Forum Home Forum Home > Progressive Music Lounges > Prog Bands, Artists and Genres Appreciation
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - What I like about ELP
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

What I like about ELP
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <12345>
Author
Message
  Topic Search Topic Search  Topic Options Topic Options
SouthSideoftheSky View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Symphonic Team

Joined: June 29 2008
Location: Close To The...
Status: Offline
Points: 1946 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SouthSideoftheSky Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 20 2021 at 06:35

What I like about ELP is their music.

People who focus on things other than the band's music such as their stage antics and props, probably don't have a very good appreciation of the music.
Back to Top
moshkito View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: January 04 2007
Location: Grok City
Status: Online
Points: 17691 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 20 2021 at 09:05
Originally posted by SouthSideoftheSky SouthSideoftheSky wrote:


What I like about ELP is their music.

People who focus on things other than the band's music such as their stage antics and props, probably don't have a very good appreciation of the music.


Hi,

I always thought, and might be incorrect here, that the knife on the keyboard (for example) was actually to sustain the key going longer than the instrument was designed for at the time. As such, this would take it away from the obvious camera shot that made it look like a fun thing to do and show audiences a side that would not exactly be considered musical, but fun.
Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
www.pedrosena.com
Back to Top
SteveG View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: April 11 2014
Location: Kyiv In Spirit
Status: Offline
Points: 20616 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SteveG Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 20 2021 at 09:50
Originally posted by SouthSideoftheSky SouthSideoftheSky wrote:


What I like about ELP is their music.

People who focus on things other than the band's music such as their stage antics and props, probably don't have a very good appreciation of the music.

And those who are misforunate enough to never see them live would probably have no appreciation of their excellent live performances.

Edited by SteveG - August 20 2021 at 09:52
This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State.
Back to Top
JD View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: February 07 2009
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 18446 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote JD Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 20 2021 at 10:20
Does any know of another band that rearranged (and I don't mean the order) their own songs more than ELP for their live shows. It seems every time I saw them (5 or 6 times) they would perform new versions of old songs that seem to keep them fresh, it was also because Emerson loved to improvise.


Edited by JD - August 20 2021 at 10:20
Thank you for supporting independently produced music
Back to Top
SteveG View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: April 11 2014
Location: Kyiv In Spirit
Status: Offline
Points: 20616 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SteveG Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 20 2021 at 10:23
Originally posted by JD JD wrote:

Does any know of another band that rearranged (and I don't mean the order) their own songs more than ELP for their live shows. It seems every time I saw them (5 or 6 times) they would perform new versions of old songs that seem to keep them fresh, it was also because Emerson loved to improvise.
Hmm, that's a tough one. Does 2 hour improvs by the Grateful Dead count? LOL
This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State.
Back to Top
verslibre View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: July 01 2004
Location: CA
Status: Offline
Points: 17420 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote verslibre Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 20 2021 at 11:25
Originally posted by JD JD wrote:

Does any know of another band that rearranged (and I don't mean the order) their own songs more than ELP for their live shows. It seems every time I saw them (5 or 6 times) they would perform new versions of old songs that seem to keep them fresh, it was also because Emerson loved to improvise.

Tangerine Dream, circa the '70s & '80s.
eBay
Back to Top
Easy Money View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

Joined: August 11 2007
Location: Memphis
Status: Offline
Points: 10651 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Easy Money Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 20 2021 at 11:59
Originally posted by moshkito moshkito wrote:

Originally posted by SouthSideoftheSky SouthSideoftheSky wrote:


What I like about ELP is their music.

People who focus on things other than the band's music such as their stage antics and props, probably don't have a very good appreciation of the music.



Hi,

I always thought, and might be incorrect here, that the knife on the keyboard (for example) was actually to sustain the key going longer than the instrument was designed for at the time. As such, this would take it away from the obvious camera shot that made it look like a fun thing to do and show audiences a side that would not exactly be considered musical, but fun.
Yes, the knife was used to make notes sustain. Lemmy taught this to Keith back when Lemmy was a roadie.
As regards the op, ELP at their best is progressive rock at its best. I listen to all kinds of music, but if you want top notch progressive rock, that would be ELP and King Crimson. Besides, those two bands invented what many others copied.
Back to Top
SteveG View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: April 11 2014
Location: Kyiv In Spirit
Status: Offline
Points: 20616 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SteveG Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 20 2021 at 12:06
Originally posted by verslibre verslibre wrote:

Originally posted by JD JD wrote:

Does any know of another band that rearranged (and I don't mean the order) their own songs more than ELP for their live shows. It seems every time I saw them (5 or 6 times) they would perform new versions of old songs that seem to keep them fresh, it was also because Emerson loved to improvise.



Tangerine Dream, circa the '70s & '80s.
This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State.
Back to Top
verslibre View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: July 01 2004
Location: CA
Status: Offline
Points: 17420 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote verslibre Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 20 2021 at 14:42
Originally posted by Easy Money Easy Money wrote:

Yes, the knife was used to make notes sustain. Lemmy taught this to Keith back when Lemmy was a roadie.

Lemmy...as in that Lemmy? Never heard that before. I once read that Keith borrowed the stunt from a cat in the early '60s, an organist he saw perform and/or knew. I forget the name, but I bet Steve knows.
eBay
Back to Top
verslibre View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: July 01 2004
Location: CA
Status: Offline
Points: 17420 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote verslibre Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 20 2021 at 14:42
Originally posted by SteveG SteveG wrote:

Originally posted by verslibre verslibre wrote:

Tangerine Dream, circa the '70s & '80s.

Thumbs Up
eBay
Back to Top
cstack3 View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar
VIP Member

Joined: July 20 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ USA
Status: Offline
Points: 7311 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cstack3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 20 2021 at 15:00
They had amazing talent for a three-piece band!  Greg Lake was one of the great, unsung-masters of prog bass guitar....He used a similar approach to Rickenbacker-masters Chris Squire, John Camp, Ray Bennett and Gary Strater (amongst others), using plectrum + round-wound strings to achieve a sound similar to the low end of a piano.  His lead guitar and acoustic work were also sublime, and I considered him one of the better vocalists of the genre.  (he disliked Rickenbacker 4001, once saying that their necks swayed several inches (??), when I saw them with BSS tour, he played the amazing Gibson Ripper bass). 

Were they corny?  Hell yeah, that is what we demanded back in the day!  Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends....it was like a cross between serious music and professional wrestling!  

I need to revisit their catalog, it's been quite a while.  RIP Greg and Keith.


Edited by cstack3 - August 20 2021 at 15:01
I am not a Robot, I'm a FREE MAN!!
Back to Top
Easy Money View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

Joined: August 11 2007
Location: Memphis
Status: Offline
Points: 10651 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Easy Money Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 20 2021 at 15:31
Originally posted by verslibre verslibre wrote:

Originally posted by Easy Money Easy Money wrote:

Yes, the knife was used to make notes sustain. Lemmy taught this to Keith back when Lemmy was a roadie.

Lemmy...as in that Lemmy? Never heard that before. I once read that Keith borrowed the stunt from a cat in the early '60s, an organist he saw perform and/or knew. I forget the name, but I bet Steve knows.
From what I read, Keith was trying different things to get the keys to stay on and Lemmy (Motorhead) who was a roadie at the time said try this and handed Keith his knife.
Once he started using the knife, Keith milked it for theatrical purposes.
If I remember correctly, this is from Lemmy's recollections in an interview.

Edited by Easy Money - August 20 2021 at 15:34
Back to Top
ExittheLemming View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: October 19 2007
Location: Penal Colony
Status: Offline
Points: 11420 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ExittheLemming Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 20 2021 at 17:31
Originally posted by verslibre verslibre wrote:

Originally posted by Easy Money Easy Money wrote:

Yes, the knife was used to make notes sustain. Lemmy taught this to Keith back when Lemmy was a roadie.

Lemmy...as in that Lemmy? Never heard that before. I once read that Keith borrowed the stunt from a cat in the early '60s, an organist he saw perform and/or knew. I forget the name, but I bet Steve knows.


That 'cat' was organist Don Shinn who Emerson saw at the Marquee club manipulating the sound of the Hammond from inside the instrument with a screwdriver. Bet he used up a few of his nine lives doing that. The knife routine was mostly a visual gimmick but did serve a practical purpose. Keith was heavily influenced by Jazz/Blues organist Jimmy Smith who liked to set up a drone in his playing by leaving a key pressed down which continued to sound while he improvised over the top with his other hand. Using Lemmy's  Hitler Youth daggers, Emerson was able to create the drone but have both his hands free with which to improvise.


Edited by ExittheLemming - August 20 2021 at 18:20
Back to Top
Dellinger View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar
VIP Member

Joined: June 18 2009
Location: Mexico
Status: Offline
Points: 12768 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dellinger Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 20 2021 at 19:06
Originally posted by JD JD wrote:

Does any know of another band that rearranged (and I don't mean the order) their own songs more than ELP for their live shows. It seems every time I saw them (5 or 6 times) they would perform new versions of old songs that seem to keep them fresh, it was also because Emerson loved to improvise.



I'm not really sure, since I haven't heard so many different shows, but I would expect King Crimson and Pink Floyd to have gone a similar path on that respect.
Back to Top
verslibre View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: July 01 2004
Location: CA
Status: Offline
Points: 17420 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote verslibre Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 21 2021 at 00:24
Originally posted by ExittheLemming ExittheLemming wrote:

Originally posted by verslibre verslibre wrote:

Originally posted by Easy Money Easy Money wrote:

Yes, the knife was used to make notes sustain. Lemmy taught this to Keith back when Lemmy was a roadie.

Lemmy...as in that Lemmy? Never heard that before. I once read that Keith borrowed the stunt from a cat in the early '60s, an organist he saw perform and/or knew. I forget the name, but I bet Steve knows.


That 'cat' was organist Don Shinn who Emerson saw at the Marquee club manipulating the sound of the Hammond from inside the instrument with a screwdriver. Bet he used up a few of his nine lives doing that. The knife routine was mostly a visual gimmick but did serve a practical purpose. Keith was heavily influenced by Jazz/Blues organist Jimmy Smith who liked to set up a drone in his playing by leaving a key pressed down which continued to sound while he improvised over the top with his other hand. Using Lemmy's  Hitler Youth daggers, Emerson was able to create the drone but have both his hands free with which to improvise.

Big time. But one of the funniest things Keith ever related (in an interview with Keyboard) was how he caught one of Jimmy Smith's gigs in a smoky downtown club right after a typical big venue-ELP concert the same night. Keith knew Smith was on and caught a cab immediately after their show. Jimmy noticed him and made a remark. After the second or third piece Keith heard, Smith looked over at him again and said "You white folk really like this stuff, don't you?" 

Keith's next action: "Waiter! Check, please!" LOL
eBay
Back to Top
richardh View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: February 18 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 28270 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote richardh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 21 2021 at 03:19
ELP were far from perfect and it seems to me from afar that they loved live performing much more than they did making studio albums. However they still reeled off several masterpieces if you ignore the artificial restraints of albums.
In Chrono order:
Take A Pebble
Tarkus
Trilogy
Karn Evil 9 3rd Impression
Pirates

after that it dried up.

there was also a lot of enjoyable tracks if lacking the necessary prog gravitas at times. But they didn't care about 'prog' just about innovation and maybe advancing music a tiny bit while having fun. Other bands by comparison were massively anal.

consistent band? NO! Entertaining? YES!!
Back to Top
moshkito View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: January 04 2007
Location: Grok City
Status: Online
Points: 17691 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 21 2021 at 07:24
Originally posted by SteveG SteveG wrote:

Originally posted by SouthSideoftheSky SouthSideoftheSky wrote:


What I like about ELP is their music.

People who focus on things other than the band's music such as their stage antics and props, probably don't have a very good appreciation of the music.

And those who are misfortunate enough to never see them live would probably have no appreciation of their excellent live performances.

Hi,

I think the days of the grand shows are over. So many of the shows these days are about a lot of what I would consider just technical this and that, and the music behind it is no where near the ability of the light show ... or as I saw in a Festival years ago, the folks doing the lighting and the sound, are not (usually) part of the band, in the case I saw they did not even know the music, and the camera folks were even worse, completely walking away from "star" moments, or "solo" moments ... the worst use/example of cameras I have ever seen, and the lights? ... I had a thread about lightshows in here somewhere, and I can tell you that I have not seen a light show that BELONGS WITH THE MUSIC since THE WALL.

These days, a lot of music is "plasticine" (as Paul or John would say), and without a strong meaning, and a proper design, a lot of these shows are just a massive waste of electricity.

That's not to say, however, the in the old days, some bands did not waste electricity. Deep Purple comes to mind right away.
Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
www.pedrosena.com
Back to Top
JD View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: February 07 2009
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 18446 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote JD Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 21 2021 at 08:09
Originally posted by moshkito moshkito wrote:

Originally posted by SteveG SteveG wrote:

Originally posted by SouthSideoftheSky SouthSideoftheSky wrote:


What I like about ELP is their music.

People who focus on things other than the band's music such as their stage antics and props, probably don't have a very good appreciation of the music.

And those who are misfortunate enough to never see them live would probably have no appreciation of their excellent live performances.

Hi,

I think the days of the grand shows are over. So many of the shows these days are about a lot of what I would consider just technical this and that, and the music behind it is no where near the ability of the light show ... or as I saw in a Festival years ago, the folks doing the lighting and the sound, are not (usually) part of the band, in the case I saw they did not even know the music, and the camera folks were even worse, completely walking away from "star" moments, or "solo" moments ... the worst use/example of cameras I have ever seen, and the lights? ... I had a thread about lightshows in here somewhere, and I can tell you that I have not seen a light show that BELONGS WITH THE MUSIC since THE WALL.

These days, a lot of music is "plasticine" (as Paul or John would say), and without a strong meaning, and a proper design, a lot of these shows are just a massive waste of electricity.

That's not to say, however, the in the old days, some bands did not waste electricity. Deep Purple comes to mind right away.
You can add Trans-Siberian Orchestra to that, although the music is fair enough, but the staging is right at the levels of excess that many classic prog bands had in the 70's.
Thank you for supporting independently produced music
Back to Top
cstack3 View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar
VIP Member

Joined: July 20 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ USA
Status: Offline
Points: 7311 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cstack3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 21 2021 at 12:30
Originally posted by JD JD wrote:

You can add Trans-Siberian Orchestra to that, although the music is fair enough, but the staging is right at the levels of excess that many classic prog bands had in the 70's.

Good point about TSO, although the fireball effects channel Kiss more than ELP!  
I am not a Robot, I'm a FREE MAN!!
Back to Top
JD View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: February 07 2009
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 18446 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote JD Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 21 2021 at 13:56
Saw them in London ON years ago. I was sitting in the nose bleeds. When those burners went off I swear the temperature in our section rose by 5º C.

I wish I could attach a video from my phone I have.

Next best thing...screen grab.





Edited by JD - August 21 2021 at 14:08
Thank you for supporting independently produced music
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <12345>

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down



This page was generated in 0.248 seconds.
Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.