Keith Emerson June 21st, Alexandria Virginia

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   Keith Emerson played a very good show at The Birchmere on Wednesday in Alexandria Virginia. Before this concert I had only heard Brain Salad Surgery and Pics from ELP and nothing by Keith Emersons solo stuff or The Nice, I had always regarded Yes and Genesis as the better of the Symphonic Prog "Big 3." However, this concert chnaged my mind and I plan on going back and listening to more ELP albums, as well as some The Nice and some of Keiths solo albums. They started off with 1st Impression, part 2 and then did part of Emersons Piano Concerto. Next was a song I did not recognize which segued into Bitches Crystal. Then they did a new song titled New Orleans written after the hurricanes this past year, it started out as a fairly basic ballad/acoustic song but Emerson did some impressive jazzy soloing over top of the simple guitar/bass/drum parts and it was a nice song. More stuff I did not recognize closed out the 1st set  In the second set they played an adaption of a Sibelius piece, more stuff I did not recognize part of Tarkus and finished with a rousing medly of famous classical themes. A excellent concert, as I said earlier this concert changed my mind about ELP and made me decide to get more of their cds as well as some Nice and solo stuff by Keith. 

Edited by Minimalist777 - June 22 2006 at 08:44

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Minimalist777 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: June 19 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 293	Topic: Keith Emerson June 21st, Alexandria Virginia Posted: June 22 2006 at 08:43
	Keith Emerson played a very good show at The Birchmere on Wednesday in Alexandria Virginia. Before this concert I had only heard Brain Salad Surgery and Pics from ELP and nothing by Keith Emersons solo stuff or The Nice, I had always regarded Yes and Genesis as the better of the Symphonic Prog "Big 3." However, this concert chnaged my mind and I plan on going back and listening to more ELP albums, as well as some The Nice and some of Keiths solo albums. They started off with 1st Impression, part 2 and then did part of Emersons Piano Concerto. Next was a song I did not recognize which segued into Bitches Crystal. Then they did a new song titled New Orleans written after the hurricanes this past year, it started out as a fairly basic ballad/acoustic song but Emerson did some impressive jazzy soloing over top of the simple guitar/bass/drum parts and it was a nice song. More stuff I did not recognize closed out the 1st set In the second set they played an adaption of a Sibelius piece, more stuff I did not recognize part of Tarkus and finished with a rousing medly of famous classical themes. A excellent concert, as I said earlier this concert changed my mind about ELP and made me decide to get more of their cds as well as some Nice and solo stuff by Keith. Edited by Minimalist777 - June 22 2006 at 08:44
	WWOSD? What Would OliverStoned Do?

Fitzcarraldo Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: April 30 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1835	Posted: June 22 2006 at 19:20
	It's good to read that you've discovered Emerson and want to investigate THE NICE and ELP. I recommend the 3-CD anthology of THE NICE called "Here Come The Nice: The Immediate Anthology 3 CD Set": If you read the reviews of the above anthology on Amazon you'll see that it is an excellent compilation at a reasonable price for 3 CDs. You mentioned Emerson doing an adaptation of a Sibelius piece: I would guess it was the Intermezzo from the Karelia Suite as twisted by THE NICE (which is also on one of the CDs in the above-mentioned anthology). As far as ELP is concerned, I would recommend any album up to and including Brain Salad Surgery. You may as well start with their s/t first album, one of the strongest first albums I know. A safe alternative would be to check out Trilogy, which is more measured than their other albums. You might find my reviews of the ELP albums give you some pointers on what to expect: s/t first album: http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=14144 Tarkus: http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=14210 Pictures At An Exhibition: http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=14267 Trilogy: http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=14320 Brain Salad Surgery: http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=14387 If you're interested in the history of the group and seeing some very early live footage, then I recommend the DVD set "Beyond The Beginning": http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=37339 I hope you enjoy what you hear.
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Tommy Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: May 24 2005 Status: Offline Points: 282	Posted: June 22 2006 at 21:07
	thanx 4 the write up. Get some ELP albums & they will be second on your list of greatest prog bands, after Yes!

richardh Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: February 18 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 27956	Posted: June 24 2006 at 03:17
	Nice review.