Emerson, Lake & Palmer- Pictures at an Exhibition (SIDE 1)(REACTION//DISCUSSION)
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
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This album was my gateway to classical music.
You are not alone!
same here
We might believe that EL&P intended that.
This album and the albums of Isao Tomita gave me an appreciation of classical music. Even Emerson's early work with The Nice intrigued me, from "Intermezzo from the Karelia Suite" to "Brandenburger." It might be a good idea for Justin to check out The Nice's "Ars Longa Vita Brevis," which sounds very much like a fledgling ELP.
ruclips.net/video/LpkaBkp0dBs/видео.html London Symphony version...It's great to love classical and prog just as much...I've spent half a century listening and it's a VERY DEEP WELL!...:)
On Side 2, Carl Palmer plays essentially non-stop for 10-12 minutes. The man had some serious stamina. And 50 years later, as the only surviving member, he still looks fantastic.
I saw them in the 70's. I was a HUGE ELP fan then and they were fantastic. I regret that I was in my teens and, even though I loved them, I didn't have the maturity and world experiences to appreciate them enough. I'm in my 60's now and have never tired of their music and I think I actually like it more now bc of my growth over time.
As many 100s of times I’ve heard this, it just gets better and better, and the part with Lake on guitar still gives me goosebumps!
I’m also part of the hundreds of times club goosebumps included!!!
Yes "The Sage" (picture)
Immortal!
First gig I ever went to. 1970 ELP at Newcastle City Hall. First track was Barbarian (awesome). Then they played Pictures starting off with Emerson on the Hall Pipe Organ and then running down the wooden steps to his best Hammond which promptly died on stage. So they went into Take A Pebble instead.
Then an unscheduled interval.
After half an hour trying to fix the organ, , the roadies gave up and it was down to the cheaper organ for the rest of the show. Then they did Pictures in full.
ELP were the first band to take the moog synthesiser on tour and it was amazing to hear it live for the first time. A gig I will never forget.
More: Regarding the synth solo in The Sage. Emerson would jump off the stage and run into the audience with the synth stick. Very visual.
The album's recording is dated in March 1971 at Newcastle, so you might have been off a year. Hard to believe it was 50 years ago. Great story.
Thats absolutely incredible Steve, thank you for sharing that
I never said I was at THAT gig. I would have got tickets for it but there was a postal strike. No. I was at the November 1970 gig the previous year.
@@steveconnor746 oh I know, but thats still incredible to be able see them live 😁😁
This is a really exciting version of Mussorgsky’s piece. Of course it takes enormous liberties with the material but the violence and dark power is really brought out in a way even the superb Ravel orchestration can’t touch. I urge you to listen to the originals. Promenade is pretty much exactly the notes on the page and works nicely on organ (though adding lyrics and Lake’s voice later is a lovely touch.) Gnome is closer to the original than you might first expect - the faster tempo and use of electric instruments works really well. The Sage is pure Lake. Possibly one of his finest pieces and performances he manages to put his case as a major writer of King Crimsons first album very convincingly! The old castle is less easy to recognise - it starts in the same key (G# minor) and uses the same compound rhythm but then Emerson weaves his magic, takes the slow mournful melody and turns it into the head of a blazing 12-bar organ extravaganza. It was a shame they couldn’t have tackled more of the movements from the original but you still have side 2 to enjoy! ELP at their very best.
Great commentary!
You know, come to think of it I don't think I've ever heard the original piano version.
For me, 'The Old Castle' has always been a hugely entertaining morph from Mussorgsky's piano score lament to Emerson's phrenetic Moog invention.
Emerson was the world's best keyboardist and remains even though he passed away in March 2016!!
You should have waaaay more subscribers! You don’t interrupt the music, and your insights are incisive and impactful.
Appreciate that Joel!
I very much agree. No interruptions is key. And I do enjoy JP’s thoughts and his spontaneous chats
Totally agree!
it's why we love JP
The best!
My very first ELP album. The recording is perfect and everything went right that evening. There is also a video of the same name which is a total nightmare to watch. Keith had a few problems tuning his Moog but the guy who edited the video was on a bad acid trip during working hours. I think it is available on YT.
Thanks, Justin, for uploading this. It is just as fresh as the day it was released. ELP did an amazing job introducing young people to classical music. And remember, synths were in short supply at the time and very expensive. It was the first time many of us were hearing these amazing sounds that came from another world.
I saw ELP when Trilogy came out in 1972. They played some stuff from the first album, all of Pictures, Tarkus and most of the new album. It was just an unbelievable experience and they were worth 10 times the ticket price.
Completely agree with you about the video. It’s such a let down to hear that I stopped it before the end…
That concert must have been mind blowing. It would have blown my 12 year old mind. I got into them around 1973
I saw the film at a theater in Ocean Beach, San Diego around 1973. I was just getting into ELP. The film blew me away. I found the film on VHS years later and yeah, it was kinda bad but still cool to see those guys play. Too bad they did not film the concert that was recorded for this album. This is a great album.
@@57cire Too bad they did film the concert that this GREAT album came from.
@@57cire Same here - I love ELP but I couldn't take more than about 5 minutes of that video - dire!
Palmer is like the perfect fusion of a machine and a BEAST. Some guys are beasts on the drums - John Bonham, Keith Moon, while others are machines (Bill Buford, Peart?). Palmer is completely both.
So true!
Still blown away by this - it's just three guys live! Keith Emerson plays the Newcastle Hall pipe organ at the beginning. And the layers of Moog and Hammond build from that. Enjoyed Carl's drums, and Greg's Spanish style 12 string guitar. Can't wait for side two!
I saw ELP 32 times with my first being in the summer of 1972. They did the entire Pictures at an Exhibition at that concert and my young mind was blown. To this day that is in the top 3 of concerts I have seen and I have literally been to over 2,100 concerts. For 3 guys they blew the roof off of every venue every time. I will cherish the memories of those 32 shows but I am sad I will never be able to see them again.
Epic album. Carl Palmer needs to be talked about more when discussing great drummers.
Totally agreed
You will enjoy the album Carl did with Mike Oldfield- Five Miles Out in 1982
on Carl Palmers latest solo tour , this was the center of attention , he played small places
I was at the City Hall when they recorded this, 15yrs old and just gobsmacked. I rememnber the night like it was yesterday. They played a full concert plus encores before they came back on and played this, awesome.
Wow. That's legendary.
Lucky man! 😄
Yep, that was their setlist back then: the first album, this, and a couple of leftovers from Emerson's days with The Nice. It's a good thing this is the official record of Pictures. The version from the Isle of Wight festival is one of their very first gigs together and it's raw as hell.
Emerson at his manic best, Lake croons beautifully but...The Drumming! He had more stamina than a factory full of Duracell bunnies! Still unbelievable after half a Century 👍 oh and ‘ferocious playing’? Just wait till Side 2!!!!
Carl Palmer is still an animal on drums in his 70s! Amazing.
My freshman music teacher turned me on the Tarkus in 1071 and I was hooked. I saw ELP about 6 or 7 times, I lost track, one time I saw them twice in two nights at different venue's. I followed the three trailer trucks from Providence RI to Cape Cod, first quadraphonic concert I had ever been to; the ending of Karn Evil 9 blew my mind. The first time I had seen them was when Keith lifted his piano in the air and started spinning while he was still playing. Unbelievable showmanship, especially Keith. Carl was simple the fastest drummer I had ever seen and non-stop, his drum set weighed over a ton, revolving drum stand pedestal, with synthesized kits, it was just phenomenal. And what can I say about Greg, he had the smoothest voice and he was so underrated as a musician, he could really play both the guitar and bass and a great song writer. I just love how they adapted classical, jazz and ballads together, they had it all. I feel fortunate to have been able to see them live, you should've been there, it was great.
CONGRATS at last!! One of the best Live albums ever. Your my favourite reaction channel on YT, Cant wait for 20k a passion play. Im so glad you got into ELP very quickly on your channel, still remember your first reaction to them.
Appreciate it Cadan! The Barbarian charged in and made me want more😅
You asked for our emotional reactions as teens seeing them live. I saw them before they broke Japan. In Scotland, in an old venue building. Had seen them briefly on tv and possibly a bit of their first Lp. The Beatles were going, guitars were coming back but I think we were a bit bored. Some of us looking for something cerebral? Sometimes the lights would go out it was the early 70’s . Strikes. We wanted light and some hope. My experience was disbelief, amazement, extreme emotion, fun, they made me believe stuff was possible . 3 young guys with talent and nerve. I was stuck to the spot even after the lights had gone up and most folks had gone. I knew I’d witnessed something important. I felt hope and I wanted more.
This was recorded as Newcastle City Hall UK
Promenade Emerson played on the NCH Organ !!
and then he switched to his hammond (later to be destroyed !!) and moog
I think the drum & bass intro to The Gnome was planned to give Keith time to get back down from the organ console.
Actually their first work! No wonder they were catapulted into world recognition overnight after Isle of Wight Festival.
You wanted someone to describe what it was like to hear it live...magical!!! If you notice, you hear every note..no distortion...their live shows were always the epitome of professionalism. I can not tell exactly how many times I have seen them..probably 20 or so...never disappointed
Great reaction! You can imagine what this sounded like in 1971 the old world meets the new world. Rock and roll meets classical. Check out the live version of Tarkus. The inclusion of Epitaph and the improv on Aquatarkus is one of the greatest ELP moments.
Aquatarkus live from WBMFTTSTNE is mind-blowing and jaw-dropping. 🤪
@@patrickdunnett2447 To bad that version in 74 did not get put on the album.
have a few bootlegs from that tour and do not know why it was not included.
I just want to reinforce that Mussorgsky's original was a piano piece, and that Ravel made a wonderful transcription for orchestra, and most people only know of Ravel's version of this great work. My opinion is that the ELP version is an artistically valid transcription of the original, and as such has as much value as Ravel's imaginaton of the original.
Looking inside my vinyl album, much of the music was written by Mussorgsky, but "The Sage" was written by Lake, and "Blues Variation" was written by ELP.
The original is about a tour of an exhibition. The first theme, which is repeated again and again in variations, describes the path and the sensations between the images, in between the individual images are always described musically. ELP has left out a few pictures from the original and added a few of their own. It is definitely worth listening to the original, or perhaps even better, the orchestral version by Ravel.
I don't think Promenade in Mussorgsky has such a profound meaning; it simply symbolized walking ("promenade" means "walk") from one picture to the next. Ravel's version has beautiful colours as of course you would expect from an Impressionist, but it loses much of the original Russian character in my view, it's a bit too perfumed I'd say, but ok, that's a different discussion I guess.
@@voiceover2191 Ohhhhhh, do I have *opinions* about the Mussorgsky piano original and Ravel's orchestration. The only big symbolism I know of in the promenade theme is the odd meter (it's written in anything BUT 4/4) could be representative of Mussorgsky's fat-man-waddle around the picture gallery.
I'd definitely recommend that Justin listen to the original Mussorgsky suite to compare with ELP's prog-saturated re-imagination of the music.
Fun Fact: Greg Lake and Robert Fripp were roomates as King Crimson was formed. Robert taught Greg how to play guitar with his fingers.
...rather than his toes? 😎
@@lemming9984 no a guitar pick.
Reasons to be impressed:
It's live and the imperfections help the piece breathe
It's a clever adaptation of Mussorgsky. Classical meets rock head on and we're all the winners
The vocals are excellent/warm/powerful in turns
Plenty of Moog and Hammond
Palmer is in the top 5 rock drummers ever
The bass does everything it needs to
It's a crying shame that we've lost Emerson and Lake but Palmer is still going (very) strong and can do a really good version of this with his current band.
Mussorgsky went to an art festival and saw paintings for which he wrote music for piano. Both Ravel and Rimsky-Korsakov orchestrated it for full orchestra, Ravel's being the most renowne. It's very much worth listening to. ELP pretty much follows the composition in Promenade(s) and The Gnome after which the pieces divert a bit from the original, the biggest diversion being Blues Variations which is completely ELP's own work in which they choose for the past to meet the present of 1971. If you do listen to the original Ravel orchestration be sure to find the very vest recording because it's been recorded many times. Mussorgsky's original piano work was composed in 1874.
This album introduced me to Mussorgsky and classical music, brain salad surgery introduced me to Geiger and William Blake, the 3 fates off the first album sparked my interest in mythology. I miss that band
Greg is playing a Gibson J-500 acoustic. It’s their largest acoustic which gives it depth.
@@kathyratino962 I have no idea how that got there. I’ll correct it as soon as I recall what it said in my head.
He loved that guitar. I prefer a smaller Martin but Greg made anything he played sing.
@@davidmiles533 and in 1977 his custom Zemaitis acoustic.
@@shyshift just looked it up. Pretty axe.
34:35 PICTURES was released after TARKUS but was recorded before it. They were playing PICTURES at their first major gig, the 1970 Isle of Wight festival, so by the time the recording of PICTURES was made for release they'd been playing it on the road for half a year already. That's part of why they sound so tight and the operation of the Moog was so well sorted out.
*Finally, This is the greatest thing I've ever woken up to*
*Thank you for making my morning*
Happily! Enjoy and have a nice morning🌄
One additional note on this recording that you may have missed when you read the Wikipedia entry regarding the organ Keith plays at the beginning and Palmer's drum roll which affords Emerson time to run down to the stage along with his band mates:
"The opening section, "Promenade", features Emerson playing a Harrison & Harrison pipe organ which was installed at the venue in 1928. The organ console is some way above stage level, at the top of a stepped terrace typically used for choral performances. Palmer's drum roll connecting "Promenade" to the following section was added to give Emerson time to return to his keyboards."
So during that Palmer drum roll, Emerson is running down to the stage.
Ahhhhhhh gotcha, ty for letting me know. Makes sense
I was there, Newcastle City Hall. The huge pipe organshivered my bones and took my breath. Emerson was using early synths and rgere was a smell like sunray lamps.
You can hear Greg shouting out at the beginning to Carl and Keith! I saw him do that live. He was not the typical shy balladeer! He actually emailed me in the 90’s he had a page on the new web a section called ‘were you here?’ Asking fans what gigs they attended. I answered him and he said yes I remember all the gigs and I remember that one’ Keith had jumped off the stage and him and Carl had to fill in til he returned… He was very chatty and emailed me again. So lovely and kind. Very loveable. What an angelic voice and bass player and guitarist and lyricist. I learned many years later he attributed many lyrics we were unaware of.
I remember this album dropping, bought it straight away, I was blown away then and I still am by their playing. R.I.P. Greg and Keith. Never forgotten.
grew up with this lp... that cool little motif emerson plays in blues variation is from a bill evans tune named interplay...
Also like a lot the Tomita version of this piece... amazing synth and Unbelievable vinyl sound! Really worth it!
I saw them five times in the 70s, and each time they performed PaaE. Their concerts pushed you back in your seat. The track breaks released you to stand, as one, and scream. There was a mass-like quality to an ELP concert. RIP, Keith and Greg.
One of the best recorded live albums ever, by the best band! Saw ELP in 72 and 74 and they were unstoppable live - that three musicians could play such demanding music on stage was and remains a source of wonder. This and Welcome Back My Friends etc are superb documents of a band at the height of their powers. Side two is even more amazing, with incredible energy and playing from all three. You will love it!
I saw them do this pretty much around the same time, before the LP was released even, just the first album had been released at that point. Hard to describe, but I knew it was something special. Palmer did a solo that convinced me he was immortal and set me on a path in my own drumming. Emerson whipping his organ around and stabbing it during Rondo was disturbing, in the best way.
Ditto! I was 14 years old and still remember that show at Madison Square Garden.
It was through ELP that I got interested in classical music, looking up the originals to see what they sounded like. I highly encourage you to hear Mussorgky's original version on solo piano as well as Ravel's orchestration of it to really appreciate what ELP brought to it. I must say the remastering really brings out the concert experience quite well. I have always loved Greg Lake's romanticism, and it was such an important foil to Keith Emerson's tendency towards chaos (although Emerson certainly could be beautifully romantic when he wanted to, as demonstrated on "Take A Pebble"). The choice of classical composers that ELP "covered" was always interesting, and showed how knowledgeable they were, as well as how curious they were as musicians. Fun, fun reaction!
This was originally written for piano, Ravel developed it for Orchestra, ELP pushed it into the stratosphere.
written in 1874
Regarding the question about Greg’s guitar, this is from a Melody Maker Q&A about ELP from 1972:
“On "Pictures," Keith played Hammond L100, Hammond C3 and Moog Synthesiser, with two 100-watt Hiwatt amps driving two Hi-watt 4 W 12 cabinets. He had three Leslies, one of which was a PRO 900. The other two have been modified and there are special hi-frequency units on top. The Moog was custom-built, specially modified by Bob Moog. Greg Lake played a Fender bass guitar and a Gibson J200 acoustic and used two 200-watt Hiwatt amps with two 4x12 and two 4x5 cabinets. Carl Palmer used a Gretsch drum kit with Paiste cymbals and gongs.”
And from Gibson.com (via archive.org)
“Ask a guitarist to name the ultimate Gibson acoustic, and many will reply - it’s the J-200. Elegant and flamboyantly curvaceous even by Gibson’s top-line standards, the J-200 has found fame in the hands of numerous legends: Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Pete Townshend, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jimmy Page, Neil Young and The Edge, to name but a few. Heck, even kids’ TV cowboy Rex Traylor played a J-200.
The J-200 entered production in 1937, and continues to this day as one of the most-desirable guitars in history. The J-200 is known as the “king of the flat-tops” for good reason.”
In the 70s. And just 3 players. So awesome
Timeless
This is Mussogrsky's orignal piano composition: ruclips.net/video/rH_Rsl7fjok/видео.html
And this is the orchestration by Maurice Ravel: ruclips.net/video/ADTJ3sr3-5c/видео.html
They are really worth the listen
Imagine going from disco and top 40 to Styx to Led Zeppelin to Rush and then Yes "Fragile" and ELP "Pictures At An Exhibition" as a young teen in the early 80s. To say this album changed my outlook on music is an understatement. Huge impact on me.
Justin, you really should listen to a recording of Mussorgsky's original piece. It's really good, and it's pretty cool to compare ELP's adaptation to the original.
Also, there are two classical versions: Mussorgsky's original piano work, and then Ravel's orchestral version. I prefer Ravel's, but the piano work is a real tour de force in its own right.
INCREDIBLE ! ( your words ) sad you never got to see them live......the POWER and the excellence of this group is unsurpassed. I saw them over 25 times in thier time together. I was hooked....From the Beginning...excellent..Gotta love that ribbon controller ..that was what its called ..when u asked the instrument.it was used sparingly.Pic's was the first time Keith used it. Pete Sinfield helped with the writing
When you're 16 years old and you love classical music, yet want to rock...and then your friends turn you on to this, well...you can imagine. ELP, Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, Gentle Giant...these were our titans. GOSH they made such great music. SO powerful. ELP were beyond great, and to think this was LIVE. Damn.
I was there the night that was recorded, great show by ELP, as they usually were. It was a great night, and like has been said, this proved to be a bit of a gateway to classical. Bought Mussorgsky's version the next day. This isn't an entirely faithful rendition of the original, but it was 100 or so years later and music moved on. My favourite parts haves always been Blues Variation (which was a variation on The Old Castle) and The Great Gates of Kiev. I remember after the end of nutrocker, I just sat/stood totally shell-shocked by the concert.
I was there too-it was mesmeric?
This remastered version sounds better than ever, can you believe this is the type of music punks were railing against? Total envy. This music reaches me like no punk song ever could. 3 master musicians at their craft.
I disagree, punk music was not a reaction against prog rock but the main stream commercial rock scene that had grown stale and unimaginitive.
@@voiceover2191 To some extent true sure, but punk was also 'invented' by the likes of Malcolm McLaren to make money.
Fabulous - magic memories for me as I saw them perform this in 1971 on the very tour that this was recorded although the gig I saw was Manchester. The volume was loud, the quality pristine and it blew all our minds. Strangely enough, I met Keith Emerson in a record shop in Manchester during the afternoon of that day - he was browsing classical and jazz albums. I said Hi nervously and he said Hi back -that was it but what a concert they produced that night. Love your channel mate!!
Amazing! Thank you Neil!
That crowd is just ROARING their approval at this show !! Where was it ? If memory serves, Newcastle ?
🚬😎
"Turn it down!" Man, that must've been some gig. Been listening to this for nearly 40 years now. Nice.
Nice to see ya doing ELP again...your grins during Blues Variation were totally infectious. 😁 You reflected the obvious fun the band was having with that wild piece.
I'll always be here for your ELP reactions...
And, for the record, Blues Variation was 100% ELP and not in Mussorgsky's original opus.
After The Sage is Keith using a ribbon controller hooked to the Moog Synthesizer and it gets really shaky because he’s rubbing it up and down his bum. He would do this for decades.
Thanks for this Justin. My late brother was at the concert in my home city. The opening Promenade was played on the pipe organ at the back of the stage in Newcastle City Hall. I think Emerson had an affinity with Newcastle as he had been commissioned by Newcastle Arts in 1969 to write The Five Bridges Suite which was performed by his then band The Nice - you might want to check it out , it's another live recording but with an orchestra as well as the band.
5 Bridges Suite by THE NICE is highly recommended (even though their vocalist wasn't very good)!!
It's their best-sounding live album, the mix is stellar on this one. Perfectly captures the raw energy.
As you are trying to enter the realm of classical music I recommend you to listen the original Mussorgsky piano suite and the Rimsky Korsakov orchestral transcription that tried to “correct” the Mussorgsky mistakes in the music and finally the Ravel’s orchestral adaptation that I believe was used by ELP as basis for their version.
Are you perhaps meaning Rimsky's straightening out The Night on Bald Mountain instead of Pictures, as I believe he never made an orchestration of Pictures.
@@JBuddis You are right, I the first orchestral adaptation was made by a Korsakov's student.
When ever they played The Gnome, the lights were always green, to highlight the creepiness. Baba Yaga was lit in red and The Gates of Kiev was always in gold and amber.
Pete Sinfield's lyrics are a large and overlooked contribution.
I know Pete collaborated with ELP on later albums, and on I believe in Father Christmas, but I thought the lyrics on Pictures at an Exhibition were entirely Greg's. I know he's famous for King Crimson Lyrics and some of ELP's but my favourite, and I know I'm in a minority here, are the English lyrics he wrote for PFM. By the way @Justin, when are you getting back to PFM for some more reactions?
@@PaulMDove2 You may be right, I thought he wrote the lyrics for this too, sure sounds like something he would have written away.
hi justin i was at the concert in bradford the night before this was recorded met keith emmerson shopping in bradford i will never forget how great this band was i now am 73 but still love my music
Hey there! Thats really really amazing, I'm sure it was a great concert and lovely meeting Keith!
Lyrics were written by Greg Lake and one of their roadies, Richard Fraser. The Sage is a new "picture" written by Lake, and Blues Variation is a blues break during the middle of this classical piece of music by Mussorgsky. This classical piece is about a real exhibition of paintings in 1874 by Mussorgsky's friend Viktor Hartmann (who died in 1873), and the "Promenades" are promenades, i.e., walking between each picture. Thus there is no picture in the ELP album for the Promenades. And those paintings in the album cover were made for the album, they are not at all like the real ones from the 1800's. I'm sure you have heard at least one other work by Mussorgsky without knowing it: Night On Bald Mountain.
A masterpiece! One of rock's greatest albums. ELP are maestros of their trade.
Finally finally finally. I was 5 when this came out. My older brother came home and played it. I was so blown away. This is why i drum. Carl is a monster.
Your experiencing a masterpiece of live music. Three monsters of prog. Never gets old and skill level off the charts
I was eleven years old when I first hear ELP in 1970 and I was hooked for life in less than five minutes, to this day I believe they are the greatest band ever.
Masters at work, this is music. 😊
In Alaska, in Juneau, 1971...
We dropped acid and listened to ELP... PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION...
HOLY CHEESE MUFFINS...
Cannot begin to tell you what it was like...
But the emotions were intense awe and overwhelming emotional highs and lows...
Nice reaction - it's amazing how close this is to the original by Moussorgsky.That Newcastle City Hall pipe organ is awesome! Two of the greatest exponents of their chosen instruments in "rock". And Greg Lake. Thanks for playing this.
You are the one who will be the painter of those empty cavases!canvases!! It's a trip through the artists self!! They are painting with music instead of paint, so sit back and relax and paint along with ELP. And enjoy the experience!!
Remember this was in the days before digital synthesizers. The synth used by Keith was an analog modular Moog dating from 1968 that Keith used to his dying day.
There is a video on RUclips of Keith explaining the mighty Moor.
This live album was supposed to be ELP's debut album but the studio executives got scared and wanted to release it under their classical label, but ELP refused and shelved the album until after their studio debut, which convinced the execs to release it as a Rock album. It went to #1 in the UK and #10 in the U.S.
I would like to add that, ELP wanted to add this LP with Tarkus that was issued later in
July but did not happen. Pictures did get released in the UK later and not in the States.
ELP went to Atlantic and were told what you posted. Later, Atlantic called their
management for the masters because Atlantic noticed UK copies being imported.
I was a serious musician when I was young. I composed music and I listened mostly to classical music. A friend told me I needed to hear this album. I already knew both Moussorgsky's original work for piano and the Ravel arrangement for orchestra. This piece made me an ELP fan. I recognized exactly what Keith Emerson was doing, popularizing and updating classical music, playing up the drama for young modern audiences.
The same friend introduced me to Rick Wakeman's Six Wives of Henry VIII, and I was done. A prog fan for life.
Moussorgsky's program notes identify the museum and the specific paintings that are described in each movement. The promenade sections are supposed to represent the viewer walking from one painting to another in the museum.
Modest Mussorsky composed Pictures At An Exhibition in tribute to an artist friend that had recently died named Victor Hartmann. Mussorsky composed music to eleven induvial paintings by Hartmann. Emerson, Lake and Palmer only used the music of four of the eleven pieces composed by Mussorsky and the melody only of one other piece. They added four of their own; The Sage, The Old Castle, Blues Variation and The Curse of Baba Yaga. If you have heard the piece played on solo piano or orchestrated you will note that Mussorgsky composed a piece of music he titled "The Old Castle." However, Emerson, Lake and Palmer do not arrange the music of that piece. The instrumentation they titled "The Old Castle" has no reference to Mussorsky's music. Instead, Emerson, Lake and Palmer play the melody only of Mussorsky's "The Old Castle" and arrange it for "Blues Variations." Mussorsky's melody for "The Old Castle" can be heard at a faster tempo at the beginning and closing of "Blues Variations." In between the intro and closing Emerson, Lake and Palmer improvise their own instrumentation. Victor Hartmann's painting for "The Old Castle," and which Mussorsky composed music for shows a minstrel laying in the grass in front of an old castle playing a lute. In "The Sage" Greg is in the "guise" of the minstrel. Instead of a lute, Greg plays a Gibson J200 acoustic guitar. All the lyrics are original written by Greg Lake with the help of one their roadies named Nik Frazer. The album jacket paintings are by William Neal who previously drew the creature for the album jacket cover called TARKUS.
Watching ELP live was simply mesmerising. Your brain can barely take it all in.
Hey Justin ~ I love everything ELP ever did, but this... this is their Magnum Opus. The stellar playing, the incredible energy, and the majesty of the sound they created here is perfection, in my view. I use this album, or CD, to test stereo equipment and speakers for my friends to calibrate their systems. It is that perfect a recording. I'm so glad that you're enjoying this. Greg is playing a steel string acoustic guitar during the Sage. That is why you're hearing it the way you are. It's mic'd perfectly, and yes, it is a full body guitar. I cannot wait to see and hear your reaction to the final song of Pictures, The Great Gate of Kiev. It is going to absolutely blow your mind! =)
Got it! Ty Tolemac, this is definitely really really good :D
Bullseye Tolemac!!!
I love this band j. P , I saw this band three times . First I saw them at the Arie crown theater and doctor hook and the medicine back them up , but When E.l P took the stage , they open up with hoedown and none of us knew of this song. Because the album trilogy was not out yet. The seats I had were nose bleed and the band looked like ants.They did all of pictures at an Exhibition and tarkus etc. The second time I saw them was at the Chicago ampltheater Brain salad surgery , great tour The third time at Chicago soldiers field with two bands backing them up, 1 climax blues band 2 the j girls band. This was the works vol ,1 tour with a orchestra and it was awesome to see it . , Today is Aug ,29 , the day when Emerson Lake and Palmer played the isle of Wight, but originally sat 1970. I recommend buying the dual disc , one side cd and the other side DVD.
Fun. We used to geek out over this back in the day. Haven’t listened to it in a long time. I guess I needed company.
This is a great album and only exists live, at the time the record company did not know what to do with this album was it rock or classical? They could not figure it out and would not publish it. Bit the US label liked and published it in the US and it went gang-busters. I am sure this was my second ELP record and what a fusion of sounds, genres and ideas from so many parts of music and it sounds really great. Plus they add there own stamp. It is a really is a great live album. When it comes to live albums please try Yessongs by Yes that is also so amazing. The live energy really pushes them to a new level. Great review and thank you greatly for doing this review.
I saw them in St. Louis in 1974 when they did the Welcome Back tour. It was in live in quad sound. I never forgot that show. They made a 4 sided live album of that tour, Welcome Back My Friends....some day you need to react to it.
Hello, hello. When I bought this it was way over my head. It took probably a dozen listenings before I began to grasp what was going on. Lake's voice is what kept me going back.
Congratulations on reaching 18K! This is one of my favorite albums and I have a lot to say about it so strap in!
Even though this is ELP's third album, the recording was from their first tour, and they had been performing this piece every show since their debut in August 1970 (even before their first album came out). The Nice was known for adapting classical pieces into a rock format, as was King Crimson (with their adaptation of Mars the god of war). But an adaptation as ambitious as this had never been done before. It had a huge impact on early audiences. Word spread and the band very quickly became known for performing this piece. You can hear how excited the crowd was when they simply announced it at the beginning of the record. And keep in mind this was recorded only 7 months after their debut performance! ELP was one of the first supergroups as all three of them well known from their prior bands. They didn't really have to build a following, they all had fanbases built in from their prior bands. But this piece solidified that following and sent the band's popularity soaring to much greater heights than any of their prior bands.
A bit of history behind this piece: It was originally composed for piano by Mussorgsky in 1874 as a tribute to his friend, Viktor Hartmann. Hartmann was an artist who had just passed away when Mussorgsky composed this piece. The concept was that of Mussorgsky walking through an art exhibition and looking at the paintings created by his old friend. Each movement within the piece (other than the promenades) is a musical adaption (or impression) of the picture he is looking at. The promenade section reprise themselves frequently throughout the song to illustrate the act of walking from picture to picture. Each painting elicits a different emotion, thus the mood changes every time the promenade is played.
So right off the bat, the piece is a musical adaption of someone else's art. This was a common theme of impressionist music of the time, and Mussorgsky was one of the earliest impressionist composers. But the piece was further adapted in 1922 by symphony impressionist composer Maurice Ravel. His adaptation is the most famous. More famous than even the original piano version. But it's just one of many adaptations. ELP's adaptation is perhaps the second most famous, but ELP took a lot of liberties when they adapted it for rock audiences. You asked how faithful they were to the original. Well, they really only adapted some of the sections, and they added a lot of their own original material. I notice that you tend to prefer the new music they added over the music they adapted from the original. It just goes to show how great ELP were at writing music early on. I'll go into more detail track by track:
1. Promenade - This is perhaps the most faithful movement. In Ravel's adaptation it's led by cornets before the orchestra comes in. So, when you said it sounded a bit like horns, you are correct. It was meant to be performed by horns, at least in Ravels' adaptation (remember, the original Mussorgsky version of "pictures" was performed entirely on piano). The church organ was Keith's idea, and it really is a nice touch that almost sounds like it could have been in the classical version. Also, to be clear, Keith never stabbed the church organ with knives. But his hammond organ? That poor thing has a lot of knife wounds both from his Nice days and his ELP days.
2. The Gnome - This is also a very faithful adaptation. But ELP's version is more frantic and high energy. Also, the call and response bass vs. keyboard/drum battle was entirely ELP's invention.
3. Promenade - In Ravel's adaptation, this softer version of the promenade is performed very lightly by the string section, in wind ensemble versions, I've heard it performed by flutes and woodwinds. Greg's voice here is very light and soft, like a flute. The lyrics are entirely Greg's composition though, they did not appear in the original, or Ravel's adaptation.
4. The Sage - This is entirely an original piece composed by Greg. You pointed out that it sounds like he's playing the "wrong guitar". That's because he's playing a classical style piece, but not on a classical guitar. He's playing it on a full bodied acoustic with metal strings (not nylon strings). I'm guessing the reason he chose an acoustic over a classical/spanish guitar is because acoustic guitars are louder and project better in rock concerts.
5. The Old Castle - This is a very loose adaptation. the original is much slower and is both haunting and sad. ELP's version is a lot more frantic, it only borrows a few phrases from the original and there's a lot of new material composed by Keith added in. Keith is playing a moog, one of the first synthesizers and you are right when you said this was probably a new sound that audiences hadn't heard before as it had just recently been invented. Keith was good friends with Robert Moog and he was one of the first keyboardists to introduce it to the world. It was definitely a new sound for audiences.
6. Blues Variations - This is really just an extension of "The Old Castle" played in a bluesier way and on a hammond organ instead of the moog. The Hammond is/was a much more familiar sound to audiences, so it's almost a relief when he switches to it after the weird and frantic alien sound of the moog. This track is really just a jam on the previous theme, but Keith does introduce elements of keyboard lines he performed with The Nice as a gift to Nice fans who were in attendance.
I really wish you listened to the whole album in one go. Even though blues variations ends side 1 on the record, on the cd version (that you were listening to) it flows directly into the next promenade. Side two is the better side. It has my favorite tracks, "The Great Gates of Kiev" as well as the very impressive Baba Yaga sections. You mentioned that Baba Yaga reminded you of John Wick. Well Baba Yaga was originally a witch from Russian/Slavic folklore. She lives in a hut on chicken legs and flies in a mortar and pestle. Both Mussorgsky and Hartmann were Russian nationalists who celebrated and promoted Russian culture and their works reflect that. I do have a lot more to say about this album, and how it influenced my own music, but I'll save that for part two. Thanks for reading to the end!
Thanks for the great and very informative commentary!
There is the film of this concert. Greg Lake to me is one of the best voice ever and his music is genial, The sage is so beautiful. I saw them in concert when they reunited in the 90s and when on a world tour, man....when the concert ended I had the weird feeling of walking on air going back home, their energy is so strong, that impact your brain in a way that I've never felt ever since, the stimulation to your brain is so strong that is the equivalent of taking drugs, without taking them.
By the way Still you turn me on is a fantastic song, period, Greg Lake voice is as sexy as a male voice can be.
Story goes that that little drum roll after the initial Promenande is so Keith could run downstairs from the pipe organ upstairs (it was already in the building) to the stage.
Congratulations on 18k JP!! 👏.
In an attempt to share “my music” with my Dad, I remember playing this album for him. He was a big classical music guy and he just looked at my and shook his head from side to side. I remember that because I had the same reaction to this album when I first heard it. Not because I was such a big lover of classical music at the time, but because of what you discussed. ELP could be very divisive, especially Keith’s going off on tangents. It took many listens for me to finally come over to the dark side and understand their brilliance. The smile on your face was all we need to know about how you felt. Can’t wait for side 2. Thanks for playing this and again, 18k is a great accomplishment. You are a island of integrity and intelligence in a YT world full of mush.
Ty Real! I can definitely understand, its a lot to take in at times, but its always stunningly executed
In 1986 Zappa asked in a title of a record "Does Humor Belong in Music".........YES, Sure it does.
'Ole Audiophile to JP: Led Zeppelin got played to death with the Floyd, we avoided playing them very often. THIS was the album that got played over & over in our house for the last 45 years. I loved side one, my wife side two, thus the entire album was played every time...more than I can count. I was thrilled when the Victory remasters came out at one time.
Mo. Dest Mussorgsky is a Russian classical composer from the late 1800’s. The Sage and Blues Variations have nothing to do with him. ELP wrote those. All the lyrics were written by Greg because the original was an orchestra. 50% of this album is not by the Russian composer.
The original is a piano piece.
Afternoon, Justin. Dave from The Smoke. This piece goes Straight To My Heart, and may even be my favourite ELP album (tough call against Trilogy). I also can't think of a better rock version of a classical piece - as you say, ELP make it their own and I think It really does capture the heart and soul of the original work. While I was already into some classical music, this introduced me to the Russian composers like Mussorgsky, Prokofiev and Rimsky Korsakov - such drama, colour and energy, which would surely appeal to many rock and prog fans. One of my biggest regrets was never seeing ELP live, but many times have I seen the classical version (the Ravel orchestration of Mussorgsky's piano piece, that is). It so brilliantly evokes a trip to a gallery, walking (promenading) from one picture to the next. Like you, my favourite part of side 1 is The Sage which ironically is not part of the classical work, but it blends in beautifully. Greg's voice and guitar are just spine-tingling here. Can't wait for The Great Gate Of Kiev which climaxes side 2.
The knives reference is because Keith used to push knives in between the keys of his Hammond L-100 organ to keep them held down. His party piece was to also drag it across the stage, swing it around and climb on it. I saw him doing this live, I think on their Tarkus tour but may have been later for Brain Salad Surgery. Probably both because I think he used to do it every chance he got and had been doing it for years before ELP with The Nice.
hahaha, you were speacheless most of time throughout the music, your face and gesture said it all! Just reminded me of my first listening, some ages ago, hehehe, I was aroud 12-13, thanks to my older rocker brother, and also got it in hear phones and lying down with the lights off, the way you were supposed to do according with the ancient unwritten rules of listening! Btw, Greg Lake is sometimes under the radar among all the things happening around with the wild, but he was a superb musician, as The Sage shows very clearly! , After all, never to forget that he was a founder member of King Crimson, making the famous riff and Lyrics (with Peter Sinfield) of 21st Schizoid Man. All my respect to all these master professional in their craft, they still give me the chills even after 5 decades!
Haha absolutely! What an incredible piece of music! :D Thanks so much rofavilla!
Great ending jam with Keith Emerson. Love the bluesy feel of this. Gotta love that Hammond sound. The Sage is so Court of the Crimson King-ish. Absolutely beautiful.
Ps, Ryo Okumoto, the keyboardist of Spock's Beard, was a devotee and friend of Mr Emerson. See the song Ladies and Gentlemen, Ryo Okomoto on the Keyboards from the live version of Snow.
Shout out to @Dave King! I definitely remember that he sent the vinyl, and I'm pretty sure he also sent the CD, so Justin had a version he could currently play.
There’s a live video of them somewhere doing The Gnome, it’s fantastic, all of them watching each other closely and then Carl sticking his tongue out at Keith
I want to see this!
@@kathyratino962 ruclips.net/video/XXcwymuO_Vg/видео.html
If you open up the vinyl, on the bottom left is the list of the songs and who wrote each one. "The sage" is all Greg's. "Blues variation is all Emerson Lake & Palmer. Those two were not part of the original. Others you will see the second promenade it says Lake/Mussorgsky. Of course they didn't work together.. I listened to the origiinal. There are no vocals, it's all music. So that's amazing in itself: They took this piece that didn't have any words and put words to some parts! That's just one thing we lost when CDs came out. The titles of the songs wern't always followed by the writer of the song.
Now, how did I feel seeing them live? I had just been introduced to them from Trilogy then Brain Salad surgery. After brain salad I learned they broke up and I would never get to see them and at that point they were my favorite band. So 3 years later, they came out with "Works" and now they were touring. I was thrilled. It was almost like a holiday. OK, it was Emerson, Lake & Palmer and a 70 piece orchestra. They were great and two months later they came back! This time without the orchestra. It was even better.
The beginning is a real pipe organ in the venue they played. It sounded huge on my dad's high end sound system when I was a teen (late 70s). It's always interesting to me to see first time listeners of music that has been with me pretty much my whole life.
Being a musician myself, I'm always surprised how much Palmer's snare sound and Greg's bass tone especially on this album have shaped for me how drums and bass should sound. Also, what is absolutely stunning here is the quality of the recording for the time. I believe it was actually recorded in 1970 before they even recorded their first album (may be wrong on that but it was not released in sequence, that much is for sure). But it sounds SOOO much better than Welcome Back My Friends... which was a recorded a few years later (but has that relentless quality you speak of.. especially on Tarkus and Karn Evil 9... whichhas Carl's best drum solo ever.
Watching them perform some of these intricate pieces like the full Pictures or Tarkus -- you watch them and you expect intense concentration and effort. What you see is three men who are ridiculously at ease. They make it look soooooooo easy and yet your ears are telling you this is unbelievably difficult. For the record, Lake DID write the lyrics (Mussourgsky's piece and Ravel's adaptation were instrumental only). The Sage is a totally original piece by Lake and the Blues Variations are essentially Emerson and not part of the original.
The Moog Modular sounds fantastic!! Emerson called it his Beast!!