Keith Emerson or Rick Wakeman?

Too close to call but I'll vote for Wakeman as he is still kicking ass.

Rick

micky wrote: love Wakeman .. I mean who doesn't... but Emerson was perhaps prog's single greatest and most infuential musican. I mean..  seriously.. if could point to one individual responsible for prog rock.. it was Emerson.  Wakeman was nice.. but really has nothing on Emerson for what they did and meant to prog.  Plus.. to be honest.. he is more fun to listen to.  He wasnt just a supporting player in a great band.. he was THE player around which the sound was based around.  That took talent.. and some balls.. for everyone loves w**king guitarists.. but keyboardists.  To do that.. wow man..  that is the reason he won all those keyboardist polls for as many years as he did. The Hendirx of the keys...   perhaps Wakeman had it in him.. had the sheer talent.. to do that.. but he didn't.

I guess Emerson was indeed more influential and all, and what ELP did could hardly be surpassed... at least as far as keyboard driven prog goes. But I wouldn't say Wakeman didn't have it in him... yes, in Yes he was just another musician (but then, what do you do in a band where every single musician is as brilliant in their instrument as Wakeman was on keyboards?), but in his solo albums the focus was all on keyboards, and he did take the spotlight. Only, he didn't gather a single band to support him, but went the solo way. And he did follow his vision regardless of what common commercial sense would dictate... and was succesful in doing so (except that the disc companies executives took advantage of him, as far as I understand).

Rick but honestly not by much. Both are great. 

Emerson 

Both overrated.

Both.....some fine work on multiple albums by these two keyboard men.

Wakeman. Both have had big egos, but I think Wakeman has always had more interesting things to say about his playing. Emerson just had too much just his skills showing in his playing, also had quite bad synth sound taste in the seventies. Also, Wakeman is quite jolly guy, have had many laughs about his doings.

Love both, but Emerson was better.

I'm choosing both - I can't compare them fairly. Rick's style is more classical-based whilst Keith's was more jazz-influenced. Neither could play like the other or do justice to each other's work. Their piano improvisations are completely different live. Two great prog icons we can be proud of!