greg lake ballads
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Music Lounge
Forum Description: General progressive music discussions
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=10482
Printed Date: February 13 2025 at 16:28
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: greg lake ballads
Posted By: topography
Subject: greg lake ballads
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 13:17
|
what does everyone think of greg lake's ballads. Songs like lucky man, still... you turn me on, c'est la vie etc.? Ive heard a lot of people say they're cheesy, but personally i really like them. Also, what is the genral opinion on greg's lead guitar work, again i think he's better than often given credit for. ------------- 
|
Replies:
Posted By: Dragon Phoenix
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 13:19
|
Lucky man is actually the only ELP song I appreciate. You turn me on, C'est la vie, Jersualem and so on, no, thanks.
------------- Blog this: http://artrock2006.blogspot.com |
Posted By: Zac M
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 13:21
I hate the cheesy synth part on Lucky Man , but otherwise it's a decent song------------- "Art is not imitation, nor is it something manufactured according to the wishes of instinct or good taste. It is a process of expression." -Merleau-Ponty |
Posted By: Man Overboard
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 13:21
  ------------- https://soundcloud.com/erin-susan-jennings" rel="nofollow - Bedroom guitarist". Composer, Arranger, Producer. Perfection may not exist, but I may still choose to serve Perfection. Commissions considered. |
Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 13:22
|
"Jerusalem" a Greg Lake ballad? - somehow I think not. I'm not a great fan of his stuff on Works Vol 1, but he is a good singer and underrated guitar player. |
Posted By: floydaholic
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 13:28
|
From the Beginning is amazing. ------------- I'll see you on the Darkside of the moon... |
Posted By: DEzerov
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 13:30
|
~The Long Goodbye and the Lie from his first solo lp were tasty, albeit not ballads. ~His duet with Pete Sinfield on Still continues to bring goosebumps after more than 30 years. ~ I always thought his electric work on Karn Evil 9 was more than passable and enjoy the acoustic work on From the Beginning. ------------- The moon is made by some lame cooper and you can see the idiot has no idea about moons at all - Nikolay Gogol |
Posted By: Sam Fire
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 13:43
|
Yeah, I like 'em. Quite a bit, now that I think about it. I really like "From the Beginning" and "C'est la Vie", "Still... You Turn Me On" is kind of lame, "Lucky Man" is pretty good. But I think my favorite is "The Sage". I particularly like the guitar solos in that song. Agreed, he really is a great guitarist, esp. the solos in "Karn Evil 9". Great tone in those, I always thought... |
Posted By: bertburt
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 13:44
|
Sometimes when I pull out the six-string, I'll play 'Still....you turn me on'. It's an enjoyable tune to play and sing. But...I always skip singing the "Someone get me a ladder" line since it is so undeniably horrible. I can't bring myself to do it Otherwise, I like the song |
Posted By: Raff
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 13:58
|
I have to admit I love those ballads, although I'm not usually a fan of slow, romantic songs. Greg's voice makes them really special, and his acoustic playing is very good. As to his electric playing, I think he's rather underrated, but I think his real strong point is the singing. "Someone get me a ladder" is quite an awful line, but I don't find Lake so bad a lyricist as many others claim. Other songs' lyrics are not bad at all, although of course he's no Roger Waters or Neil Peart. |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 14:00
|
I agree.Great song and production.I like Greg Lake's ballads as they provide a good contrast to the frenetic and technical peices.
|
floydaholic wrote:Posted By: Ricochet
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 14:02
|
The ballads are nice,but not spectacular...
------------- 
|
Posted By: Ruglish
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 14:03
Great voice, and a pretty good guitar player (obviously a great, great bass player, but that should go without saying). Lake should have left the writing to someone else, though. "Someone get me a ladder" is a classic, but my favorite is the line that literally made me choke on my soda when I first heard it -- "Do you believe God makes you breathe/why did he lose six million Jews?" Awesomely bad. Oh, yeah, almost forgot this gem from Trilogy -- "We tried to lie/but you and I/know better than to let each other lie/the thought of lying to you makes me cry." Worst. Poetry. Ever. Every time I listen to ELP (which is quite often ), I try very hard to pretend I don't speak English.------------- I danced along the colored wind Dangled from a rope of sand You must say goodbye to me |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 14:11
|
I'm not sure,but I think the 'someone get me a ladder' line was actually an ''injoke''.(well I hope so anyway) Linda(3 Fates) or someone else please clarify?..
|
Posted By: topography
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 14:23
|
Hes not that bad as a lyricist, admittedly the 'someone get a ladder' is particular poor (maybe it was an injoke). But generally overall hes pretty good. And someone mentioned earlier 'the sage' from pictures at an exhibition, its a good one isn't it. -------------
|
Posted By: Odd24
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 14:44
10/10 The same goes for The sherrif, but that isn't a ballad. God, do I love both songs!!!! And what about The endless enigma part 1, it's true perfection. ------------- Right down the line |
Posted By: Garion81
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 14:56
|
Call it cheese if you want but that means you didn't understand a couple of things. First it was one of the earliest recording with a moog synth recorded on it and second he did it in one take. Greg lake said that is exactly what I want. Keith never rehearsed or pre wrote the solo for it. ------------- 
"What are you going to do when that damn thing rusts?" |
Posted By: Ben2112
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 15:21
My favorite ELP songs actually.  Especially "From The Beginning"; that song is utterly beautiful, with a very very nice guitar solo to boot.
|
Posted By: Dragon Phoenix
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 15:34
|
I always find it fascinating how different views on music are even when we share a love a for prog. I find the synthesizer part on Lucky Man the best part of the song. As I type this, I'm listening once more to From the beginning, but it still does not do much to me - and again, I prefer instrumental parts over the vocals although I'm normally much more drawn to vocals. ------------- Blog this: http://artrock2006.blogspot.com |
Posted By: RaphaelT
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 15:57
|
I must admit I like these ballads. Please remember that it was hit single Lucky Man that brought ELP to the top of the charts, so it played vital role in popularization of whole genre (I'm quoting Rockin' The Classics by Edward Macan). It was written by 14 - year old Greg Lake though, and so it sounds infantile (that's why it annoys some ELP fans). Nevertheless, it would be nice to catch "Still You Turn Me On" or "From The Beginning" on radio on Valentine's Day instead of Britney or Robbie Williams (excuse me for rude language, pardon my Klatchian) ------------- yet you still have time! |
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 16:06
|
Whats wrong with ladders? ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow"> 
|
Posted By: Poxx
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 16:09
|
Rotten, moldy and covered with hair cheesy. Pig feces is like mustard compared to Lake's ballads. If Greg Lake was a movie he'd be 'Catwoman'. |
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 16:20
|
^ You really are a horrible person aren't you? Poxx is surely the best name you could have chosen! ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">
|
Posted By: bertburt
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 16:25
|
Carpentry Fighting fires Painting Getting kittens out of trees Lyrics (Unless it's a song about carpentry, fighting fires, painting, or getting kittens out of trees....) |
Posted By: Progger
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 16:44
|
I love his ballads. They were an integral part of every ELP album! |
Posted By: OldFatherThames
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 20:48
|
C'est la vie is one of my favorite ELP songs ! I absloutely love this song !! The sage is an amazing one too
|
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 20:51
What is wrong with the lyric "someone get me a ladder"? ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">
|
Posted By: bertburt
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 23:47
I think the more pertinent question is....What isn't wrong with the lyric "Someone get me a ladder"? |
Posted By: threefates
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 23:47
|
Actually Pete Sinfield told me he wrote that in the lyric.. and it was an inside joke. Its also why they called the European portion of the BSS tour.. the "Take a Ladder" tour But in Keith's autobio.. he says he wrote that lyrics... which I had to laugh at.. cause I know that wasn't true... from the joke:
------------- THIS IS ELP 
|
Posted By: threefates
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 23:50
Actually it was written by a 12 year old Greg Lake.. and I've never found the words to be infantile in the least. That moog solo at the end was just perfect also.. .as was Carl's three ending heart beats.... ------------- THIS IS ELP
|
Posted By: threefates
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 23:53
You evidently need more medication than you're obviously taking... ------------- THIS IS ELP
|
Posted By: Zac M
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 23:53
Had I known that I may have thought better of it. I still prefer Still...You Turn Me On to Lucky Man though. ------------- "Art is not imitation, nor is it something manufactured according to the wishes of instinct or good taste. It is a process of expression." -Merleau-Ponty |
Posted By: threefates
Date Posted: August 22 2005 at 23:56
|
Well I can tell you that I've loved every ballad and every song Greg has ever sang on... but then you know that already. You left out "Watching Over You" and "I Believe in Father Christmas" which next to "Lucky Man" was probably his most selling ballad. ------------- THIS IS ELP
|
Posted By: Prosciutto
Date Posted: October 10 2005 at 21:14
|
I love all ballads Greg Lake has written with ELP. I think his songs on Works I are my favourites, "From the Beginning" is a great one too, cool moog solo at the end.... ------------- Don't be a prog-hole, please... |
Posted By: Pr@gmatic
Date Posted: October 10 2005 at 21:23
| I love every single thing Lake recorded. He's one of my favorite singers. Probably THE voice of prog, IMO. He's also a great guitarist and bassist too. |
Posted By: margaret
Date Posted: October 10 2005 at 21:57
you're kinder to his stuff on Works vol 1. than I am. Liked his turn on The Sage. Great vocalist, saddled at times with some crappy lyrics (Still you turn me on  )------------- 
Space is dark it is so endless When you're lost it's so relentless It is so big, it is small |
Posted By: Logos
Date Posted: October 11 2005 at 00:34
Joke or not, one has to admit that's not one of the best lyrical lines in the history of prog rock. |
Posted By: The Miracle
Date Posted: October 11 2005 at 00:36
|
I like them ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/ocellatedgod" rel="nofollow - last.fm |
Posted By: lunaticviolist
Date Posted: October 11 2005 at 00:57
|
I like all of Greg Lake's ballads, but Lucky Man is a little lame (the synth is the best part, and the lyrics are impressive considering how young he was. I love Still...You Turn Me On, and I honestly never thought twice about the Someone get me a ladder line until now! ------------- My recent purchases: 
|
Posted By: Moogtron III
Date Posted: October 11 2005 at 16:22
|
Greg Lake's my favourite singer, and I love some of his ballads. I always thought that that was the strength of ELP, the contrast between Emerson's complex stuff and Lake's open, pure sounding ballads. I like Lucky Man, Still You Turn Me On and the only track on Pictures that was not a Mussorgsky but a Lake tune, was that called The Great Gates Of Kiev? Well, I especially like those tracks. Great singer, great lyricist, great guitar player, great ballad composer. Time for an applause
|
Posted By: Philrod
Date Posted: October 11 2005 at 16:30
|
I mostly adore Greg Lake's ballads, especially The Sage, one of my favourite ELP song! ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Philrod/?chartstyle=Geldropdown-small"> 
|
Posted By: Philrod
Date Posted: October 11 2005 at 16:31
In fact, you're talking about The sage ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Philrod/?chartstyle=Geldropdown-small">
|
Posted By: Moogtron III
Date Posted: October 11 2005 at 16:35
Thanks! |
Posted By: Phil
Date Posted: October 11 2005 at 17:27
|
I think Greg Lake's an excellent singer and songwriter, and a fine guitarist. It's interesting (to me anyway) to read from Emerson's autobiography, and watch on the documentary on "Beyond the Beginning", both Emerson and Lake were clearly very strong personalities who clashed a lot, Emerson annoyed with Lake using the band as a vehicle for his ballads, Lake annoyed with Emerson for - as he saw it - hijacking the group for his own projects - he makes a sarcastic comment about the "armadillo with tank tracks" (Tarkus!) It's great they were in the same band, perhaps not suprising the group burnt out..anyhow I digress; what i would say is that I think being in ELP made Greg Lake (and Keith Emerson) push each other and perform at a higher level...as part of which I do think Greg Lake came up with some great songs. |
Posted By: margaret
Date Posted: October 11 2005 at 19:40
good call, love The Sage. Love the whole album for what it's worth. Thankfully on the DVD they didn't start all the 'trippy' effects until they had peformed it. Shame they couldn't release a version of Pictures at an Exhibition without the special effects.-------------
Space is dark it is so endless When you're lost it's so relentless It is so big, it is small |
Posted By: margaret
Date Posted: October 11 2005 at 19:41
I've been meaning to get that Emerson book. -------------
Space is dark it is so endless When you're lost it's so relentless It is so big, it is small |
Posted By: BiGi
Date Posted: October 12 2005 at 03:51
|
I definitely love Greg Lake's voice (pre-Black Moon...in the last two albums he pretty much sounds like a wino here and there)
And I must say I like the majority of his ballads, though I can't stand some of his last efforts (like the horrible Heart on ice or Affairs of the heart) His best latter-day ballad is Daddy: wonderful intro...then it loses its strength, but overall is good ------------- A flower? 
|
Posted By: fender101
Date Posted: October 12 2005 at 05:58
|
Definatly and excellent singer and songwriter. Its a shame he didnt have more opportunity to display his electric guirar skill. ------------- Well McGarnical Billy is dead! They slit his throat from ear to ear! |