting the work of classical composers for a rock setting and thought he'd write his own, just minus the rock.

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2. "Lend Your Love to Me Tonight"
No long, pretentious numbers for our Greg. He's going to use his LP side for no less than five cuts, all with words by Sinfield. Lake claims the song is about religion, but it sounds like one of his typical love songs to me. Not to be outdone by Keith, there's orchestral backing here too.

3. "C'est la Vie"
This one hit though - at least partially. Never a big seller, but it is memorable and proves Greg had a way with an acoustic ballad. There's even an accordion. Thing is, there is little that is progressive about anything on the record so far, as each musician is allowed to pursue his individual interests with the label's money and its packaged to the plebes as an Emerson, Lake and Palmer record.

4. "Hallowed Be Thy Name"
Sounds like something Sting would do ten years later. Not bad as far as these things go. It's almost funky and had Emerson and Palmer been allowed to add their two cents in, this might have amounted to more than it does. As it stands it's probably a highlight here. It's almost as if the strings are trying to make up for the lack of the other two guys though.

5. "Nobody Loves You Like I Do"
Another one that isn't bad. Had I grown up with this record instead of just discovering it recently, perhaps I'd appreciate these songs more. It could be anybody though, it's just a song. You can tell yourself it's good but does that make it so? Sounds like part of a lost Greg Lake solo album that never was.

6. "Closer to Believing"
He's getting close, ya'll. Supposedly, Greg and Peter took three months to write this. The mind boggles... And with that, we are done with the first record.

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7. "The Enemy God Dances with the Black Spirits"
Wait a minute, Carl is attracted to Russian composers too? And here I thought they got it out of their system with Pictures at an Exhibition. This song is based on the second movement of the "Scythian Suite" by Prokofiev. There's an orchestra of course, and almost as if they're competing with each other, Carl beats Greg by putting SIX songs on his side!

8. "L.A. Nights"
This is the first track to earn the sobriquet of "terrible" from yours truly. A type of fusion which you can see would appeal to a drummer, but hardly anyone else. It goes on for almost six minutes too. Joe Walsh is along for the ride but I really can't tell it's him. I'm dying to hear one of you stick up for this! On the plus side, there's no strings.

9. "New Orleans"
Well, I guess it's a bit funky, thus the New Orleans tag. But really, this has no business (none at all) being on an Emerson, Lake and Palmer record. And the thing is - I'll bet Keith and Greg could've made something of this given time. He wrote these last two tracks himself. It shows.

10. "Two Part Invention in D Minor"
A short piece by Bach which has absolutely no relation to the previous tracks. I actually kind of like this 'un. Don't tell anyone.

11. "Food for Your Soul"
Conventional-sounding fusion which one would imagine Carl would be fond of playing. Yawn. Others do this kind of thing so much better. Becomes a whole 'nother thing after a couple of minutes in, and then the drum solo starts... I blacked out after that and can't remember much more.

12. "Tank"
Because Carl wanted another crack at this cut from the first album. Seven. Years. Later. Guess which one's better? At least Keith is here on Moog, but unfortunately, so is the orchestra. Since we at least have two members of the band on the same cut, you can view it as a warm up for...

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13. "Fanfare for the Common Man"
The big hit (at least in the UK, never got that much play here), and we had to wait until the fourth side of the album to hear it! It's worth the wait though as at last we have all three guys on the same track. Another Aaron Copland song, but better than "Hoedown." This should have been the first cut on the LP. Keith is rather sedate though - at least for him. Even his Yamaha solo isn't as fleet-fingered as in days of yore. But who am I kidding? This almost ten-minute song is the reason you bought the album I'll bet. Sounds like something they'd play at the opening of the Olympics.

14. "Pirates"
Another one of their soundtrack-sounding things with a bit of the "Fanfare" feel. Written with Sinfield again, even the orchestra doesn't feel out of place. A decent LP-ending to a confusing addition in their discography. It sounds like it could be in a musical.
Last edited by Matt Wilson on 10 Jul 2021, 05:43, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Postby Mike Boom » 25 Jun 2021, 04:24



Always thought this was a great video for “Fanfare”

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Re: Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Postby The Slider » 25 Jun 2021, 08:39

Please stop now
Complete Ramones Mp3 set on its way

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Re: Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Postby ConnyOlivetti » 25 Jun 2021, 09:22

The Slider wrote:Please stop now

:lol:
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Re: Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Postby Jimbly » 25 Jun 2021, 13:51

Mike Boom wrote:

Always thought this was a great video for “Fanfare”


there's is of course a longer version with the drum crashes at the start.
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