ELP Digest 01 Sep 2007 Volume 17: Issue 2 The "Aquatarkus" Edition Today's Topics: Breaking News, Rumors, Etc. - Brain Salad Surgery (May 19, 2007) - Tarkus Forum (June 19, 2007) - ASIA in concert (June 20, 2007) - Box Set (June 27, 2007) - New 6 CD/DVD box included unreleased live and studio (June 27, 2007) - Keith interviewed - new album in January (Aug. 27, 2007) Reader Commentary - KE and Jazz - MIDI Files (May 18, 2007) - Re: ELP Digest Vol. 17 #01 (Emerson and Jazz) (May 21, 2007) - Re: Emerson & Jazz (May 21, 2007) - Works 1977 Memphis Show Raves & Question (June 24, 2007) Questions (and Answers!) - I.D. an ELP DVD (May 19, 2007) - carl palmers stainless steel drumkit (June 29, 2007) - ELP at California Jam in 1974 (July 9, 2007) - America on 'How It Is' and other matters (July 25, 2007) - ELP at Upsala College (August 7, 2007) ELP-related products, tribute bands, promoters (The ELP Digest does not endorse, etc.) - RE: ELP Digest Vol. 17 #01 (Blast!) (May 30, 2007) - BOB DYLAN AT JONES BEACH JUNE 29TH 2007 (August 4, 2007) =========================== Prelude =========================== Hello again. Thanks for waiting for this issue of the ELP Digest. For the first time ever, I had a major hardware malfunction that I wasn't quite prepared for. I didn't lose any data (since I do have backups) but the (old) laptop that I run the ELP Digest and elp-digest.com web site from wouldn't even power up. This forced me to finish my earlier-than-expected conversion of my email/web utilities to Vista. And so it goes. Anyway... there is news to report (even though it might seem old enough to not be news to those who also get their ELP info from other internet source ). It appears that a box set including the never-before-officially- on-CD (to my knowledge) release of the 'Mar Y Sol' concert is due real soon now. And, according to a very recent interview with Keith, he's hoping for a new album in early 2008. And, of course, there's the on-going discussion of Keith's jazz takes and more. Thanks for hanging in there. - John - ------------------------------ Latest News from the Official ELP sites .… There’s a tribute to the late Ahmet Ertegun at the official ELP Global Web Site at: http://www.emersonlakepalmer.com/elp2.html At Keith’s site … read a review of the MoogFest – 2006 Live DVD and a new limited edition ‘70s-era sculpture of Keith and his rig … links at: http://www.keithemerson.com/News/whatsnew.html Carl has news about his upcoming UK and US tours – and a whole lot more – at: http://www.carlpalmer.com/index01.html Enjoy! =========================== Breaking News, Rumors, Etc. =========================== From: Akiko Hada Sent: Saturday, May 19, 2007 3:55 PM To: elp-digest Subject: Brain Salad Surgery Hi, There is a company in Germany that imports & distributes absinthe with various art labels, many record cover designs among them. They have just started selling one with Giger's "Brain Salad Surgery" label: http://www.absinthvertrieb.de/en/shop/all-sorts/article/brevans-giger/ Sorry the product info is in German only - the notes to the artwork says: "H.R. Giger's painting on this label, "Brain Salad Surgery II" (as well as "Brain Salad Surgery I") were stolen after a retrospective show in Prague. H.R. Giger Museum are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to recovery of these important art pieces. Please contact: HRGigerELPReward [at] bluemail.ch " best, Akiko Hada. --------------------------------------------- From: Sue Green Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2007 5:56 AM To: elp-digest Subject: Tarkus Forum Hi John I would be grateful if you would include this in the next ELP Digest ... and come visit and post yourself. I have laid in place the skeleton on a forum for people to discuss all things Keith Emerson - his music, the bands he has been involved in, etc. I now need people to populate it and post things. So this is an invitation to come and join in, along with a request to pass details on to anyone you know who may be interested, and if you have a web site on which you would be prepared to post details, please do. Hope to see you at Tarkus, the url is http:// imagescapegirl.proboards82.com/ Sue Green Tarkus Moderator --------------------------------------------- From: Ted Osborn Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 7:31 PM To: ELP-Digest Subject: ASIA in concert Hi everyone...here's a quick review of the Asia concert I recently attended: Place: Hard Rock Live, Orlando Florida. Date: June 17, 2007 This is an interesting Hard Rock located within the Universal Studios mega tourist trap, but it's a cool place. The venue seats about 3,000 and I'd say it was more than 1/2 full. This is the original Asia line-up. Carl of course was fantastic... and he is not aging at all...looks fit and trim. Steve Howe looked the oldest yet he still plays so sweet. Wetton on bass and vocals and Downes are keys were very good as well. I don't have a set list but will give a brief overview: They played all the Asia hits (Sole Survivor to start and Heat of the Moment as encore) and much in between. Roundabout was featured as was a Steve Howe acoustic solo. When they got to Fanfare For The Common Man I was wondering how they'd pull it off...but it was brilliant and Carl was really thumping. Towards the end, Downes and Howe traded off solos back and forth and they really showed off their abilities...great execution. Another surprise was In The Court Of The Crimson King...done quite nicely I must say. They also played Video Killed The Radio Star (Downes was the keyboardist for The Buggles). Carl played his solo in the middle of an Asia song that I didn't recall, but it was brilliant with a few new twists I hadn't seen him perform before (balancing drum sticks on cymbals????). Summed up: Fantastic concert, not too expensive, and they played a little over 1.5 hours. Not bad for a bunch of old geezers (that describes the crowd and the band!). If you ELP fans get a chance... go see Asia it was well worth all my efforts to get there. Peace to all and thanks again as usual to John for putting together the newletter! Ted O. --------------------------------------------- From: Simon Evans Sent: Wednesday, June 27, 2007 10:49 AM To: elp-digest Subject: Box Set Just had this from CD Services - thought it might be of interest Simon Evans EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER: FROM THE BEGINNING (Lavish 6CD Box with Unreleased Material - Stock # T455709) Normally 6CD BOX £48.99 - Ltd Pre-Release Offer 6CD BOX £37.99 A stunning Six Disc lavishly presented aural and visual documentation celebrating one of the greatest rock groups the world has ever seen. The boxed set includes some of ELP's most memorable performances, both in the studio and in-concert, with a number of previously unreleased tracks that include an Entire Concert Performance from the 1972 Mar-Y-Sol Festival. Interspersed throughout the set are a number of Single 'B'-sides, Significant 'Live' Recordings, Alternative 1st Generation Studio Mixes and material taken from Band Rehearsals. Rounding-off the set is a separate DVD disc of 'The Manticore Years' Documentary. Presented in an alluring Digi-Book style format with a gorgeous cover image, the box also comes with a 60-Page Booklet that includes "in their own words" sleeve-notes by all the band members discussing in-depth upon their entire career together as ELP. It also features many rare and previously unseen photographs. As one of the most phenomenally successful progressive rock acts during the 70's, Emerson Lake & Palmer took popular music to previously unknown territory by marrying neo-classical Hammond organ motifs with powerful, driving rock rhythms. Featuring the virtuoso keyboard skills of Keith Emerson, the soaring vocals and deep bass sounds of Greg Lake and the powerhouse drumming of Carl Palmer, ELP became one of the first "Arena Rock" bands of their generation, with a stage show that utilised cutting edge special effects technology, with a dazzling lighting production that became the stuff of legend for all those who bore witness. With music spanning the entire career of the band, 'From The Beginning' is a lavish celebration of the U.K. progressive rock legends - the definitive collection for all fans of ELP and followers of the progressive rock genre. Track List - Disc 1: (TPT: 79:22) 01. Epitaph (King Crimson) 02. Decline And Fall (Atomic Rooster) 03. Fantasia: Intermezzo Karelia Suite (The Nice) 04. Lucky Man 05. Tank 06. Take A Pebble (Live at the Lyceum London 09/12/1971) 07. The Barbarian (Live at the Lyceum London 09/12/1971) 08. Knife Edge (Live at the Lyceum London 09/12/1971) 09. Rondo (Live at the Lyceum London 09/12/1971) Disc 2 (TPT: 77:34) 01. Tarkus a) Eruption b) Stones Of Years c) Iconoclast d) Mass e) Manticore f) The Battlefield g) Aquatarkus 02. Bitches Crystal 03. A Time And A Place (Single B-Side Version) 04. Oh, My Father (Recorded 1971-Previously Unreleased) 05. The Endless Enigma-Part 1 06. The Endless Enigma-Part 2 07. From The Beginning (Single Version) 08. Trilogy 09. Abbadon's Bolero 10. Hoedown (Live 1972-Previously Unreleased) 11. Jerusalem (1st Mix 1972-Previously Unreleased) 12. Still You Turn Me On (1st Mix 1972-Previously Unreleased) 13. When the Apple Blossoms (Single B-Side Version) Disc 3 (TPT: 77:38) 01. Karn Evil 9 a. 1st Impression-Part 1 b. 1st Impression-Part 2 c. 2nd Impression d. 3rd Impression 02. Jeremy Bender / The Sheriff 03. I Believe In Father Christmas (Early Version) 04. The Enemy God Dances 05. With The Black Spirits 06. Piano Concerto No.1 07. Pirates (Version with Orchestra recorded in 1977- Previously Unreleased) Disc 4 (TPT: 74:57) 01. Fanfare For The Common Man 02. Honky Tonk Train Blues 03. Tiger In A Spotlight 04. Watching Over You 05. Introductory Fanfare / Peter Gunn Theme (Live) 06. Canario (Rehearsal for Love Beach) 07. Mars-The Bringer Of War (by Emerson Lake & Powell) 08. Desede La Vida 09. La Vista 10. Sangre De Toro 11. Black Moon (Single Version) 12. Footprints In The Snow 13. Romeo & Juliet (Live at the Royal Albert Hall) 14. Man In The Long Black Coat (Ext) 15. Daddy 16. Hang On To A Dream 17. Touch And Go (Live In Poland) Disc 5 (Mar Y Sol Festival 1972 - TPT: 79:07) 01. Hoedown 02. Tarkus a. Eruption b. Stones Of Years c. Iconoclast d. Mass e. Manticore f. The Battlefield g. Aquatarkus 03. Take A Pebble 04. Lucky Man 05. Piano Improvisation 06. Pictures At An Exhibition a. Promonade b. The Gnome c. Promonade - Vocal d. Hut Of Baba Yaga e. The Curse Of Baba Yaga f. Hut Of Baba Yaga g. Great Gates Of Kiev 07. Rondo Disc 6 (DVD - Manticore Years Documentary) --------------------------------------------- From: bjorn-are.davidsen Sent: Wednesday, June 27, 2007 2:13 PM To: ELP-Digest Subject: New 6 CD/DVD box included unreleased live and studio Hello John! Don't know the release date, however I just received info from CD Services about "an alluring Digi-Book style format with a gorgeous cover image, the box also comes with a 60-Page Booklet that includes "in their own words" sleeve-notes by all the band members discussing in-depth upon their entire career together as ELP. It also features many rare and previously unseen photographs." This box set has been in the making for some time, Steve Hammond at Sanctuary has been looking for tracks and photos for years. Great to finally get e.g. the whole Mar Y Sol Festival, and perhaps the original full length version of what would have been The Man In The Long Coat Suite, which was rearranged and divided into two different tracks on ITHS. Perhaps also a remastered Manticore Special? (Track List omitted) Regards Bjorn Are --------------------------------------------- From: bjorn-are.davidsen Sent: Monday, August 27, 2007 2:51 AM To: elp-digest Subject: Keith interviewed - new album in January Full interview URL: http://www.bloggernews.net/19703 Excerpt: Q: "I have read that you were the first musician to actually tour with a moog. I’ll bet that was a challenge and a half. I would imagine from a complexity standpoint it was akin to touring with a cathedral pipe organ! KE: Don’t laugh, we nearly did tour with a pipe organ, but you are right it was a challenge touring with ‘The Beast’, the sheer movement of it was a headache. When I first got it Bob Moog had sent a letter along saying that it was designed for studio use only. Well I wanted to tour with it, and we took it to the Isle of Wight festival, and then on to the rest of the tour. Yes, it was a challenge, the Moog has three oscillators in it and they were acting up really badly, scaling was a nightmare, Eventually we cracked the problem, the power supply wasn’t big enough, once we had it replaced it was a lot better. We also figured out a way to have the oscillators tuned differently. You can say this was on the job training. Q: I was saddened recently when I came across a web site dedicated to obsolete electronic musical instruments and the name Moog was prominent. Do you still have a Moog, and do you ever still use it? KE: Of Course! My Moog is still going strong. Right now it is set up at the Marc Bonilla Studios in Woodland Hills. I am using it on a new album that will be out next January. It is great to go to a performance and see the expressions on the audience’s faces when they see it. It is not an easy or cheap task to move ‘The Beast’ around though. Greg (Lake) and Carl (Palmer) used to grumble a lot about the cost of transporting and supporting it." Would have loved to see them tour with a pipe organ;-) If I would venture a guess, the KE Band will tour again next year, in support of the album. Regards Bjorn Are [ Editor's Note: This interview was done by Simon Barrett who did a review of the 'Moogfest' DVD that Emo liked enough to post a link to it on his web site. - John - ] =========================== Reader Commentary =========================== From: Mike Le Voi Sent: Friday, May 18, 2007 11:06 PM To: elp-digest Subject: KE and Jazz - MIDI Files John, I quote from the last digest: --- Quote --- Can you please name me one, just one, from the 'long list' of standout ELP/KE 'jazz piano' tracks or solo's please. It's not nonsense to say KE can't play jazz piano, he can't. --- End Quote --- Now that I have stopped laughing - let me name just one Jazz "track" - Masters From The Vaults DVD - Take A Pebble - central section - not the bit where he is clowning about doing solo piano - the next bit - a jazz Trio in full swing. I have seen KE play in concert like this - and I have seen KE play in a studio in London when he almost bought a new Steinway - further details on my website. PS In the same section, you also hear Greg Lake as a superb "jazz" bass player - as well as Carl doing some nice "jazz" drums. Just because the studio CDs do not contain "jazz" tracks does not mean that KE cannot play jazz :-) I would actually rate "Summertime" as a nice jazz track - but the other reader obviously does not think it is. Remember - KE has to live - and the public like ELP as they are - so he plays what they want. Just as Aaron Copland gave up his increasingly atonal style to go "mainstream" - that is probably what ELP did as well - IMHO of course. Speaking personally, I would prefer a whole evening of ELP as a jazz trio playing nothing but "jazz" improvisations, but I suspect that would not sell :-) On a different topic, I have recently updated my web site to contain the complete Piano Concerto No 1 in MIDI format - great for studying KE at the piano and his orchestration. I have discussed this with Will Alexander and he assures me that KE is now no longer interested in the old "shareware" concept of MIDI file downloading. In other words, the rule is now quite simple: PRIVATE USE ONLY - NOT TO BE USED FOR ANY COMMERCIAL PURPOSE! I hope some of the budding KE pianists out there enjoy downloading the files from this site. Cheers, Mike Le Voi Visit my Sound and MIDI Home Page http://modemss.brisnet.org.au/~mlevoi --------------------------------------------- From: Peter Wilton Sent: Monday, May 21, 2007 5:59 PM To: elp-digest Subject: Re: ELP Digest Vol. 17 #01 > Peter Wilton - Emo's jazz piano (or jazz generally) is probably his > strongest suit. > Peter do you honestly believe this. I do! > Are you sure you're not listening to Keith Jarrett rather than Keith >Emerson. No, Keith Emerson. I listen to Keith Jarrett also. In fact, one of my colleagues, when I was working in an opera in France in the 1990s, mistook my attempt at playing Emerson's studio "Take a Pebble" improvisation on a piano (I should include that in the jazz as well) to be Jarrett. > Lots of people understand jazz now and you can buy all the classic > recordings easily unlike in the 70's. Yes, I've bought many. > I saw Herbie Hancock in the UK last month and what struck me was the > number of young people in the audience, 15/16 year olds, they all know > what real jazz piano sounds like. So do I. Many of Herbie Hancock's recordings I have are very interesting; and some are not. > Can anyone name an ELP/KE 'jazz piano track' I could play them > alongside Maiden Voyage or Chameleon. They would just laugh if I tried > to!. Well, let me quote just one example. On ELP-Disc, there is a very analytically minded musician (Ken Taylor), who drew my attention to Barrel-House Shakedown. He pointed out that jazzers of the 50s and 60s despised boogie as a form, and so did not compose or play them. In Barrelhouse Shakedown, Emerson was writing what a piano boogie would have sounded like had it been developed in the 50s to the 60s. Harmonically, it's quite unlike the boogies of the "classic" 1940s period. Other pieces I rate highly from the jazz end of Emerson's musical spectrum would be: The "Silent Night" arrangement. B&W Blues Au privave Walter L "Summertime" I wouldn't particularly have singled out, but some time ago Ken Taylor did, and said why. The term Jazz covers many sins nowadays, and I see no reason why Emerson's material on Honky, or his film score for Nighthawks shouldn't be included; also Country Pie, the band's movements of Five Bridges, Hang on to a Dream, Sombrero Sam, Denial, Hammer it Out, and so on... And where do you draw the line between his classical arrangements and jazz? "Karelia" is a jazz arrangement of a classical work. The problem for me of talking about Emerson's rock music, is that it's hardly rock at all: it's mainly the classics and jazz, in equal measure. > A-digest-reader said 'I really wish he had said he doesn't prefer the > jazz piano [ -- a valid opinion that he is certainly entitled to have > -- ] rather than saying the man can't play. That's nonsense, and > completely unfair. It's not even worth dignifying the remark with the > long list of wonderful jazz interpretations and references that we have > enjoyed from Keith over the years'. > Yes, I dig the references. My favourites are the Interplay quote in > Blues Variation, and the cheeky bit of Salt Peanuts in Tiger in a > Spotlight, So What ! America is from West Side Story, does this mean > Keith could score a successful broadway musical if he wanted to. But Blues Variations isn't another kind of music with "references" to jazz. If asked to pigeonhole it, I'd say the whole piece is more jazz than rock, and it's certainly not a classical arrangement of Mussorgsky. > Can you please name me one, just one, from the 'long list' of standout > ELP/KE 'jazz piano' tracks or solo's please. It's not nonsense to say > KE can't play jazz piano, he can't. Well, I know what, as a practitioner of jazz, Ken Taylor would say, when I drew his attention to this discussion: "Whoever said Emerson's jazz playing was 'lame' doesn't have a clue what they're talking about. His arrangement of Au Privave is stunning and the performance by both Emo and the London Jazz Orchestra, I think, is about the finest I've ever heard of this tune. In hindsight, I wish Emerson had recorded a lot more with these guys." Apart from jazz recordings, there are many, many radio programmes in the UK featuring jazz. At least half of the newer stuff is so minimalist as to be a waste of space. Emerson's jazz is so much more interesting than much of it. When Emerson does a successful arrangement of someone else's piece, it's his jazz imagination that makes it work. I've made my comments; I will solicit Ken Taylor's as well, since I believe he could add a lot more detail than I have. > Please don't anyone mention the variations from WBMF at this point. > Anyone who can still listen to that for pleasure in 2007 needs to get > out more! Yes, but if you have all the bootlegs, what stands out is that there were much better performances of that solo from other concert dates. > I'll leave the last word to Mr Lake. At the end of the Isle of Wight > DVD he's asked how ELP will be remembered. He simply says something > like 'ELP popularized classical music for a lot of young people, > that's the true legacy of ELP'. For me, there were two interesting classical arrangements, but the others were not the most interesting part of ELP's output. I quite agree about being honest in one's appraisal: hence, my enthusiasm for Emerson's music is the influence of jazz and Bartok. When he started being more influenced by Copland (as in much of Karn Evil 9), that's when it stopped working for *me*. So I would not hesitate to say that I find Emerson's jazz influences much more successful than his most famous work. Peter Wilton The Gregorian Association Web Site: http://www.beaufort.demon.co.uk --------------------------------------------- From: Kenny Floyd Sent: Monday, May 21, 2007 11:27 PM To: elp-digest Subject: Re: Emerson & Jazz I've been thinking about whether or not to reply. Simon's opinions are clearly heart-felt and strong, but they're not substantiated by facts as evidenced in Emerson's recordings. His main point originally was about Emerson's jazz piano skills so, let's look at that first. To compare Emerson to Keith Jarrett or Herbie Hancock is to compare apples with oranges. For starters, both Jarrett and Hancock learned their craft in bands with Miles Davis. Of _course_ they're going to have a better understanding of playing jazz piano in authentic settings! By the time Jarrett and Hancock got into jazz, the US had a jazz tradition dating back to the 1920s. By comparison, UK jazz in the 60s was a relatively new phenomenon, if you count Kenny Ball's groups of the 50s as its origins, and even newer if you regard (as I do) more progressive jazz/rock guys like Graham Bond in the early 60s as the origins of 'real' jazz in the UK. Emerson's jazz piano playing is more evident in the Nice because Lee Jackson and Brian Davison were both products of the jazz/rock thinking of Graham Bond, Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, Dick Heckstill-Smith, etc. It's also clear that Emerson's ears were open to Jarrett's style, evidenced by such things as his modal improvisations in tunes such as Sombrero Sam (a cover of a Charles Lloyd tune - Jarrett played piano in Lloyd's group) and avant-jazz piano techniques such as plucking the strings inside the piano (something else Jarrett was noted for at that time). That said, Emerson's main jazz influences (aside from Brubeck) are the hard bop players from the fifties. Probably the best comparison for Emerson's piano jazz style is Wynton Kelly. Kelly was a 'modern' player, which in the fifties meant long flowing bebop lines in the right hand and sparse chording in the left. However, he also used older techniques in his left hand, such as stride and boogie. Even Thelonious Monk, who is lauded in jazz piano circles as the most modern of the modern boppers included stride in his solos. So, if anybody claims that Emerson 'can't play real jazz' because he uses older techniques such as stride and boogie simply isn't speaking with all the facts. Insofar as 'great jazz piano moments' for Keith, there (sadly) aren't really enough of these, meaning, he simply hasn't recorded many straight ahead jazz piano tracks. I'll mention Au Privave as an exceptional example. I'd also point to tracks such as Summertime on the Changing States album. Not only is the tune very cleverly reharmonized in a VERY jazz way, the solo is a fine example of methodical development of a theme in an improvisation. The way it evolves from a simple melodic line into a rocking boogie shuffle is Emerson's signature - his imprimatur.. The same is heard in versions of Show Me The Way To Go Home. Another wonderful jazz piano track (and one of my favorites like Summertime) is Step Aside from ELPowell. What we have here is an old jazz tune composed by Bobby Timmons (another jazz guy comparable with Emerson) called Dis Here. At least, that's what I think it originally started as -- Emerson has reharmonized it brilliantly to the point where the original is almost completely obscured. The piano solo in this is also breathtakingly developed in a very short space of time. With regard to Simon's dismissal of Piano Improvisations on WBMF, all I can say is it was _this_ that attracted Oscar Peterson and ultimately led to the invitation onto Peterson's television show. I'm quite intimately familiar with this piece (and quite a few other versions on bootleg albums) and it is a tour-de-force of jazz piano playing. When Emerson first breaks into the boogie blues section (just before Little Rock Getaway), not only is he playing at a blistering tempo, but he's playing that boogie in 7/8 and not missing a beat! It's absolutely extraordinary! This alone puts him into the same jazz piano league as Art Tatum or Oscar Peterson for virtuosity. About the only justification I can find in support of Simon's opinions is there simply aren't enough recordings available of Emerson playing straight ahead jazz piano to make a proper evaluation as to just how good Emerson is as a jazz piano player. Fact is, by Emerson's own admission, he never wanted to be just a jazz piano player anyway so, perhaps the argument is moot. If we look deeper into the music of ELP, there is ample evidence of Emerson's jazz sensibilities at play. I've already mentioned his skills at reharmonizing things and The Sheriff is a brilliant example of a 16 bar blues reharmonized beyond recognition. But the real evidence is in the improvised interplay between Emerson and Palmer on tracks such as Mass and Curse of the Baba Yaga. Because most fans will only ever have heard the official releases of these, the impressiveness of these improvised exchanges can be lost. I've listened to a lot of bootlegs from the Tarkus-era tours and the significance of these improvisations -- as jazz improvisations -- can't be overstated. The whole concept of melodic instrument - drum duel is very much a jazz thing. However, what Emerson and Palmer did was translate that into a duel between the big MOOG and drums. Curse of the Baba Yaga is similar with Lake's bass playing added to the mix however, unfortunately, he never really had the chops (nor probably the desire) to get into that kind of improvisation with the same passion as Emerson and Palmer. Ultimately this kind of improvisation gave way to more structured/rehearsed solos, but it was all there in the early days of ELP. One final point I'd like to mention is this. Any half-decent jazz player should be able to rip through solos but really good jazz players are often recognized by their ability to accompany soloists. Accompaniment, as any singer or instrumentalist will tell you, really is an art in itself. Emerson as an accompanist is incredibly inventive. He doesn't simply comp chords - he invents whole other worlds of music to support Lake's singing. There's examples of this right throughout the ELP catalog, but it's especially evident in pieces such as Pirates. Regards, Ken --------------------------------------------- From: jesse mcglown Sent: Sunday, June 24, 2007 5:22 PM To: elp-digest Subject: Works 1977 Memphis Show Raves & Question Hello All, If you haven't done it yet, go to Wolfsgangsvault and get that ELP Memphis concert from the '77 Works tour. It's available as a download, or free streaming audio for preview...incredible sound quality and, if memory serves, an unedited show. I saw them twice during this tour, and the Mobile, AL performance was exactly as this one is presented. Why this concert wasn't released a decade ago as a 2-CD set is simply beyond me. Why the ELP Suits keep insisting on releasing essentially the same greatest hits package over and over ( with nuggets like this show in the vaults ) just baffles me. The audio quality is amazing. Superb mix, and a virtually flawless performance from all three of E, L, & P...I've listened to other concerts posted at this site, and so far this Emerson, Lake & Palmer Works show is far superior in sound quality to all the rest of the seventies concerts at the site. I'm not exaggerating, folks; this show could've been recorded last week, gauging from the audio clarity. One question for anyone who happened to be at this date: Did ELP do two shows on the same evening? The web site labels it as the "Late Show" ...It's intriguing, because Peter Gunn from this show is a slightly different performance from the Works Live (originally In Concert) CD release during the nineties, while Tiger in a Spotlight is identical to the official album release. Watching Over You is also the same performance from Works Live, yet Pirates as well as Fanfare are different versions...I'm guessing they did two shows at the same venue because they had a location recording unit to capture both, and could pick the best versions of each song from the two different performances. Anyway, this for me is one of those "holy grail" ELP nuggets I've been waiting almost thirty years to get. Who knows what else is in those \ vaults? =========================== Questions (and Answers!) =========================== From: Petr Novák Sent: Saturday, May 19, 2007 5:18 AM To: elp-digest Subject: ID an ELP DVD Hi, in latest ELP Digest e-mail, Robert Irving asked for the name of DVD with historic live footage of ELP. Please, pass him this link http://www.totalmusicdvd.com/product_info.php?products_id=118&osCsid=3d9dc35e2c9ea041432106623264bfbc From his description it's Masters From The Vaults DVD released in 2004. Cheers, Petr --------------------------------------------- From: Minniezolo Sent: Friday, June 29, 2007 8:02 AM To: elp-digest Subject: carl palmers stainless steel drumkit Where can I find more detailed pictures of that great drumset? front, back, side, veiws of palmers 1970's stainless steel drumset. --------------------------------------------- From: LB Sent: Monday, July 09, 2007 7:10 PM To: elp-digest Subject: ELP at California Jam in 1974 So, forgive me for posting this to the digest but since I'm a late comer to the digest and love ELP I thought I would just have to ask. Can anyone say why ELP's set at the California jam concert of 1974 has not yet been released commercially on DVD?? Deep Purple's set was released commercially. Why hasn't ELP given the promoters of this concert permission to release their amazing set??? Regards, Gordon [ Editor's Note: I may have some of the details wrong but this has been discussed a few times in the DIgest off and on over the years. I believe 'the 'reasoning' has been that the owners of the tape have never bothered to release it (Dick Clark Productions, perhaps?) and that the amount they wanted to allow the ELP folks to release was cost prohibitive. I believe the compromise that was reached was for the audio portion of that event that has been released on 'Now and Then'. There has also been some speculation that the original video tapes of the performance no longer exist due to either tape decay or erasure. - John - ] --------------------------------------------- From: Jonathan Smart Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2007 10:06 AM To: ELP Digest Subject: America on 'How It Is' and other matters Hi, Wonder if anyone out there knows the answer to this? I've seen the footage of the Nice playing America in the studio for the John Peel show 'How It Is' (1968?) several times now (on Sounds of the Sixties) - in fact I saw that original performance at the time it went out and it got me listening to the band in the first place (coincidentally, my other two albums I owned before 1970 were by King Crimson and Atomic Rooster - shows consistency on my part anyway…). Thing is, although memory can be deceptive, I'm convinced the footage has been doctored in several respects - the original, I thought, went out live at the time and I really didn't think there was all the irritating jumping around & zooming in and out with the cameras or that 'distorted' sound (like phasing) muffling the reverb crashes throughout and at the end. When Lee did his 'America is pregnant..' bit at the end, I reckon you could see Keith brandishing a drumstick(?) while crouching down behind the Hammond crashing the reverb after every couple of words - this is missing, as are one or two passages within the number which have been edited out causing it to jump. Can anyone confirm this? Better still, does the original 'uncorrupted' footage from the show with John Peel still exist? Btw, I saw Jethro Tull perform a barnstormer at the Daphne DuMaurier (Fowey) festival (Cornwall), earlier this year (May 14th) and was delighted when Ian Anderson dedicated a cover of America to Keith Emerson. I know they toured the States together in the past, but that was unexpected and very welcome. I think a Blog would be an excellent idea providing it would be possible to set up a feed so that links to updates were delivered to your personal e-mail box, as this is, imho the advantage of receiving Digests by e-mail - you don't need to remember to look at a separate site. Best regards, Jonathan Smart --------------------------------------------- From: JCowie Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2007 5:11 PM To: elp-digest Subject: ELP at Upsala College Hello, Does anyone remember the date or was at the show at Upsala College in East Orange, N.J.? It was the week after their Filmore East show but before the Carnegie Hall show. I never see it on any show lists but I know it happened because it was the first time I saw them. I had a friend in high school who worked at the Filmore on weekends and Monday mornings I'd get the lowdown on who he saw that weekkend. One monday he told me about this crazy group who's keyboardist climbed on the organ and threw knives into the keyboard. A few days later we heard the ad on the radio for the Upsala show and just barely made it. Those were the days. Thanks John Cowie Long Branch, N.J. =========================== ELP-related products, tribute bands, promoters (The ELP Digest does not endorse, etc.) =========================== From: Ricardo Rosas Liliana Roel Roel Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 6:59 AM To: elp-digest Subject: RE: ELP Digest Vol. 17 #01 Hi John, I want to recommend this fantastic DVD to the ELP fans: "Blast! An Explosive Musical Celebration" Regards Ricardo from Buenos Aires [ Editor's Note: A quick check of Amazon to see what this is reveals... it’s a marching band album with tunes and composers that may be familiar to ELP fans – Bolero, Copland, Bernstein. - John - ] --------------------------------------------- From: MarioNation Sent: Saturday, August 04, 2007 9:32 AM To: elp-digest-request Subject: BOB DYLAN AT JONES BEACH JUNE 29TH 2007 BEFORE DYLAN HIT THE STAGE THE OPENING MUSIC WAS THE COPLAND VERSIONS OF 1)FANFARE FOR THE COMMON 2)HOEDOWN 3)AND A LITTLE OF COPELANDS MUSIC FOR THEATRE? I MADE THE CROWD AROUND ME LAUGH WHEN I YELLED OUT "I'M WAITING FOR CARL PALMER TO COME WALKING OUT!!!!!!!" =========================== Digest subscription, 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://www.brain-salad.com/ or http://www.elp-digest.com (both point to the same place) 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 17, Issue 2] **************************************