ELP Digest 17 September 2005 Volume 15 : Issue 5 The "All Are Yearning" Edition Today's Topics: Breaking News, Rumors, Etc. - Death of Moog (August 22, 2005) - Bob Moog (August 23, 2005) - Goodbye Bob (August 23, 2005) - Tribute to Robert Moog (August 24, 2005) - Robert Moog, inventor of Moog synthesizer, died Sunday (August 24, 2005) Reader Commentary - After All These Years!! (August 22, 2005) - Re: Beyond The Beginning - Emerson, Lake and Palmer (and related issues) (September 6, 2005) Questions (and Answers!) - Emo's Moog (August 12, 2005) - Re: ELP Digest Vol. 15 #04 (August 12, 2005) - Re: ELP Digest Vol. 15 #04 (60's TV series) (August 13, 2005) - Intros (August 16, 2005) - Re: Rocky Reference (August 13, 2005) - Re: ELP Digest Vol. 15 #04 (60’s TV series) (August 21, 2005) ELP-related products, tribute bands, promoters (The ELP Digest does not endorse, etc.) - no submissions this issue =========================== Prelude =========================== Hi. For those of you in the Hollywood/LA area, please note that word is in that Keith Emerson will be appearing in a Hurricane Katrina Relief Benefit on Sunday, Sept. 18. (That may be TODAY for most of you receiving this by email. So, if you're in the area and want to attend, please read that part soon! Also, since the last Digest, Robert Moog died after a brief illness. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family. I met Bob very briefly when he was a consultant to Kurzweil Music Systems (at least I think that's where I introduced myself). A well-spoken, thoughtful man who will be missed by many. Please read the many notices that were sent to the Digest. You can also visit a site that was set up by Bob's family to communicate with the many well wishers during his illness and that now serves as a fitting tribute page at: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/bobmoog In other news, reviews of the ELP 'Beyond The Beginning' DVD are continuing to come in. I don't have a copy yet but am waiting to finally getting around to ordering one and seeing it all for myself. And, following up on the last issue, there's more discussion of the reference to 'Rocky' on the triple live album and some other readers who remember the TV show that used from music from The Nice as the theme song. Thanks for reading and contributing. - John - ------------------------------ Latest News from the Official ELP sites .… Lots of news on Keith’s site, including news about a benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina relief on September 18 in Hollywood … a new 'At The Movies' 3-CD set … a story about his bike and an eventful ride … liner notes by Emo himself for a new tribute album … and Keith’s tribute to Bob Moog. All of this and more at: http://www.keithemerson.com/News/whatsnew.html The specifics about the Hurricane Katrina Relief Benefit can be found at: http://www.keithemerson.com/EmosMemos/EmosMemos.html#HurricaneRelief --------------------------------------------- There are links to "Tour Info" and "Tour Dates" right on Greg’s home page: http://www.greglake.com/ … and be sure to explore the site if you haven't done so in a while – lots of great features! --------------------------------------------- Check on reviews of Carl’s new CD and a link to order copies at: http://www.carlpalmer.com/workinglivevol2.html --------------------------------------------- Enjoy! =========================== Breaking News, Rumors, Etc. =========================== From: F L Dunkin Wedd Sent: Monday, August 22, 2005 1:34 PM To: ELP Digest Subject: Death of Moog I don't doubt you have seen this. > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4696651.stm Best wishes Laurie --------------------------------------------- From: Mercuri, Phil Sent: Tuesday, August 23, 2005 1:51 AM To: elp-digest Subject: Bob Moog. Hi, not sure if you guys have see this, sad day for prog rock. http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/08/22/moog.obit.ap/index.html Cheers. --------------------------------------------- From: Dave Bailey Sent: Tuesday, August 23, 2005 2:07 PM To: elp-digest Subject: Goodbye Bob I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to Dr Bob Moog's family and friends. This morning (23rd August, 8:40 am) Keith gave an interview, along with Howard Jones, on BBC Radio 4, recalling his memories of Bob Moog. He told of how he first became aware of the Moog synthesiser, and of his fond affection for the man who gave his name to the great instrument. Bob's name is now etched into history, and his spirit will be kept alive by the likes of Keith, Rick Wakeman and many others. Dave Bailey Stoke-on-Trent UK --------------------------------------------- From: Frank Sonnenberg Sent: Wednesday, August 24, 2005 10:07 AM To: elp-digest-request Subject: Tribute to Robert Moog There is a very nice tribute to Robert Moog (who died this week) on the NPR show "Fresh Air" which interviewed Moog 4 times since 2002. Below are links to the audio of the interviews. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4811694 Remembrances Robert Moog: Music Pioneer Fresh Air from WHYY, August 23, 2005 · In 1965, Robert Moog invented the Moog synthesizer, an electronic keyboard that creates otherworldly sounding electronic music. His instrument went on to usher in a new era of rock and electronic music. The Beatles used a Moog synthesizer on their 1969 Abbey Road album. Moog also had a lifelong interest in the Theremin, a Russian musical instrument also known for its eerie sounds. He died Sunday at his home in Asheville, N.C., age 71. He had been suffering from an inoperable brain tumor. Related NPR Stories a.. Aug. 22, 2005 Music Visionary Robert Moog b.. Aug. 22, 2005 Robert Moog, Inventor of the Music Synthesizer c.. Sep. 23, 2004 'Moog': Documentary on Music Synthesizer Inventor d.. March 1, 2002 Robert Moog on 'Fresh Air' - Frank Sonnenberg --------------------------------------------- From: Peter C.S. Adams Sent: Wednesday, August 24, 2005 10:33 PM To: ELP Digest Subject: Robert Moog, inventor of Moog synthesizer, died Sunday Robert Moog, 71; his synthesizer transformed music By Natalie Gott, Associated Press August 23, 2005 RALEIGH, N.C. -- Robert A. Moog, whose self-named synthesizers turned electric currents into sound, revolutionizing music in the 1960s and opening the wave that became electronica, died Sunday at his home in Asheville. He was 71. An inoperable brain tumor had been detected in April, according to his company's website. A childhood interest in the theremin, one of the first electronic musical instruments, would lead Mr. Moog to a create a business that tied the name Moog as tightly to synthesizers as the name Les Paul is to electric guitars. Despite traveling in circles that included jet-setting rockers, he always considered himself a technician. "I see myself as a toolmaker and the musicians are my customers," he said in 2000. "They use the tools." A native New Yorker, Mr. Moog bristled at hours of piano lessons he was forced to take growing up in Queens but had fun in the workroom of his father, a Consolidated Edison electronics engineer. After reading a magazine article about the theremin, he assembled one. Because of its wide range of octaves, the theremin can sound like a human voice, a stringed instrument, or a deranged animal, and it is manipulated by moving one's hands between two antennas. Mr. Moog received a bachelor's degree in physics from Queens College, a master's degree in electrical engineering from Columbia University, and a doctorate in engineering physics from Cornell University. According to the book "Analog Days" (2002), a history of the Moog synthesizer, Mr. Moog walked into an elevator on his way to his Ph.D. defense and immediately became obsessed with the resonant frequency of the elevator: "Bob started jumping up and down on the floor (and) somewhere between the fourth and fifth floors he hit the right frequency. The elevator suddenly started bouncing alarmingly in time with his jumps and ground to a halt. Four hours later he was rescued." With inspiration from composer Herb Deutsch, he created the analog synthesizer and promoted it successfully at an audio engineering society convention in 1964. A novel feature of his instrument was its attack-decay-sustain-release envelopes, which control the way notes swell and fade. By the end of that year, R.A. Moog Co. marketed the first commercial modular synthesizer. The instrument allowed musicians, first in a studio and later on stage, to generate a range of sounds that could mimic nature or seem otherworldly by flipping a switch, twisting a dial, or sliding a knob. Other synthesizers were already on the market, but Mr. Moog's stood out for being small, light, and versatile. The arrival of the synthesizer came as just as the Beatles and other musicians started seeking ways to fuse psychedelic-drug experiences with their art. The Beatles used a Moog synthesizer on their 1969 album "Abbey Road"; a Moog was used to create an eerie sound on the soundtrack to the 1971 film "A Clockwork Orange." Keyboardist Walter (later Wendy) Carlos demonstrated the range of Mr. Moog's synthesizer by recording the hit album "Switched-On Bach" in 1968 using only the new instrument instead of an orchestra. Among the other classics using a Moog: the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again," and Stevie Wonder's epic "Living for the City." "Suddenly, there was a whole group of people in the world looking for a new sound in music, and it picked up very quickly," said Deutsch, the Hofstra University emeritus music professor who helped develop the Moog prototype. "The Moog came at the right time," he said yesterday. The popularity of the synthesizer and the success of the company named for Mr. Moog took off in rock as extended keyboard solos in songs by Manfred Mann, Yes, and Pink Floyd became part of the progressive sound of the 1970s. "The sound defined progressive music as we know it," said Keith Emerson, keyboardist for the rock band Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Along with rock, synthesizers developed since Mr. Moog's breakthrough helped inspire elements of funk, hip-hop, and techno. Charles Carlini, a New York City concert promoter, staged Moogfest in May 2004 to mark a half-century since Mr. Moog founded his first company while still in college. Emerson, Rick Wakeman of Yes, and Bernie Worrell of Parliament/Funkadelic were among those who played. Mr. Moog had "this absent-minded professorial way about him," Carlini said. "He's like an Einstein of music," Carlini said. "He sees it like, there's a thought, an idea in the air, and it passes through him. Passing through him, he's able to build these instruments." "A lot of people today don't realize what this man brought to the masses," Carlini said. "He brought electronic music to the masses and changed the way we hear music." A deliberate man with brushed-back white hair and a breast pocket packed with pens, Mr. Moog drove an aging Toyota painted with a snail, vines, and a fish blowing bubbles. "When I drive that thing around, people smile at me," he said. "I really feel I'm enhancing the environment." He spent the early 1990s as a research professor of music at the University of North Carolina at Asheville before turning full time to running his new instrument business, which was renamed Moog Music in 2002. Mr. Moog leaves his wife, Ileana; two daughters, a son, a stepdaughter, and his former wife, Shireleigh Moog. A public memorial is scheduled for tomorrow in Asheville. Material from the Washington Post was used in this obituary. [ Editor's Note: I've always thought that 'Won't Get Fooled Again' was an Arp 2600, not a Moog. But I guess under deadline pressure, perhaps this assertion went unchallenged. Anyone know for sure? - John - ] =========================== Reader Commentary =========================== From: jesse mcglown Sent: Monday, August 22, 2005 7:11 PM To: elp-digest Subject: After All These Years!! Hello all ELP aficionados...I don't think I've had the new DVD out of my hands for more than a couple of hours here and there...the fabled official release of Cal Jam is finally here! When my copy showed up in the mailbox, I think my hands were slightly trembling (!) I opened it, and---by the way, is there anybody out there who actually started the set watching disc one??--I loaded disc two with not a little bit of trepidation. I'd heard a long time ago about the original master tapes being wiped...not knowing just what kind of picture quality to expect. I only knew that, unless those mythical two-inch tapes of raw footage still exist somewhere, this was it. Much to my delight, it's fine quality (prior to DVD coming out a few years ago, we'd have thought it typical commercial VHS picture quality ). If you don't watch the DVD of Deep Purple's Cal Jam set--culled direct from those two-inch masters-- just prior to watching this new release of ELPs set, you can't help but be very pleased with the quality of the video. Again, it's at least commercial VHS picture resolution. A bit choppy between songs, but heads and shoulders above that poor blurred shaky bootleg footage so prevalent. Lots of coffee coasters/skeet shooting targets are suddenly about to flood the market! I wish they could've gotten rid of the somewhat cheesy canned applause mixed in here and there (it's nonexistent on the Deep Purple set), but the audio track/effects track would have only been separated on the original master(s). I'm a bit intrigued, though, with the inclusion of the spinning piano segment. This footage was obviously from a different source tape... considerably inferior to the 3/4" U-matic videocassette first-generation copy they made the DVD from. On the bootleg, this footage has the call letters of what appears to be a Los Angeles affiliate TV station superimposed in a corner...does anybody know if the LA ABC affiliate broadcast some of this concert live for that market? It's the only thing that makes sense, given the call letters on the bootlegs! Having sufficiently raved about the Cal Jam section of disc two, I can't share the same enthusiasm for disc one. Some will strongly disagree, but "ELP in Pictures" was disappointing to me. It's a montage of several numbers done over the years...interesting, but too truncated. Suddenly, I'm very glad I didn't "stay away from" the unauthorized Masters from the Vault DVD, as it actually contains the continuity of the Belgium show, Carl Palmer's blistering Rondo solo intact. On disc one of the new DVD, the solo in the middle of Rondo is edited out (??)...WHY? Instead, they used the clip of his solo from the Milan concert film, sound still woefully out of sync with the picture (More on that oddity in a moment). Pirates, from the Montreal footage, looks as if they took the already mediocre videotape footage and filmed a copy of it! The Montreal show was videotaped... why would you make a film copy, adding the inherent effects of grainy film footage to the effect of video shot with inadequate stage lighting? Glad I have the separate DVD of the Works Montreal show, too. Last but not least, the clip of Fanfare for the Common Man, shot during Winter at Olympic Stadium, has Messrs Emerson, Lake & Palmer pantomining over the studio recording of the song (and grossly out of sync here as well!). What happened to the unused footage from Monteal? The older DVD release is only about two thirds of the performance...Tarkus, Hoedown, Bolero, etc remain unreleased...wouldn't this new DVD have been a great vehicle for this stuff? Dittto the 1971 Lyceum performance of Pictures: I read that a copy exists without all of the cartoon/psychodelic crap superimposed, plus it contains all of the show, including those versions of Tank, Knife Edge, Take a Pebble, Rondo, etc. Scratching my head, I am! Please don't get me wrong! I'm overall fairly happy with this new gem (and in ecstacy over the finally legit California Jam footage! ). But Beyond the Beginning could have been so much more! Last but not least...where oh where is Mr. Jimmy Page when you need him?! I get the feeling that, had he been in charge of this project, all of that stock grainy film footage from Milan, etc would've been cleaned up and the sound in sync with the picture. With today's digital editing software, there's simply no excuse for the above deficiencies. So...what's left for us ELP fanatics, video-wise? Again, we can merely hope that only the broadcast masters were erased...and that, stuffed away in some ABC vault, the original two-inch reels of raw California Jam footage still exist (which would include Black Sabbath, The Eagles, Black Oak Arkansas, etc...what a bonanza, huh?). Those hallowed reels are probably in Rod Serling's hands, but who knows? Hope Springs Eternal! --------------------------------------------- From: Martin A. Totusek Sent: Tuesday, September 06, 2005 8:16 PM To: elp-digest Subject: Re: Beyond The Beginning - Emerson, Lake and Palmer (and related issues) Re: Beyond The Beginning - Emerson, Lake and Palmer (Sanctuary Visual Entertainment / Livezone 06076-88418-9) Re: Disk One: There are some good moments, but far too often the tracks are butchered by editing into incomplete performances, that in some cases has incorrect visuals (like "Hoedown" at one point even shows both of Keith's hands on the Hammond, when he actually has both hands playing the big modular Moog). The historical King Crimson "21st Century Schizoid Man" performance is quite butchered, and is even missing the entire instrumental solo sections. Even the "Honky Tonk Train Blues" from the Oscar Peterson show is missing a piece of itself. (I could go on listing quite a number of these kind of things from Disk One, but it is too depressing). The California Jam on Disk Two is not the complete performance, and even still has the US TV broadcast editing of: "Performing on on a stool, we've a sight to make you drool, seven virgins and a mule..." in KARN EVIL 9, 1st Impression, Part 2. Musicians like myself, really want to see the complete performances of pieces (even the ones with Greg Lake bloopers where Lake sings the wrong verse, etc., which Lake even humorously refers to in the lyrics of "TIGER IN A SPOTLIGHT"; i.e. "Nurse, help me with the verse, I need to sing the tune right!"), without visual effects (either from early attempts at "rock videos", or some unique to this "Beyond The Beginning" issue) interfering with our being able to see the actual playing. Related issues: I really wish good quality sound and visual trio performances of a complete "TOCCATA", a complete "TANK", a complete "TARKUS" suite (and not from the Japan performance with those horrible plastic curtains blocking so much of the view, and where Greg Lake was unfairly being handed completely out-of-tune instruments throughout the entire concert...), and a complete "KARN EVIL 9" suite were available. Note also, that many of us also never completely enjoyed the medley approach of fragments of "TARKUS" and the ELP adaptation of certain sections of Mussorgsky's "PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION", etc., etc., in ELP's later years performances (I saw them twice in the 1990s)... Why? Because we really LOVE seeing and hearing the full versions when performed by ELP (especially "TARKUS"). - Martin A. Totusek (Seattle, Washington, USA) =========================== Questions (and Answers!) =========================== From: Joe Gerardi Sent: Friday, August 12, 2005 10:28 PM To: elp-digest Subject: Emo's Moog Anthony Cornicello wrote: 2.) Has anyone ever explained the amount of cables on the modular moog?... Does he have several patches set up at once, so he can switch between them?... Did he have some custom-made device that worked like a 'preset' switch? --------- Keith did indeed have a custom-made box from Bob Moog that allowed him to pre-wire 14 "patches" on the Monster Moog and then switch between them by just pressing one of the buttons. That explains all the cables, and also all the redundant modules on the synth. ..Joe --------------------------------------------- From: JohnC Sent: Friday, August 12, 2005 11:32 PM To: elp-digest Subject: Re: ELP Digest Vol. 15 #04 >>> In the last Digest, Anthony Cornicello wrote: >>> >>> 2.) Has anyone ever explained the amount of cables on the modular >>> moog? I've worked on one of those, and my most complex patch comes >>> nowhere near the amount of cables I've seen on KE's Moog!! Does >>> he have several patches set up at once, so he can switch between >>> them? (That would make the most sense.) Did he have some custom-made >>> device that worked like a 'preset' switch? How can I not reply to someone named Cornicello?? Yes, Keith did have a preset patch bay "module" (I think it might have been designed by Walter Sear). And I think it is mentioned in the Moog book... Page 212... "The pre-set device on his machine almost certainly helped here". OK, it doesn't say much. But I have seen it talked about someplace. Maybe the Keyboard magazine issue that featured Keith's modular Moog. John Cornicello (fried of David Rakowski, who is a friend of Anthony Cornicello) --------------------------------------------- From: Andrea Raschèr Sent: Saturday, August 13, 2005 4:41 AM To: elp-digest Subject: Re: ELP Digest Vol. 15 #04 (60's TV series) Hi Jonathan Indeed I made the same experience - when I first heard Thoughts of... I instantly recalled this sixities childrens series (wonderulf b/w) - I remember very well the one where they had a sort of small airplane with a camera (flying eye) and with that they chased some criminals. I also do not remember the title of the series (would be fun if it could be found on DVD...) - and: it was shown also here in SWITZERLAND at the time. All the best Andrea Zurich --------------------------------------------- From: dbento Sent: Saturday, August 13, 2005 9:33 AM To: elp-digest Subject: Re: Rocky Reference Hi All, I could never understand that chatter when hearing it, but in 1993 I bought a Japanese Atlantic CD of WBMFTTSTNE (code: AMCY-215~6) that had all the lyrics and stage talking transcribed. Here's what's written at that particular moment in the sheet: "Thank-you, wonderful. Willy Orbeson has produced many things, eh, Tom Jones. Now we have Rocky here. As he does a wonderful tap-dance to keep a welcome in the hillside, get into that." Best wishes Dan --------------------------------------------- From: Simon Reay Sent: Tuesday, August 16, 2005 4:23 PM To: elp-digest Subject: Intros Fed up with people talking about WBMF intros. It actually goes like this "Wales is famous for many things, Tom Jones (singer), Aneurin Bevan (politician) and Rocky here......Actually he does a wonderful tap dance to we'll keep a welcome in the hillsides,..... get in there!" Now, isn't the DVD anthology great but can anyone any shed light on the following. In 2001 Record Collector Mag (UK) described a BBC series which was made in 1973 but never broadcast called Suite Music, for which ELP recorded an hour long studio concert. Apparently in 2001 it was still sitting in the BBC archive they said. Questions; Did it Ever exist?, Does it Exist Still?, Was it sought for the Anthology? Simon R --------------------------------------------- From: Michael.Vishchers Sent: Sunday, August 21, 2005 8:52 AM To: elp-digest Subject: Re: ELP Digest Vol. 15 #04 (60s TV series) To Jonathan Smart: The 60's TV series with "The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack" as title theme was broadcast in Germany as "Tyrant King". What a surprise when I listened to a Nice record in the 70s and found that the long sought after piece was on it.... Hope that helps... Michael =========================== ELP-related products, tribute bands, promoters (The ELP Digest does not endorse, etc.) =========================== - no submissions this issue. [ Editor's Note: I haven't received any reviews yet for the Digest and am hoping that some come in eventually. But... a few weeks ago, there was some discussion on the Yahoo ELP-DISC group about Keith stopping in for a performance of UK-based tribute band 'Noddy's Puncture' and joining in extensively for their evening's sets. I'm hoping to have a summary here for the next Digest but you can read about it and see some photos if you get/have a Yahoo account and join the ELP-DISC group. - John - ] =========================== 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 15, Issue 5] **************************************