Well done to Carla Huntington of New Ears Blog (New Englands ear on progresive rock) for getting an interview with Greg Lake. It is great to get some good information as the long suffering ELP fans rarely get much substance on any of the bands websites.
What was brilliant was that Greg mentioned that he and Keith are writing together again. It sounds so bizarre because from all the comments we see and hear you would think the two are arch enemies and sometimes wonder why they ever worked together at all. But as he says in the interview it is like a marriage.
Two good ELP news stories in one week – gasp. We are all in shock. ‘am or cheese!
It’s official! The announcement we though we’d never hear. ELP have finally committed to doing a gig in July 2010. They have agreed to headline the UK based High Voltage Festival. I don’t know much about the festival but it has to be worth the trip to see the band perform live again.
The official announcement on ELP’s own site and Tony Ortiz’s site promises that we can expect ‘canons, pyrotechnics and a supreme production alongside the stunning musicianship and songs that made ELP the legends they truly are’.
Hopefully we can get to hear some songs which we dont often hear live such as Trilogy, Karn Evil 9, Pirates, Canario (c’mon even Carl’s band plays it on guitar!), Living Sin (c’mon Marc Bonilla carried it off)
On the BBC Radio 2 programme Sounds of the Seventies DJ Johnny Walker played some old interview clips from Carl Palmer (apparently from 1978) where Carl mentioned a few things about the number and types on instruments he plays and has great freedom to do all this within the framework of Emerson, Lake and Palmer. More significantly Carl says that he would like to sing in a band.
He has always harbored a desire to sing in a band but would not want to be come a ‘Ringo Starr or anything like that. I think Greg Lake may have a thing or two to say about 1. Carl singing and 2. Ringo Starr.
Keith Emerson is to appear at a special Moog Exhibition Reception at the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, California on 29 Aug 09. The Museum is presenting a ‘demonstration and music’ by Emerson and Erik Norlander. Emerson is to demonstrate his Moog Modular system. More details…
The demonstration is part of the The Waves of Inspiration Exhibition: The Legacy of Moog, which is dedicated to the work of Robert Moog, and amongst other things has the first public display of some ‘artifacts from Moogs archives ‘.
Personal Highlights
The Oval 1972 – Photos from the gig ELP played at Londons Oval (the cricket ground) with the real cardboard Tarkus ! photos from David Buckley
Maple Leaf Gardens in 1978 – nice shots of Keith and Greg – from jlacpo
The Atlas Fireworks Show opened with a shortened version of Karn Evil 9. After the voice introduction to the show Karn Evil kicks in. It has a brief edit to the ‘See the Show’ end sequence to launch the fireworks show.
After that it goes straight into the original version of Carl Orffs Carmina Burana which ELP fans will recognise from the last lot of Keith Emerson tours.
ELP’s keyboard version of Canario is a brilliant adaptation of Rodrigo’ piece and is a classic ELP instrumental without question. Carl Palmers guitar arrangement (being the only version to appear live from any of ELP) captures all the energy that ELP caught in the studio.
What a shame (another one alas) that ELP never performed this track live – it really rocks. Sure the original is great too with classical guitar and orchestra, but the Emerson Lake and Palmer arrangement is awesome with all the new colour /sound palette which Emerson had available at that time including the Yamaha GX-1 and the Korg PS 3300.
Imminent Release of Working Live Vol 3
Carl has also announced the imminent release of another live album called …wait for it…..Working Live Vol 3 which is to feature amongst other things his ‘guitar’ version of Bitches Crystal from Tarkus which was performed on the last ELP Tour and Keith Emerson Tour.
It should be another interesting album with guitar versions of the ELP classics. Most of the previous guitar arrangement of classic tracks for were Trilogy (from Trilogy) and Canario (from Love Beach).
For me Love Beach has a lot of good moments. Despite the poor concept and packaging etc a lot of the songs are actually very good. OK they are not all Emerson, Lake and Palmer classics but Taste of my Love and The Gambler are good ‘pop’ songs but of course a lot of ELP fans can’t handle this kind of stuff. (I’ll do more ranting about/defending of Love Beach another time).
35 years or so after Carl Palmer got his first stainless steel drum kit it seems that he has done it all again! His website shows him sitting behind the new 100th anniversary kit manufactured by Ludwig and apparently given to Carl for his ‘return’ to Ludwig (that’ll be a freebie then).
A little smaller than the last stainless steel kit (the one featured on the ‘Welcome Back my Friends’ tour and live album) this one looks like it has two bass (kick) drums, two mounted toms and two floor toms.
Not being a drummer I don’t know all the technical details but they all have shells, heads, tuning bolts and are no doubt very loud when you stand next to them.