ELP Digest 2 November, 2003 Volume 13 : Issue 11 The "Tank" Edition Incorporating the Keith Emerson Birthday edition and the ELP Digest Anniversary edition Today's Topics: Breaking News, Rumors, Etc. - E & P in Glasgow (October 15, 2003) - Re: FW: E & P in Glasgow (October 18, 2003) - RE: E & P in Glasgow October 20, 2003) - Dave Kilminster's site (October 15, 2003) - GL AND SUPER GROUP (October 15, 2003) - Newspaper review of the Liverpool gig (October 20, 2003) - Re: Hammersmithing it out (October 20, 2003) - Keith Preston gig...LEP review (October 21, 2003) - Oh, no, not another bugger that caught the 'Nice Tour' and wants to pontificate about it... (October 22, 2003) - Re: Oh, no, not another bugger that caught the 'Nice Tour' and wants to pontificate about it... (October 22, 2003) - Keith and the Nice at Fairfield Halls, Croydon (October 22, 2003) - RE: Emerson / the Nice (October 30, 2003) - KE & Nice Concerts - Reflections (October 30, 2003) Reader Commentary - talk sport (October 7, 2003) - The Nice (October 7, 2003) - Exhibition of a review (October 9, 2003) - A Tiger named Manticore?? (October 12, 2003) - Soundcard for Roland D-50 (October 14, 2003) - BSS Tour Circular Screen (October 17, 2003) - Karn Evil 9 Played on "Today" (October 22, 2003) - ELP Laser Turntable (November 1, 2003) - Does anyone do what they did? (October 8, 2003) Questions (and Answers!) - << ELP lyrics >> (October 10, 2003) ELP-related products, tribute bands, promoters (The ELP Digest does not endorse, etc.) - (no items this issue) =========================== Prelude =========================== Hi. It's the ELP Digest's 12th anniverary. See http://www.brain-salad.com/Digest/back-issues/1991/summary-1991.html to see how much the Digest has changed (and remained the same) since I emailed that first issue from my corner cubicle in Cambridge, MA. (Don't tell anyone but those first few issues were sent from work since back in 1991 a lot of us only had internet access from work!) Of course, that also means that it's Keith's birthday. So all of us ELP Digest readers wish Keith a very happy birthday. This issue is packed with fan reaction to the October 2003 UK tour by Keith, The Nice, and his 'new band.' So there's lots of interesting reading about that. (Including a reaction to some early tour criticism of the sound from Keith himself!) Also, while Keith was touring the UK, Greg Lake was in London, too. Greg performed in a charity event set up by Roger Daltry with a band that included a lot of big names. More details below. - John - ------------------------------ Latest News from the Official ELP sites .... Emo's site has new pictures from the 2003 Nice tour at http://www.keithemerson.com/Gallery/GalleryMain.html#NiceTour2003 and the What's New page always keeps you updated with changes to the site. It's at: http://www.keithemerson.com/News/whatsnew.html Greg's site (www.greglake.com) has a thread of discussion about Greg's performance in an All Star British Rock concert to benefit the National Teenage Cancer Trust, held October 19 at Ronnie Scott's in London. You can read about it at http://www.greglake.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1551 and even join in the discussion if you're registered with the site. There's also a letter about the event in this issue of the Digest, under "Breaking News ..." It sounds like a DVD of the show is likely. =========================== Breaking News, Rumors, Etc. =========================== From: Waugh, George J [waughgj2@bp.com] Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2003 9:53 AM To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: E & P in Glasgow It's a bizarre situation when Emerson & Palmer both play Glasgow Scotland ) with their respective ELP tribute bands, within 2 weeks of each other in October. A few years ago you would never have believed it. Roll-on a full ELP reunion. I caught Emerson with the Nice and David Kilminster last night in Glasgow, and what a great performance. Keith is in great shape, and his keyboard technique is very sharp (although he's still stretching his right hand between numbers). Highlights were a full-length & slightly altered Tarkus, Brandenburger, and some extensive & free-form Hammond jamming on Little Aarabella and Country Pie. Lowlight was a poor balance of Hammond versus bass/drums; I had a word with the soundman at half time, and explained that he was dealing with one of the best Hammond players in the world, and would he kindly jack the Hammond up in the mix slightly. This took some amount of cajoling, and the situation improved slightly during the rest of the gig. If this message can make it's way to Keith or Will Alexander before the end of the tour, tell them to position somebody at various points in the hall during the sound-check to establish the Hammond/bass/drum/guitar mix is OK. regards George Waugh Aberdeen --------------------------------------------- From: John Arnold [arnold@reluctant.com] Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2003 10:49 PM To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: E & P in Glasgow A bit of background on this message... At the beginning of the October tour, some fans had criticized the sound at the first few shows. (You can join the ELP-DISC group at groups.yahoo.com and read them for yourself if you're so inclined.) I took note of this and passed a representative example of the critiques along to Keith (with permission, of course. Thanks to George Waugh for his message - appearing previously in this Digest). Keith wanted his fans to know that he cared about the situation and had already noticed it himself and begun to rectify the problems. He answered and gave me permission to put this response in the Digest. Thanks, Keith! For caring, for your honesty, and for maintaining your sense of humor. - John - -----Original Message----- From: Keith Emerson Sent: Saturday, October 18, 2003 4:39 PM To: John Arnold Subject: Re: FW: E & P in Glasgow Hi John, As with the start of every tour there is a "weeding out" process of crew when it comes down to live performance. What happens in rehearsals changes dramatically when things get really, real in different venues. Keith Emerson and The Nice are not an easy band to mix! Prior to the Glasgow gig I was unhappy with the outfront mixer and at the last minute I had Alan Lynch take on the job at Glasgow and he continues to do a very good job. He is consistent in his work and continues to make improvements when necessary as we all do. At sound check, if time allows, I walk around the concert halls to check all areas for balance while the band play with my keyboard tech Will Alexander. Believe me, it takes some courage to listen to Will trying to play such pieces as "Tarkus" with my band, but it gives me the perspective of what the audience will be hearing against what the band will hear onstage via monitors. The balance between onstage monitors and the outfront mix is often addressed. In a Utopian situation there would be no onstage amps and all the musicians would hear themselves thru headphones. This of course would destroy all human communication, not only between the band but more importantly with the audience. I needn't remind you that we play live and with playing live there is always a risk factor. If you want pristine sound then stay at home and listen to the records/CD's whatever-just make sure nobody else disturbs you and be aware that you are listening to something that happened then and not now! Last night at Hammersmith somebody in the third row made his presence known by bellowing something out after the second number. It turned out that he was unhappy with the sound he was receiving in the second row-rather like complaining about someone sitting in front of you at a cinema blocking the view by wearing a large hat. I addressed the situation by having the band run thru another soundcheck in front of the audience. "OK, Brian play." Brian dutifully complied. "Can everyone hear that?" With the audience acceptance I continued with the bass, guitar, vocals, and even myself until everyone was happy. I suggested that the complainant join Alan out at the mixing desk. My offer was refused and the band continued. During the interval a mortified Alan joined me and the rest of the band in the dressing room - he was and is doing a great job. Pete Riley and Phil Williams confirmed this. They had walked around the entire theater during the first half of the show and with their critical ears thought the sound out front was absolutely great. As Winston Churchill once said, "You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time." The show spoke for itself. In the second half the audience and band had become ONE. Within reason, I welcome all comments. Emo. --------------------------------------------- From: Waugh, George J [waughgj2@bp.com] Sent: Monday, October 20, 2003 9:50 AM To: John Arnold Subject: RE: E & P in Glasgow [ Editor's Note: And, after Keith responded (see the earlier note), George had a few things to say about Keith's response..... - John - ] Yes, he's obviously taking the sound issue very seriously. Not withstanding what's been said, a crowd-filled hall makes a big difference compared to an empty hall (actually, a bigger difference if people are standing ). People absorb sound. I also think that with the addition of guitar, its more difficult for the discerning listener to make out all the keyboard lines. I know his keyboard stuff very well, and am listening to the left hand, not just the right (my wife thinks I'm mad). In a 4-piece format, it's unusual, with very few exceptions, for the audience to be looking out for the keyboard player's lines so intently - it's usually the guitarist leading the band and grabbing the attention! The ELP sound mix in 1992 in the Albert Hall was fantastic, due in part to the sound coming from 3 musicians, not 4, and to be fair, the rig was much bigger. I play keyboards myself, and am very aware that the keyboard sound can be easily lost in the overall band sound (i.e. with guitar, brass ), because keyboards are generally utilising very wide frequency range, as opposed to a guitar which cuts through quite easily. I was constantly reminded to crank up my Hammond sound during solos, which ceased to be problem when I bought a 1000W monitor amp! It's important that Keith gets a good buzz from this tour, in order that he gets confidence to do more. I don't think people should be yelling at him on stage about the sound - he's not controlling it. Look forward to your next digest. cheers George --------------------------------------------- From: Eriko Yatabe-Waldock [miroopy@attglobal.net] Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2003 10:02 PM To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Dave Kilminster's site Keith's guitarist, Dave Kilminster, is posting his diary almost daily. You can read about the Keith's tour from Dave's point of view. http://www.davekilminster.co.uk/ and click on "Diary." Eriko Yatabe-Waldock --------------------------------------------- From: Tony Ortiz [elptony@msn.com] Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2003 11:32 PM To: elp-digest-request@reluctant.com Subject: GL AND SUPER GROUP Greg Lake to appear with members of The Who and Procol Harum, guitarist Gary Moore and others, as part of All Star British Rock line up performing for the National Teenage Cancer Trust. Historical show will be staged Sunday, October 19th., 2003 at the legendary Ronnie Scotts Club in London Greg Lake has been asked to appear and perform as part of a special All Star rock line up for a one night only special charity concert staged to aid the National Teenage Cancer Trust in England on Sunday, October 19th., 2003. The show, which has already sold out, will feature in addition to Greg Lake, Who members Roger Daltery and Pete Townshend; Procol Harum founding member and keyboardist, Gary Brooker; blues rock guitar hero, Gary Moore; popular UK vocalist Sam Brown; famed British musical sidemen Zoot Money and Nick Newall; and drummer Richard Desmond (who helped organize the event and is also known as publisher of London's Daily Mirror and OK Magazine publications). "I am very honored and excited to be part of this worthwhile event and to be performing together with such incredible musicians," says Lake, who will play bass and sing throughout the evening's performance. "I have always tried to make myself available to help children's charity causes whenever I have been asked, so this event has a special meaning to me." The concert quickly sold out and proceeds are being given to the National Teenage Cancer Trust, which aids teens in Britian with cancer. All the musicians are donating their time and performances as part of the concert. Only 250 tickets were available for purchase, which will raise £200,000 for the Trust. In addition to being the first time Lake has worked with members of The Who and with Gary Brooker of Procol Harum, the concert will mark a special reunion between Greg Lake and Gary Moore. Moore, after his period with Thin Lizzy, played lead guitar in the Greg Lake Band between 1980 and 1983. During that period, the two musicians wrote songs together and toured before amicably parting after the release of Lake's 1983 solo album, Manoeuvres. "I have always loved performing with Gary, " says Lake, "having him as the lead guitarist in this special one-time only band will make the evening even more memorable for myself and my fans." The show is scheduled to be video taped. --------------------------------------------- From: bjorn-are.davidsen@telenor.com Sent: Monday, October 20, 2003 4:33 AM To: elp-digest-web@reluctant.com Subject: Newspaper review of the Liverpool gig (Copy and paste the last line to get the full address.) This is a REALLY postive review from a moderne newspaper - reflecting how most in the audience felt the show - good to see. Bjorn Are --------------------------------------------- From: bjorn-are.davidsen@telenor.com Sent: Monday, October 20, 2003 7:58 AM To: elp-digest-web@reluctant.com Subject: Re: Hammersmithing it out Just arrived back after three fabulously days in London, to see Keith and The Lord of Rings Exhibition at the Science Museum - and both really kicked. The Hammersmith gig was a marvel, especially after the break when the sound also improved - and particularly in the Moog solos, as in "Honky Tonk". That one started a bit weakly, however it quickly went into overdrive. Watching Keith there I felt transported back 30 years, something I've not felt on any of the 90's shows or films I've seen of ELP, nor at Royal Festival Hall last year. I thought the concert was even better (and it was longer) than the great performance at RFH last October, though Creole Dance was a bit lamer. Then Keith told us he had blown a fingernail the night before, I suppose playing without one is harder on a piano than on non-weighted keys. It was a bit fun to watch Keith forget to step on the sound pedal a few times, getting this deep brow on his face for a second, and then remembering it was his own fault, and for once not the sound guy;-) The guys now obviously were a lot more comfortable with performing as a band, not being so underrehearsed as last year and (based on other reports) the first nights of this tour. And Keith was soloing even more and better than last year. In general I would say that The Nice stuff was a bit worse than at last year's brilliant RFH-concert (though better than on Vivacitas (which for some peculiar reason is taken from the inferior Glasgow show), while the ELP stuff was a LOT better performed than last year. This was the best concert I've seen this year (better even than King Crimson which unfortunately was damaged alomost beyond repair (like my ears) from playing at twice the volume they should) - the atmosphere, the performance, the jokes, the cameraderie, Keith really seeming to enjoy himself and realising that even if he's not (and perhaps never will be) back in top shape, he's been improving his playing almost day for day on this tour. People at the gig seemed to enjoy themselves no end, really appreciating Keith and company playing by standing ovations on more than one occasion. Bjorn Are --------------------------------------------- From: Phil Gorner [Phil.Gorner@lep.CO.UK] Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2003 6:22 AM To: webmaster@keithemerson.com Subject: Keith Preston gig...LEP review John...here's the Lancashire Evening Post review of Keith's gig at the Preston Guild Hall, October 20 as I wrote it..make of it what you will...I think a part or two may have been cropped from the paper but there we go...apologies to Lee but I'm sorry ... I can't really stand his voice!!! Regards again...Phil... - - - - - - Keith Emerson and The Nice Preston Guild Hall (from the Lancashire Evening Post) Let's get the negatives out of the way first: only a few hundred, ageing music fans rattling around in the concert hall was a letdown; Lee Jackson's vocal growling has got worse - it was bad enough in the 60s now it's just annoying; Emerson's keyboard rig was having one of those nights so we saw more of techie Will Alexander than the band as number after number Emo went to play a blinding solo to find...silence... Now the positives. The consummate showman may be 59 now and he doesn't leap around so much but there's no questioning the enthusiasm. The two-part set was divided into Nice/ELP eras and, Jackson apart, was something of a nostalgia triumph. Opener America/ Rondo displayed Emo's keyboard technique to the full, burning up the Goff organ with demonic energy. Nice classics such as Hang On To A Dream, Country Pie and exemplary Brandenburger and Karelia Suite showed why Emerson's ability to blend classics, jazz and rock into an exhilarating hybrid took the music world by storm. New guitarist Dave Kilminster showed phenomenal skill. The second half was a stunner. Opening with piano solos Creole Dance (variations on a Ginastera piece that demands superior ability), the beautiful A Blade of Grass and the tribute to Dr John, A Cajun Alley, the Nice line-up was replaced by drummer Pete Riley and bassist Phil Williams as well as Kilminster. What followed was breathtaking. Amongst the highlights - Tarkus in full flow complete with Emo leaping (more like sliding nowadays) off stage with sparks-firing ribbon controller, Hoedown with 500mph fingers from both Emo and Kilminster trading licks and an exultant Fanfare for the Common Man. It was all there in its prog rock pomp: mighty modular Moog wailings, TWO drum solos (two drummers, you see), dry ice, prodigous technique, stunning musicianship...pity there weren't a few more there to appreciate it. PHIL GORNER --------------------------------------------- From: Keith Pomfret [keith@pomfret.co.uk] Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2003 8:30 AM To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Oh, no, not another bugger that caught the 'Nice Tour' and wants to pontificate about it... Keith Emerson, The Nice et al: 20th October 2003 at Preston Guildhall... I'm sure the track list thing for the tour has been done to death by now so I thought I'd avoid unnecessary repetition; The set was The Nice (Emo, Lee Jackson, Brian Davidson and Dave Kilminster) up to the break. Then, twenty minutes of standing in front of the (very low) stage gawping at the keyboard rig. During this, I set up to take a picture of 'that' synth and, being a total anorak when it comes to Moogs, noticed that the preset boards that used to live at the top were now at the bottom and there were now two fixed filter banks at the top. So, I'm guesing that the top cabinet of the Moog is now the 'dummy' - it always used to be the bottom one - as the only thing at the top recieving any kind of signal seemed to be the TV that offered a somewhat weeny red oscilloblip once or twice. Anyway, back to the story. There was no heavy security around the stage (ony the occasional swing past of Will the keyboard bloke). so everyone who wanted could get to within six feet of the gear and have a 20 minute gawp. The roadies were so polite that when I was taking a picture and they were trying to heft a Yamaha grand piano into the middle of the stage, one of them apologised and moved back out of the way of my shot. A little thing but a hell of a good feel-good factor. After the intermission (I tell you no lie, that's how it was described) Emo came back on and bathed in cold blue light, did the Ginastera thing and all of the other anticipated piano stuff. After the rocked up Bach and 60s Nice stuff, it was a contrast that proved that he's still got it. Someone had thoughtfully (and redundantly) provided a posh grand piano with three pedals but, from my seat about six feet away, I can confidently report that the soft and the sost pedal weren't required - the loud pedal recieved all of the thrutch, alternately being used to tap the beat and sustain those chords... Dave Kilminster wandered back on and played an acoustic guitar/vocal thing. After being lulled into a mood of harmonious piano and gentle ballads, the extra bass player and drummer slid on to replace the earlier Jackson and Davidson and we were invited to listen to Tarkus, Hoedown and a whole raft of ELP favourites. Toward the end, Jackson and Davidson came back and, with the sum on stage of an Emerson, Kilminster the guitar, two bass players and two drummers, a colleague leaned across and whispered hopefully; 'I think that this will be a train wreck.' And so it was. Loud, jubilant, fast hard and heavy - and the obligatory black powder ribbon controller in the audience thing. Oh, and my friend got his train wreck at the end in the Honky Tonk Train Blues encore. Back to anorak mode. I don't know anything about the rest of the stuff but as well as the big Moog, Emo had a Hammond C3 that had been heavily modded by Goff the Prof, what looked like a Korg Trinity opposite and a GEM polysynth on top of the C3. But of course that's never the full story is it? During the evening, the output from both banks of keyboards failed and Emo spent a lot of time getting the attention of the guy on the stage mixer and Will. The sounds that were coming out of the rig suggest that the GEM was being used as a MIDI controller keyboard - probably the Korg as well. So, on my christmas present wish list... ...Dear Santa, could you please make Will drag the keyboard rack out to the front so we don't have to guess what's hidden at the other end of a pair of MIDI leads... Finally, and in summary - I think there were about 6-700 people in the audience. And yet, it achieved something that I can't remember an ELP concert doing for a long time - intimacy. It didn't feel like a huge impersonal stadium tour with the band a good twenty feet higher and in the mid distance. The low stage, Emo and Jackson's banter, and the very low key security and polite roadies made it as enjoyable a concert as I could remember - and the 50 good digital photos I took will make it an event I can relive again... --------------------------------------------- From: Keith Pomfret [keith@pomfret.co.uk] Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2003 4:18 PM To: John Arnold Subject: Re: Oh, no, not another bugger that caught the 'Nice Tour' and wants to pontificate about it... Hi, John, You said of my 'The Nice at Preston' rant: >>> Actually, no one has submitted a complete set list to the Digest >>> yet so, if you remember it, feel free to pass it along. OK, I'll get together with Paul and Pippa that I went with - they were writing down the set order while I was taking the pictures - and I'll get a list of what order. So, until I get the proper written list off Paul and Pippa, I think we got (in no particular order) America Rondo - a bloody clever counter played on lead guitar that should've sounded yeutch but complemented the organ part nicely Little Arabella Tantalising Maggie The Cry of Eugene Brandenburger Country Pie Intermezzo from the Karellia Suite Hang on to a Dream (Incidentally - Emo sung on one of the Nice songs - only a line or two but Emo actually sung - and in better tune than the 9xx oscillators on the IIIC) Cajun Alley and other assorted stuff on the solo piano - much praise to Ginastera from Emo Some acoustic song by Dave Kilminster Tarkus (most of it - vocal on Stones of Years not sung but played on guitar by D Kilminster. Much duplicating of synths solos by guitar - unusual but entertaining) Then, weird of weird - Kilminster does Battlefield on guitar/vocal _ Lake style including (surprisingly) the little motif from Epitaph. Aquatarkus was horribly out of tune - the big Moog was not accurately tuned to the sus 4th that's needed for the main march. Hoedown - Kilminster guitar mirroring Emo Hammond licks as well as synth Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee... Fanfare (I think) Honky Tonk Train Blues also much anecdotal stuff from Emo and Jacko Hope this helps fill the cracks - I'll send a better tracklist when I've talked to the others Cheers Keith --------------------------------------------- From: Roger Evans [revans1@netcomuk.co.uk] Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2003 6:53 PM To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Keith and the Nice at Fairfield Halls, Croydon. Just got back from seeing the show at Croydon. I'm sure that others will post more in depth reviews so I'll just give you some highlights. Keith looked good and the whole band was tight. At the end of the piano solo Keith announced that his mother and his old piano teacher, Mrs. Smith, were in the audience. He jumped down from the stage, went into the audience and embraced Mrs. Smith - standing ovation from the crowd. He then said that he would be nervous performing in front of her as she would be picking him up on his playing. During the second set, half way through Hoedown, the Moog broke. On came the backup Moog... actually a harmonica! Applause from the crowd. So, no more Moog for the rest of the set... that is until just as Keith was leaving the stage after the finale (Fanfare), when the Moog suddenly started playing the sequencer section from the end of KE9 pt 2- big cheer from crowd!! Keith went back and started to play along with the Moog- another big cheer. The encore was Honky Tonk Train Blues with a great rocking solo from the (now recovered) Moog. A great evening. Cheers, Roger --------------------------------------------- From: Phil Kelly [mailto:PhilK@octdev.co.uk] Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2003 9:08 AM To: John Arnold Subject: RE: Emerson / the Nice John It was a cold wet evening as myself and two friends who to be honest were not ELP fans (how can anyone be so daft). anyway i conned them into coming. unfortunately we turned up at the gig at about 8.15 thinking they would take the stage about 8.30 and they were already on. I was devasted that I had missed the intro (america / rondo). Anyway the rest of the show made up for it. they worked their way through Nice faves like Little arabella and the Cry of Eugene which my boss (one of the friends) really liked, so i have converted him by a small amount. Then after a rousing version of Karelia they left the stage for an interval At the opening of the 2nd part keith played some instrumental on the grand piano which to be honest i cannot remember what they were but there was cetainly something of the emerson piano album and then we had Tarkus, Hoedown and Fanfare/medley complete with a rousing drum solo. Also Dave kilminster got to shove in a song off his forthcoming album All in a fantastic gig and i am sorry if this report does not do it justice At the end of the gig i could see Keith was shaking hands so i dashed down and managed to shake his hand, afterwards i tried to obtain off the roadie a patch lead from the moog which he would not let me have which is fair enough but he did give me the set list off Keith's keyboard which i am very proud of. Afterwards me and one of the remaining friends headed for the stage door but were told that he would not be coming out for some time and so i decided to call it a night there - after all i had shaken the great mans hand and had his set list so i was very happy regards phil --------------------------------------------- From: Bryan Roberts [mailto:Bryan.Roberts@solution6europe.com] Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2003 1:42 PM To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: KE & Nice Concerts - Reflections I was lucky enough to attend two shows in the London area recently. First one was at the Hammersmith Apollo. The gig was introduced by Jim Davidson - a prominent UK comedian and long-time ELP fan (who also had an album produced by Greg Lake). In fact Jim was at the ground-level bar before the gig, mixing amiably with the fans, cracking jokes and looking forward to the gig. In fact the attendance was pretty poor - I had expected a full house for a band with such history and virtuosity amongst its ranks...however, the low-key promotion and lack of new material has taken its toll and in the event we had a half-empty room. Well that was a shame...because people just don't know what they're missing! In fact, at this gig, whilst everything was very impressive, I felt that the performance overall lacked energy and drive. So rather than dwelling on that, let's move on to the final gig of the current tour - Watford Colluseum... What a different story! Perhaps it was because it was the last night of the tour? Perhaps Keith has been drinking too much espresso? Perhaps it was because the room was even emptier than the Hammersmith gig! Well, whatever it was, this was KE back with a vengance. Forget the early 90's, Not since going to an ELP gig in 1973 have I seen him perform with so much vigour and drive! The Hammond was warbling to perfection and the synths were wailing like banshees whilst the old master strutted his stuff during Tarkus, Touch & Go, Fanfare etc... Fabulous stuff indeed - and rounded off with the familiar binary chop synth sequence (from the end of BSS) and the whole synth rig disappearing into a dry-ice cloud. Trouble is the youth of today are too busy watching Pop-Idol and Fame Academy! Oh well...their loss... I haven't had so much fun for many years. Thanks a lot Keith for keeping the excitement going! Bryan Roberts (UK) =========================== Reader Commentary =========================== From: Green, George [g.green@lancaster.ac.uk] Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2003 4:01 AM To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: talk sport I heard the discussion with KE on talk sport last week. He was discussing Fanfare for the Common Man, and why it is popular music for sporting events. While he seemed to be taking the discussion seriously, there was an irony in his tone most of the time - like, "why are we even having this discussion? It's a cracking inspiring tune that rocks. Obviously it makes people look up, puff out their chests and smile. It's instantly recognisable. Sport is for the common man. What else would you want from a tune?" But it was nice to hear the old boy on the radio all the same. George Green Dept of English and Creative Writing A30b Bowland College Lancaster University 01524 594173 --------------------------------------------- From: Dave Bailey [davidbailey@fenetre.co.uk] Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2003 6:52 PM To: ELP-digest@reluctant.com Subject: The Nice Hi John At last, after over 30 years of waiting I have a new Nice album in my hot, sticky little hand. Recorded live in Glasgow in 2002, this 3 cd set is a must for all Emerson fans the world over. Did the Nice ever split up, or did I just dream it. Keith, Lee and Brian are as together as they have ever been. The Nice will never be an ELP, just as ELP were never The Nice, but I'm sure that the younger ELP fans will warm to this rebirth of a group, which played it's part in creating he legend that became so much a part of the lives of us all, as did King Crimson and Atomic Rooster. The Nice have captured the feel and sound of the 60's that we thought was lost forever. Even though they use modern instruments the music is the same as it was back then. Disk 1 1. America/Rondo 2. Little Arabella 3. She Belongs To Me 4. The Cry Of Eugene 5. Hang On To A Dream 6. Country Pie 7. Karelia Suite Disk 2 1. A Blade Of Grass 2. A Cajun Alley 3. Tarkus 4. Hoe Down 5. Fanfare For The Common Man 6. Honky Tonk Disk 3 1. Interview with Chris Welch What next, Keith? A DVD please. Dave Bailey Stoke-on-Trent --------------------------------------------- From: bjorn-are.davidsen@telenor.com Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2003 2:57 AM To: elp-digest-web@reluctant.com Subject: Exhibition of a review OK, here's my review of Keith's book, also is up at https://www.amazon.co.uk: "Nice and naughty This book is very much a gem. Its basically a candid description of the 60's and 70's rock scene, or better said, behind the scene. Despite a few errors of memory (like who was in which bands excactly when), Keith Emerson has written an extremely amusing book, also if you're interested in what Rock Stars do after concert, which is portrayed rather honestly, whether its groupies or toilet humour. This is the kind of book Jagger, McCartney and Bowie would never dare to write. Keith does a good job of showing that he and his fellows could compete with the punk rockers also off stage, and how much it all cost him personally. Even if this sometimes distracts a bit from the musical memories, its something that shows how honest a person Emerson is. And there are a lot on music as well, not the least all the great stories on his meetings with e.g. Ginastera, Copland and Bernstein, not to mention Bonham and Bee Gees." 5 stars, of course;-) Bjorn Are --------------------------------------------- From: Brian [podbr36@charter.net] Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2003 10:40 AM To: ELP-digest@reluctant.com Subject: A Tiger named Manticore?? Hi John, Below isn't newsworthy to the ELP Digest. Just an fyi. I had a double-take on the recent event with Siegfried & Roy - where Roy was attacked by one of his tigers. The tiger's name is Montecore. http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/10/10/siegfried.roy.mauling.reut/index.h tml Originally, I heard on the TV sounding like 'Manticore', so I had to check it out. -brian [ Editor's Note: Now THAT's a tiger in a spotlight! Sorry, couldn't resist. - John - ] --------------------------------------------- From: Eriko Yatabe-Waldock [miroopy@attglobal.net] Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2003 9:58 PM To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Soundcard for Roland D-50 Hi John - hope all is well. I stumbled upon the Soundcard for Roland D-50 with Keith Emerson's signature (printed) on it. It is marked as "SAMPLE". It says "Voice Crystal 3 D-50, 84 voice RAM for Roland. Original 32 voices copyrighted 1987 Eyes and I Productions". I checked the web, and found http://www.voicecrystal.com/rold50.htm This is the KE signature card listed on the page. Now, I play the piano, but I have no idea about keyboards. Will anyone kindly tell me what it is?? And will anyone want to try it to see if it works on Roland D-50 - obviously I do not have one! Eriko Yatabe-Waldock --------------------------------------------- From: dbento@ig.com.br Sent: Friday, October 17, 2003 7:35 PM To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: BSS Tour Circular Screen Hi ELP fans! ELP's '73/74 tour has a special charm for the ones who weren't there because it's the least documented "Big" tour from the band's classic years. I am frustrated to think that probably we'll never find an entire presentation of Karn Evil on video/film. I can't live with that! Anyway, I never understood what that circular screen on the stage was and how it worked. In some photos I see the BBS skull in it, in others I see the woman of the album and in one of them I saw a painting of Emo, Greg and Carl. The position of the screen on the stage varies VERY MUCH from photo to photo. Moreover, in the ones I saw the BSS skull (in the old Atlantic Japanese CD release of WBMF, in which the back photo is brighter, you can see it on it) the circular canvas seemed to be a unified thing, as in the photo I saw the band's painting, however, the canvas seemed to be divided in four quadrants when the BSS skull appeared. Does anyone could give detailed information about it? I would like very much to know from when to when they used that, how many stills it showed approximately per gig, if it moved onstage, and if it could use only stills or also project some kind of animation. The stage of that tour and its curtains always seemed to me HUGE in vertical area, and I wonder if that screen was the reason for that. Is there any resemblance to the circular screen Floyd used from the '80s on? All the best! Daniel --------------------------------------------- From: Alan Owens [nssci@hotmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2003 8:56 AM To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Karn Evil 9 Played on "Today" I just heard Karn Evil 9 (1st impression, 2nd part) played on NBC TV's "Today" today (10/22/2003) during the 8 o'clock hour. It was used as background music for a look behind the scenes of the "Today" show itself. What's next? ELP on iTunes? Alan Owens --------------------------------------------- From: Carlos Alberto Teixeira [cat@iis.com.br] Sent: Saturday, November 01, 2003 6:57 PM To: ELP-digest@reluctant.com Subject: << ELP Laser Turntable >> Yo, ELP-folx. Found this one: ELP Laser Turntable: http://www.elpj.com/ Well, get ready to be disappointed... - c.a.t. www.iis.com.br/~cat --------------------------------------------- From: vze42j52 [vze42j52@verizon.net] Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2003 6:52 PM To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Does anyone do what they did? Does anyone do what they did? Can anyone do today, what they did? Put a good violin for most of the vocals and you have the compilation of 2 centuries. =========================== Questions (and Answers!) =========================== From: Carlos Alberto Teixeira [cat@iis.com.br] Sent: Friday, October 10, 2003 6:35 AM To: ELP-digest@reluctant.com Subject: << ELP lyrics >> Dear ELP'ers Lyrics, a lot of them: http://www.lyricsdir.com/e/emerson-lake-and-palmer/ On service, - c.a.t. www.iis.com.br/~cat =========================== ELP-related products, tribute bands, promoters (The ELP Digest does not endorse, etc.) =========================== (no items this issue) =========================== 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 13, Issue 11] ***************************************