ELP Digest 10 November, 2001 Volume 11 : Issue 12 The "I Carry The Dust of a Journey" Edition incorporating the Greg Lake Birthday edition and the Remebering Steve Plotczyk edition Prelude Latest News from the Official ELP Sites Published Reviews - CNN Worldbeat (broadcast date unknown) - L.A. Times (August 31, 2001) - Orange County Register (September 2, 2001) Digest Reader Reviews - Ringo in Chicago (August 24, 2001) - Ringo in Portland (August 29, 2001) - Greg Lake with Ringo in Los Angeles (August 31, 2001) - The ONLY in Los Angeles Show (September 8, 2001) - Greg and Ringo in San Diego (September 10, 2001) =========================== Prelude =========================== Hi. Just a week and a day after the Keith Emerson Birthday edition, we arrive at the Greg Lake Birthday edition. Happy Birthday, Greg! I decided that it would be appropriate for this edition to include the last of the reviews I've received from Greg's participation in Ringo's All-Starr Band tour from the summer. I hope you enjoy reading them. I've also included a small amount of the latest news from the ELP community. Unfortunately, this news brings us word that Steve Plotczyk died last week. I've included a few tributes to him in honor of him and is contributions to the ELP Digest over the years. John ------------------------------ From: Dave Bryant [davebryant@mediaone.net] Sent: Sunday, November 04, 2001 3:37 PM To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Steve Plotczyk Dear Friends, I am sorry to report that I have just learned of the recent passing of Steve Plotczyk, a prolific contributor to the ELP Digest website. I had the good fortune of seeing Steve a few weeks ago after having been out of touch with him for several years. As a collector of ELP transcriptions and sheet music, Steve was always generous in using his resources to facilitate dialog and interaction between his fellow ELP fans, rather than hoarding it for his personal gratification. He was preparing a website devoted to his theoretical work involving alternate tunings at the time of his death. His is a significant loss to this community and many of us are indebted to his hard work and generosity. Our condolences to his friends and family. Dave Bryant --------------------------------------------- From: John Arnold [arnold@reluctant.com] Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2001 5:38 PM To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Obituary: Steve Plotczyk Many ELP Digest readers may not know that Steve Plotczyk was instrumental in building and maintaining the "Emerson Musical Quote Source List" that appears on the ELP Digest site. (Click on ELP News and Information and scroll to the bottom of the page.) ELP Digest co-founder Jim Smith had gathered some of this information and Steve took that and grew it into a most exhaustive list of musical fragment 'quotes' that have appeared in various Emerson improvs, etc. It's really a remarkable compilation. Unfortunately, I've learned that Steve died last week and I wanted to take a moment to make sure that everyone in the ELP Digest community was aware of Steve's contribution and to take a moment to remember him and his work and to think about him and his family. I was able to meet Steve a few times a number of years ago when we both worked in the same vicinity in Central Massachusetts. He was always willing to share his work and wasn't interested in any special mention. He contributed his work to trigger a conversation in which others could share and contribute their observations. Thank you, Steve. You'll be missed. - John - >>> From www.telegram.com (the web site of the Worcester (MA) Telegram >>> and Gazette: Steven R. Plotczyk, 47 Friday, November 02, 2001 WORCESTER- Steven R. Plotczyk, 47, [...], died Tuesday, Oct. 30, in Worcester after being stricken ill. He leaves his former wife, Deborah L. (Tornatola) Plotczyk of Worcester; two sons, Christopher A. Tornatola and Jeffrey A. Plotczyk, both of Worcester; a stepbrother, Robert Plotczyk of Auburn; a stepsister, Elaine Wyman of Boylston; two grandchildren; nieces and nephews. He was born in Fitchburg, son of Harry and Dorothy (Forbush) Plotczyk, and graduated from Worcester Technical Institute. He lived most of his life in Worcester. Mr. Plotczyk was a computer programmer and Web designer for Myezsale.com in Braintree. He previously worked for Raytheon Co. and Fenwall Safety Systems in Marlboro. He received an award from, and was noted in, "Who's Who in Computer Programming." The funeral will be held Saturday, Nov. 3, from Arthur S. Manzi & Son Funeral Home & Garden Chapel, 179 Shrewsbury St., with a Mass at 10 a.m. in St. John's Church, 44 Temple St. Interment will be in Notre Dame Cemetery. Calling hours are from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2, in the funeral home. ------------------------------ Latest News from the Official ELP Sites .… More 2002 tour dates have been added for Carl Palmer and Palmer – visit http://www.carlpalmer.com/news.html More letters have been added to Greg Lake Desert Island Discs at http://www.greglake.com/island.html … and there are new additions to the year 1998 in the Were You There section at http://www.greglake.com/wereyou.html For the Greg Lake Birthday Edition of the Digest, here's Greg's horoscope from www.astro.com – once again, good news for upcoming projects! "Today your thoughts are on light topics, and you find it difficult to take things seriously. Your good mood will affect every encounter today, making conversations agreeable, sociable and friendly, punctuated with humor. You are not likely to have any patience with serious or heavy topics, although you are willing to discuss relationships and matters pertaining to love and affection. You will find it very easy to express love and affection for others today, even if you are usually tongue-tied. If you want to say something to make a favorable impression on someone, you will succeed today. You can win people over by what you say and how you say it. This influence also favors commercial transactions and negotiations, particularly in the entertainment field." Transit selected for today: Venus Conjunction Mercury, activity period from 8 November 2001 to 9 November 2001 =========================== Published Reviews =========================== [ Extracted by an ELP Digest reader from CNN Worldbeat. Sorry but I don't have the URL. ] CNN WORLDBEAT Ringo Starr Tours With Famous Friends; Brixton, England Remains a Creative Haven; Electric Light Orchestra Reappears Aired September 9, 2001 - 00:00 ET THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RINGO STARR, MUSICIAN: Hi, I'm Ringo Starr, and welcome to WORLDBEAT. Where's the girl with the thin arms? (END VIDEO CLIP) BROOKE ALEXANDER, HOST: Hi, I'm Brooke Alexander in New York City, and today we turn to three of England's best known cities for the source of this week's WORLDBEAT, baby. From Liverpool, Ringo on music, some famous friends, and his all-star band. From London, the Brixton sound of the suburbs. And from Birmingham, the Electric Light Orchestra. Ringo Starr is the only member of the Beatles still touring, as the band's musical legacy continues to enrich the world. Well, a Beatle's compilation album released last year with their top hits, appropriately entitled "1" has sold more than 28 million copies worldwide and is on its way to becoming the best selling album ever. But Ringo prefers to focus on the here and now, as his All-Star band gathers up great musicians from the past three decades. And in our exclusive interview with the legendary drummer, Ringo tells us that it is his love of performing live that keeps him on the stage. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) (Ringo Starr & The 2001 All Star Band, unidentified song) STARR: I get a chance to play with all these players. You know, I'm not an electrician, I'm not a plumber. You know, I started in the dream of 13 to play drums. The dream came true, I then -- the second dream -- to play with really good people. And that's still there. I'm a band member, you know, I like being in bands. And so that's why I keep doing it. (Ringo Starr & The 2001 All Star Band, "Act Naturally") STARR: This year I just thought, well, I'm going to change the whole band. And that's what we've done. And, you know, the people who are onstage are interesting. We looked at the list, and we tried and just pick what I think would be good. No idea if it will be, of course, because I'd never met anybody -- you know, any of these guys -- and they hadn't met each other. So you're trusting God in a lot of ways. SHEILA E, MUSICIAN: When Ringo Starr calls, you say yes. IAN HUNTER, MUSICIAN: All of these guys have their own bands, and they kind of know how to behave after all these years. And so the egos were all left outside, and we work as a band, we work as a unit. (Ringo Starr & The 2001 All Star Band, unidentified song) RODGER HODGSON, MUSICIAN: I looked at the list of musicians and thought, how the hell is this going to work? But it's worked incredibly. (Ringo Starr & The 2001 All Star Band, unidentified song) MARK RIVERA, MUSICIAN: You have six shows in this. You have six amazing musicians, each one coming with great songs. (Ringo Starr & The 2001 All Star Band, unidentified song) GREG LAKE: I've never seen anything quite like it. It's stunning. Of course you've got six people here with -- all with huge careers, you know, from Supertramp... (Ringo Starr & The 2001 All Star Band, unidentified song) LAKE: ... to Sheila E... (Ringo Starr & The 2001 All Star Band, unidentified song) LAKE: ... Howard Jones... (Ringo Starr & The 2001 All Star Band, unidentified song) HOWARD JONES, MUSICIAN: I think the reason why it gels is because everybody wants to work as hard as possible for the other songs, not just their own. STARR: Well it's the songs. It's always the songs. You have to have hits from the '60s -- which I have -- '70s and '80s in this band, with Howard Jones. You know, bringing those up to the '80s. So that's the first thing. And then, I always need a bass player, and Greg was on the list. And he's really great, and he's very dramatic. LAKE: I sometimes have to pinch myself, that I'm playing "I want to be Your Man," you know. And I look around, and he'll be there. And I just go back 30 years, you know. STARR: Rodger's lead guitar, Supertramp, so he brings that. HODGSON: I was really looking forward to playing a magical song with Ringo playing because he's got a beautiful bass, and puts his back-beat, and it's just a groove. He's fantastic. (Ringo Starr & The 2001 All Star Band, unidentified song) RIVERA: I was about 10 when the Beatles played "The Ed Sullivan Show." And that is in my bio -- it says the same thing, John and Paul changed my life. And it's truth. I always wanted to be in The Beatles. I wanted to be a Beatle. (The Beatles, "She Loves You") STARR: You know, at 22 you don't think we're still going to be selling records. Well, at 22 we didn't even have a record deal, we only wanted a record deal. But the records we did then are selling today. It's far out. I mean, it's really far out. SHEILA E: I think I was maybe seven or nine years old when they first performed on "The Ed Sullivan Show," and I remember that day. I remember watching it on black and white television and that day. And I just, it was like a life-changing experience. LAKE: Ringo with The Beatles and their music really changed the world. I mean, I was in a successful rock 'n' roll band. But, I mean, The Beatles changed the world. So it's a real honor to play with Ringo. RIVERA: Every night you do the same thing: You look to your left say something like, thank you God. It's a dream come true. (The Beatles, "Hard Day's Night") HODGSON: When I was growing up, The Beatles had a profound impact on me. I was a teenager. And really, I don't think I'd be here today if it wasn't for them. They really showed me what music can do to change the world, and put a lot of really beautiful energy out there. STARR: So I think what they brought to the table in the early days was experimentation, which wasn't happening -- great songs, you know, pop songs, 2 minutes 10, 2 minutes 30 if it was long. And so what they brought to the table in the end was music. They loved music, those boys. (Ringo Starr & The 2001 All Star Band, "With a Little Help From My Friends") --------------------------------------------- [ From the LA Times. Again, I don't have a URL for it. ] LA TIMES Ringo and Friends Rocking Again, Naturally By NATALIE NICHOLS, Special to The Times What daft bunch of rockers would play King Crimson's "In the Court of the Crimson King," Supertramp's "Logical Song," Sheila E.'s "The Glamorous Life," and the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" all in one set? Well, who else but erstwhile Fab Four drummer Ringo Starr and the seventh incarnation of his All Starr Band? Loaded with sing-along moments, Thursday's two-hour-plus show at the nearly full Universal Amphitheatre was, as the energetic and wry-as-ever Ringo put it, all about music and fun. "We don't do this to get tortured," he joked. Well, that depended upon how fond (or tolerant) you were of the selections performed by members of this offbeat, high-end bar band, featuring Ian Hunter (Mott the Hoople), Greg Lake (King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer), Roger Hodgson (Supertramp), new-wave Howard Jones and drummer Sheila E., along with saxophonist and musical director Mark Rivera. Smart enough to exploit his Beatles cachet without trying to pass himself off as a frontman, Ringo emphasized the lightness of it all, interweaving perky renditions of his signature tunes--"Photograph," "Act Naturally," "Boys," "A Little Help From My Friends," etc.--and favorites associated with each of his all stars. But the program also provided an odd prism through which to view different fragments of rock history. Jones' heartfelt, blue-eyed synth-soul actually was warmer than you might remember from his shimmery '80s heyday, but Hodgson's undeniably catchy prog-pop was every bit as annoying as it was 20 years ago. Like Jones, Sheila E. proved an asset both in the spotlight and behind the scenes, furiously breaking sticks during a flashy percussion solo and exchanging grins with Ringo as both bashed gleefully away during "Crimson King." Lake's takes on that tune and ELP's hoary "Lucky Man" showed that, for some, the majesty of rock will never go out of style. With "All the Young Dudes," Hunter--who good-naturedly endured Drew Carey's clowning during "Cleveland Rocks" and provided a rare moment of understatement with a wistful ballad --also emphasized how even once dangerous-seeming music eventually succumbs to the safety of nostalgia. --------------------------------------------- The Orange County Register You can get away with a lot when you're rock royalty. You can put together a band of has-beens who haven't had a hit in more than 10 years, play such froth as "No No Song" and still have the audience eating out of your hand. Ringo Starr comes with built-in credibility as a former Beatle and legendary drummer. So he's not out to prove anything. He's just making a few bucks and having a good time. And damn if it doesn't work. Ringo did more than merely get by with a little help from his New All-Starr Band on Thursday at the Universal Amphitheatre. He took the audience on a time trip through the schlock of ages that was both charming and disarming. It was music without pretense by aging rockers who've stopped taking themselves too seriously. Although most of the band is old enough to qualify for the Denny's senior discount, it was refreshing to see musicians who didn't whine about having to play the same hits over and over. They looked, well, grateful to be playing at all. And that made the evening shine. It also made the evening kind of weird as Ringo, Ian Hunter, Roger Hodgson, Sheila E., Greg Lake and Howard Jones offered a jam session straight from the bizarro world. Welcome back my friends to a show that never ends. Where else could you see Emerson, Lake and Palmer's "Karn Evil 9" performed by - and I'm not joking - Sheila, Lake and Jones. Sheila E. did a yeoman's job on the drums, but Jones as Keith Emerson? Still, it had a garage-band charm to it. Lake, once the front man for the progressive, superserious ELP, banged a funky bass line on Sheila E.'s "Glamorous Life," then thumped through Jones' techno-disco hit "Things Can Only Get Better." Lake playing disco? And you thought he sold out when he joined Asia. But the band had the audience shaking its collective booty. Ian Hunter, an icon as former leader of Mott the Hoople, initially slogged through an earnest yet tired version of "Cleveland Rocks," a once-powerful anthem that became the opening ditty to a sitcom about a pudgy comedian. I couldn't get the image of Drew Carey out of my head. And suddenly there he was, Drew Carey bounding on stage, microphone in hand, screaming "Cleveland Rocks." Somehow, that made everything better. It was as if Hunter was acknowledging that the song had become a parody, but it was OK. And even a little fun. Besides Ringo, the evening's highlight had to be the sweet-voiced Hodgson doing "The Logical Song" and "Take the Long Way Home," the disenchantment belying the beautiful vocals. Ringo was a gracious bandleader. Behind his drum kit, he played the basic beat and left the fancy stuff to Sheila E. At the mike, Ringo served up sing-along after sing-along, his repetoire ranging from the classic "With a Little Help From My Friends" and "It Don't Come Easy" to the forgettable "You're Sixteen." But the night was less about hitting the right notes than having fun. And maybe that's the way music should be. =========================== Digest Reader Reviews =========================== From: sbw [sbw123@yahoo.com] Sent: Friday, August 24, 2001 5:52 PM To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Ringo in Chicago I saw the Ringo Starr All-Star Band here in Chicago on August 22. First, let me just say, that I am not a Beetles fan and found Ringo to be incredibly campy. There's definitely a reason why he's never fronted a band. Basically, I went to the show to see Greg Lake. After arriving forty minutes late, I was able to see Greg perform Karn Evil 9 and Lucky Man. Howard Jones sure isn't any Keith Emerson and Sheila E sure isn't any Carl Palmer. Though Sheila E did get more ovations than any other performer though out the night. Lucky Man had too much reverb but, still, it was good to see Greg Lake perform and he got an otherwise dead crowd on its feet. We wound up leaving early because the show was pretty boring so I'm not sure if Lake played anymore. An interesting note, Sheila E and Ringo came out from behind their drum kits to take pictures of themselves with the rest of the band, using the audience as a back drop. For whatever reason, Greg Lake opted not to partake in the band's fun. He just seems to be a little highbrow for that crowd. I'd like to hear how he is getting along with everyone. Steven B. Weinberg --------------------------------------------- From: Larry Crumbaker/Janice Crumbaker [lpcrum@e-z.net] Sent: Wednesday, August 29, 2001 1:23 AM To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Ringo in Portland Hi John, Went to the Ringo and his All Starr Band concert last night at the Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, OR. A great venue for a show I must say. The set list was pretty much the same as I've read from other concerts, but no one mentioned a song in the middle that Ian Hunter does (something about having a dream of being someone someday). I am sorry I don't know the actual title to the song, maybe one of your readers does. Ringo played to the crowd and got them on their feet with his solo and Beatle tunes and had many a fine quip for the crowd that made it that much more fun for all. Greg was very well received, especially for Karn Evil 9 (Welcome Back My Friends...), many in the crowd were matching his tempo and going along right with him word for word. Greg's voice was strong and right on key and pitch for all of his songs. Roger Hodgson was also very popular doing his Supertramp hits. I did not know much about Shiela E. or Howard Jones, but were impressed with their contributions as well. This was my second Ringo concert and I walked away just as pleased as the first one I went to. Here's to hoping that someday ELP will be a reality again. Thanks, Larry Crumbaker --------------------------------------------- From: Mark Bustamante [marktv3@earthlink.net] Sent: Friday, August 31, 2001 4:26 AM To: elp-digest-web@reluctant.com Subject: Greg Lake with Ringo in Los Angeles HI, I just got back from the All Star Band Show, and I enjoyed it very much. Greg's voice was excellent, and I haven't heard him sound this good in a long time. It was also nice to see the former 'fatboy' lost some weight. It's good for your health and voice Greg. The last time I saw Greg was the same night, August 30, exactly three years ago during ELP's last tour, and I couldn't help wondering why no new music in three years? In his farewell to ELP message he said something like wanting to explore a new musical direction. I hope with his appearance with Ringo he is warming up and close to sharing this new music with us. Believe me folks, I am a huge fan of this mans music. I am just tired of waiting for the new stuff. Imagine what ELP could have done in the past three years.......... Mark --------------------------------------------- From: Steven Wilcox [swilcox1@mediaone.net] Sent: Saturday, September 08, 2001 6:23 PM To: ELP Digest Subject: The ONLY in Los Angeles Show Hello all Here's the review from Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles 8/30/01 The show started about 15 minutes late thank goodness because I arrived at 8:10 for a 8:15 show and still needed to find my seat. The show opened with Photograph and Act Naturally and followed the same set list as the other shows. I'll just highlight what impressed me the most. * For Best Group of Songs from an Artist: * Roger Hodgson with no one else coming close I've never seen Supertramp live but have always been a fan. He had the crowd standing for all three songs Logical Song from (Breakfast In America), Give A little Bit (Even in the Quietest Moments) and Take the Long Way Home (BIA). His voice is as strong as ever. I've had those songs running in my head ever since the show. * For Best Group Effort: * Lucky Man The sound was perfect, just perfect, The blend of the voices, guitars, keyboards and Ringo/Sheila E. on drums, A real highlight to the show. * For Best Effort (or nice try) * Karn Evil 9 Sheila E. really did some fine work, But what can I say. Being a drummer and a big Carl Palmer fan, I could hear, or should I say NOT hear a lot of the missing parts that Carl would play with no visible effort. The keyboards were OK and Greg's voice sounded average so I can only give them a B-. * HOT At The End! * Shelia E. Her solo song out front was great. It seems that she got better as the night went on. I can't remember which song it was 4th or 5th from the end. But she was really playing this song hard, I mean really HARD. Her drum work just sounded great and you could tell she was pushing herself. She was so tired at the end of it that she had to stop Ringo from going right into the next song while she drank some water. * The Song with the MOST FUN. (Only In LA) * Ian Hunter Cleveland Rocks Now one would think of this song as, well, OK, nice song, TV theme of the Drew Carey Show, so what. About 1/3 of the crowd stood up and was clapping/singing until just about 1 minute into it when guess who walks on stage. Drew Carey comes on dressed in Blue jeans, blue shirt, NO glasses and a back stage pass hanging around his neck. Well that got the whole house going. Drew and Ian were singing together, each had there own mike though. They played out the song a little longer, Drew sang out "Ohio" too soon, that's 2 verses too soon at the end and messed up a couple times just having fun playing around. He even turned towards Ringo who was playing his drums, got down on his knees and did a couple of "yes master" bows. After the song, Ian makes a comment about how well they did at improvising and Ringo reply's "you mean like last night" Drew also came back onstage for the last song of the night. All in All a great show Reporting from LA Steve --------------------------------------------- From: John Arnold Sent: Monday, September 10, 2001 2:23 PM To: ELP Digest Subject: Greg and Ringo in San Diego The following was sent to me by a friend in San Diego.... A dozen observations about the closing show of the 2001 Ringo Starr & The All-Starr Band tour, San Diego State University Open Air Theater, September 2: 12. You could tell it was the last show of the tour -- the merch tent was picked clean, although I managed to snag a t-shirt for the 13-year-old who accompanied me. The show began a half-hour late, but no one cared (this being California, dude). 11. The crowd was the predicable mix of boomers, their kids, and college students. It didn't seem to matter what page people were on -- the original fans from the '60s, '70s or '80s, or the college crowd that bought "1" last year, or even the kids who think Ian Hunter is the guy who wrote the theme song for "The Drew Carey Show." Everyone was into it. 10. Rock stars age better than the rest of us. Ringo, a sexagenarian? Not possible. In fact, the entire line-up appeared to be drinking from the same fountain of youth. 9. The band was polished and tight, right from the first chords of "Photograph." You never would have guessed this was a summer pick-up team. Everyone was in good voice, the harmonies were pure and no one missed a discernable beat. 8. The band -- what a mix! There was Ringo, bouncing around the stage in jeans, t-shirt and an overshirt, like a happy, friendly pup who just wanted to play. Right next to him was Greg, low-key in comparison and taking care of business, shining forth in his solo moments in the spotlight. Then there was Sheila E., a bundle of energy and talent contained in a tiny, muscular body. Roger Hodgson, by contrast, seemed utterly relaxed and pleased with everyone and everything, a smile perpetually on his face. Howard Jones was the off-beat kid, with his spiky hair, wild print shirt and sparkly pants. And then there was Ian Hunter, resplendent in black from head to toe to shades, like a bold-face punctuation point in a sea of pastels and denim, topped off with that trademark shock of bleached hair. He was by far the most dramatic presence on the stage, crouching over his instrument and crawling all over the stage like a big, black spider, just waiting for his turn to take center stage away from the good kids and tell the audience how it really was. Before the night was over, IMHO, he damn near stole the show away from everyone else. 7. All you need is love. "Lovefest" was the night's most over-used word. The band obviously bonded together during the course of the tour and seemed sad to see it end. Ringo waxed poetic about how much he had enjoyed working with this group, and how well everyone played and got along together. 6. Further proof that prog rock lives: the two biggest ovations of the first three-quarters of the show (okay, except when Ringo first introduced crowd fave Roger Hodgson) were for "Crimson King" (really!) and "Karn Evil 9." Given the wide range of ages and tastes in the audience, it was terrific to see how enthusiastically the crowd responded. And Greg sounded so good, I could have wept. P.S. Good effort, Howard and Sheila, on KE9 -- but HOW we missed Keith and Carl! 5. File under the "Everybody must get stoned" category: an unmistakable aroma filled the air after Ringo launched into "The No-No Song." Once again, Dylan was right. 4. If he ever gets tired of the pop thing, Ringo's got a future as a stand-up comedian. What a character! He kept the comments coming all through the show, even teasing Greg after they played "It Don't Come Easy," saying, "we like for things to be easy (pause) but we've got Greg in the band." (Don't worry, he hugged him when he said that.) Best funny moment: Ringo running around the stage holding a star-shaped silver tambourine over each All-Starr's head in turn. Everyone got a healthy round of applause, but the loudest ovation came when, at last, he held it over his own head. The ham -- you gotta love him. 3. Best-kept sideman secret: Mark Rivera, on loan from Billy Joel's band, made an excellent musical director and did a great job, as one reviewer put it, "playing clean-up" on the team. Mark's arrangements of the familiar hits were faithful to the originals and yet winningly -- though not excessively -- embellished. He filled in a lot of the crucial hooks and solos on an amazing array of instruments, including flute, reeds, guitar, bass, keyboards, and even drums on one tune. Bravo, Mark! 2. Biggest Greg mystery: after they played "Don't Go Where The Road Don't Go," Ringo asked Greg how his finger was, and turned to the audience and said, "Greg injured his finger when he was five and he's still healing." Wonder what that was all about? 1. The All-Starr concept continues to be a pleasing one -- a bit of '80s techno, a little salsa, some straight-ahead rocking, a wee taste of prog, and an ocean of pop. Lacking in gravitas, you say? Maybe, but definitely worth the time and money. And, hey, we got to see Greg again -- we'll always be grateful to Ringo for that. =========================== 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/ 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 11, Issue 12] ***************************************