ELP Underrated?

Hi,

Music is not as subjective as we think ... until we give credence to folks that think their opinion is more important than the reality of it all ... I have opinions, but I don't believe that I am "the truth" and "the know" of it all ... it is how I saw what I saw during the time. And this is the main reason why I am not a great fan of the "best of" or the "greatest of" or some other fan ideas about some folks. Even Carl Palmer will tell you that he dislikes comparisons, and he finds them unfair. He had his touch. Neil had his touch. Bonzo had his touch. Moonie had his touch ... and none of them were the same, thus, making the whole discussion of who is greater, a really stupid joke ... not to mention that they also played very different music, some of which was not appreciated at the time, but came to be loved soon after ... I can remember a station in Madison WI making fun of The Nice ... they think they are doing classical music ... and can't play a note! I replied, that I was not sure who the station was comparing these folks to ... the over rated classical folks that played Sunday Nights on campus? Many of them are not that great ... except one I did get to see ... Mr. Segovia ... he blew a string in the middle of a piece, and continued playing around it, and 6 minutes later when it ended, he asked ... did that sound OK? And he got an immediate ovation, which he almost cried in disbelief.

Again, my main issue is how we "think" that we know it all and thus have the right to DECIDE what is good and what is not good, or great. Led Zeppelin was perfect for its time and place. And they MADE bootlegs famous along with the Beatles and Grateful Dead ... it showed what a magnificent band they were on stage in their first 3 years or so ... incredible, and impossible to get a ticket! One series sold like 7 locations in less than 3 hours, to give you an idea ... that's not exactly the sign of a lazy, poor, and ridiculous band, like a few that are "listed" today, that have no track record whatsoever to show for their supposed talent!

What hurt it all was when around 1974/1975, it was then very clear that it was all about the loudness and the noise that the bands made, and some of them were not that great ... for all the love of Deep Purple, that was a concert I walked out of ... out of tune, too loud, and not together or clean ... like a rehearsal was above and beyond their need ... right after Leon Russell put on a show case of how good a show could be without being loud! The other show I walked out of was The Rolling Stones ... they were horrible on stage as many bootlegs showed ... only took 3 songs and 15 minutes to leave! 

I agree with you that the fan base has a tendency to ignore the time and place, and I have heard some folks even say that Woodstock was stupid ... like it meant nothing to anyone, THEN ... and is still meaningless today, because of the media hatred towards many folks, hippies and some drugs. And no one stands up for these bands, and what the whole thing was about ... which, TODAY, is so meaningless, it's not funny ... no one discusses the lyrics anymore, as if the majority of rap bands had more to say than all rock bands put together ... we don't even care what the guy sang about ... because we liked the song ... which many can not even tell you what it is about!

It's sad ... and this is the reason why I try to post meaningful content, as opposed to fan crap ... and discussing a bath towel or bathroom carpet ... wow ... the talent of ... is astounding! Yeah it's fun ... but in a thread about the music? 

It tells you everything you need to know about it all ... and the Internet!

Hi,

Nah ... I don't collect "material" things as proof that I met someone or saw someone. And I was one of the first to condemn the folks that went after the pieces of the pig at Anaheim stadium. It really showed that the whole thing was out of control in the hands of fanatics, not fans! AND, with the internet these days, it has gotten even worse ... like you having a bath towel like that validates anything you say or do about ELP! The towel more valuable than the music!

One of these days, someone is gonna rip an artist and kill him/her and then float that ... I have a bunch of her hair ... right here ... and all it tells me is that the work itself, the art itself, is not worth it, because someone's pride is elsewhere.

I toured with some bands, and my picture was used for GONG for several years, and I am proud of "having been there" with friends and folks that were important to me, not as a fan, but as a PERSON. And people that had a lot of beauty in their hearts and were not exactly showing off their fame ... the memories alone, is more than I need or want. 

Thank you!