How many of you remember the "Karn Evil 9" suite from Emerson, Lake & Palmer's 1973 album, Brain Salad Surgery?
ELP were perhaps best known for Keith Emerson (the "E") and his keyboard chops, particularly the Moog synthesizer solos. A good example of that can be heard in the song "Lucky Man," from ELP's 1970 self-titled debut album, at which point he does the solo as the song closes out. The higher parts of that solo were known to have damaged a few stereo speakers as a result of the frequency limitations between speaker models.
The "Karn Evil 9" suite as a whole runs for nearly a half-hour, clocking in at 29 minutes and 40 seconds. The first impression was originally divided in two parts as it ran too long - over 13 minutes to be exact - to fit on the first side of the original LP; the second part of the same impression that begins side two appropriately greets listeners with "Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends!"; it is this last part of the first impression that is the most memorable part of the suite). There are two more impressions that follow; the third and final impression closes out with a futuristic-sounding synthesizer pattern - which speeds up faster and faster in the same pitch - that anticipates 1980s new wave.
~Ben
"I am such a purist for old information on anything '70s and '80s."
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With Genesis in the Rock Hall...Emerson, Lake, and Palmer should be next!
As you might not know...
Greg Lake was indeed a member of King Crimson before joining E.L.P. He left Crimson while their 2nd album, In the Wake of Poseidon, was recorded, to join E. and P. to cut their self-titled debut. He originally wrote "Lucky Man" at the tender age of 12.
Heck, even the acclaimed American-born guitarist Jimi Hendrix (his place of birth is the same city that brought us grunge in the early '90s) was supposed to have been part of E.L.P. just moments before his untimely death at 27. Had he not died, the band would've been called H.E.L.P. (Hendrix, Emerson, Lake & Palmer)
Carl Palmer was also a member of Atomic Rooster prior to joining E.L.P. After E.L.P. broke up in early 1979, Palmer resurfaced in 1982 as a member of the group Asia, which featured Yes guitarist Steve Howe, Buggles keyboardist Geoff Downes, and King Crimson bassist/singer John Wetton.
~Ben
"I am such a purist for old information on anything '70s and '80s."
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Also, I should ask: what sections of this whole suite sound like older classical works? Reason I ask is because Keith Emerson had been known to steal parts of melodies from those to make ELP songs.
I know the song "Pictures at an Exhibition" is based upon the Mussorgsky work of the same name, but in a prog-rock flair.
Examples:
ELP's "The Barbarian" bears some resemblance to Bartok's "Allegro Barbaro."
ELP's "Knife-Edge" bears some resemblance to Janacek's "Sinfonietta."
ELP's "Hoedown" is an adaptation of Aaron Copland's "Rodeo."
"I am such a purist for old information on anything '70s and '80s."
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