ELP Digest Sunday, 28 June 1998 Volume 8 : Issue 8 The "Can't You See You're Wrong" Edition Today's Topics: Latest ELP Tour Dates ELP update... Progression Magazine New Tribute Site about The Nice UK tax/Rolling Stones e-Prog Mailing List ESPN and ELP ELP and Windows 98 ELP and Yes Impressions now accepts American Express Swap ELP Sheet Music Hammond Sounds Giger, Hammond, etc. Thoughts on ELP... Emerson's GX-1 Multiple manuals Tuning Inferno remastered CD with bonus tracks look what I found Prelude ======= This seems like one of the most eclectic issues I've ever done. The range of topics is very broad. And, to help make it seem like it was worth the wait since Digest 8.7, I've included the most recent tour date list I could compile and an update on things ELP culled from information passed along to me by Bruce Pilato (thanks for the update, Bruce!). For those of us near the August tour sites, the countdown has begun. In a little over 4 weeks, the tour begins. And, of course, we're hoping for an ELP-headlined tour in the future! - John - ------------------------------------------------------------ From: John Arnold , on 6/21/98 10:49 PM: To: arnold@reluctant.com Subject: Latest ELP Tour Dates I've culled these tour dates from various sources (Thanks to everyone who sent me mail with the local dates they'd seen advertised.) I'll update the list as I hear changes. Thanks! - John - ========= Unofficial ELP Tour Dates I've Heard About As Of 6/21/98 =========== Warm-up Dates for the 1998 Summer Tour. ELP Only shows! * August 1, Casino Ballroom, Hampton Beach, NH * August 2, Flynn Theater, Burlington, VT For the following tour dates, ELP is an opening act for Deep Purple's Summer 1998 USA tour: * August 3, Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, NY * August 4, Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, ME * August 6, PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ * August 7, Meadows Music Theater, Hartford, CT * August 8, Great Woods Center for the Performing Arts, Mansfield, MA * August 9, Jones Beach Ampitheater, Wantagh, NY * August 11, Harvey's Lake, Wilkes-Barre, PA * August 12, E Center, Philadelphia, PA * August 14, Finger Lakes P.A.C., Canandaigua, NY * August 15, Pineknob Music Theater, Clarkston, MI * August 16, Ottawa Congress Center, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada * August 17, Coliseum de Quebec, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada * August 18, Molson Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada * August 19, Molson Amphitheater, Toronto, Ontario, Canada * August 21, Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH * August 22, World Music Theater, Tinley Park, IL * August 23, Grand Casino Amphitheater, Hinckley, MN * August 24, Marcus Amphitheter, Milwaukee, WI * August 25, ??? * August 26, Fiddler's Green Amphitheater, Greenwood Village, CO * August 28, Warfield Theater, San Francisco, CA * August 29, ??? * August 30, Universal Amphitheater, Universal City, CA * August 31, ??? ------------------------------ From: John Arnold , on 6/3/98 10:28 PM: To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: ELP update... Hi. I've received mail from a number of people asking about the status of various things that have been mentioned as possible ELP and Greg Lake "products" in the past year (videos, CDs, etc.). I contacted Bruce Pilato (who's involved with the re-emerging Manticore Records for ELP) and got the following news that he said I could pass along: * "Then & Now" - a 2 CD collection on Eagle Records via license from Manticore Records is scheduled to come out in July. The "now" will be the best tracks from the 97 tour. The "then" will be a pre-1977 ELP show but exactly which one hasn't yet been finalized. * The videos are finally due from Manticore Home Video (73 BBC documentary "The Manticore Special" and the 77 Montreal Works Orchestra show). * Also out next month "FROM THE UNDERGROUND: THE OFFICIAL GREG LAKE BOOTLEG" Featuring mostly never-before-released or very hard to find tracks from THE SHAME; SHY LIMBS; KING CRIMSON; ELP; ELPOWELL; GREG LAKE 81 SOLO BAND; GREG LAKE SOLO ACOUSTIC; GREG LAKE 94 SOLO BAND; and ASIA IN ASIA with GREG LAKE. Available only from Greg's website for now. This stuff sounds pretty exciting! As details become available, I'll pass the word along quickly. - John - ------------------------------ From: Progzine@aol.com, on 6/27/98 6:01 PM: To: arnold@reluctant.com Subject: Progression Magazine All ELP fans are invited to check out Progression magazine, the world's leading authority on progressive rock including ongoing coverage of Emerson, Lake & Palmer! Past issues have featured in-depth interviews with all three band members, plus reviews of all ELP albums, tours and career developments. The current issue, hot off the press, includes a review of the new Greg Lake hardbound lyric book, tour dates for summer '98, and coverage of the untimely death of Cozy Powell. Future issues will update new releases by Manticore Records, plus details of plans for a new ELP studio album. The latest issue, No. 27, is by far the biggest and best issue yet, with 148 pages, full-color cover, glossy inside page stock and square binding. Contents include the following: * In-depth interview with King Crimson bassist Tony Levin. * In-depth interview with Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night of Blackmore's Night. * In-depth interview with Fates Warning, including former vocalist John Arch. * In-depth interview with Jacob Holm-Lupo of White Willow. * In-depth interview with Finneus Gauge. * Comprehensive overview of Canterbury progressive music. * Analysis of contemporary neo-classical music. * Info on upcoming Progday, Strange Daze and Powermad festivals. * Coverage of Cozy Powell's death. * Detailed review of recent Genesis concerts in England and Ireland. * Concert reviews of: Bruford Levin Upper Extremities, Always Almost, Discipline, ProjeKct Two, Crucible, After the Fall, Soundscape, The Annie Haslam Band, Tony Geballe, Sol. * About 100 book, video and CD reviews Progression No. 28 is slated to be published in late September and will include the following: interviews with electronic/progressive pioneer Larry Fast of Synergy fame, the California Guitar Trio, British proggers Haze, prog- metalers Royal Hunt; retrospective on Hawkwind's Robert Calvert; analysis of Polish progressive rock; all regular columnists and tons of reviews. Much more to be announced later! Progression is the world's largest, longest-running (since 1992), most widely circulated progressive music publication in the English language. It is published quarterly and is available by subscription, at all Tower Records stores, and through other select record stores and progressive mailorder sources. You may order subscriptions and all back issues via credit card at our secured on-line order site: http://progressionmagazine.com Also, you can order toll-free within the United States by calling (800) 545-7371 or by writing Progression, P.O. Box 7164, Lowell, MA 01852 USA. Subscription rates are $19 U.S., $22 Canada, $35 all other countries except Pacific Rim nations ($45). Cash, money orders drawn on American banks and checks drawn on American banks are accepted, as well as Visa, MasterCard and American Express. Attention all labels, distributors, prog bands, mailorder specialists, etc. Please contact Publisher John Collinge for information on advertising and receiving the magazine for retail sale at Progzine@aol.com, (800) 545-7371 within the United States, or (978) 970-2728 phone/fax outside the U.S. Bands: please send full press kit, review copies (CDs preferred) and contact information. ------------------------------ From: Lennart , on 6/27/98 7:17 PM: To: Lennart Subject: New Tribute Site about The Nice Hi! Of course, it still has much to do, but as I think it has progressed enough to be put on the 'Net - I hereby pronounce it officially opened. you're welcome to visit 'My Back Pages' - The Nice Tribute site http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Underground/3697/ /Lennart ---------------------- 'My Back Pages' Repples' The Nice Tribute Site http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Underground/3697/ ------------------------------ From: akiko@bln.de To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: UK tax/Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones hit the headlines in Britain last week, following the rescheduling of the UK dates on their current tour for the next financial year. This was due to the new tax policy of the British government: Until now, anyone with non-resident status for the tax purposes (ie. if they spend less than 62 days a year in the country) were not liable for taxation in the UK on their income abroad. With the new Budget, the exemption no longer applies as soon as you work in the UK even for a day, and you will be charged income tax on your foreign earnings! The Stones had been trying to negotiate a deal with the Inland Revenue, but they have failed to reach an agreement in the end. I bet all ELP fans in Britain are wondering now: will this new tax law affect ELP too? Will they still be playing UK on the next tour??? (But hang on, this new tax law's a really bad news for me, too, it means I'll lose my non-resident status in the UK if I ever do a little job there - though we're talking about far, far, far less amount in my case!!) Yours, Akiko Hada ------------------------------ From: Mark Fonda , on 6/13/98 5:02 PM: To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: e-Prog Mailing List 'e-Prog' is a new mailing list devoted to ELECTRONIC PROG-ROCK, meaning that it caters to Progressive Rock which utilizes the synthesizer and related equipment as one of its main components. The lists purpose is to enhance the listening experience by providing a forum to discuss artists/groups, albums, concerts, news and the recording techniques and equipment which go into the production of 'e-Prog' music. The list is geared towards fans, artists, producers, promoters and distributors of electronic prog-rock. The groups/ artists likely to be discussed are such classics as Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Genesis, ELP and Yes as well as more contemporary acts such as Ozric Tentacles, Pendragon, Le Orme, Ars Nova, Glass Hammer, Djam Karet, Anglagard, Par Lindh and Redjy Emond. The discussion is intended to be broad enough to appeal to both the beginner and the expert. To subscribe, follow this link: http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/e-prog ------------------------------ From: karnevil9@loop.com, on 6/8/98 8:30 PM: To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: ESPN and ELP Hello. While watching ESPN's Sports Center the other night, an item about the Brazilian soccer player Romario not playing in the World Cup had this in it: Rich Eisen (ESPN anchor): "Romario will be replaced by Emerson. Lake & Palmer were not available". Love those one-name Brazilian footballers. Today I finished my survey of ELP's albums from first to last. This brought up thoughts about set lists for when they tour with the new album. Like most people, I strongly feel that the set list needs an overhaul. But more than that, I feel the arrangements need to be considered. If they are going to play "1st Impression Part 2" do it complete (unlike the "Black Moon" tour) and use guitar!! The synth patch used was just lame and obviously couldn't do all the bends needed. One small example but representative. I would love to hear all 7 movements of "Tarkus". Once again, the arrangement used on the last few tours leaves something to be desired, IMHO. Nice as it would be to have the long Aquatarkus and 32 minute versions, an arragement similar to the studio version would be doable. On the recent tours, apart from the dreaded Rush/Genesis "Medleyitis" creeping in, the way the Stones of Years solo is played (Long and at a very slow tempo) adds considerably to the length of the piece. Shorten and speed up the SOY solo, do a short Aquatarkus, have GL play guitar during Battlefield, use the ribbon controller where it makes sense (during the middle "battle" part of Mass, not during "Hoedown") and voila, a tight 20 minute version and COMPLETE. The same with "Pictures"--do the arrangement on WL-basically side 2 of the LP version. One thing that drives me nuts is found on the ROTM version--snipping out a few bars here and there--take the extra time to do those bits and it flows so much better, IMHO. I have a tape of a show from the BSS tour from Buffalo that has a glorious version of PaaE--it's all of side two with KE's organ mauling thrown in, some very spacey jamming with synth, bass and drum synths during "Baba Yaga" and it's all done in 23 minutes. It can be done! It's pure dreaming to think that we'll ever hear "Karn Evil 9" complete again, but wouldn't it be nice to hear it with polyphonic synthesizers? While listening to the "Works Live" cd, apart from the bad sequencing (what's Fanfare doing on the first CD when it's closed every show since 1977, for example) what struck me was that KE has been quoted as saying that Tarkus and KE9 were ok, but if he could do it again, he'd use orchestra and they'd be great. Here they have the orchestra and he didn't use the it on those pieces--it's decisions like that that baffle me. Sorry John for the long post so I'll wrap up. Things I never, ever want to hear again: Creole Dance (do a straight piano solo, no MIDI as has been suggested--Lachesis from the Three Fates was an excellent idea-or a Fantasia on Themes of Emerson kind of thing) Fanfare/Rondo/America--Tired, tired tired!! Honky Tonk Train Blues--I'm not a fan of KE's honky tonk leanings. Sorry! What I'd suggest: Open with Hoedown Do some of the shorter things like Bitches Crystal, Time and A Place etc.--the suggestion of Trilogy was brilliant The new album Take a Pebble incorporating the piano solo and GL's solo things (whatever he plays)-the BSS tour arrangement had all these things plus the jazzy bits after the Piano Improv Just GL and an acoustic--no souped up band arrangements GL playing electric guitar again Pirates Scrap Fanfare etc. and use Pictures as the encore. After listening to the whole discography, I realized again why I love ELP so much. Those first 5 albums are masterpieces (as is Pirates) and I just would like to hear the songs complete (whatever they play) in concert. No medleys, no hacked out parts, no shortcuts. Private e-mails are most welcome--I'd love to hear other ideas for the set lists and, especially, hear detailed accounts of BSS tour shows. Cheers, Jim Allen ------------------------------ From: Mike Laverty , on 5/20/98 5:35 PM: To: "'elp-digest@reluctant.com'" Subject: ELP and Windows 98 Hi John, I'd like to inform the gang about one of the new features that will soon be shipping in the Windows 98 Plus! Pack. It is our new deluxe CD player. You insert a cd and it will go to the internet to identify the songs on the disk and save them locally... no more typing in the tracks of a cd manually. :-) I went through some 20 ELP CDs for testing and all downloaded successfully. Another feature in this deluxe CD player includes searching the net for additional information about an artist and/or the CD in the caddy. Just for grins I inserted an ELP CD, clicked 'More about Emerson, Lake and Palmer,' and it took me to the following website: http://www.tunes.com/tunes-cgi2/tunes/person_frame/70822/0/0/203 At the bottom there is a biography of ELP. I clicked on Keith Emerson's name and it took me to this website: http://www.tunes.com/tunes-cgi2/tunes/person_frame/961/0/0/203. At this site they had Keith's Manhatten Collection CD on sale for $10.49. I recall some members have been wondering where they can purchase this. Unfortunately, it has disappeared over the past week but it might be a good place to grab it. They show his Changing States CD but it is not currently available for purchase. I also checked on Greg and Carl but there were no rare releases listed. Keep up the good work. We appreciate your dedication. -Mike ------------------------------ From: Dallas Jones , on 6/2/98 5:55 PM: To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: ELP and Yes In regard to Sue Denis's "Best of both Worlds", you can see both groups. Not on the same bill but very close to each other. I hope to see Yes in Dallas and Houston on July 30th and 31st and ELP in Toronto and Montreal in August. BUT I NEED HELP!!! Firstly can anyone help in getting tickets for the Toronto and Montreal concerts, I've searched the net and cannot find anywhere to order tickets. (I can order the Yes tickets). Can anyone help with either someway to order on the net or a phone number for the Box offices in Toronto and Montreal so that I can ring them and order them. I cant personally get them as I'm coming from Australia. Anyone one from the mailing list attending either Montreal or Toronto as it would be great to meet up with other ELP fans. Dallas Jones "I will be there, I will be there" P.S. Is anyone one else going to see both groups? [ Editor's Note: I'm going to see Yes in Boston this Tuesday. And I'll be seeing ELP at Great Woods in August. I'm sure there are lots of others who'll be seeing both tours. - John - ] ------------------------------ From: estazz99@intonet.co.uk, on 6/12/98 11:43 AM: To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Impressions now accepts American Express Further to my previous message regarding Credit Card payment for Impressions in the last issue of the ELP Digest, I am now pleased to announce that we are up and running with American Express! This means that ELP fans have a choice of THREE credit cards to use as payment for Impressions, thus making the magazine accessible to many, many more fans. So please take advantage of this much improved service! You can E-Mail us on: estazz99@intonet.co.uk or write to us at this address: Impressions, P.O. Box 516, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 1YA, England. We look forward to hearing from you! Liv G. Whetmore Editor - Impressions -------------------- ------------------------------ From: "AMWILSON.UK.ORACLE.COM" , on 3/31/98 3:43 PM: To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Swap ELP Sheet Music Hi, I find myself in the fortunate position of having 2 editions of the ELP (Black Book) Songbook circa 1977. I would really like to swap one of these for the ELP - "Anthology" songbook that contains "Pirates". Any takers? The "Black Book" contains; Trilogy, Endless Enigma, Take a Pebble, Sheriff, Jeremy Bender & Benny the Bouncer. Sorry, I'm not interested in selling...only trading. Thanks Andy Wilson WILSONAWM@AOL.COM London UK ------------------------------ From: Alastair Cox , on 3/29/98 6:43 PM: To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Hammond Sounds I was reading vol 8.3 today and came across the e mail by Nick Robinson on how Emmo gets the sounds he does out of the Hammond. I too have an L100 which I cherish. I wouldn't want to see Emmo give up the Hammond sound, but I agree that the trashing act is very passe now. As regards the sounds he gets. the Hammond has its own amp and speakers built in and so to get those deep thrumming sounds and hums, he turns the organ so that its internal speakers feedback via the Marshall amp that he uses for just that purpose. You can see the Marshall stack on the Live in 77 video. The "pitch bend" is performed by switching the Hammond on and off via its on/off switch, not just the motor. The motor in a Hammond drives the tone wheels via a spring clutch so that if it is switched on and off, the speed( and tone) speed up and slow down until they stabilise. For the best example of this listen to the "Clangers" noises at the end of "America" by the Nice on the Elegy CD. Keith used to use a fuzz pedal (fuzz face I think) to get the other screamy sounds used on Rondo etc. To control the crashes of the Reverb springs, you can see Keith flipping the Reverb switches up and down, especially in Rondo where he used to imitate a train. I dont think he hit valves with a stick (I read that too somewhere) as they would tinkle as they broke(except those in the metal screening cans)not clang. He does(did) used to pluck the reverb springs to give a deep bass sound (Ars Longa Vita Brevis by the Nice). I also noticed that after he has stuck the knives into the (upper, usually)keyboard, he turns those keys off by switching off the upper keyboard drawbar controls. The reason why his L100s dont last long is for 3 main reasons: 1) The valves don't take kindly to being rapidly turned on and off. the current surge kills them (and also the capacitors which produce white smoke..see analogue toaster pic) 2) All the amps and tone generator are mounted on half inch plywood which is only fixed by small screws at each end. This means that when the organ is let crash on the floor all the mountings tend to give up the ghost. Also as the case of the L100 is made of 1.5 inch wood it tends to self destruct when hefted about. 3) The Hammond tone wheel organs all require oiling every year. They are like clocks. You oil them through little d shaped cups. The oil goes into a channel which feeds the wheel drives. If the organ is tipped off the vertical or if you dont oil it the tone wheels wear out. I hope that I am not coming over as a sad anorak, but I could bore the pants of a "Norm" with my Emerson obsession. Oh and WHAT a travisty was that "America-the Nice at the BBC" CD. Talk about poor quality sound!!!!! It must have been taped with a Mic off the Radio. ------------------------------ From: Klemmre , on 3/30/98 12:18 AM: To: ELP-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Giger, Hammond, etc. Giger... A man named Mike wrote about seeing an H.R. Giger desk calendar and finding some unused ELP album cover designs with a 1986 date... In the art book "H.R. Giger's Biomechanics," these designs are also introduced. Some of them are very good. Each features a variation on the lips from "Brain Salad Surgey." The book doesn't supply very much information in the way of text, except to say that Giger received a commission from ELP ("at one time a famous rock band" says the book) to design a cover and to discuss a stage show. The book states that, after changes in the band's managament, the 11 designs were not used and that Giger was never paid. Several of the designs featured the lips embedded in a very machine-like looking waterfall. Most are painted in grays (like the BSS cover), a few are tinted red. The letters ELP are stretched across the top of several designs, and one includes the words "The Environment" at the bottom. The mouth is far more sexual than the one on BSS. In several designs, the mouth is open and a monstrous worm-like tongue licks the lips. "Bio-mechanic" machinery is built into the backgrounds on many of the designs in a way similar to the BSS cover. Like most of Giger's paintings, (have you ever seen his original designs for the film "Alien?") they are very unnerving and difficult to describe. A final design featuring the headless torso of a woman (that almost resembles a penis... similar to the throat in BSS) includes a neck collar with the letters ELP on it. Because the accompanying text is very sketchy, and the date is 1986, one can only guess that these might have been designs for the "Emerson, Lake and Powell" album maybe? Actually, I wish that ELP would consider using one of the lip/waterfall designs for their upcoming album. Especially since some of the postings in this newsletter are hinting that the new album might be a return to longer theme-orientated material. When the classic Yes re-formed, they returned to Roger Dean for their album covers. I would find a Giger-designed cover for a new ELP album to be welcome. Like a "coming home" or "welcome back" motif. Oh, one more thing. A few "reviewers" have noted that they wished that ELP would add more material from BSS and "Trilogy" to their concerts and knock off the "Rondo" - Hammond organ theatrics. I agree. I find it interesting that since the 1973 BSS world tour, ELP has almost completely ignored BSS in their concerts. I, too, would prefer a complete performance of KE9 First Impression (and i would LOVE to hear the SECOND impression performed again) and maybe a few tracks like "The Endless Enigma" or "Trilogy" instead of the abbreviated "Tarkus" or "Pictures." And WHY are they performing "Tiger in a Spotlight?" (Which is my vote for one of the worst songs they ever recorded.) It's time to knock it off with the Hammond organ encore. When I saw ELP open for Jethro Tull two years ago, ELP was allotted only an hour because they were the opening act. (Because I saw the opening night of the tour, [Darien Lake Ampitheatre in Buffalo, NY], I got to hear "Take a Pebble" which was dropped from the rest of the tour because their set was too long. I would have rather heard another classic tune instead of the organ throwing. And yes, I agree, they are getting a little old to be doing this. I saw The Who perform "Quadrophenia" that same year, and Pete Townshend is no longer smashing his guitar... he's acting his age on stage. (Daltrey swung his microphone ONCE during the first song.) Just a personal opinion, but I wouldn't mind hearing the title cut of "Black Moon" or their version of Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet" in future live shows. I did not, however, like their "In The Hot Seat" album. I'm also very fond of the Emerson, Lake and Powell album. I would love to see their new album be a return to the ELP of the 70s. Mike Klemm Buffalo, NY ------------------------------ From: "Daniel R. McBride" , on 4/28/98 6:42 PM: To: arnold@reluctant.com Subject: Thoughts on ELP... ELP as "retro"? (Go not gentle into that good night Keith...) All of my observations about Keith Emerson are based upon my own musical background (mother was a concert pianist) and intuitions as I have had precious few conversations with anyone about Emerson. One of the reasons I gave up piano and focused upon my writing was the realisation that he was doing everything I would have wished to do, far better than I could ever hope to have done. And so I noted this creeping "formulaic" quality to his compositions and phrased it as "a loss of the Muse" which was perhaps overstating it--a partial loss might be more accurate. No album ever came across without a flash of this man's genius coming through, but they lacked the sustained power of the early visions. Lacking biographical info on these three, on the tight and fragile creative/psychic world they put together, and shattered, undoubtedly repeatedly, I can only conjecture; however, as an ex-pianist it is obvious to me that there must have been a fair amount of fatigue with phonecalls to rush over to Keith's place to backup various inspirations. To be handed scored-out drafts like a backup musician must have chafed on Greg for sure--Carl I have no idea. As a percussionist this is no difficult transition to make as it is part of the trade. The man needed a bass and percussion of classically oriented accuracy; more than this, he needed people who had an accompianist's intuitive anticipation of tempo shifts etc. They had to dance to his tune and make no mistake about it... creative genius is ruthless in its demands. If you try the compromising "nice guy" stuff you lose the edge and perhaps I have answered my question here although I remain unconvinced. There is also this very English class tension going on in their music with this constant referencing to classical sources, a need to establish their enhanced pedigree, a natural for Keith who simply has what it takes (my mother is not at all simply dazzled with technique--she has listened and taught hundreds of advanced pianists--remarked upon his chamelon-like ability to shift musical modes and "extremely clever touch"); Lake perhaps felt rebellion in his veins with his ballads and his solo rock album (?), and was Palmer taking timpani lessons in this light attempting to coexist with Keith's classical persona? The question of persona is what I am getting at with Keith Emerson. He may have come to be victimised by the expectations he has generated. How else to explain the continued hammond organ wrestling, an astoundingly hackneyed act at this point? Or, "this is a rather difficult piece by Ginestera..." in front of the Steinway concert grand night after night? You can rest assured he can improvise like nobody's business in his home: is he blocked on stage? For whatever reasons he has fallen too far back from the frontiers he himself established and is not giving us the private musical genius because he has either lost confidence in it in some way, or is simply intent upon fulfilling expectations and paying the bills. I would love to hear this man put out a solo piano or organ album and am amazed that this has not somehow happened. And for them to appear alongside "Deep Purple" is unutterably sad to me, the greatest debacle since "Love Beach": grotesquely inappropriate. That is it in a nutshell: they have become "retro" and that is simply not good enough for a musician of Emerson's calibre. First and foremost he is a brilliant composer. Spin that first ELP album and feel the incredible epiphany of it. He has it in him to do that again without a doubt.... Get back to the piano and do it man! ------------------------------ From: Nick Zales , on 6/2/98 12:18 AM: To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Emerson's GX-1 Brian O'Sullivan most eloquently said and asked: "Overall, though, I would agree. IMHO Keith's best compositions focus on Hammond & piano. Through old Keyboard mag interviews I've read I can tell that Keith was quite enamored with the GX-1. I suppose it was very nice to have a multi-manual synth that was built more like an organ. Anyone know if the "playability" was as much a factor as the sounds it produced?" At the time the GX-1 came out the best synthesizers (there were no samplers then) were only 5, 8 or 10 note polyphonic, except for the "PolyMoog" (Wakeman had one for Going for the One with Yes). I am not sure but I believe the entire keyboard (2 manuals and the mini-key manual) were fully polyphonic, i.e. every key pressed made a sound. In the other leading synths of the day, the Prophet 5, Prophet 10 and Oberheim OB-8 only that many keys would sound no matter how many he pressed. The mini-moog is monophonic, but it had three oscillators which could be tuned into a chord. Still, on a mini only one key sounds at a time. Emerson's Yamaha GX-1 was one of the first built and cost him $50,000. The equivalent cost today would be around $250,000. I've read Emerson interviews and it was the sounds and not the playability, I think, because he didn't rave about playability, except that he really liked the mini-keyboard on top of the two five octave regular manuals. Thanks for your post to the digest. I hope you saw last fall's tour because ELP was better than ever. (This mind dates to 1977 at Soldier's Field, Chicago, IL for the Orchestra tour and every one since including ELPowell and "3." in a local bar!) Nick ------------------------------ From: "Bruce Shaw" , on 6/2/98 1:32 PM: To: Subject: Multiple manuals >I suppose it was very nice to >have a multi-manual synth that was built more like an organ. Anyone know if >the "playability" was as much a factor as the sounds it produced? Playability is a very important factor. There are a number of things you can do with the keyboards closely packed together that are impossible otherwise. These techniques are standard in the traditional pipe organ repetoire. One of the common ones is to play a two-handed accompaniment on one manual while using spare thumbs or fingers to pick out a melody on another. You can even use weights to hold notes, and move them around almost instantly - impossible if you have to reach at all. If you are doubling up in the same octave, with the keyboards lined up and at a known spacing, you don't need to look down to find where you are (allowing other tasks such as drinking, reading the music, shouting abuse). Another common multi-manual technique is to play a melody or other held tone on the lower manual, use other fingers to play the accompanying chord on the next manual up (remember organs go up to 7 manuals (Atlantic City Convention Hall)) freeing up one hand for other tasks (drinking, changing stops/settings, throwing stuff at other musicians to get their attention, wiping sweat). Add pedals and you can play a whole concert one-handed (I actually had to play an entire church service one-handed while dealing with a nosebleed). I understand the GX-1 had its own tuning problems. While this meant that you now had two keyboards out of tune instead of one, when fixed, two keyboards were fixed. J.W. Bruce Shaw ------------------------------ From: "Bruce Shaw" , on 6/2/98 2:02 PM: To: Subject: Tuning >Yes I know, the monolithic moog was (and still is) the most tempremental >beastie known to progressive rock and would de-tune if a feather landed on >it so I realize Keith doesn't want to fool with it too much. I was working in a lab full of GCS-3's and we had constant problems with tuning and temperament (particularly subdivisions of the octave, but also the other kind). We replaced the tuning and range pots with a different, calibrated type (ie. it took many spins of the dial to get throught the entire range and you could duplicate exact settings of the dial) and it helped a lot. Couldn't something similar have been done with the Moog's? J.W. Bruce Shaw ------------------------------ From: Paolo Rigoli , on 2/20/98 9:43 PM: To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Inferno remastered CD with bonus tracks Hello, I think many of you will be glad to know that the K.Emerson beautiful soundtrack for "Inferno" has been reissued on CD (Italy only) with a few extras. One thing I don't like of this new version is the artwork. Anyway the rest is superb and in my opinion this CD is absolutely necessary. First of all the remastering job is noticeable and the sounds (particularly the orchestra and choir) have now more space and definition. Then there is a extra track titled "Inferno (outtakes)" (10:13) that contains music composed and used for the movie but not included in the original album. The first outtake (3:07) is a slightly different version of "Cigarettes, Ices, etc". It has a different mixing and a extra 20 sec. (the main theme is repeated right after the piano solo and before the Spanish-like orchestral theme). The second outtake (2:11) is the one that I like more. It is a variation of the main theme beautifully done with short leading parts by oboe (I think) and violin. The third outtake (1:37) is also very good. A female voice doing a long and interesting vocalization (the same voice of "Rose Gets It") and sinister effects with the synth in the end. The fourth outtake (2:41) is really frightening! Synth effects (the Vocoder, I think), scary sounds, pulsating notes,.... Be sure that the door is closed before listening to it! The final outtake (0:30) is the shorter one: atmosphering sounds, flight effects,... Nothing particular but it release the tension of the previous outtake. The full title is "Inferno (The Complete Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Recording)" and the catalogue number is: Cinevox Records CD MDF 306. In the last issue of Record Collector (February 1998) I saw that Key Mail Order, England has it (e-mail: sales@keymailorder.co.uk). They accept credit cards. All the best, Paolo. ------------------------------ From: stephen thomson , on 12/6/97 9:08 PM: To: mgraham@mweb.motherwell.co.uk Cc: ELP-digest@reluctant.com Subject: look what I found This was posted on a memorial website service for dead pets.... Emerson the Parakeet 1995 to 1995 A Poem for Emerson Emerson, you silly bird...you've left us in the lurch! You only lasted three days before falling off your perch! At first it was a crushing blow (though now we are much calmer), And still we have your cage-mates: the feathered "Lake" and "Palmer". So Emerson you leave behind this simple legacy: a deep appreciation for the "Pet Smart" Guarantee! The Harbur Family: Jim, Karen, Andy and Casey -- stephen thomson - http://www.stmg.demon.co.uk/ home to the slightly unofficial Ian Gillan Home page!!! Last updated 2/11/97 ------------------------------ 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 8 Issue 8] *************************************