ELP Digest Thursday, 2 Dec 1993 Volume 3 : Issue 18 The "I Carry the Dust of a Journey" Edition Today's Topics: Victory vs. Atlantic releases re: availability of new stuff only in Box Set Proposal for remastered ELP discs -- review squad! crappy sounding CDs ??? ELP on Regis and Kathie Lee Howard Stern Interview 11/16/93 more on Howard Stern interview even more on Howard Stern interview ELP at (NYC) Hungerthon 93 concert ELP LISTENING PARTY/CHARITY SHOW Reissueing ELP Opinions on "Return of the Manticore" Live Shows Wanted ELP to make concept album shock ?! New US CD5? '93 'twas a very good year Digest, mailing address, and administrative stuff to: J.Arnold@ma30.bull.com ==\ => the same for now ELP-related info that you / want to put in the digest to: J.Arnold@ma30.bull.com =/ Back issues available via anonymous ftp: ftp site: ftp.uwp.edu user name: anonymous password: provide a full email address path: /pub/music/lists/elp/digests (There is a separate directory under this point for each year of the ELP Digest (1991, 1992, and 1993).) Note: The opinions, information, etc. contained in this digest are those of the original message sender listed in each message below. They are not necessarily those of the mailing list/digest administrator or those of any institution through whose computers/networks this mail flows. Unless otherwise noted, the individual authors of each entry in the Digest are the copyright holders of that entry. Please respect that copyright and act accordingly. I especially ask that you not redistribute the ELP Digest in whole or in part without acknowledging the original source of the digest and each author. Thanks! ------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Nov 1993 16:38:14 -0500 To: J.Arnold@ma30.bull.com From: jta1@cornell.edu Subject: Re: ELP Digest V3 #17 >> I would imagine that the Victory vs. Atlantic release was worked out >>when Victory got permission to re-release the recordings that are owned by >>Atlantic (or WEA). My guess is that Atlantic hasn't made any new >>manufacturing runs recently and that all new shipments of ELP product will >>be on Victory. > >Of course. This makes sense. They _would_ need permission from Atlantic >and not just the band. Exactly. According to a representative of Atlantic Records, the deal they worked out with Victory stipulated that Atlantic would stop shipping ELP catalog material to wholesalers exactly two weeks before the official release date of the Victory remastered versions. There will be a bit of overlap as far as availability, but he assured me that the last print run was months ago anyway, so there isn't much backorder stock left. You should start seeing Victory ELP CDs almost right away; if you don't, and you special-order, make sure to specify the Victory release just in case the *wholesaler* still has copies of the Atlantic CDs that he wants to ditch on the retailer. Victory Records now owns the rights to the entire ELP catalog outright. Jeffrey Anbinder The Sexiest Man in Ithaca Radio ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Nov 1993 15:13:28 EST From: dandelion!david@eddie.mit.edu Apparently-To: In order to cut down on the gouging, we could organize a rarities tape (or tapes) which we have done quite successfully on the Genesis, Yes and Marillion lists. Obviously this doesn't solve the remastered problem, but it will enable those of us who find it morally offensive to spend ridiculous amounts of money to hear stuff that should be released seperately anyway... -- David Kuznick - david@ci.com NOTE THE NEW ADDRESS! 46 days and counting... [ Editor's note: I am in favor of people who want to discuss and collaborate on a true rarities tape. Unfortunately, a "rarities" tape of the newly released (and available) material on Return of the Manticore would really be nothing but true bootlegging and not allowed on an Internet mailing list. Sorry, though I do hope the new stuff becomes legally available indepedent of the box set some day. - John - ] ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Nov 93 18:05:11 -0500 From: barrett@astro.cs.umass.edu (Daniel Barrett) To: J.Arnold@ma30.bull.com Subject: Proposal for remastered ELP discs -- review squad! When the entire ELP catalog is released in remastered form, are you going to replace your old discs with the new ones? Will it be worth the expense? I don't know, but here is a proposal to find out and save us some money. I propose that people volunteer to buy ONE of the newly remastered CD's, compare it with the original CD, and report their findings to the ELP Mailing List. There is no hurry to buy the remastered versions -- they'll be around for a long time. So let's help each other decide whether it's "worth it" to replace our already-bought CD's with the new versions. Each reviewer would fill out a form like this (this is just a suggested format): REMASTERED ALBUM NAME: SOUNDS BETTER ON AVERAGE STEREO SYSTEM: very, slightly, no, unknown SOUNDS BETTER ON HIGH-END STEREO SYSTEM: very, slightly, no, unknown SOUNDS BETTER ON HEADPHONES: very, slightly, no, unknown SPECIFIC, DETAILED COMMENTS: .... I volunteer to buy and review the remastered TARKUS. Dan //////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ | Dan Barrett -- Dept of Computer Science, Lederle Graduate Research Center | | University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003 -- barrett@cs.umass.edu | \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\///////////////////////////////////// ------------------------------ From: st2f303@staix4.hs.uni-hamburg.de (Rainer Kayser) Subject: crappy sounding CDs ??? To: J.Arnold@ma30.bull.com (ELP digest (incl. admin)) Date: Mon, 15 Nov 93 14:09:30 NFT Hello, in the last few digests were a lot of comments to _crappy sounding ELP CDs_. Actually, I have Pix, Trilogy, Works and Love Beach on CD, and I'm quite comfortable with their sound. Maybe someone can tell me which of the old CDs are actually crappy ??? Concerning the remastering I'm probably kind of a purist. I don't like the idea of a seventies album sounding like a nineties production. So if the remastering simply means a good, clean copy of the old masters to CD, possibly with background hiss and noise removed, that's okay by me. But if anything is done to change the sound, balance between instruments or whatever I'd cry NO. Rainer -- Dr. Rainer Kayser, Hamburger Sternwarte, Germany ** `You damn sadist', said rkayser@hs.uni-hamburg.de ** Mr.Cummings,`you try to in case of problems try: st2f303@rrz.uni-hamburg.de ** make people think'. Ezra Pound ------------------------------ From: tcnagy@1302.watstar.uwaterloo.ca To: J.Arnold@ma30.bull.com Date: Mon, 15 Nov 1993 14:15:51 EST Hi! Please put this in the next ELP Digest (unless you get too many similar mailings, of course) Hi, y'all. Saw ELP on the Regis+KL show this morning. In one word: PATHETIC! Obviously the two hosts knew NOTHING about the trio, altho this is apparently not restricted to ELP, since the Bruford/Howe show was similarly faulted (don't ask me, I didn't see it). They engaged in idle chit-chat (Carl was the most talkative, with Keith and Greg getting a word in every now and then) that really didn't reveal anything ("Oh wow! You had a farm?!?!?"). Then they proceeded to play a rather cut down version of From The Beginning (1 verse, keyboard bits), with Keith's parts barely audible in the mix. And, horrors, GREG WAS HOARSE! I hope this doesn't carry over to their newly-recorded stuff. It was also rather annoying to have them on the same show as that Clinton woman. You Americans may care, but we up here in Canada are rather disinterested in her. (No flames, plz! 8-)) And all R+KL could do the ENTIRE show was go on about how SPLENDID Hillary Rodham Clinton is/was, and how GREAT it is/was seeing her again, and... It just kinda wrecked the show. And when they got on to ELP, R+KL's reaction to them was quite mild, in comparison to the STUPENDOUSLY MARVELOUS FEATS accomplished by HRC. Blah. It was probably because of this that Greg motioned to the other two, after a little bit of Keith soloing, to cut the song. Oh well. What's next? Arsenio? Oh good. More intelligent fodder. And then "Touch and Go" on Monday Night Football on Dec. 27th, for those of us who didn't get the box set for X-mas/Channukah/whatever. Here's hoping they actually tour. By the way, does anyone know of any ELP cover bands? Particularly in Ontario? Tom Nagy University of Waterloo. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Nov 93 12:38:23 EST From: "Edward S. Zuckerman" (AED-PD) To: j.arnold@bull.com Subject: Stern Interview 11/16/93 Just listened to the Howard Stern show... It was hillarious. I did not have the ability to tape it, so I can't transcribe word for word, but here's some highlights... I apologize if this is old news by now. Before the ELP segment started, Howard did a song parody called "Horny Man" (to the tune of "Lucky Man") which was based around the Joey Buttafucco story. Funniest thing was that the only instrument Howard used was a knob that produced a nasally electrical whine to imitate the Emerson synth solos. Let's just say that Howard's imitation of Emerson was not very flattering ;-) ELP finally bumbled into the tiny studio and set up. Carl had huge congas. Greg his six string acoustic, and Emerson apparently had nothing (?). (The staff later hooked him up with Howard's cheesey Casio keyboard). They spent about 20 minutes talking and goofing around. They were picking on Emerson because he clearly did not enjoy waking up so early. Howard kept commenting on how miserable Emerson looked. The conversation moved to Emerson's recent divorce and how his wife's milking him for everything he's got. (He got married when he was 27, before ELP hit the bigtime) Howard figured ELP should be able to hook up easily, being rich rock stars. Carl insisted that only men come to the shows though. Howard picked on Emerson's breakup here & there throughout the entire segment. Generally Carl & Greg seemed to be in very good spirits. Somebody thought Carl had way too much coffee. Emerson also offered the excuse for his misery because he had recent surgery on/around his elbow. Ulnar and Radial nerves were relocated or something (?). Emerson said he was "sore". Carl was asked how he felt about E&L picking up Powell instead of Palmer way back when. Carl said it was "wonderful". He said he was psyched because the ELP old records started moving again... I think Carl said they've sold approximately 25 million albums over the years. Howard talked about an old incident which Greg was really embarrassed about. Apparently there was a big 92Krock sponsored house party where a show was broadcast from the winner's home. Greg was talked into showing up and jamming a bit. They also had a Hypnotist (I forget his name). Well, the hypnotist got some guy thinking that Greg was a hot Babe! The guy was hanging all over Greg, hugging him and kissing him. Greg ran out the door like lightning!!!! Howard thought Greg was homophobic. A little discussion was had on the breakup of King Crimson (Greg commented that basically nobody wanted to go on the road anymore). Howard did a very silly rendition of "In the Court of the Crimson King" complete with falsetto moaning. Also hillarious. They plugged the boxed set which Howard said "Weighed a ton!". They said that ELP would be doing some signing of the set over a couple of days. I think I head at "COCONUTS" at 51st & 6th today (Tuesday) between 1 & 2pm???? Check somewhere (?) to make sure. There was another one on Wednesday before the "Unplugged" show somewhere. (I'm headed to the unplugged show tommorrow- too bad it's only a half hour of ELP). Oh yeah, they plugged the "Unplugged" show too, (obviously!) goofing on how Howard would have never donated cash to that stuff... After putzing around with the sound levels and such, ELP did a nice version of "From the Beginning". Carl was all over the congas. Greg's voice sounded a little strained, but OK. Guitar was sounding good. Emerson's Casio fills were a bit lame, probably because the Casio itself was lame.. Overall, not too bad a version considering it was in done a room not much bigger than an ambulance. Then they did another jolly version of "Horny Man" with Stern & Lake flip-flopping lyrics. Again, Howard on "Knob". Emerson & Stern traded solos too....Believe it or not, Stern's knob was more accurate to the original version than Emerson's Casio jam. I liked Stern's solo better ;-) I don't know how much longer it went on, but I had to get back to work. ELP seemed to be saying their goodbyes so I turned my radio off, wandered back into my building, and hoped that nobody noticed me in my truck for the last 45 minutes. EDDIE ------------------------------ From: r.rarich@genie.geis.com Date: Wed, 17 Nov 93 03:46:00 BST To: arnold@cyclades.ma30.bull.com Subject: ELP Digest V3 #17 As all the readers of ELP Digest should know, ELP made an appearance Tuesday Nov 16th on the Howard Stern radio show. They were on from about 8:00 am to 8:45 am. Besides some light conversation- Howard Stern's interrogation didn't focous too much on serious musical issues- they performed "From the Beginning". Additionally, the group performed an improvised version of "Lucky Man" in which Stern joined in to assist with Vocals. This rendition featured new lyrics which narrated the story of Joey Buttofuocco (sp?). Even those unamused by Mr. Stern's humor, would have undoubtedly cracked at least a smile as he used some crude oscillating electronic gizmo to parody Keith's famous Moog solo. The group seemed to tolerate his innane questioning quite well. The bulk of the conversation centered on the issues of Emerson's finances as they relate to his divorce and Palmer being overpaid-he's just the drummer. Stern did touch on Lake's carreer with King Crimson, and even went so far as to play a part of a recording of "The Court of the Crimson King". Lake mentioned the group disbanded because a couple of the other guys didn't want to tour. Asked if they ever recorded "filler material", the band claimed "Lucky Man" was their only filler! While being badgered on why Emerson and Lake split their income with Palmer- Carl mentioned the band's stint with Powell. Palmer said he was contractually bound to Asia at the time, but was able to enjoy the profits from the sales of previous ELP records that the ELPowell tour instigated. The appearance was also marked by a liberal dosing of plugs for their new Box set, and a charity concert to be held the next day. ------------------------------ From: mathias@tarkus.ocis.temple.edu (mathias thallmayer) Subject: ELP on the Howard Stern show To: J.Arnold@ma30.bull.com Date: Thu, 18 Nov 93 2:54:34 EST ELP did a radio appearance on the Howard Stern show Tuesday, November 16. Howard asked Keith why he was so sullen. At first, he passed it off as being so early in the morning, but later he revealed that he had recently undergone surgery to relieve compression of the radial nerve and some other work on the ulnar (sp?) nerve in his elbow. He didn't say which arm. (Probably his right.) He said it was still quite sore. They also talked about Keith's divorce and Howard told a story about a time when Greg was on the show by himself. This was one of Howard's "house-parties" which they broadcast the show from a fan's house. One of the entertainers was a hypnotist. He hypnotized one of the male attendees to believe that Greg was a beautiful woman, much to Greg's consternation. Besides playing "From The Beginning" they performed a parody version of "Lucky Man" called "Horny Man" based on Joey Buttafuoco/Amy Fisher with Greg and Howard trading verses. Howard also sang along to the CD of "Court of the Crimson King" in his patented off-key, drenched with reverb, Robert Plant impression. -- Mathias ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Nov 93 10:49:29 EST From: "Edward S. Zuckerman" (AED-PD) To: J.arnold@bull.com Subject: Hungerthon93 Well, I just got back from the 92KRock Hungerthon Concert...Here's a review. Sorry if this is redundant. 8:07-8:18 The Stunning-A new Irish band, with a fairly non-unique sound. 8:24-8:45 Ritchie Havens-Let's just say that I won't be a fixture on any of his tours. 8:57-9:20 Southside Johnny-I surprisingly liked his set! I particularly enjoyed watching them wing it when the guitarist broke 2 strings, and had to step out for a 1/2 song. Just S.S. Johnny w/harmonica & a Bassist. Very cool. 9:26-9:37 Rosanne Cash-Pleasant.... 9:41-9:58 Roger McGuinn-Also Pleasant. Did Dylan's "My Back Pages" I think... (I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now....) I wonder if he did that knowing Emerson covered it with the Nice. Good guitarist. 10:02-10:18 Janis Ian-My favorite performer of the entire pre-ELP performance. 10:24-10:46 Buster Poindexter/Susie Tyrell-The most annoying performer of the entire lot. His backing band wasn't half bad though. Intermission 11:25-11:59, Emerson, Lake & Palmer 1. From The Beginning 2. Still, You Turn Me on 3. Ces't La Vie 4. Lucky Man 5. I believe in Father Xmas w/ Westin (???) International Choir ELP Notes: Well, I don't know where the rumour started, but this was clearly *NOT* an "Unplugged" show at all. Emerson was on the left side of the stage with his Hammond B-3?, apparently a moog Keyboard (no console in sight), and a Korg keyboard on the top of the stack. No accordian, no Grand piano. Greg planted in the middle, had an acoustic six string and an electric six string, no bass. Carl, on stage right, was mounted on a small riser. He had a small trap set on one side, and floor standing congas on the other side. Behind the congas, at waist level was a bass drum. A few other assorted percussion instruments here and there (tamborine, hand held xmas bells, tiny rack of wind chime tubular bells.) Emerson walked on stage wearing a sling on his right arm. He removed it to play. He mentioned his surgery (to move the radial and ulnar nerves from one side of his arm to the other) was not very serious, will take about a month or two to deal with after pyshiotherapy, but all in all nothing compared to the problem of world hunger... Throughout the set, he was rubbing his arm. It was the Greg Lake show really. All songs were the "Greg" ballads that Lake would play during the solo slot of a regular ELP show. Ces't la Vie took on a particularly Rock-N-Roll edge to it somewhere in the middle. All the other numbers were similar to the recent concert versions. Emerson did not stand out all that much, probably because I couldn't see his fingers. Although there was no Palmer soloing, his trap-set work was still typically intricate. "I believe in Father Christmas" made the set memorable. The choir backed ELP nicely. This version did not strike me as all that much different than the one we know already, although the choir parts were reworked a little. (The choir parts reminded me a little of that "We Are the World" Michael Jackson/Ray Charles thing a few years back with a solo voice repeating what the body of the choir just sang...). I never saw that performed before! I wonder how the newly recorded version will sound. Overall Notes: I'm glad I didn't cancel any major plans to attend this one.... Overall, not a bad presentation of music. With the exception of the time to set up ELP, the roadies had their act together keeping breakdown/setup times to a minimum. Most people (like myself) were clearly there to see ELP. Lots of disjointed "E-L-P" chants from the audience. From a die-hard ELP fan's perspective, this was a disappointing event. I can speak for alot of people when I say that what we really wanted was 2.5 hours of ELP... ;-) On the other hand, I personally managed to have a good time regardless of the short ELP presentation. I do feel like my $$$ went to a good cause. It was not a bad way to spend what surely would've been a boring Wednesday night. EDDIE ------------------------------ Date: 18 Nov 93 11:38:22 EST From: Damien DeSimone <71221.2364@CompuServe.COM> To: John Arnold Subject: ELP LISTENING PARTY/CHARITY SHOW Hi: Well, I attended the Dolby-sponsored ELP listening party in New York on November 15 and the Hungerthon '93 show on November 17. Here are some comments about the listening party first: It took place in a room smaller than a high school gym at The Hit Factory in New York, and there were about 150 record company executives/ media people in attendance. A guy from Dolby Labs made a few introductory comments about the new box set and the fact that Pictures was mixed in Dolby Surround, and then proceeded to play all the new recordings, including Pictures in its entirety. I must say that not many people were paying attention while the music was being played, as there was a lot of talking and people going up for food. It was really annoying! Anyway, shortly after that, Mssrs. Emerson, Lake and Palmer entered the room and made their way around. I got a chance to talk with Carl for quite a while, and here is what I can remember from our conversation: -ELP have recorded four tracks for their next studio album, which they hope to have out by May. Recording is being done in Los Angeles, and Keith Olsen is producing. -They wanted to do a concept piece for the new album, but realize they would never get played on the radio (not that they do anyway!). So Carl said they'd like to continue to do some things in the seven-minute range. -On Monday Night Football on December 27, ELP will perform a new version of "Touch And Go" for about a minute. This is a NOT the new recording on the box set, but yet another version with lyrics based around the football teams!?! There will actually be performance footage of them, not just the music. -ELP owns the rights to the Manticore Documentary and the 1977 Montreal show, and Carl said they will probably be released sometime soon. -The company that was distributing the "Welcome Back" video went bankrupt. Carl acknowledged the fact that there was a sound problem with it and that it could have been done better. -Keith had surgery a few weeks ago for a nerve problem he has in his right arm. Carl told me more specifically what the problem was, but I can't quite remember the medical terms! :-) -Carl had spoken with John Wetton a few days prior, and John was upset that his album has been "shelved." -Trevor Horn has just purchased a home in Beverly Hills, CA and opened up a studio there. -Geoff Downes is currently in the studio in London with John Payne, and they have recorded six tracks for Asia's next studio album. Carl said that Steve Howe is supposed to drop by to add some bits to the record at some point. He also said that he will have no involvement with the new Asia album; he'd like to be involved, but doesn't have the time. That's about all I can remember. Carl was extremely friendly, and I couldn't get him to stop talking! :-) He's always the life of the party. Keith left the party first, and I noticed he left with an attractive young woman on his arm. :-) Greg was his usual dignified self, and when I asked him if "Manoeuvres" will be released on CD, he said "There is talk about it, and I'm sure it will be out sometime." Here are some comments about the acoustic show they did at the Beacon Theater in New York on November 17: ELP was the headliner for the show, and they played the following tracks: From The Beginning Still...You Turn Me On C'est La Vie Lucky Man I Believe In Father Christmas (with the Westchester Interdenominational Fellowship Choir) Their setup was basic: Keith had an organ with one keyboard on top of it, Lake had a couple of acoustic guitars, and Carl had a small drumkit with various percussion devices, including conga drums. Keith came out with his right arm in a sling, which he took off before he played. He did explain to the audience at one point that he had just had surgery on his arm, but it was insignificant compared to the cause they were there to play for. He played well under the circumstances, though. To my surprise, Lake sounded great, especially during "C'est La Vie." The arrangements to all of the songs were slightly different, which was cool. During "Father Christmas," the choir came out, but it was only for show since the backing vocals were sequenced! All of the bass parts were sequenced, too, of course. Anyway, the set lasted for about 35-40 minutes. It was enjoyable, but it didn't have the magic of a regular, full show. But that's ok; I guess it was an historic occasion since ELP has never performed that way before! While in New York the last few days, ELP did "Regis And Kathie Lee," "The Howard Stern Show," an in-store appearance, plus a radio interview. It's nice to see them getting all of this promotion. They were hilarious on Howard Stern, except for Keith, who didn't seem to be himself. In fact, Keith was not quite himself at the listening party or the show either. I guess this is due to his recent surgery and the fact he is involved in divorce proceedings with his wife, and it seems she is taking him for quite a bit of money... Well, that about covers all the ELP news from New York! Until next time... -Damien- 5545135@mcimail.com ------------------------------ From: rubli@udlapvms.pue.udlap.mx (Ing. Alexander Rubli) Subject: reissuing stuff . . . To: J.Arnold@ma30.bull.com Date: Fri, 12 Nov 1993 13:55:43 -0600 (CST) Hi netters, I am glad for this new boxed set. I waited a LONG time to feel moved to buy an ELP record, (like I was at the time I was on High school) but I have to mention that Record companies are focused to 'bussiness' and they DO tricky, dirty tricks to do that. I have 2 examples that get me mad, one of it is that after buying the 4 cd set of YES there is just another CD that just came out called 'highlights the very best of yes' with remastered pieces. with the exception of one song all of them appeared on the boxed set. the problem is that I am a compulsive collector and I bought it. something similar happend to last cd of ENYA, it is a remaster of disk one. Why do I need a remaster of something that sounds OK ??? and why did't they announced that record as 'remaster of disk one' instead of making up a new name ??? (yes I bought it too) In case of this ELP box, if just 30-40% of the material is on TAY, we have a lot of new and remastered material to listen to. (well, that's not that bad . . .) Regards . . . PS in case that there are other compulsive collectors out there I have 2 singles I would like to trade lucky man and the latest one (which I don't recall the name right now... --alexander ------------------------------ From: Andy Moore Subject: Opinions on Manticore To: J.Arnold@ma30.bull.com Date: Fri, 19 Nov 93 14:03:05 EST A few observations and opinions on "The Return of the Manticore" * * * * * * * ! ! ! SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS ! ! ! * * * * * * * Background: I've been a fan of ELP since about '76. I like all the albums, even "Love Beach," each for different aspects, although I like some stuff better than others. I like Keith the best, and prefer the keyboard oriented instrumentals over the songs. I didn't buy "The Atlantic Years" and so am not torqued off about "The Return of the Manticore." Overall: I like it! This box set is a very good collection of ELP material, both old and new. Andy says two thumbs up... New Material: Touch And Go - Good; different feel from original, more a cozy (sorry) groove than a sparse, powerful theme. Keith substitutes a Hammond mixed with a sax-like sound (and maybe even some Rhodes?) for the original "noble horns" synth lead; I don't like it as much, but it works for this version. Greg adds some guitar doodles. Carl's drums are constant and somewhat uninspired, and the result is a more flat song instead of the dynamics of the original ELPowell version. Hang On To A Dream - Never heard the original, so can't compare, but I like it (and I don't usually care for rock ballads). Greg's singing is effective, Keith's backing is subtle but good, and Carl's percussion is very tastefully and nicely done. 21st Century Schizoid Man - Never heard this either, but I like it a lot; it has some bite! Everybody has a chance to cut loose in this one, and I like Keith's Hammond work (as usual); nice frenzy at the end. Fire - Another good one! I like how Greg makes the lyrics his own, and Keith gets some more organ chops in, as well as some great brass parts. Pictures At An Exhibition - Excellent! Keith covers a lot of ground between straight orchestra themes and eerie atmospheres; I like his choices for sounds throughout. "The Sage" is done very nicely, this time with Keith adding some great backing parts (and quoting a theme from a different part of "Pictures" (The Gnome?)). I miss "Blues Variation," but I admit it wouldn't have been appropriate here. "Baba Yaga" has a cool new feel, starts slow and then builds up a nice head of steam. "Great Gates" is a suitably gradiose finale, and I think they found a perfect middle ground between 'restrained' and 'overdone.' Keith dones some delicious glissandos (or are they just chromatic arpeggios? I'm no music major) at the very end. As for the use of Dolby Surround, it was pretty much a subtle effect for ambience, no serious panning or sweeping around like Tomita likes to do. Overall, the new Pix is excellent, my favorite piece in the box set! I Believe In Father Christmas - Eh, it's good, but I don't really see where it has anything on the original. Greg changed some of his guitar riff slightly, doesn't work for me. Keith does his between-verses theme with just a Hammond, again showing us that that instrument can be used for sensitive backing parts. Some of the choral parts near the end get a tad too clever for my own tastes, too. But it is an good version of the song. Previously Unreleased Tracks: Rondo - Well, I'm a stick in the mud about this one. I personally have both seen and heard Keith's organ antics and Carl's indulgent drum solos just a few too many times, and yet here we have it yet again. This is one track I would not have put in this collection, but you can't please everyone; I'm sure there are those who will be happy to have this. Bo Diddley - Where has this little gem been hiding all these years?! This is a slightly raw but fun romp that has the band blending in that way I like. Greg plays electric guitar, and Keith does his usual excellent Hammond work as well as a synth bass. This was recorded in '73, and I wonder why they chose "Tiger In The Spotlight" for Works Vol 2 instead of this much more interesting piece! Prelude and Fugue - Well, it's good, but this kind of piano work just seems better live than studio. Maybe it's just me... Anyway, it's a more comprehensive version of the Gulda work that Keith does as part of the "Take A Pebble" piano solo. Classic Tracks: Overall, a generally good selection, and all nicely remastered. I can't personally tell a *big* difference between the remastered and the older CD versions, but I don't have an audiophile system and am generally more forgiving of sound quality than many folks. I did sort of a A/B test on the opening bars of "Karn Evil 9" and just didn't hear much difference; perhaps the new version was a bit clearer. I don't plan to replace all my CDs with newly remastered versions; the old ones are still fine to me. I can't figure out the order of the tracks; it sort of skips around in time period, type and length of song, etc. But there's no obvious pattern or progression. The only thing I can figure is that they tried to mix it all up a bit. There's roughly one "epic" (Tarkus, KE9, etc.) per disc, another live song or set, and then a mixture of single songs for the rest. I don't recall any adjacent songs that clashed or made a bad transition. Naturally, I would have made a few slightly different selections (we each have our own ideas of what the "best"), but overall I was pleased. The only glaring omission in my eyes was "The Sheriff." I would also liked to have seen one or two of the more humorous songs like "Are You Ready Eddy?" or "Benny the Bouncer." And I would have found room for "Changing States" or "Romeo and Juliet" or "Abaddon's Bolero" in there somewhere. I would have left a few selections off, too. "Intro Fanfare/Peter Gunn" and "Tiger in the Spotlight" for starters; both have always struck me as weak, given what this group can do. "Paper Blood" and "Affairs of the Heart" and "For You" (can you tell I'm not a big Lake fan?). And, as I mentioned before, I wouldn't have wasted space with "Rondo." I do wish they had made the sub-parts to the longer works like "Tarkus," "Karn Evil 9," "Pictures...," and "Memoirs..." into separate tracks. Yeah, there are arguments for both ways of doing it, and I can live with it either way... A few final observations, more in the trivia vein. The mysterious "bleep" in "Aquatarkus" is still there. I think I would have been upset if it were mixed out somehow. The fade between parts 1 and 2 of "Karn Evil 9, First Impression" is now GONE, and good riddance! It now sounds much more continuous and natural to me. Conclusion: All in all I'm satisfied with "The Return of the Manticore." It is the first boxed set of any artist I've purchased, and while the price isn't cheap, I felt like I got my money's worth. I'm impressed with the new studio retrospectives and hope they continue to combine new and old music in progressive ways for many years. -- ________/ Andy_Moore@gsfc.nasa.gov \__________________________________________ "We are both desperately important to our children and absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things. It takes enormous wisdom to see that there is no inconsistency in those two points of view." - Clark, _The Garden of Rama_ ------------------------------ From: Andy Moore Subject: More on RotM To: J.Arnold@ma30.bull.com Date: Wed, 24 Nov 93 16:13:20 EST A few brief additions to my previous comments on "The Return of the Manticore": * Touch And Go - I think Keith's lead keyboard is a Hammond layered with an electric piano sound, not a sax sound as I first said. * 21st Century Schizoid Man - Now I've heard the original King Crimson version. I definitely like the new ELP version better... * Pictures At An Exhibition - The theme Keith quotes in "The Sage" is from "The Old Castle" (not "The Gnome"). * Rondo - I relent a bit; on first listen I didn't "get" what Keith was doing with the organ: a train, right?! And I stopped listening before I heard his wonderful quotes of Bach's 5th Brandenburg, and Toccatta and Fugue in D Minor. So I appreciate this song a bit better, but only a bit... * Bo Diddley - After a few more listenings I revoke my use of the word "gem" for this; after a while it gets silly, and some of Greg's guitar is weak. Overall I still like the box set, glad I got it! By the way, did anyone else hate Howard Stern's handling of the band as much as I did? What a jerk... Cheers! -- ________/ Andy_Moore@gsfc.nasa.gov \__________________________________________ "Nothing travels faster than the speed of light with the possible exception of bad news, which obeys its own special laws." -- Douglas Adams, _Mostly Harmless_ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 21 Nov 1993 11:47:33 -0500 (EST) From: "C.M. Leonard" Subject: Live Shows Wanted To: ELP Digest I'm looking to trade for live shows through the years -- especially '74 & '86. Does anyone have a complete set list of the US Summer '74 tour? Glenn cate@brahms.udel.edu ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Nov 93 09:13:24 GMT From: "Pete Cole" To: J.Arnold@ma30.bull.com Subject: ELP to make concept album shock ?! Hi ELP-er's ... Got a post (paper - not email !) from some guy called Frank Askew, who says he's picked up the ELP Information Services database (UK), and has handed it on to ELP's management. I quote from his news snippets : 1. There is a program called "Music From The Circus", a forthcoming ITV / Channel 4 show on ELP with Tara Newley presenting. It's unclear whether this show will be broadcast. 2. ELP releasing a brand new studio album next June (recording commences in January) believed to be a studio album. Whey-hey ! Let's hope the concept isn't "Love Beach 2" ... 8p Anybody out there confirm or deny any of this stuff ? Pete ------------------------------ From: wcsanil@ccs.carleton.ca (Anil Prasad) Subject: New US CD5? To: j.arnold@bull.com (elp) Date: Sat, 27 Nov 93 21:22:37 EST I've heard there's a new US CD single from Victory Records for "I Believe In Father X-mas". Is this true? What's on it? -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ aNiL pRaSaD wCsAnIl@cCs.CaRlEtOn.Ca nOtE: tHiS aCcOuNt MaY cHaNgE tO aPrAsAd@cCs.CaRlEtOn At A mOmEnT's NoTiCe. iF mAiL sEnT tO wCsAnIl@cCs.CaRlEtOn.Ca BoUnCeS, pLeAsE tRy Re-SeNdInG tO tHe NeW aDdReSs. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [ Editor's note: Yes, this is true. The CD single has the new (Return of the Manticore) version of "I Believe in Father Christmas", the digitally remastered Jerusalem (from Brain Salad Surgery), and one other track that I can't recall. I haven't seen it yet but a friend has it. - John - ] ------------------------------ Date: 30 Nov 93 12:03:56 EST From: Gravy Train <71234.342@CompuServe.COM> To: distribution:@compuserve.com; (see end of body) Subject: '93 'twas a very good year Excuse me, but I'm feeling all christmasy. Let us all be thankful for the good things that this year has brought: a live album from Dream Theater, the robot humanoids, _Counterparts_ from Rush (will I ever stop blaring "Animate" at close range?) and the promise of a new King's X album in the new year. Here's to a very progressively merry December... %%% overflow headers %%% To: "alt.music.progressive" , "alt.music.rush" , "rec.music.makers.bass" , "rec.music.makers.guitar" , "rec.music.makers.percussion" , "rec.music.makers" , "rec.music.phish" , bass players , DT list , ELP , Genesis , Gibraltar , King Crimson , "King's X" , Marillion , Queensryche , Rush , "alt.guitar.bass" , "alt.guitar" %%% end overflow headers %%% ------------------------------ End of ELP Digest [Volume 3 Issue 18] *************************************