Various Artists - Back Against the Wall Review by Gary Hill There are few people who haven't at least heard of Pink Floyd's The Wall. I would hazard to say that those who have never heard the album are in the minority as well. More...
Glenn Tipton - Baptizm of Fire Review by Gary Hill This first solo album by Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton is a fine piece of work. It takes the Priest sounds one expects to find here and updates them, bringing new angles and directions to them.
The debut solo album (first one released, not the first one recorded) by Glenn Tipton has just been reissued with two new tracks added on to the lineup. Since I reviewed the original release of the album, the majority of this review will be drawn and modified from that review.
Emerson Lake and Palmer broke up in 1979. They got back together in the 1990s, though, and this disc was the first music they released after that reunion.
Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery Review by Josh Turner I would not be the first to say that their music has not held up over the years, because it obviously hasn't. Before we count them out completely, it is important to point out that Emerson demonstrated many innovations in music long before the digital age. More...
When Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest first set out to record a solo album he worked predominantly with John Entwhistle (The Who) and Cozy Powell (Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Emerson Lake and Powell and seemingly a million other bands). Well, after the disc was done, the label nixed its release.
3 was essentially a variant on Emerson, Lake and Palmer, but it was its own band, too. The group played ELP music, but also their own stuff that leaned a little more on the mainstream rock sound.
Keith Emerson and the Nice - Hang On To a Dream: The Story of the Nice written by Martyn Hanson Review by Steve Alspach One of the more popular bands in progressive rock during the 1960s, at least in England anyway, was the Nice. A band that got its start providing backup for r-n-b singer Pat (P.P.) Arnold, the band then found its own ground by playing straight-ahead rock, but then eventually paying homage (in their own iconoclastic way) to such classical composers as Sibelius, Bach, and Tchaikovsky.
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Emerson, Lake and Palmer - King Biscuit Review by Gary Hill A compilation of tracks from two ELP performances are presented here in a double disc set. These performances are from the King Biscuit Flower Hour radio show. More...
Rainbow - Live in Munich 1977 DVD Review by Gary Hill In my opinion the quintessential Rainbow album is Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll. Well, this DVD opens with “Kill the King” from that album and we also get the title track. More...
For the sake of full disclosure, with the exception of the closing piece, this album was previously released as “Live on the King Biscuit Flower Hour.”
Keith Emerson - Off the Shelf Review by Steve Alspach I read a review on Amazon – I don’t remember precisely where – that said that just because someone is talented that doesn’t make him good, and the reviewer named ELP as an example. Ergo, Keith Emerson is talented but not good. More...
Keith Emerson - Pictures of an Exhibitionist written by Keith Emerson Review by Steve Alspach There's a saying going around the internet that the purpose of life is not to arrive in Heaven all nice, neat and well-preserved, but rather to arrive sliding in a big cloud of dust, dirty and disheveled, and saying "Holy @#$%! What a ride!" If you get to Heaven and see a banged-up motorcycle and a big dent in St. Peter's gates, you'll know Keith Emerson made it.
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Apparently this album was recorded in the 80s, but has never before been released. I have to say that’s a shame. There is some solid music here. It’s definitely progressive rock, but on the AOR side of that equation. I’d say this is far closer to what you’d expect from Greg Lake than it is what you’d expect from Geoff Downes, but both men are represented well by it.
Various Artists - Rock N Roll Christmas Review by Gary Hill f you are looking for a CD that combines solid rock with Christmas themes to augment your holiday festivities, this is a good choice.
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Various Artists - Steinway To Heaven Review by Gary Hill It seems like a rather novel, but still somewhat obvious concept. Take various keyboardists, mostly from the world of progressive rock and have them record various classical piano pieces. More...
Emerson, Lake and Palmer - The Birth of a Band: Isle of Wight Festival Review by Steve Alspach Since the two products are essentially the same, this overall review is taken pretty much intact from the accompanying DVD review. Check out that one for more specific details on the video content as the DVD is essentially the same as the video side of this DualDisc - ed. More...
Emerson, Lake and Palmer - The Birth of a Band: Isle of Wight Festival DVD Review by Steve Alspach The Isle of Wight Festival, is sometimes known as the "Kill the Messenger" festival for the hostility towards many of the performers (boy, that Joni Mitchell is a sensitive sort, isn't she?). It had at least one highlight - the "first debut performance" (um, how many debut performances can you have?) of The Supergroup (in caps) of the 1970s - Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and Carl Palmer. More...
Stuart Smith put together this band some time ago and made an album, then later put out this amazing DVD that showcases many of the proceedings in the studio while working on the project.
This album is a compilation of various progressive rock performances that were presented on the King Biscuit Flower Hour radio show. All of the outings are quite good, and the selection of artists is also.
Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Then And Now Review by Gary Hill This two disc set is a live album featuring performances from two different ELP eras, "then" and "now". The "then" material is from Cal Jam `74, and the "now" is from shows on the most recent tour.
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Various Artists - To Cry You A Song: A Collection of Tull Tales Review by Gary Hill One of the first tribute albums ever done by Magna Carta, this one includes some intriguing arrangements of Jethro Tull songs. There are some definite winners here (witness Aqualung, To Cry You a Song, and Locomotive Breath) and no real losers. More...
Keith Emerson and the Nice - Vivacitas - Live at Glasgow 2002 Review by Gary Hill Billed as Keith Emerson and the Nice, this recent release is accurate with that name from a technical standpoint, but in some ways it is a little deceptive. While all of the music on the disc does feature Keith Emerson, only the first CD is actually with The Nice, and even then, it's only two of the members of the band (plus the keyboard wizard).
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This four-CD set has some great music contained within. We get some of the bigger prog acts in terms of songs from Renaissance, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Electric Light Orchestra, Procol Harum and Yes.
