What's your favourite ELP cover version?

I really like Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet on the Black Moon album.

I must admit that I haven't heard much ELP but from what I've heard, I prefer the cover versions to their original songs.

They're not really cover versions, but adaptions.

I like Toccata the best I think..........its a great adaption

Snow Dog wrote: They're not really cover versions, but adaptions. I like Toccata the best I think..........its a great adaption

YES THEY ARE NOT COVERS,  great adaption

Big Ears wrote: I understand ELP covered Man in the Long Black Coat by Bob Dylan for the In the Hot Seat album, but I haven't heard their version. I am also aware of a tribute album to ELP on which the band are covered by the likes of Robert Berry, Glenn Hughes and possibly John Wetton? I haven't heard that either. ELP's versions of Pictures at an Exhibition, Nutrocker, Toccata, Creole Dance, Bolero and Janacek (can't think of the name of the original) are great! I hate to say it, but I'm not very keen on Canario.

I have the covers album, I like it a lot!

AND

PICTURES AT THE EXCIBITION

Drachen Theaker wrote: I must admit I think Romeo and Juliet is one of their weakest - too obvious a choice and doesn't add anything to the original (a bit like Mars off the ELPowell album).

Mars off the ELPowell album ...  I like it!

Mind you, like I said before, I haven't heard too much ELP but it looks like Tocatto is a popular choice so I must check it out.

Bob Greece wrote: Drachen Theaker wrote: I must admit I think Romeo and Juliet is one of their weakest - too obvious a choice and doesn't add anything to the original (a bit like Mars off the ELPowell album). Mars off the ELPowell album ...  I like it! Mind you, like I said before, I haven't heard too much ELP but it looks like Tocatto is a popular choice so I must check it out.

AND PLEASE GET 'PICTURES AT THE EXCIBITION' ALONG WITH ORIGINAL MUSSORGSKY'S SUITE

By the way, I read the Q magazine article on ELP and it said that it was convenient that Cozy Powell's surname began with P. At the end, it said due to the tensions in the band, maybe they should look for a keyboard player whose name begins with E.

I think Keith Emerson is fantastic by the way - I just liked the joke.

Another thing, if Steve Howe joined the band on guitar, would they be called HELP?

The Hoedown does it for me. Great fun to play too, now that I've learnt it.

It's interesting to see now that some school text books for music listening are doing a comparison exercise between the original orchestral version and the ELP version. I was doing that in schools years before this book was ever published.

MPA

Peter Gunn. Emerson pops a valium and Lake shuts his big mouth - good setup.

Big Ears wrote: I understand ELP covered Man in the Long Black Coat by Bob Dylan for the In the Hot Seat album, but I haven't heard their version. I am also aware of a tribute album to ELP on which the band are covered by the likes of Robert Berry, Glenn Hughes and possibly John Wetton? I haven't heard that either. ELP's versions of Pictures at an Exhibition, Nutrocker, Toccata, Creole Dance, Bolero and Janacek (can't think of the name of the original) are great! I hate to say it, but I'm not very keen on Canario.

I think all those tracks are not really covers, but rather adaptations of classical pieces, which IMO is quite a different thing. BTW, I've got the tribute album, whose title is Encores, Legends and Paradox (Magna Carta). It is overall an excellent record, with a version of Knife Edge sung magnificently  by Glenn Hughes and very good performances by the likes of Igor Khoroshev, Jordan Rudess, Martin Barre and Simon Phillips (among many others). John Wetton sings two tracks, as does our dear friend James LaBrie (the less said, the better.... He sings Tarkus!).

Discussing the the difference between covers and adaptions is merely semantics.

'All those tracks are not really covers,' is incorrect.

Hoedown for me.

So much energy, so much passion and a decent amount of madness too.

And in my opinion Trilogy it's much better than BSS.

Hoedown here, too.  Nice and crazy.  And, to me, the drums in particular sound great, better than other ELP songs. 

bumheed7 wrote: im sure weve had this before and i said that jerusalem was my favourite, and somebody had a big cuffuful with me sayin that it wasnt a cover as such.

That was I!

And I stand by every word!

Big Ears wrote: Discussing the the difference between covers and adaptions is merely semantics. 'All those tracks are not really covers,' is incorrect.

Well the Dylan song is obviously a cover. The others mentioned aren't though!

oh, except Hang onto a Dream...

Hoedown (the first ELP track I ever heard)

Toccata is amazing

I also like the ELPowell version of Mars as well! (although everything else on that album is crap)

richardh wrote: Hoedown (the first ELP track I ever heard) Toccata is amazing I also like the ELPowell version of Mars as well! (although everything else on that album is crap)

Toccata is probably the best adaptation I've heard them do, but generally I dont like rock adaptations of classical music, as they are never going to sound as good as an orchestral performance. I really dont like their take on Mars, from ELPowell. I think it's insulting in the extreme, although that may be because The Planets was the first classical I ever liked as a kid. It holds a special place etc..and was not written for Hammond organs and synths..

Their worst has to be 'Jerusalem' where Greg Lakes drunk voacls strip it of all majesty IMO.

Although ELPowell is not a great album, it's better than I remembered it.  I gave it a spin recently and I think The Miracle is a great track..

Blacksword wrote: ... generally I dont like rock adaptations of classical music, as they are never going to sound as good as an orchestral performance.

100% agreed, absolutely!

The re-recorded version of 'Picture's .......' that appeard on the manticore box set is far better than the live version and is my favourite ELP cover!! Closely followed by bHoedown and Toccata

Big Ears wrote: A cover is an interpretation of a song/piece of music. As I said, the difference is pure semantics.

A cover is an interpretation of a song, but not a piece music, niot a piece of Classical music anyhow.

Dragon Phoenix wrote: Blacksword wrote: ... generally I dont like rock adaptations of classical music, as they are never going to sound as good as an orchestral performance. 100% agreed, absolutely!

100% agreed, absolutely! (too)

RONDO (live)

http://imageshack.us">

Yes. Pictures At An Exhibition rocks, man!

Tocatta, Barbarian, Fanfare For The Common Man, Hoedown, too!

Worst Covers: Canario, Nutrocker, Romeo And Juliet!

Also, take a listen to America and Rondo from Keith Emerson and the Nice (it's not ELP-related, but it's got a definite influence)

Big Ears wrote: ELP did not cover classical pieces - they are from the modern era.

Good pont but there's something not correct, ELP covers Classical music even when their main influence was Late Romantic/ealry Modern Classical (What they didn't almost cover is Classic Music 1750 to 1830 more or less with musicians as Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven),

Classical is a term that covers select music from Medieval/Gothic (XII to XV Centuries) to Modern period (XX and  XXI Centuries).

Classical and Classic are terms that almost always are confused and misused.

The main cover version by ELP is Pictures at an Exhibition and Mussorgsky is considered late Romantic as all the Russian Nationalist Movement, something inaccurate IMO because  this musicians were closer in style to Modern Classical than to Romantic because they broke all boundaries imposed by Europe.

That's the problem with genres, because there's not an exact line that divides periods and eras, for example Wagner was doing Modern stuff in the Romantic period, including his 16 hours version of The  Ring of the Nibelungen.

Sorry if I'm a wise a$$ but I love Classical music almost as much as Prog'.

Iván

THE BARBARIAN

Now......that's HEAVY!