ELP Digest Thursday, 24 Dec 1998 Volume 8 : Issue 16 The "Excited Eyes" Edition Today's Topics: Keith Emerson chat to be rescheduled Cozy Powell Book interest sought Impressions Magazine will continue... ELP split YES Survey Then & Now Then & Now Notes ELP Marching Band in Ocean City, NJ Prelude ======= This is a somewhat abbreviated Digest but I wanted to get a Digest in the mail before I had to finish preparing the Christmas Eve festivities at my house. This has been a frantic year for me and for all ELP fans. There was the excitement of the August tour for those of us lucky enough to be near a stop. There were the hints that a new album would be on the way. Finally, there were the announcements that Greg had decided to leave the band. As Jim Smith summarizes so well, this leave us all with mixed emotions. But let's take some time to celebrate whatever it is we believe in as we move toward 1999. We've got music past, music present, and music future just as Scrooge had his Chistmas past, present, and future. If you celebrated Hanukkah, I hope it was wonderful for you and your families. If you celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas! If you celebrate something else, I hope it is a magical time for you and your families. The ELP Digest will continue. Thanks, as always, for your kind words of support and your participation. As aways, - John - [P.S. A number of you have written with your thoughts about Greg's decision to leave ELP. In the next week or so, I'll decide whether to include these directly in the Digest or to put up a "Fan Response" page with your comments on the ELP Digest web site. Most of all, I'll make sure those get out there to be read by everyone. Thanks! - John - ] ------------------------------------------------------------ From: Gary Davis , on 12/16/98 11:46 AM: To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Keith Emerson chat to be rescheduled Hello friends: Well at the very last minute unforeseen circumstances came about to thwart our IRC Chat with Keith Emerson. However, Will Alexander, Keith's personal manager, spoke to me directly and says Keith is definitely up for doing a chat. We are in the process of rescheduling for the latter part of January. I will definitely post it in the newsletter as soon as we have a firm date. Gary ************************************************************** Gary Davis The Artist Shop The Other Road http://www.artist-shop.com artshop@artist-shop.com phone: 330-929-2056 fax:330-945-4923 SUPPORT THE INDEPENDENT ARTIST!!! ************************************************************** Check out the latest Artist Shop newsletter at http://www.artist-shop.com/news.htm ------------------------------ From: "Stober, Karen E, SITS" , on 12/21/98 9:40 AM: To: "Stober, Karen Elizabeth" Subject: Cozy Powell Book interest sought Joe Geesin, razamanewz8192@hotmail.com, who was the editor of the Cozy Powell newsletter, has been approached to write a book on Cozy. Please let him know if you would buy one. It sounds like he is looking for ideas of what to put in the book, too. Joe writes, "In the wake of the newsletters/RC article I ran, I've been approached to write a book on Cozy. Possibly a compilation of specially done interviews with those he worked with. The more the interest, the more the publisher will be interested." Happy Holidays Karen E. Stober home: karen1@mail.idt.net work: kstober@att.com http://idt.net/~karen1/ [ Editor's Note: Just a reminder to please respond directly to Joe Geesin (razamanewz8192@hotmail.com) if you'd be interested. Joe will be passing the info along to the prospective publisher. Thanks! - John - ] ------------------------------ From: estazz99@intonet.co.uk, on 12/7/98 2:57 PM: To: ELP-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Impressions Magazine will continue... IMPRESSIONS ----------- Despite the recent sad news about ELP, I would like to inform you that we intend to continue with Impressions. Keith, Greg and Carl have all very kindly said they would like Impressions to continue and they will continue to support us with exclusive interviews. We will cover all the musical activities of Keith, Greg and Carl, be it solo or band, and we will continue to supply our subscribers with the high quality of content and layout that you have all come to appreciate. To do this, we need your support and I hope you will continue to give us that. Issue 6 has been delayed further due to a disaster at the printing company, but we hope to have it out before Christmas! Please visit our new web page under construction on URL: www.interx.net/~jgreen/impressions.html HAVE A LOVELY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY! Liv G. Whetmore Editor - Impressions ------------------------------ From: "Smith, Jim M." , on 12/9/98 12:05 AM: To: "Elp Digest (E-mail)" Subject: ELP split Hi, folks, As I'm sure you'd expect, I read the last issue of the elp-digest with shock and amazement. I have a few thoughts I wanted to share with all of you. I am feeling quite a loss right now. I had a lot of hope for the next album, and we may never see it or this band again. Nobody can predict the future, but I fear that this may really be the last we see of ELP as a band. I can only hope that future endeavors by Emerson, Palmer, and Lake might yield music of a high quality, energy, and fun, such as that I heard in Mr. Emerson's recent live performances with Marc Bonilla and company. To Keith, Greg, and Carl: I want to thank you for giving it a real go. It was truly a great ride. I am reminded of Greg's comment when Keith showed him Tarkus for the first time, which was something to the effect of "if that's the kind of music this band is going to play, then I don't think I want to be in this band." Yet for some reason, he did play that kind of music, in that band, for a long time after. Thank you, all three of you, for, in spite of your differences, somehow being able to come together and create this synergistic greater-than-the-sum-of-its-parts collaboration which resulted in some of the greatest music and performances of all time. I am and always will be thrilled to have been able to experience and share it, and I hope and wish that you all have success in your future endeavors, whatever they may be. If you read this digest, I'm sure we fans will have lots of opinions on what you should be doing (just like fans always have). I only have one suggestion to make in this regard: Follow your bliss. Do what you really want to be doing. I think that if you do the thing that you enjoy the most, with honesty and integrity, then success and happiness will follow. As a fan, I can only hope that that somehow includes new music and performances, but even if it doesn't, I wish you first and foremost joy. To John Arnold: The "Counting up the time that's passed us by" (what an appropriate title choice) elp-digest issue really underscored the great job that you, John have done as moderator/editor of the elp-digest. John, you have maintained an entirely professional tone in the digest, which I'm sure contributed to the fact that Keith Emerson called you to respond to the breakup. Never in my wildest dreams would I ever have imagined when we started this that someday Keith might consider our humble email digest for such an action. My feelings are a strange mix of pride and loss. The digest has been quite valuable to me. In addition to seeing what's on the minds of other ELP fans, It gives me a clue to what's happening with ELP! Before the digest existed, it was only by luck that I heard news of ELP. I found out about the first breakup of ELP almost a year after it happened, through a chance conversation with a fellow musician. And I generally found out about tours from friends mentioning that they'd seen tickets for sale for a local show. I much prefer the digest's timeliness and accuracy, as well as the friendly camaraderie of our small community. John, I appreciate and want to personally and publically thank you again for your continuing commitment to the digest. It wouldn't exist without you, John, and I know it's been a pain in the rear for you sometimes. It really has become THE first-line source of information on ELP. Thank you, John, for continuing to be committed to the digest, even beyond this breakup. As you said, the digest was formed before there was any hint of ELP getting back together, and will continue to serve a valuable function for discussion and news. And last, I want to thank everyone for their continued participation in this discussion. As evidenced by this digest, the ELP fan community has always been full of intelligent and mostly gentle people. I continue to be proud to be a part of this community. Joy and peace to all of you in the new year, - Jim Smith smithj@sr.hp.com ------------------------------ From: David Carrillo , on 12/9/98 3:34 AM: To: arnold@reluctant.com Subject: YES Survey The Yes official web site YesWorld is having a survey to know which opening act the fans would like to see on their next tour, well I thought that if enough ELP fans vote for them they might work a deal, and maybe convince Greg to stay a little longer so we could see the greatest prog bands together. Just give it a try. The URL is http://yesworld.com ------------------------------ From: "Andrew Buelow" , on 11/25/98 1:42 PM: To: Subject: Then & Now I recently purchased the new "Then & Now" CD. It was interesting to hear the California Jam set again after so many years. Also, the set from the 1997 tour provides several valuable additions to the library of available live material. Particularly noteworthy are the versions of "Take A Pebble," "A Time and a Place," and "Bitches Crystal." It's also fascinating to compare the sound of the band circa 1974 versus today's sound incorporating both traditional and modern, post-MIDI instruments. On that note, I'd like to state my opinion that the absolute highlight of the 1997 live set is when Keith Emerson fires up the modular moog for a few brief but glorious moments during "Hoedown." The intensity, breadth and depth of sound created by that "beast" of an instrument surpasses anything that I know of, before or since. If I could have one wish, it would be that Emo uses the moog more frequently in the future. I know it's a cumbersome instrument, but its sound is so much more interesting than that of the modern keyboards. While I realize it doesn't do chords except through pre-programming, it still peels out a helluva nasty sounding lead line! I remember feeling frustrated during the live concert last summer at how difficult it was to hear individual lines and chords much of the time. I put it down to poor mixing or bad hall acoustics. But interestingly, even on the live recording on "Then & Now," it's STILL hard to hear. I'm beginning to think it's the homogenized, tinny digital sound of the modern synths. And let's not even mention that horrible digital piano. I recognize that the newer boards have their place, and that MIDI has opened up new possibilities for ELP onstage. However, sometimes I think they make ELP begin to sound less individual and more like other existing bands. If they were to return to greater use of more traditional, vintage analog instruments, it might make them stand out more. Just a thought. Andy Buelow ------------------------------ From: "Peter C.S. Adams" , on 11/24/98 2:39 PM: To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Then & Now Notes I just received Emerson, Lake & Palmer's new live album "Then & Now" from amazon.com for USD 17.07. It's not from Rhino, but "Eagle Entertainment." The cover is definitely H.R. Giger's work, showing a variation on the Brain Salad Surgery creature, perhaps just before (or after) performing brain salad surgery. ;-> Odd, though, I can't find *any* mention of the cover art in the credits. The sound is good. The Cal Jam portion was a bit up and down, ranging from fair to excellent. The improved technology available in 1997 is especially apparent since Disc One has three tracks from both tours, so you get to hear the difference side by side. This disappointed me. Surely there was enough 1974 material to fill a CD, especially when the disc only has 55 minutes of music! (It's also too easy to compare Greg's brilliant tenor of '74 against his limited baritone of the '97 tour, but that's another story.) TRACK LISTING Disk One Then - Cal Jam '74 Toccata featuring Carl Palmer (the CD starts in mid-drum solo!) Take a Pebble Excerpts: Still.../Lucky Man/Piano Improvs Karn Evil 9, First Impression Pt 2 & Third Impression & Now Tour '97/'98 A Time and a Place Piano Concerto No. 1, Third Movement From the Beginning Disc Two & Now Tour '97/'98 cont. Karn Evil 9: First Impression, Part 2 Tiger in a Spotlight Hoedown Touch and Go Knife Edge Bitches Crystal Honky Tonk Train Blues Take a Pebble Lucky Man Fanfare for the Common Man Blue Rondo a la Turk 21st Century Schizoid Man / America The companion booklet has lots of then & now photos of Keith, Greg, Carl, and the group, as well as six pages of text by Bruce Pilato. Among the best parts from the liner notes: "Mixed in studios, homes, hotels, and backstage across the US to an Otari DAT recorder. Pre-mastered on Digidesign Pro Tools 888/24 using Apple computers." "'Touch and Go' dedicated to Cozy Powell" "The California Jam was presented on a triple stage, which was designed by ELP itself. [...] There had been some debate as to who would close the show. Both ELP's and Deep Purple's managements flexed their muscles as to who would close. Deep Purple had wanted to play at dusk and [...] agreed to let ELP go on last." (And a good thing ... I doubt any group in existence could have followed ELP that night!) "'Being in ELP is like mixing a cocktail,' says Greg Lake. 'There are all these elements and when you mix them all together you have this concoction that is something powerful and hopefully, tasteful.'" "It was the powerful performance of Emerson, Lake & Palmer that has forever burned itself into rock'n'roll infamy[....] This recording of ELP at The Cal Jam is the audio companion to what remains among the most sought-after rock'n'roll videos for music collectors and fans alike." (Could this mean a video release is forthcoming? I would buy it just to see Keith strapped into that flying piano again. *sigh*) The Pilato Entertainment mailing list is mentioned, but not the "ELP Digest"! :-\ Also listed are the four official sites, but not the Bliss site.... All in all, well worth it, even if we're "missing" 16 minutes of Cal Jam music (like Karn Evil 9: Second Impression!) that *should* have filled out Disc One! -- Peter C.S. Adams "There behind the glass stands a real blade of grass! Be careful as you pass, move along, move along." ------------------------------ From: "Stober, Karen E, SITS" , on 11/12/98 1:06 PM: To: "Arnold, John (Digest)" Subject: ELP Marching Band in Ocean City, NJ The Ocean City, NJ Halloween parade, Thursday evening, October 29, was BIG. What, with all the local fire companies, rescue squads, community bands and high school bands participating, it was the very biggest event in this sleepy-except-in-Summer town. All wore costumes and were judged. Many wore very creative costumes. There were a couple of Beanie Babies and lots of Teletubbies and Tiggers. "Pinhead" was really good. There were a number of wonderful floats. Well, "Bill Clinton", kettle drummer in costume, and the rest of the drum section of the Marching Mustangs from "Mainland" Wildwood (?) come down the street on a flatbed truck. The rest of the band are on the other side of the truck. Oh no, I've heard of this arrangement! "Bill Clinton" and the Marching Mustangs are playing the marching band arrangement of "Welcome Back My Friends"! Keyboard parts were played by the brasses. Everybody was in costumes. I think the drumset guy wore a ghoul mask with a hanging open mouth and a black cape. Complete with pom-pommed cheerleaders and a drill team with flags! Happy Holidays Karen E. Stober home: karen1@mail.idt.net work: kstober@att.com home page: http://idt.net/~karen1/ ------------------------------ 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 16] *************************************