Emerson, Lake & Palmer

When I was just fifteen, my next door neighbour Phil handed me a Memorex 120 self compilation cassette tape to listen to. He was three years older than me and considered him more of a 'Soul boy'. Imagine my surprise then, once I heard the intro to The Nice's 'Karelia Suite', and was consequently hooked all the way through from 'One Of Those People' to ELP's 'Tarkus'. The Prog finger of fate eh? Thanks Phil.

Indeed, few bands defined the scale and ambition of Progressive Rock quite like ELP. Formed in 1970 by Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and Carl Palmer, the trio became one of the most commercially successful and influential acts of the era, selling more than 40 million albums worldwide and pioneering a spectacular blend of virtuoso musicianship, classical reinterpretation and arena-scale Rock performance.

With renewed interest in ELP’s legacy, given founding drummer Carl Palmer's forthcoming “An Evening with ELP” UK live shows next year, today BMG release a new reissue of 'Works Live'. Blending the group’s groundbreaking fusion of Rock, Classical music and theatrical live performance, the double-album documents the trio at the height of their powers, performing landmark works, captured during their legendary 1977 North American six-week orchestral tour.

Originally issued in 1979 as a single LP, 'In Concert', following the band's breakup that very same year, 'Works Live' restored much of the material originally intended for the project when it was expanded into a double-disc edition in 1993. This new BMG edition revisits that expanded presentation featuring remastered audio, updated liner notes and refreshed packaging, available as a standalone title for the first time in more than 30 years.

The Works era remains one of the most celebrated and audacious chapters in ELP history, not least for the band’s attempt to tour with a full 67-piece orchestra - a move that became both a creative triumph and a financial challenge. Indeed, because of financial constraints, in the end only 11 shows actually took place, with the remaining dates reverting back to a three-piece. Although, the performances captured on 'Works Live' preserve that unique moment in Progressive Rock history with all the grandeur, technical brilliance and energy that defined ELP’s live reputation.

With the live album being drawn primarily from the Montreal Olympic Stadium performance that August, the 'Introductory Fanfare' on side one, culminating in "Ladies and Gentleman" .... "Emerson, Lake & Palmer!", was actually recorded three months later at Wheeling, West Virginia, as was Emerson's driving keys on Henry Mancini's instrumental 'Peter Gunn' plus Lake's awesome vocal on the bouncy 'Tiger In A Spotlight'.

Having opened with two tracks from November 1977's 'Works, Vol. 2', effectively a single album compilation of leftover tracks from other album sessions (similar to The Who's 'Odds & Sods'), the following ballad 'C'est La Vie' delightfully unwrapped fond memories of the tripartite's outstanding double-album achievement, 'Works, Volume 1'. Released just eight months earlier, the live Parisian orchestration on this classic, indeed adds an extra dimension, beautifully complementing Lake's outstanding vocal.

Lake's splendid acoustic tear jerker of a lullaby, 'Watching Over You', and Emerson's short honky tonk burst on Scott Joplin's foot tappin' 'Maple Leaf Rag', once again takes us back again to 'Vol. 2' territory. However, Side one closes with 'Vol. 1' (as well as the only other track recorded in West Virginia), as Emerson gives a well deserved advance nod introducing legendary drummer "Carl Palmer", on the band's amazing take of Prokofiev's 'The Enemy God Dances With The Black Spirits'.

Indeed, the joy of music is such that it can be so personal, yet it can be as equally euphoric when sharing, such as at a gig. Hands up then who still gets a shiver down their spine when recalling April 1977's The Old Grey Whistle Test when whisperin' Bob introduced a snow-covered Olympic Stadium video of 'Fanfare for the Common Man'. Actually filmed four months earlier, this Aaron Copland classic from 'Vol. 1' masterfully opens side two.

In fact I also was lucky enough to witness Keith Emerson & The Nice perform 'FFTCM' at London's Royal Festival Hall in October 2002, a night when Keith uttered those unforgettable words "We're going to play the whole of 'Tarkus"! Unfortunately, there's not a sniff of 'Tarkus' on 'Works Live', but a very welcome deviation is the next track 'Knife-Edge', a highlight from their 1970 eponymous debut album release. Another live track that's made been even more powerful by its orchestration, it's largely based on 1926's ‘Sinfonietta’ by Czech composer Leos Janacek.

Once again memories come flooding back of seeing them perform this at their final ever one-off 40th anniversary concert at London's High Voltage in Victoria Park in July 2010. Sadly, that was the very last time we saw Emerson traditionally stabbing his keyboards, not only because it was dramatic looking, but because his knife would also stay in place jammed in between the keys, so that he could sustain the note longer as opposed to using his fingers! Finally, Side two ends with the gusto of Lake singing their gloriously Jazzy take of Irving King's 'Show Me The Way To Go Home', another gem from 'Vol. 2'.

The only airing from their third album opens Side three. 'Abaddon's Bolero' from 1973's Triology is yet another standout climactic closing track, but is taken to another level by this instrumental Symphonic Rock version. Coincidentally later that year, not only did Greg Lake sign American Blues-based Hard Rock band Stray Dog to ELP's Manticore Records label, but they supported ELP on their USA tour. Indeed, completely out of the blue, my Aunt Gwyneth gave me their brilliant 1973 eponymous debut album! It was only years later that I found out that my Aunt had been working for Manticore at the time and knew both Greg (who produced the album) and Keith on first name terms!

Introduced by Emerson, a reduced, but still exquisite sixteen-minute medley of 1971's groundbreaking 'Pictures An Exhibition' closes Side three, namely i. 'Promenade Part 1', ii. 'The Gnome', iii. 'Promenade Pt. 2', iv. 'The Hut of Baba Yaga', v. 'The Curse of Baba Yaga', vi. 'The Hut of Baba Yaga' and finally vii. 'The Great Gates of Kiev'. Having memorably performed a similar medley at 2010's High Voltage, it's of course the group's stunning live adaptation of the piano suite by Modest Mussorgsky, recorded and released in 1971, featuring yet another moving, to die for, vocal by Greg.

Side four opens with two contrasting big hitters from 'Vol. 1', the hauntingly sublime, 'Closer To Believing', showcasing Lake's pure, clear vocals, as well as some divine backing vocals, followed by the high energy classical epic 'Piano Concerto, Third Movement: Toccata Con Fuoco', perhaps Emerson's finest hour? And just when you thought things could not get any better, to complete the triumvirate, Palmer wades in with one of the greatest drum solos in Rock history, during the lucky thirteen minute instrumental version of 'Tank'. Taken from their debut eponymous album, this brings the final curtain down on a show considered by many as as being the gig of their lives.

Indeed, this was also the soundtrack and story to many of our lives including mine, and we're ever so grateful to be have been part of this journey, as we still continue to uncover a wonderful time capsule of memories along the way. Perhaps, not realising it at the time, it's invaluable that treasured live recordings like this still keep the gig experience flame burning for both Keith and Greg, who both sadly passed away ten years ago. Complemented by Carl's living legacy, thankfully it's still a case of welcome back my friends to the show that never ends, as the ELP juggernaut is still very much alive and continues to roll on. See you then at The London Palladium on Tuesday 9th February next year!

AJ