A LIVE LEGACY

A feast of Hammond and jazz drumming should be a glorious experience. It should be, except for the fact that at every turn one is reminded of Emerson Lake & Palmer and it is difficult to shake this trait off as the band launch into huge keyboard instrumentals and time signature changes soaked with Emerson-ian flavour. I am still riveted to the music as an ELP addict and of course there is nothing on this as shameful as ELPs last albums namely 'Love Beach' and 'In The Hot Seat' that are torturously painful. Bondar & Wise's live album is a masterpiece in contrast.

They play the way ELP should have in their last albums, and so it is intriguing to listen to this album thinking how it could have been for ELP in those latter years. Of course nothing on this live album can possibly measure up to the grand 'Trilogy', or the masterpieces 'Brain Salad Surgery' or 'Tarkus', but it is still great compelling music.

There are some inspirational moments on this specifically the shimmering Hammond and low dark tones on "Man". "Sin" rocks along with a nice pace, the drumming is fantastic on this and I like the stop start staccato Hammond bashing, and some of those keyboard motifs are gloriously frenetic. So at the end of the concert one may be left feeling a bit drained, as the Hammond is absolutely dominant and never lets up.

My feeling is this is one for the ELP connoiseur as it is a wonderful tribute to the legends of prog who inspired this type of symphonic grandeur.