LIVE FROM MANTICORE HALL (EMERSON & LAKE)

Full Disclosure :

Emerson shaped my youth with his brash, attacking style and Lake's smooth full voice filled my head with wonder, but as is life, we all have our "Time and a Place". As much as I still tell people who care about such things that ELP is my favorite band, this is a 'stroll' down memory lane and not an 'invigorating raunch' as would have been preferred. So this 'Rocker Walker' tour release must be viewed from that perspective.

Production :

If only ELP had had this same production value on earlier live albums, clean, clear and punchy. But that's only a part of production. Not having a real drummer is one of the first scars I find on this recording. Through no fault of their own (or maybe it was?) Carl Palmer is clearly absent. This leaves the recording a little thin and as much as I appreciate what Keith and Greg wanted to provide here they should have had a drummer in the wings to provide that vital support.

15/20

Song Writing :

During Greg's intro to this concert he speaks of he and Keith getting together in his studio to write some songs as the inspiration for this concert. Yet no new songs appear on this album. I find this to be one of the biggest issues I have with this album. What better way to thank the fans that have stuck around this long but to dish up some new music. Unfortunately it's not to be. Instead we get another greatest hits live outing. There is really nothing to draw an audience to this album short of completionism and I plead guilty as charged.

5/20

Originality :

I've mentioned in other reviews that live albums are tough for me to score high unless the musicians make a concerted effort to elevate the songs beyond their original arrangements. Few musicians or bands have done this well although I place ELP among them for re-arranging their own songs from time to time to keep things interesting. Opening the album is a very pleasant rendition of "From the Beginning" which promises an album of sonic bliss to come. For the most part it does deliver. Tarkus on the other hand is the counterbalance to this with a slow trodding version that ends in a distracting noisy synth solo that does nothing to enhance this once excellent piece of music.

6/20

Performance :

Like the 40th anniversary High Voltage concert this performance suffers from a lack of raw energy. But at 70 years of age for Emerson and 67 years for Lake what's to be expected. All our bodies break down over time and none expose it so much as athletes or musician who built their legacy around sacrificing their bodies for the love of their craft. The speed that made many of these tunes legendary has been slowed considerably and still the boys have trouble staying in time with one another.

Without Carl's involvement here, turning to the infamous 'Japanese Drummer' when needed left me feeling hungry for a more rhythmic performance. A complete re-arrangement of songs like 'Bitches Crystal' to a more, jazzy piano guitar piece might have saved this album a little.

One of the few saving graces I found was the beautiful guitar serenade on "From the Beginning" and the sweet piano intro to Luck Man that concludes the album. There is little to no improvisation here and it's a quality I greatly miss in this recording, even the Lucky Man synth solo is weak and dull.

8/20

General Impressions :

This was certainly a disappointment after waiting so long to hear it. It could have been an excellent memoir of two of Prog's greatest contributors but instead turns out to be a soon forgotten night of two buddies kicking back, not quite sure how to remember the times of yore.

8/20

Total = 42/100 (42% of 5 stars)

2.10

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