Emerson Lake & Palmer to be reissued on BMG

Are the debut and Welcome Back My Friends going out-of-print already? Neither are available on Amazon, but I did find them on BarnesAndNoble.com.

 

Hi exact quote was "we have scores of tapes of us jamming". Assuming he understood what a score is and if 10% of that material is usable, there ought to be some sort of release. Remember these are studio jams; the only one that showed up on the Manticore box was "Bo Diddley". Prelude & Fugue was an actual Gulda piece so I wouldn't count that as a jam. One of the Emerson collections had an ELP outtake, "Up the Elephant and Round the Castle" (I think I typed that right) and that was based on the UK TV show theme music. There just has to be something more.

 

I like that "Bo Diddley" jam in the Manticore box.


What I find bizarre is how ELP lost the plot so quickly after Brain Salad Surgery. I think the Works era material demonstrates a band with no unity or direction. It's like they forgot what their sound was that attracted their fans in the first place.

 

They were burnt out and yet forced to continue after threats of having future solo album releases denied if product didn't keep flowing. YES got their 3 years off and solo albums and they came back invigorated with "Going for the One". Atlantic/Manticore didn't accord ELP the same respect or luxury. And note that the solo albums never came out on their group label. So they were overworked for nothing.

 

Interesting, I had not read that before.

 

you don't think "rave up" is from a jam?

 

ELP took an extended break in 1974, and didn't record again until 1976. Works was not as succesful as the previous albums had been, and they lost money touring with the orchestra. Atlantic had also funded the tour, and ELP owned them an album, so that's why they were forced to record one more album, which became the Love Beach, instead of having another extended break.

By the way, Manticore was their own label.

 

"Taste of My Love" ???

Oh my...

 

Rave Up + Bo Diddley + Prelude & Fugue + Oh My Father does not equal "scores of jam tapes".

 

Thanks for the hint! I previously owned the first remaster (Sanctuary) and then replaced it with the deluxe edition, which did not turn out to be a good move, as it was awfully de-noised (or subjected to a similar treatment). Passing through a flee market today I noticed and picked the version you have recommended and I am very happy with its sound.

However, I am quite fond of the Lyceum gig on the second disc of the deluxe edition and would like to know if that one is worth upgrading to the new BMG version. Any comments?

 

I prefer the mastering on the new BMG version for the Lyceum show over the previous deluxe edition.

 

I think ELP went as far as they could by 1974. Musically the well ran dry. Glad I saw them in their prime.

 

Does anyone have any of the re-issued BMG Lps?

What's the SQ like?

 

maybe palmer doesn't know what a score is lol

 

There's got to be a decent live version of orchestral Pirates worthy of inclusion ? It was professionally filmed and recorded !

Pirates is a classic and better than anything their peers recorded in '77. Only YES's Awaken could equal it!

 

Yes that's a great description of what happened to them. I never loved Works. I like Emerson's classical piece but prefer the third movement of it the best. Of all the Greg Lake songs I only like 'Cest Lavie' and I like 2 or 3 of Carl's stuff. I never really cared for the studio version of 'Fanfare' and I like Pirates but don't love it by any means. I guess they ran out of steam. What's funny is that I like the Greg Lake compositions on Works vol 2 better then his songs on vol 1. If there are any Pirates experts here I was told by Bill Levenson (who produced the Return of the Manticore 4 CD set) that the version of 'Pirates' used on that box set uses a much drier mix then what is on Works but it wasn't noted in the booklet for the set.

 

I like Pirates but don't love it and don't think it's even in the same league as their pre-Works material. I think all of 'Going for The One' is much better then Pirates by a landslide.

 

Yes it was, but the sound quality was pretty bad, because the orchestra was hastily recorded only on two tracks, because the recording equipment broke down at the last minute. That said, i guess if they could dig up the multitracks and remix them, it could sound a better with today's technology.

ELP's visual footage is another thing. The ONLY footage that has been freshly re-edited is the Isle of Wight material. Maybe the raw, unedited footage for Milan or Montreal concerts survives somewhere?

 

Yes, I remember watching the Montreal Concert on the BBC back in the day and it sounded fine on the old mono TV.

 

I don't think so. Pirates is an amazing piece of music.

 

Absolutely, never tire of hearing it in whatever form. I think it's Greg Lakes finest vocal performance period. It's well documented Keith was very proud of this piece. Always remained a live favourite by fans and the band into the 90's

 

My distillation of Work-era tracks that make for a nice listen:
Peter Gunn (live, Works Live)
Tiger in a Spotlight (live, Works Live) -the studio version is "soft", but this version rocks
C'est la vie (early version, From The Beginning) -not that different, but the orchestration seems toned-down a bit
Fanfare For The Common Man (edit, The Atlantic Years) -a case where less is more (or at least better)
Pirates (I like the live version sans orchestra from the Box, but I'm open to other suggestions)
The Enemy Gods... (live, Works live) -a highlight and one of the well recorded songs
Piano Concerto #1, third movement (Return of the Manticore)
Honky Tonk Train Blues (Works Vol. 2)
I Believe In Father Christmas (Works Vol. 2 version)
When The Apple Blossoms Bloom... (Works Vol. 2)

The rest of the songs I have not much interesting in hearing again.

 

Pirates may be an amazing piece of music, but obviously it's not as thematically engaging as Karnevil#9 from Brain Salad Surgery. Works Vol. I & II and Love Beach seems like a slow burn-out to me. Part of what impressed me with ELPs earlier efforts were the grand themes and dystopian sci-fi lyrics exemplified by epic compositions such as Tarkus. ELP's prog-rock was arguably pretentious, but they carried the Manticore mantle well.

Works, Vol. I's closing showpiece epic was just off lyrically. Greg Lake's sea faring vocals on the epic Pirate came off as shallow and disingenuous, an awkward Yo-Ho-Ho-yawner that actually made the music supporting his vocals less involving. Gary Brooker of the proto-prog group Procol Harum could sell old sailor tales on layered orchestral compositions with an air of nostalgia, Greg Lake couldn't.

While Vol. I of Works is a mixed bag of good (Fanfare...) and bad (Pirates), Works Vol. II didn't right the ship. Tiger in the Spotlight on Works, Vol. II was lightweight fluff, and fewer tunes demonstrated their prowess for epic composition. The less said about Love Beach the better. The talent of their musicianship never faltered, but ELP's compositions failed to capture the imagination of late 70's audience. After BSS, ELP was lyrically spent, with nothing profound left to say.


Cat

 

I love the song Brain Salad Surgery but understand why it was left off the album but not because it's a bad song!

 

You mean Pete Sinfield, Pirates is brilliant lyrically. One of those rare songs that the way it is written and sung conjures the right imagery of a storyteller. Brilliant!