Lucky Man? (Photo via ELP’s website)
Progressive rock titans Emerson, Lake & Palmer will see their extensive studio and live album catalog get a well-deserved facelift in 2016 and 2017. BMG is re-releasing the recordings beginning July 29 with a comprehensive reissue program of ELP’s nine studio albums as well as their live recordings and compilations.
We’re big ELP fans and are excited to tell you that Best Classic Bands is going to award three readers with CDs of the first three titles in the reissue campaign plus a great 3-CD anthology. Read on…
The trio – keyboardist Keith Emerson, who died on March 10, 2016, singer/guitarist/bassist Greg Lake and drummer/percussionist Carl Palmer – were known for their wildly spectacular concerts that incorporated advanced technology and showmanship. Their music combined original compositions with rock, jazz, folk and classical influences.
ELP started in 1970 and were one of many “supergroups” that were formed in that era. Emerson had spent three years as a co-founder of another British prog rock band, The Nice. Lake had been a member of King Crimson; Palmer had been in several bands, most notably The Crazy World of Arthur Brown.
They achieved massive international appeal, as they headlined stadium tours throughout the 1970s and 1990s and achieved sales of over 40 million albums.
Related: Best Classic Bands interview with Carl Palmer about Keith Emerson
The group’s first three albums – 1970’s Emerson, Lake & Palmer, 1971’s Tarkus and 1971’s live Pictures at an Exhibition, each with plenty of bonus material – are scheduled for re-release on July 29.
The album was released after the group’s debut performance at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival, when they performed to a reported 600,000 people. The LP features “Lucky Man” which became one of their signature tunes.
Tarkus saw ELP take a new direction with yet more complex keyboard sounds. The title track took up the whole of side one of the original LP, and defined the band’s exultant, bombastic approach.
Pictures at an Exhibition is based on the group’s enthusiastic interpretation of the famous work by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky. It was recorded on March 21, 1971 at Newcastle City Hall, where Emerson made use of the hall’s thunderous pipe organ.
Further details on the reissues are available here.
Accompanying these three albums is a special 3-CD release Emerson, Lake & Palmer – The Anthology. Produced by Greg Lake, this career-spanning set has 39 tracks from the years 1970 to 1998, with the choice of material approved by the band. It is presented in special casebound book packaging with detailed, informative sleeve notes by Welch, illustrated with rare band photographs.
Among the highlights are “Karn Evil 9,” “Still… You Turn Me On,” the band’s performance of Aaron Copland’s “Hoedown,” their version of “Jerusalem,” “Fanfare For The Common Man,” Emerson’s rendition of “Honky Tonk Train Blues,” Lake’s 1975 solo hit “I Believe In Father Christmas” and the group’s interpretation of the TV theme “Peter Gunn.”
Here’s a live performance of “Karn Evil 9: First Impression Part 2.” (Note the Anthology features the studio version.)
(Subsequent titles coming later in 2016 are 1972’s Trilogy, 1973’s Brain Salad Surgery and 1974’s triple live album Welcome Back My Friends To The Show That Never Ends.)
So what are you waiting for? Enter our contest stat! Since only three of you will win, we’ll understand if you can’t wait and want to order these great albums right away via the links below…
No purchase necessary. Deadline for entries is 11:45PM Eastern time on July 24, 2016. For complete Best Classic Bands contest rules, click here.
[wcc_contest id=24860]
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2 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationKeith…….may you rest in eternal peace. God bless you mate.
Que tristeza que ya no se encuentre con nosotros Keith Emerson. Deberían Greg Lake and Carl Palmer juntarce con un gran tecladista x ejemplo Rick Wakman, aunque yo se que no sera lo mismo pero sería digno de hacerle un GRAN Homenaje