Alien Rock from Retribution Drive

NOT TO FORGET

..oh, and The Doors !

It’s Airey Time!

Must.....resist.....urge...to....spam.......

Now, uh...I’ll...move along...

Gary’s final recording was done with Don, January 2011. Those sessions showed up on Don’s Keyed Up album (and pictured above), in the form of Adagio and Mini Suite.  Since Colosseum II, when Gary was merely 20, till the end.  Don was there for Gary’s wedding with his first wife Kerry, Gary likewise was there for Don’s wedding.  It’s not the most conventional choice, but my favourite version of Midnight Blues, with Don on keys, like the original version from 1990.

WHY IS THERE AN OBI SASH FOR BRAIN SALAD SURGERY?!?!?!?

Today In ELP History (March 17)

On this day in 1977, Emerson, Lake & Palmer released Works, Volume 1. As a double LP album, this work features a solo side for each of them, followed by a side for the band as a whole, mirroring the setup of the debut album released nearly seven years before. I have included a performance of Pirates from their Montreal concert from later that year, complete with orchestra. Below I shall also give a brief overview of the solo sides.

Keith Emerson: Arguably the most ambitious of the trio this time around, it was reportedly Keith’s idea to record with an orchestra. He wished to prove to the world of classical musicians that he ought to be taken seriously as a composer, and to that end wrote the towering Piano Concerto No. 1 (a live performance of the third movement is linked here). While I feel this work was not required to take him seriously in the classical world, there is no doubt that it was a massive undertaking.

Greg Lake: Greg had the unenviable task of following up Keith’s side with his own. While he did not ostensibly go out to prove himself, his side of the album is no less grand. In the space of five songs, he and his collaborator Peter Sinfield explored love and on faith. Greg proved himself a similarly masterful musician, culminating in Closer to Believing, taking a scale that ranged from the whole universe to a single pair of humans within it.

Carl Palmer: Between the towering achievements of his bandmates’ sides, Carl’s side of Works is far lighter fare, and works well as a breather. In such examples as this take on Bach, Carl also tried to prove how far he had come as a musician.

Err, there are some really good photo edits floating about the Purple Fandom these days. I was inspired myself. Thank you very much for the inspiration, @gettin-tighter!