LIVE (DVD)

A few years ago I bought a live CD from this band, I was very pleasantly surprised and even impressed about the dynamic sound and strong renditions from the classic ELP tracks. When I noticed that Greg Lake has also released a DVD from that period I didn't hesitate one single second to order it!

DVD-1 opens with The Court Of The Crimson King, it sounds fine but I miss a little bit the warm atmosphere of the original version. Listening to the rest of the DVD-1, I conclude that this is the only negative remark, what a great band, what a sensational duo-keyboard work, what a powerful rhythm-section and what a 'killer-guitarplayer', he lifts almost every track to a very high level! The tracks often sound bombastic featuring spectaculair work on keyboards like in Fanfare For The Common Man, Lucky Man (great fat sound during the legendary solo) and especially the epic Pictures At An Exhibition that contains many captivating and surprising musical ideas and exciting soli. Greg Lake also delivers delicate work on acoustic guitar, this is a good contrast with the often bombastic prog.

DVD-2 features Welcome Backstage (exclusive view on the band with pre- tour 'rehearsals', nice backstage movies and of course interviews), The Band (docu about the band tour) and St. Bride's - Featuring Ian Anderson, David Arch & Florian Ophale (Greg Lake plays his hit I Believe In Father Christmas from 1975 with Ian Anderson on flute and a church choir).

THIS IS A GREAT PROGROCK DOCUMENT, A MUST FOR EVERY ELP FAN!!

This DVD is an excellent addition to any prog collection. I was really impressed by these versions of King Crimson and ELP classics, most of them are significantly different from the originals - and several of them are actually better, or as good as the originals! Most of the material here rocks harder than ELP or King Crimson ever did - something I like.

Greg is most well known as a bass player, singer and songwriter for ELP and King Crimson. But surprisingly he plays mainly electric guitar on this concert having a hired gun to play bass for him. And Greg can really play good electric guitar. But there is a second guitarist as well, a super young talent.

Greg has a big band behind him which gives him a lot of musical power. All in all there are eight people on stage including the man himself. It takes two keyboard players to play the role of Keith Emerson here and there are female backup singers and of course a drummer. All the musicians are unknown.

Obviously, the two keyboard players here are not Keith Emerson and the super young guitarist here is not Robert Fripp, but all that is beside the point. This is an altogether different type of band. The material is almost entirely classic ELP and Crimson songs but performed differently, with a different, harder-edged sound. The strong legacy of the front man keeps this from being just a great tribute band. Greg's voice is distinctive and legendary.

Hearing these re-arranged versions of some of the ELP cuts, I cannot help thinking that this is the way ELP should have sounded! There is a lot more guitar here than on the original versions, I have somehow always felt that ELP should have had a fourth member.

The set list is full of prog classics. In The Court Of The Crimson King, Take A Pebble (with an acoustic solo section for guitarist Florian Ophale to stretch out - he is good!), 21th Century Schizoid Man, (part of) Karn Evil 9 and - the song perhaps most associated with Greg Lake - Lucky Man.

A positive surprise for me was the inclusion of some songs from Black Moon which I have always felt is an underrated ELP album. Some of Greg's best ballads ever were on that album. I particularly like Farewell To Arms that has bag-pipe- sounding keyboard solo giving it an almost folky feel.

The only songs I don't care much for here is the Christmas song I Believe In father Christmas and the generic blues rocker Love You Too Much (the title alone gives it away doesn't it?). Apparently the latter was co-written by Bod Dylan so it is somehow understandable that Greg is proud of it.

Overall, this is a great DVD

Well if you think of the end of a great artist, whose fame with ELP was interrupted by a dramatic accident which occurred to Keith Emerson in the period of "In the Hot seat" (to one of his hands as you know...), you won't believe that Greg has been able to create a new ensemble after a long tormented passage of his career, by touring all over Europe!! Of course the lead guitarist along with him is able to re-arrange "Take a Pebble" in a remarkable manner, even though for instance their version of "Pictures at an Exhibition" doesn't add anything new in comparison to the ELP version of the early nineties...but even Greg is involved into some excursions at the electric guitar and well supported by a good keyboard-player such as David Arch, so at the end- by excluding the tepid ballads like "Farewell to Arms" (except perhaps on the magic atmosphere of "I Believe in Father Christmas") or a useless blues rock entitled "Paper Blood"- the other tracks- also in the present video concert- are quite remarkable! Greg's voice is not bad, being so mature, even though not clear at all in some circumstances, never mind cause I've appreciated the choice of "Karn Evil 9" and also the ever green "21st Century Schizoid Man" so much, after all!!

So you'll forgive him as for some missing powerful ballads like "Still you turn me on!" or the solemn and imposing tune "Jerusalem", but his return on stage as a well supported "soloist" of the prog-related genre has been a true surprise during the year 2005, then becoming a fine "confirmation" in the following year, by means of the present live.

Very interesting product and almost a must-have (final evaluation: almost "4 stars", cause the tepid ballads prevent me to give this DVD-live a major score).

Each member of Emerson, Lake and Palmer have done a tour and a live CD or DVD in solo with songs from ELP. This time Greg Lake played in 2005, some ELP's classics, plus some King Crimson's songs with his band. Those versions are pretty close to the original, except "Take a Pebble" who has been rearranged. There is some mellow tracks that are not as intense as the most progressive tracks, including a Christmas song that seems to have been included here by some fans requests. There is also a rock 'n 'roll song that is too much for my taste, called "Love you too much".

This is a very honest performance by talented musicians, with the beautiful voice of Greg Lake. On the second disk, we have 45 minutes of songs in rehearsal with complete songs. The camera work and the picture are very professional, and a nice 5.1 surround sound.