Pictures At An Exhibition

The-Bullet wrote: Nice and little doesn't sum me up , and I've seen Yes enough times to come to that conclusion myself

BIG TALL & SEEN EM ALL.

Velvetclown wrote: And about a year later they all knew about Threefates !!!!!!!!!

Yeh & a few years later on they new about Karnevil9

What is not reflected here is that Pictures was originally a UK and Europe release only (see the piece I lifted from  www.emersonlakepalmer.com ) - and I'm trying hard to remember: did Island Records issued this a cheapo (but the gate fold sleeve on the LP I have suggests a full price record?). BTW it would be nice to see the original UK labels/catalogue no.s  bands recorded, before breaking into N. America, listed in some of the biographies.

Quote:

For the interim, the band wanted to release its live recording of Pictures At An Exhibition. However, the band's US label, Atlantic refused to release it. "The label told the band it was a piece of sh*t and would damage their careers," remembers manager, Stewart Young. "We felt otherwise, and had released it in Europe, where it was a huge hit. The British import started to filter to US shops and eventually sold 50,000 copies.The next thing I know the label is on the phone telling me they'd like to put the album out. I told them to go to hell. Three days later the President of the label flew to London to try to get us to change our mind. Eventually, we put the deal together and the album came out. Ultimately, it was a multi-platinum hit." 

Unquote

There is another thread on Pictures started a few months ago, where I brought up Wendy Carlos's disappointment when she discovered that Emerson was preparing to release Pictures - she was planning to do the same. So I was amused last weekend digging through some of the underplayed CDs in my collection to find Mussorkski & Tomita's Pictures At An Exhibition, I had totally forgotten he had gone and done the same towards the end of the 70's!! A rather funny/peculiar interpretation to say the least

Tomita's version (of Ravel's orchestration) is impressive,anyone who likes this peice of music should check it out.

Actually that studio version of Pictures that was recorded for the boxset.. was just bad timing. They went in to do that after being on the Black Moon tour for 10 months and another 6 months just touring their standards.. by the time they went in to record that, all of them were exhausted and Greg's voice was so strained.  They did it because they wanted to see how it sounded with Keith's new toys and Greg's new production techniques.. unfortunately they could of timed it better.

However, that being said.. the remastered recordings from that which were added as a bonus onto the end of their "In the Hot Seat" cd... sounds much better.