ELP Digest Tuesday, 2 December 1997 Volume 7 : Issue 22 The "Palais de Danse" Edition Today's Topics: Nighthawks Giveaway Winners! Keith's Christmas Album Dick Whittington in Manchester ELP Tribute Band / Manticore Emerson CDs ELP on Monday night football MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL King Biscuit CD great biscuit KBFH Double CD ELP/King Biscuit CD...CD ROM ELP Video Snubbed Again by the RnR HOF Hello..we're so glad you could attend... ELP in New Zealand/UK Why so little credit for ELP? ELP on TV (Tollwood Festival from 1997 Europe Tour) AN INSPIRED PERFORMANCE!!! ELP in Atlantic City, NJ ELP CLEVELAND ELP in Boston ELP in Cleveland ProgDay 98 Prelude ======= It's already long enough. Read on.... - John - ------------------------------------------------------------ From: John Arnold , on 12/1/97 11:05 PM: To: arnold@reluctant.com Subject: Nighthawks Giveaway Winners! Hi. I'm pleased to announce that I've finally conducted the random drawing for the 3 winners of the Keith Emerson "Nighthawks" soundtrack LPs. The user name part of the winners' e-mail addresses are: funkyb luvly_linda rpccw The winners have already be contacted by e-mail and I hope to have the LPs on their way sometime this weekend. (Assuming I can figure out the best way to mail vinyl LPs. It's been a while since I've had to mail an actual 12" vinyl record somewhere.) Thanks to all who entered. I received 77 entries by the context cutoff date (11/2/97) and 3 numbers between 1 and 77 were selected randomly and fairly. (If you must know, my daughter closed her eyes and pulled the 3 numbers out of a bag while she had her eyes closed.) Congratulations to the winners. And another big thanks to the anonymous donor of the 3 LPs! This first ever ELP Digest giveaway has been a lot of fun and I hope to be able to provide more contests for ELP Digest readers in the future. - John - ------------------------------ From: Otherroad@aol.com, on 12/1/97 10:56 PM: To: ELP-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Keith's Christmas Album Just a reminder, folks, as the holidays are upon us that anyone looking for Keith Emerson's Christmas album will find it in The Artist Shop at . Happy Holidays Gary ************************************************************** Gary Davis The Artist Shop The Other Road http://www.artist-shop.com OtherRoad@aol.com SUPPORT THE INDEPENDENT ARTIST!!! ************************************************************** ------------------------------ From: Akiko Hada , on 11/18/97 8:03 AM: To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Dick Whittington in Manchester Hi! Jim Davidson's pantomime "Dick Whittington", which features Keith Emerson's music and was premiered in Bristol last December, is running at Manchester Apollo Theatre again from Dec 28 until Feb 15. On the flyer it says: with music by Keith Emerson (THE Keith Emerson). Tickets enquiries: Tickets North (0161) 242 2503. Best Regards, Akiko Hada akiko@bln.de ------------------------------ From: "Fountaine, Jenny" , on 11/26/97 To: "'elp-digest-web@reluctant.com'" Subject: ELP Tribute Band / Manticore I am involved with a band that does a sole tribute to E.L.P., by the name of Manticore. They have performed in numerous rock clubs throughout the Los Angeles area. It would be greatly appreciated if you could possibly relay this information in your fan club information. Their next performance: Friday, December 5th, 9:30 p.m. Callahan's Lounge 7557 Woodley Avenue Van Nuys, CA (818)786-9542 Thank you so much! Jenny Fountaine E-Mail address: jmfount@unistudios.com Jenny ------------------------------ From: Frank Sonnenberg , on 11/17/97 2:07 PM: To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Cc: borjal@ica.com.mx Subject: Emerson CDs John, Jose Manuel Bravo asked about where to obtain copies of the following CD's. Inferno La chiesa Best revenge Best Works Murderock I was able to obtain Murderock from CD Now (www.cdnow.com). It's a Japanese import and cost $39.95 plus shipping, but if you've gotta have it..... It has extensive liner notes, entirely in Japanese. Is there anyone willing to translate? -- Frank Sonnenberg ------------------------------ From: "Charles Scott" , on 11/11/97 3:08 PM: To: Subject: ELP on Monday night football It was after the release of Black Moon and they did change the words, "You're playing on Monday, it's touch and go..." I have a tape of that and can make copies, what I need is the MTV music video from ELPowell, Touch and Go. I can not find mine. Also, at one point MTV was supposed to broadcast ELPowell concert but never did. I wonder if there is footage out there. Last question, will Manticore release anything live from this last ELP tour? Thanks Charles Scott robbins@gate.net ------------------------------ From: "Martin Kornick" , on 11/13/97 8:56 AM: To: "ELP Digest" Subject: MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL These are the lyrics to ELP's 1992 Monday Night Football appearance. It is one of the funniest things I've ever heard! To the tune of Touch & Go, the lyrics are: See this man on the TV show He's covered in sweat from head to toe They make you believe it's the status quo You're playing on Monday it's touch and go All systems go, it's friend or foe Miami depends on the pass you throw Comin' without warning like San Diego You're playing on Monday it's touch and go Thant's it, runs a little over 1 minute then breaks into Frank Gifford! Martin Kornick ------------------------------ From: Doug Otte , on 9/12/97 10:51 PM: To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: King Biscuit CD I picked up the new enhanced CD the other day. The music is mostly from the '77 Works tour (after the orchestra left), & some from the BSS '74 tour. Most of the music sounds almost identical to Welcome Back... & Works Live (except, of course, w/out the orchestra). I haven't had a chance to compare the sound quality w/ these older releases, but it sounds pretty good on its own. However, nothing really new here. The enhanced part is, first of all, clunky. There's no Autoload program for Windows 95. When you stick the disk in your CD-ROM, it starts playing the music. I placed a shortcut of the enhanced .exe file on my desktop so I can easily start it that way. There are 3 live videos: >From the Beginning, Lucky Man, & Paper Blood. They all appear to be from '92. There a interview videos of all 3. There are a few photos. There are images of all the album covers. The quality of the images & videos is so-so. Only 256 colors can be supported (maybe this is a limitation of Quicktime?). All in all, not such a spectacular product, but I'm glad I have it & you probably will be too. ------------------------------ From: Lennart , on 9/13/97 4:11 PM: To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: great biscuit Hi! Just bought the King Biscuit CD and became pleasantly surprised. It was really great to hear the trio version of the '77 tour performing Pirates and Emerson playing parts of his Piano Concerto alone! I only wish that Emerson wasn't that obsessed with the GX-1 and had used the Hammond on equal terms. I agree with 'Novakian' in parts, I'm also a long time prog-fan and I have stopped buying those new prog-bands CD's. But you shouldn't blame it on the musicians, I think it's the record companies and Medias mistake to compare the new groups with the old one's... There are some exceptions though; Anekdoten and The Flower Kings are two 'new' bands I listen to frequently and enjoy as much as the old prog-heroes. /Lennart Unofficial Elliott Sharp Homepage: http://www.algonet.se/~repple/esharp/es.html ------------------------------ From: J Smart , on 9/16/97 8:28 AM: To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: KBFH Double CD Am I the only one to feel disappointment at the fact that the long and eagerly awaited KBFH CD appears to include material already released? I've not listened to my vinyl version since going over to CD but it seems that at least four of the five (I can't vouch for Karn Evil 9 as I'm going purely by memory) of the double-asterisked tracks from the `74 tour on the KBFH CD are on the `Ladies and Gentlemen' live double album (albeit slightly different mixes). Having listened to the first of the `Piano Improvisation' tracks on the new double, I eagerly awaited track 14 (also entitled `Piano Improvisation') only to find it was extracted from the `Take a Pebble' recording not only featured on `Ladies and Gentlemen' but also `Return of the Manticore'. Surely, it would have shown more imagination at least to have featured recordings hitherto unreleased from the BSS tour and would not have been beyond the ingenuity of those compiling the KBFH CD to do just that. Jonathan Smart ------------------------------ From: KTVN99C@prodigy.com (DAVID W BRISCOE), on 9/18/97 10:01 PM: To: arnold@reluctant.com Subject: ELP/King Biscuit CD...CD ROM I don't know who else to ask so I will ask you. I bought the above mentioned disc and I can't get the CD ROM portion to work using a PC. I have e-mailed King Biscuit and have not heard back. I have tried to find Ice Magazine ( a cd magazine) on the web, but I guess their computer is down. Just wondering if other ELP fans are having problems and if anybody knows how to make this program run or did somebody just mess up... or is it me. Thanks for reading and please write back. David Briscoe ------------------------------ From: Dwgatr@aol.com, on 9/13/97 9:23 AM: To: elp-digest-web@reluctant.com Subject: ELP Video Looking for new ELP Royal Albert Hall Video in the states. Any help on this? D. Wood [ Editor's Note: I haven't seen it yet. But according to a local laser disc vendor, it was supposed to have been released last week. We'll see. - John - ] ------------------------------ From: "Paul D. Eccles" , on 9/15/97 4:28 PM: To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Snubbed Again by the RnR HOF Well the inductees have been announced for the RnR HOF and ELP is not amoung them. Instead we have Fleetwood Mac, Dusty Springfield, Santana (worthy), Earth, Wind & Fire, Eagles, and Billy Joel. Paul Eccles ------------------------------ From: "Leslie Miller" , on 9/14/97 3:37 PM: To: Subject: Hello..we're so glad you could attend... Hello...we're so glad you could attend... I have been a long time reader of the ELP digest, but a first time writer. I have been a long time fan of ELP. Even before they were ELP. I was an early King Crimson fan when Greg Lake was with them and remember when Carl Palmer was with an obscure band called Atomic Rooster. I was a big time Nice fan. So when ELP were formed, I felt quite "at home" with the guys and their sound. I even remember Nice being on NBC with the Philharmonic (I think) Orchestra in the 1960's... What a surprise that was ! I have only seen ELP once on Oct. 27(?)1977 but by golly,it was a good one.And probably one of the most interesting nights I had. I was lucky to get front row..center...Me with my arms hanging from the edge of their stage. Yes, I can still feel the "woosh" of wind as Keith Emerson sailed past me and landed inches away in front of me with his Hammond organ! (Scared me though since my fingers were on the edge and so close when he landed...Had to count my fingers to make sure they were all there afterwards!) And I remember the pyrotechnics which accidentally soared over a group of girls heads who were hanging on (Lots of scattering and screaming!) And a real surprise to me when the guy standing next to me in the audience suddenly lept up and rushed the stage and went under Carl Palmer's rostrum (Spelling?) after the last note was played, thinking that he would get back stage that way to meet him. It did not work, he got a police escort out instead! And a rather annoyed Greg Lake because that guy next to me who jumped the stage had kept talking loudly at him off and on during his solos. ("Hey can I have that? Hey can I have this..." Give me a break!) I also sat next to this photographer who had a nice camera, lenses, and a case full of film and intrusted it to me to hold all of that while he went back stage with a smaller camera to photograph the guys before they went back on stage. While he was gone I noticed several rolls of film marked ELP and three separate ones marked Emerson, Lake and Palmer... Wow! I could not believe he left me there alone with all that and he did not even know me.. Just met that evening! It was all I could do to keep from bolting with the loot! (especially those photos!... Just kidding...I was a good girl!) This concert was three weeks after they had lost the orchestra. It was the first time I had ever heard "Pirates" done as a trio instead of an orchestra... although I love "Pirates" in its original state, I liked it done as a trio as well....Had a edge to it....I was very thrilled because they played close to three hours, no opening act and only a ten minute break in-between....Like I said earlier one of my most interesting nights I had ever had! I was very tired and felt drained because I had just recovered from days of strep throat and phenomena which had left me weak and I had dropped 10 pounds because I could not eat was well, but did not have my strength, but I would not of missed it for the world. ( My doctor would of had a fit if he found out what I did because I physically was not right yet). Three years later,I met a free lance rock journalist who worked at our local newspaper in my town. Turned out she was there at the concert and had interviewed Emerson for over two hours... At the time both she and Carl Palmer were single. Carl asked her out... She turned him down!!! Said it might appear unprofessional to do that. I told her that after she interviewed Carl their time was theirs...Off hours.... She said that is what he told her!(I say she was crazy!) I saw the pictures of Emerson taken... nice... Well. I best be going, I have gone on , but I have several ELP stories. That was one I wanted to share because it was interesting love the digest and keep up the great work! I like to write. Anyone please feel free to e mail me. Leslie Miller lmille@our-town.com ------------------------------ From: Mr A T Ginman , on 8/12/97 10:06 AM: To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: ELP in New Zealand/UK > All these people whinging about no UK dates for ELP this time around > elicit not one whit of sympathy from me. > > Get this: I've been an ELP fan since, oh, 1972 I think (Trilogy), and in > that time ELP have NEVER come to this part of the world (New Zealand)' This correspondent has my sympathy, but maybe he should imagine this senario: A New Zealand group has enjoyed big success and gone to live in another country. It tours rarely. Then, it announced a tour covering many parts of the world. It would tour several major cities in Australia, Borneo, Sumatra, the Fiji Islands, Papua New Guinea and Japan, but would not tour New Zealand. I think any New Zealander would feel mightly fed up and would lose a lot of the respect that they had for the group. I think that UK people are entitled to complain and I think that the decision will lose fans in this country. Alan ------------------------------ From: DrumRolls@aol.com, on 8/25/97 9:39 PM: To: ELPdigest@reluctant.com Subject: Why so little credit for ELP? I am hoping that it is because I am a latecomer to the ELP digest and website, but I am wondering (as I'm sure some of you are) why is it that there is so LITTLE credit given to Emerson, Lake, and Palmer? I just looked at Greg Lake's web page, and was surprised to read that he is national spokesperson for missing and exploited children. I haven't even heard about any of this through any form of the media or anything else for that matter. Now I know why whenever I hear the song "DADDY" my heart gets ripped out. This song is coming from Greg Lakes HEART! And why in the world ANY ELP fan can slam the "In the Hot Seat" cd is beyond me. I am even questioning why they don't do a single track from this cd. What is wrong with "Hand of Truth"? That is a pretty powerful song. What's wrong with "DADDY" ? That is a TRULY powerful song, and what is so hard for me is, I bought the cd about the time when Susan Smith confessed to drowning her two little boys-if I'm not mistaken. But everytime I hear this song-it is the Susan Smith story that comes to mind. How in the world any ELP fan can compare "In the Hot Seat" to "Love Beach" is beyond me. Another area of disappointment is Carl's lack of exposure on the drums. He isn't even listed in Modern Drummer's staff any more. Being heavily influenced by Mr. Palmer, I am shocked at how someone like Neil Peart-who definitly CANNOT hold a stick (AND I MEAN THAT) to Mr. Carl Palmer! Who started all of this ANYWAY!!!??? Carl Frederick Kendell Palmer!!! That's who!! He was the first drummer to take the Octaplus drumset by Ludwig onstage(at least to my knowledge) and perform dazzling drum solo's on it. He was the first person I ever saw throw his stick clear up in the air-between beats-and catch it just in time to come back into the song-NEVER missing a lick! HE developed the first drum synthesizers. He created what I consider to be the onset of the drum rack drummers use nowdays-by building consoles which held his stainless steel drumset. Instead of the conventional "stands which hold the cymbals and toms-they were extending out of what he called "black boxes". He was also the first drummer I ever saw use a 28x20 bass drum! Even his floor toms weren't on the usual legs-they extended out of fixtures in the consoles. So was his cowbell holder. Mr. Palmer was way ahead of every other drummer when he started using the 11 drums back in 1972 that he used, before he had the custom set built-this long before over-rated drummers like Neil Peart came about. He doesn't seem to get the credit for all these electronic drums almost EVERY drummer uses nowdays, when it was HE and a friend Nick Rose who developed the things in the 70's! And how many drummers would hire a guy to etch scenes on a steel drumset with a dentists drill to make an already beautifrul creation even more beautiful? Carl Palmer is an absolute genius ! He has been my influence as a drummer since 1973. However, I am far from a genius! Sorry if I offended any RUSH fans-but let's give credit where credit is due-and A TON of credit certainly goes to Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and Carl Palmer for being who they are and what doors THEY opened for many, many, MANY groups!!! Those synthesizers everyone is playing on nowdays? Who started all of this? Keith Emerson!!! He was the first to take it ONSTAGE and make all those adjustments and so forth-so it COULD be used as such!!!! Now, the piece called "TROIKA" by Prokofieff is being played by symphony's all over the country(and probably the world)at Christmas time and I believe it has something to do with , ahem , Greg Lake's writing "I Believe in Father Christmas" around that melody ! This is only a small sample of what these three gentlemen have done for music.And they CONTINUE to dazzle people with their musical genius People, it up to us to support this band. I don't ever want them to leave us again. I want them to continue together as long as possible, so that I, and a lot of other people have something to look forward to in music. Scream as loud and as long as you can can at their concerts and let them know they are loved by all of us, and that their music IS appreciated and in high demand. I am so proud of these three fantastic people. Thank you Keith Emerson, Greg Lake, and Carl Palmer. I will be happily applauding you , appreciating you, and standing behind you at all your performances-along with a lot of other true loyal fans out there!!!! Steve Barber ------------------------------ From: DGlass1959@aol.com, on 8/21/97 9:29 PM: To: arnold@reluctant.com Subject: ELP on TV (Tollwood Festival from 1997 Europe Tour) John Just to let readers know I managed to tape the whole of the concert shown on Bayern tv the other night from the Tollwood Festival. It was on for 45 minutes and the camera work was pretty good. They showed Take a Pebble, Lucky Man, Tarkus, Pictures, Fanfare and Rondo. I didn't get to see their shows live and the last time I saw them was 1974! Boy have they aged. Haven't we all! Everything seemed a little slower and they seemed to have lost a little of the sparkle but boy can those guys play. Greg's voice was very smooth and at first they didn't look as they wanted to be there but gradually they loosened up and there seemed to be a fair amount of joking and larking about which was lovely to see. If anyone wants copies of the tape they can email me and we can sort something out. Keep up the great work, John, it's dedicated people like you and ELP who keep our interest alive. Regards Diane ------------------------------ From: Hicks , on 9/13/97 1:26 AM: To: elp-digest-web@reluctant.com Subject: AN INSPIRED PERFORMANCE!!! I just got back from the Philadelphia show at Tower Theater. I have been an ELP fan for 20+ years. I have been to 2 dozen+ ELP concerts, and I have NEVER heard them perform a piece with the inspiration and brilliance with which they did "Take a Pebble" during this show. I heard them play it earlier on this tour in Las Vegas... I've heard them do so many songs so well... but this folks was beyond anything I've heard before. WOW!!! The entire show was just amazing-- all three were really on-- lots of energy... but everyone who sat and heard their VERY SLOW, powerful performance of "Take a Pebble" experienced a real gem. I think the audience was just stunned when the song was over. Happy Times! Brad Hicks ------------------------------ From: Karen Elizabeth Stober , on 9/14/97 8:25 PM: To: ELP-digest@reluctant.com,arnold@reluctant.com Subject: ELP in Atlantic City, NJ ELP at the Copa Room, Sands Casino, Atlantic City, NJ, September 13, 1997 It was Miss America Finals night (Miss Illinois won), and a major boxing fight, and a giant craft sale on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City (this is where the game Monopoly got it's streets from). Weather was sunny and hot. The AC concert was a blast. It was in a nightclub! We were toasting to Emo (I was next to him again). He was playing and pointing at us, and we picked up our wine glasses, swirled them around a bit and raised a toast to him. Another group popped a bottle of bubbly in front of him. We all got pleasantly into drinking, and it was a very loud concert. No pyro and I could clearly see Greg's teleprompter. Same songs as always, but lots of improv. Keith made a few comments about age and "Knife Edge". The chef was hanging out in the back of the Copa Room. He was very visible in his tall white chef's hat. So Keith sees this and tells him "He'D better have something better than chef rations for me tonight." Really cool to be walking on the boardwalk and driving the AC Causeway and see "Emerson, Lake & Palmer appearing at Sands" huge on the billboard. I also have a local free music paper with a half page writeup promoting ELP & the concert. I met Ed Morgan at the show. He's the guy with all the buttons and the person who says "they're not Ear Candy" in the Black Moon era video. Ed showed me his photos of when he was over at Will Alexander's house, with Keith. He met Smokey, Keith's parrot, who bit him. He agreed with me when I said I've heard that bird is a bit on the nasty side. He got a real kick out my photos from New Brunswick. Photo swap time. Most unique experience was ordering Chardonney during Knife Edge. Nobody would share Boujelais with me so I had to drink Chardonney. Oh well... I thought I saw CP hanging out on the railing by Planet Hollywood on the Boardwalk. Somebody else ran into KE on the elevator at Sands. Dad and I won over a $100 between us a the Wild Wild West Casino, at Bally's Park Place Casino. I spent my half shopping and on ELP stuff at the concert. Dad reinvested it, and more, into the "One Armed Bandits" (slot machines). And, speaking of my 77 year old dad, he got into the concert!!! He caught the last fifteen minutes of the show. Here's what he said: "That energetic, pounding drummer...It was wild, loud...The big guy,..plucking???" "A bass, dad." "No, that's not it." "It's an electric bass, dad." "And that tall thing the fellow was holding up on the side. It's what you see in orchestras." "A standing bass?" "No..." as he scratches his stubble. Crunch, crunch. I gave this some further thought. "Dad, those are keyboards. Keyboards, the keyboards, Dad." Mind you, he has no idea what I am talking about. He only knows acoustic pianos, not Modular Moogs. "My gosh," Dad says, "It was CRAZY." And so it goes, Karen E. Stober home: karen1@mail.idt.net work: kstober@ems.att.com ------------------------------ From: EY758@aol.com, on 9/15/97 9:57 PM: To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Young Fan and Westbury Review Hi! My name's Teri and if you have the St. Cleve Chronicle, you know that I'm 13 and that I love progressive rock!! Not to give any heartattacks out there, I am saying that this isn't a joke. I got hooked on to ELP when I was 8 and the only prog band I knew was Tull. One day my mom was "reminicing" on some REALLY weird keyboard-sounding album. (Just to say that my family is on the cutting edge of technology, it was a CD.) I didn't like it at first and being rebellious like all lads and laddies are, I put on a Fairport Convention CD, which my mom dislikes a lot. But then, listening at how fast and energetic the music was, I gave it a go. I was hooked instantly!! My first concert expierence was August 30, 1996 at the Jones Beach Amplitheatre where I saw the Tull/ELP concert. This was my dream!! My two favourite bands playing together. I absoluteley loved the concert even though Ian couldn't get a verse out. I have to say that I was really surprised that both bands could play even though they are all nearing fifty. I recently attended the ELP concert at Westbury Music Fair. I really enjoyed being close to the band. There is no bad seats in the venue. Keith could play (and boy could he play), Greg could sing and Carl was REALLY pumped. He had not one, but two drum solos by which my mum replied "OH my Lord!" Overall, it was a fantastic gig although I can still hear my ears ringing this day!! Teri aka "themadflautist" P.S.- Sorry for the really long post!!! ------------------------------ From: NC , on 9/18/97 1:06 AM: To: elp-digest-web@reluctant.com Subject: ELP CLEVELAND 1157pm est: well in a somewhat stream of consiciousness review, heres how elp's show began just over 3 hours ago tonight. at 748p, a symphonic intro sounded. at 750p the band arrived, all clad in black, on nautica's stage to a very enthusiastic, but somewhat less than capacity venue. last year's tull/elp gig was sold out here at nautica stage. a black curtain back drop was illuminated by the "elp" logo directly behind greg, and the curtain itself had hundreds of multi-coloured pin point lights over it. keith's kybd set-up had the goff-hammond, a second keyboard on top of it; the modular system and keyboard facing the audience, and the gem piano with another keyboard on top of it. yet another L100 (?) was somewhat discreetly placed behind. greg had nary a bass cabinet in sight, and carl had the same 25th anniversary kit from last years tour, gongs and other small percussion bits and all. breaking into K.E.9 they performed both pt 1 & 2; then moving onto HOEDOWN, keith's ribbon controller yanking had a sparkler charge fail to ignite, eliciting the assistance of brave lad will alexander to finally get the charge to fire. keith continued unabated, in which said charge fired either to keith's planning or inadvertantly. i say inadvertantly, as during the time he was wiping his arse with it, it FIRED once more! talk about, "ya gotta see the show!!!" at the end of the piece, keith concluded with. "Just another way to blow it out yer ass!" next up was TIGER IN A SPOTLIGHT...not the somewhat wimpy version from works II, or the latest "classics live" release, but something with some balls to it. with a brief intro and flourish of the attention getting keyboard voicing came TOUCH & GO. greg's part of the show commenced with a great version of from the beginning. a better sounding version with all 3 playing along, backing up greg's acoustic, and better sounding vocals than in 92, 93 & 96. whatever changes you've done greg, it's an improvement. keep it up! paraphrasing from the late frank zappa, keith commented on something to the effect of "heres an oldie..." as they broke in to KNIFE EDGE, followed by another incredible performance of BITCHES CRYSTAL. personally, i'd like to hear the entire side of TARKUS performed live. it may have been many years ago that the work was originally released, but holy smoke did they do justice to the ferocity of this piece, with a great bit of double bass work by carl. keith had a solo bit, working around ginistera's CREOLE DANCE, which also saw him once more, shaking off the left arm. greg and carl rejoined for HONKY TONK TRAIN BLUES. coming out of HONKY they led right into TAKE A PEBBLE which had a similar 90"s production feel to that of PICTURES contained on the boxed set. greg's voice was at it's peak for the evening. thats not to say the he faltered on other arrangements, he just delivered the goods when he had to. PEBBLE's intermediate section had some great jazz moments to as well. LUCKY MAN moved to the audience as it usually does, especially with keith's low frequency drone, one that must have sent ripples and/or waves across nearby lake erie. a fairly comprehensive performance of TARKUS followed with some really ripping hammond work by keith. probably his best all night. this segued into an abbreviated version PICTURES which ended the show. the encore began with taped intro of FANFARE, leading into a fierce arrangement of that piece, segging into the brubeck piece, BLUE RONDO ALA TURK with FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLE BEE thrown in for good measure, along with another classical piece which the name escapes me. this bombast led into carl's solo, with his audience interplay working quite well. he even busted out a midi'd tambourine. following that came keith's antic with ye olde L100(?), complete with two daggers and a fair bit of humping and dragging across the stage. topping it off, he dropped the acoustic piano's lid shut and hopped on top of it playing the keyboard sitting atop the acoustic. it all came to a crashing end as the music the pice by ottorino respighi swelled to conclude the evening. planned or otherwise, they returned for their version of 21ST CENTURY SCHIZOID MAN. a great show, but if the were to tour any longer without a new release, you'd have to wonder why. hopefully the conclusion of this world tour will sharpen their chops and ready them for the project that is to be released next summer. hey, i still had a great time, and thanks to keith greg & carl, i also had a great 1 day early 43d birthday present from them, by way of this show. thanks guys. and a quick hello to the fans i met afterwards: John & Bill Brand from Cleveland, and to Bob, who if you're reading this, i can't quite make out your entire e-mail address ending in @iwaynet.net neil warren, oh ------------------------------ From: KRUGER@sorter.dfci.harvard.edu, on 9/20/97 12:03 AM: To: ELP-digest@reluctant.com Subject: ELP in Boston Greetings John, Well, the ELP show in Boston turned out to be quite a memorable event, pyrotechnics (both planned & unplanned!) & all! I am sorry that I was unable to find you, introduce myself & thank you on behalf of all who read this excellent digest for all of your hard work, which is appreciated greatly. The sad truth is that I forgot to bring with me the print-out of the last digest, which contained your seat numbers (we were in section 6, row G, seats 22 & 23 - I was the tall thin one with the long blonde hair, who you might have recognised from the end of the Welcome Back video - someone did - ELP associated fame at last!), old age associated memory loss afflicts us all eventually, I suppose ... My opinion, for what it is worth, is that the show got off to a rather slow start, but not having a support band & hence being able to get up close to see Keith's equipment (especially that wonderful elderly Moog IIIc!) before the show itself commenced (& to take some close-up photos with my tiny Minox camera, which I managed to bring in with me!), was a real bonus. However, once it really got going, which did not take that long (!), the show was superb & well up to the high standards we have come to expect from these three. Keith's playing was everything one could wish for, ribbon controller pyrotechnics (planned!) & all, but I do miss the long Moog solos of old & many of the once Moog-driven pieces now are performed using the modern MIDIed digital instruments (eg. the beginnings of Hoedown & Fanfare, to mention but two), ah well, that is progress (?) I suppose. A further item missing from those past shows was the rotating stage for Carl's drum kit, but he was well up to scratch, as usual too. Greg's voice sounded good, but I felt that some of the punch was absent from some of his vocals at times. His bass playing was as good as always, but I too think that he might reconsider adding back some of his lead guitar pieces. As others may well now have reported (!), the dramatic part of the show begun when all power was lost to Keith's keyboards, all of the Moog's lights went out, nothing! This was followed by absolute confusion & mayhem, while Keith, Will Alexander, et. al. attempted to locate the problem. It was then that one began to notice copious amounts of smoke, not from the effects generators, followed by fire, flames & all, from the back of that old & much beloved Hammond used during Rondo for wrestling, stabbing with knives, etc. & which until now had been languishing under wraps at the rear of the stage. Chaos ensued, with all & sundry trying to extinguish the flames, until Will brought a CO2 extinguisher to bear. "Well, there goes Rondo" exclaimed Keith & an unplanned five minute break followed. Eventually, the show got going again & proceeded (relatively) smoothly, with the encores of Medley (including Rondo on the other Hammond, but without the accustomed organ-wrestling & stabbing!), with Keith standing & lying on the top of the (closed!) MIDIed grand piano lid, whilst playing the digital synth. backwards, together with 20th. Century Schizoid Man & all that (of which they did not perform the final verse!), was truly excellent, none the less. Once again, a wonderful evening of superb musical & visual (!) entertainment, courtesy of three of rock's most accomplished & established performers. (Rock &) Roll on the next one, I for one cannot wait ... Just one final comment, the video clips on the new King Biscuit CD-ROM are taken directly from past videos, so do not expect anything new. A nice addition to the collection, none the less. Best wishes to all & enjoy the shows, Huw S. ("Zip") Kruger Gray. >>>---> ------------------------------ From: MCash32@aol.com, on 9/20/97 12:03 AM: To: elp-digest-web@reluctant.com Subject: ELP in Cleveland John, You are probably tired of all of the reviews of this excellent tour, but I HAD to say something about their show here on 9/17. First off, I have seen every show they have done in all forms in Cleveland:ELP, Asia, ELPowell, 3, etc. They have never failed to put on a good show, even over the last few years when Greg's voice was hurting and Keith just didn't have the stamina to play at his best. But NOW-- They played for 2 hours-- you already know the setlist-- with emotion, energy, and joy. They were tight!! The thing that struck me though, was the joy they showed in playing together live. The looks they exchanged, the hugging, the handshakes, the showmanship and musicianship was the equal of any performance I have seen them do here. Keith is back, Greg was somewhat hoarse, but fought it off and sang with emotion and clarity. Carl-- does he ever age?? The only drummer I can stand to watch a solo of--and I have seen about 15 of them or so. I hope this goes on for many years: LOADED DOWN WITH THEIR TALENTS THEY CAN STILL KEEP THEIR BALANCE SEE THE SHOW!!! SEE THE SHOW!! ------------------------------ From: rlladuca@rs01.kings.edu (Dr. Robert La Duca), on 9/10/97 10:29 PM: To: ELP-digest@reluctant.com Subject: ProgDay 98 Look at what we enjoyed at ProgDay '97!! the zany, unclassifiable, but delicious sounds of French TV the rippin' new and improved Ozone Quartet the heavy, exotic, and surprising Providence the straight-edged but still complex Salem Hill the virtuosic David Ragsdale Band the quirky Smokin' Granny the power and ELP influences of After the Fall the fusion stylings and fun of Volare the majesty and lush music of Finisterre the tight musicianship and grand scope of Glass Hammer the passion and energy of Discipline. Even if every band wasn't to one's liking, ProgDay '97 had something for everyone. That's the beauty of the ProgDay tradition. You're exposed to so many different styles falling under the umbrella of "Progressive Rock", opening your mind. That's why many of us listen to prog.... Would you like to see ProgDay, the premier American outdoor progressive rock festival, become a growing annual institution? Would you like to see more international progressive bands such as The Flower Kings, Tipographica, the Par Lindh Project, White Willow, Il Berlione, Hoyre-Kone, Anekdoten, Le Orme, Banco, (insert your favorite here) etc. perform at beautiful Storybook Farm next year? Anyone up for a Finisterre repeat performance? :) :) Anyone interested in exploring a National Health, Anglagard, or dare we say Happy the Man, reunion? (yeah, I know, fat chance, but why not ask?) Would you like to see bigger name acts such as Spock's Beard, Marillion, Fish, Dream Theater, California Guitar Trio, Kansas, Caravan, Camel, maybe even King Crimson, play ProgDay so bigger crowds would come out and then be exposed to more unknown, but not less talented, progressive rock bands? Working together maybe we can make some of these "...dreams become reality." Once again for ProgDay '97 Peter Renfro put his bank account (and credit cards, and relatives' bank accounts) where his heart is and lost a whole bunch of money having the ProgWorld visit his frontyard for a couple of days of wonderful music and energy. Certainly we can help. Consider.... If 600 ProgFans donated $5, the cost of one McLunch, Peter's estimated losses for ProgDay '98 would be covered, ensuring the continuation of the ProgDay tradition. If an additional 200 ProgHeads sacrificed buying just one import CD for a year, nearly $4000 could go to making ProgDay '98 even more special than previous ones!! Names of all persons donating to this ProgDay '98 Fund will be acknowledged in the ProgDay '98 program and on the ProgDay '98 Web Site in the following classifications: $5 to $19 ProgFan $20 to $49 ProgHead $50 and over ProgGod/ProgGoddess Peter Renfro did not put me up to this. In fact, he was VERY reluctant to agree to my suggestion to start this ProgDay '98 Fund. But we need to lend a hand so he and his family don't continue to take a financial beating. Please consider keeping the music you love alive by donating some amount you can comfortably afford to the ProgDay '98 Fund. All donations will go to funding ProgDay '98, NOT for covering previous losses. Any amount collected over Peter Renfro's actual losses next year will be rolled over for PD '99. Also, kindly donate early so we can let the money collect as much interest as possible. Feel free to email, write, or call if you have any questions. If you don't have spare money, but have some prog CDs you don't want anymore, consider donating one or more of them, we can sell them and apply the proceeds to the fund. In my life outside of Prog, I'm a chemistry and astronomy professor at King's College in Wilkes-Barre, PA (Some of you may have looked through my telescope at ProgDay). I'm untenured so I have absolutely nothing to gain by ripping anyone off. :) In addition, my first child Tony was conceived at ProgDay '95 ;), so ProgDay will always have a special place in my and my wife Melissa's heart. Help keep it going!! Please send a check or money order in US dollars payable to "ProgDay Fund" to: ProgDay Fund c/o Robert L. La Duca 58 East Center Street Shavertown, PA 18708 USA email: rlladuca@leo.kings.edu phone: 717-696-9974 P.S. Meanwhile, please help relieve Peter's losses for PD '97 by buying a PD '97 T-shirt or the ProgDay '95 2 CD set, containing over 50 minutes of otherwise unavailable live echolyn material from their last-ever performance, as well as music from Cloud Nine (now Ozone Quartet), Timothy Pure, Bon Lozaga, and Discpline. The sound quality is brilliant, mixed direct from the soundboard recordings. Contact Peter at prognerd@mindspring.com for more information. Peter Renfro's posted response about the above: I've received a couple of inquiries...yes, Rob is legitimate and he's serious about this Fund. I'm leaving most of the organization in his hands, but I think David's idea about receiving a free program etc. is a good idea worth investigating. So, for now, just assume you'll get something in return for your contribution (over $20), but let's not get bogged down with determining what that something is. Fish, Dream Theater and Fates Warning will be strong contenders for the headlining spot in '98. Debbie and I got to spend some time with Jim Pitulski (pseudo manager for all three groups) and he strongly believes in ProgDay. Angra have expressed their interest in ProgDay as well as Spock's Beard, IQ, Pulsar, Par Lindh, Roine Stolt, Isildur's Bane, Quaterna Requiem, etc. Obviously not all these bands can play...but even *one* of them would be amazing :) For those who would like to contribute to this Fund via Visa/Mastercard, just give me a call at: (919) 968-1181...otherwise, direct all your questions/money to Rob LaDuca. Thanks! Peter (Prognerd@mindspring.com) ------------------------------ Digest subscrition, mailing address, and administrative stuff to: elp-digest-request@reluctant.com ELP-related info that you want to put in the digest to: elp-digest@reluctant.com Back issues are available from the ELP Digest web site: URL: http://bliss.berkeley.edu/elp/ Note: The opinions, information, etc. contained in this digest are those of the original message sender listed in each message. 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! ------------------------------ End of ELP Digest [Volume 7 Issue 22] *************************************