LIVE FROM MANTICORE HALL (EMERSON & LAKE)

"Live from Manticore Hall" is a live 2010 show featuring legendary Prog specialists Emerson Lake & Palmer members without the Palmer. No brilliant drums basically but this is awesome stuff and I wish I could have seen the show. Lake spells it out to the captivated audience in the intro that this is going to be a concert where they invite the crowd into their studio where they experiment and create things, looking back to the halcyon days of King Crimson and The Nice and of course ELP. The band explain many things as they explore their past glories and it is a wonderful journey they take us on.

For the first time since 1969 they perform I Talk to the Wind that appeared on that little known album "In the Court of the Crimson King". Say no more. From the Beginning is the opener and no one can complain as its one of the greatest of the many Lake ballads that surfaced over the years.

Bitches Crystal is given a classical piano treatment and it's very cool, Emerson being a master of the ivories bar none. He slams those keys with staccato glee and it jumps along with familiar melody and extended piano concerto vibes. It is sans bass and drums but still works as a compelling piece.

The Barbarian from the first ELP is a great choice, "a catchy and annoying tune, that grows on you" according to Lake. He pulls out the Hammond sound on this one, and there's drums, by some unknown muso. The piano interlude is fabulous too. This is great to hear after all these years; a genuine triumph. "Listen they're whistling it already" says Lake at the end of it.

Take a Pebble is one of my favourites so to hear this revamped version was a joyous experience. Lake's dreamy vocals carry it along beautifully. The piano is welcome and at times this sounds like old school ELP. It's an edited version at 5 minutes 20 but it's still wondrous to hear. It segues immediately into Tarkus.

Tarkus is here. Tarkus! A 17 minute version so there's plenty to indulge in here. This is so beloved you can imagine the crowd adoring this. It is a bit unrecognizable at the start with a lone grand piano instead of the bombastic wall of sound on the original masterpiece. Emerson is just enjoying himself as he strolls through this criminally complex piece of music. Lake comes in as the Mellotron strings enter with Stones of Years. It is refreshing and again it must have been extremely moving and uplifting to be in the audience as this washes over you. Emerson tinkles away with unabashed virtuoso style capturing the greatness of the epic. Lake touches the guitar at times to maintain the off kilter rhythms. The echo on his voice is effective, and overall he is sounding the same as he did all those years ago "The weaver in the web that he made!" It's interesting to hear this version of Manticore too. The track really picks up with The Battlefield, into Aquatarkus with pounding drums and squelchy synths. Emerson pulls out the electronic synth wall for this one and blazes away into full flight like he used to and I wonder if he dragged a synth out stabbed it with a knife here. This captures ELP glory and undeniably is a crowd pleased. I suspect a standing ovation followed. Brilliant to hear Tarkus played with so much dynamic energy and passion!

The melancholy C'est Le Vie is next and brings things down to a calmer level after the previous blitzkrieg. Though not one I like, the song is still sounding similar to the old version with acoustics and relaxing strings for a peaceful atmosphere. An accordion sound comes in too for a Parisian touch. "Merci Beaucoup" indeed Mr Lake.

Pirates is a surprising choice from "Works" and it certainly progs along nicely at 13 and a half minutes. Opening with narrative and ethereal keys it fires up into familiar territory along the allegorical seas of turmoil and adventure. The keys sound similar to the original version, right down to the percussive crashes and flutes. The drums are great here, but who is playing them? The whimsical melodies of sea shanties drift along nicely,

The concert closes with a Moog Solo and then into a glorious rendition of Lucky Man. Lake tells us that Keith "wanted to like it but" it as not initially received well. Is that swirling psychedelic synth solo present at the end? This is the "retro-spective" version and Keith dusts down the old Moog, the same one to produce some mind bending psyched up sounds.

Overall this is a glorious return to the prog brilliance of ELP, with smatterings of The Nice and King Crimson sprinkled over the top. At little more than 78 minutes one has to wonder what the rest of the concert was like and what was omitted on the CD release. Some research reveals that on this tour the omitted songs were Prelude to Hope, Malambo, America and Rondo. A 2 CD release might have been appropriate to include these, especially America and Rondo. This is the setlist they played in 2010 in the USA both at Rams Head On Stage, Annapolis in April, and at The Birchmere, Alexandria in May, respectively. It leaves one slavering for more as the concert cruises by so rapidly. It is a joyous concert, an intimate night out with the prog legends Emerson and Lake.

Slow and steady may win the race But some of these tunes need to pick up the pace

Full Disclosure :

Emerson shaped my youth with his brash, attacking style and Lake's smooth full voice filled my head with wonder, but as is life, we all have our "Time and a Place". As much as I still tell people who care about such things that ELP is my favorite band, this is a 'stroll' down memory lane and not an 'invigorating raunch' as would have been preferred. So this 'Rocker Walker' tour release must be viewed from that perspective.

Production :

If only ELP had had this same production value on earlier live albums, clean, clear and punchy. But that's only a part of production. Not having a real drummer is one of the first scars I find on this recording. Through no fault of their own (or maybe it was?) Carl Palmer is clearly absent. This leaves the recording a little thin and as much as I appreciate what Keith and Greg wanted to provide here they should have had a drummer in the wings to provide that vital support.

15/20

Song Writing :

During Greg's intro to this concert he speaks of he and Keith getting together in his studio to write some songs as the inspiration for this concert. Yet no new songs appear on this album. I find this to be one of the biggest issues I have with this album. What better way to thank the fans that have stuck around this long but to dish up some new music. Unfortunately it's not to be. Instead we get another greatest hits live outing. There is really nothing to draw an audience to this album short of completionism and I plead guilty as charged.

5/20

Originality :

I've mentioned in other reviews that live albums are tough for me to score high unless the musicians make a concerted effort to elevate the songs beyond their original arrangements. Few musicians or bands have done this well although I place ELP among them for re-arranging their own songs from time to time to keep things interesting. Opening the album is a very pleasant rendition of "From the Beginning" which promises an album of sonic bliss to come. For the most part it does deliver. Tarkus on the other hand is the counterbalance to this with a slow trodding version that ends in a distracting noisy synth solo that does nothing to enhance this once excellent piece of music.

6/20

Performance :

Like the 40th anniversary High Voltage concert this performance suffers from a lack of raw energy. But at 70 years of age for Emerson and 67 years for Lake what's to be expected. All our bodies break down over time and none expose it so much as athletes or musician who built their legacy around sacrificing their bodies for the love of their craft. The speed that made many of these tunes legendary has been slowed considerably and still the boys have trouble staying in time with one another.

Without Carl's involvement here, turning to the infamous 'Japanese Drummer' when needed left me feeling hungry for a more rhythmic performance. A complete re-arrangement of songs like 'Bitches Crystal' to a more, jazzy piano guitar piece might have saved this album a little.

One of the few saving graces I found was the beautiful guitar serenade on "From the Beginning" and the sweet piano intro to Luck Man that concludes the album. There is little to no improvisation here and it's a quality I greatly miss in this recording, even the Lucky Man synth solo is weak and dull.

8/20

General Impressions :

This was certainly a disappointment after waiting so long to hear it. It could have been an excellent memoir of two of Prog's greatest contributors but instead turns out to be a soon forgotten night of two buddies kicking back, not quite sure how to remember the times of yore.

8/20

Total = 42/100 (42% of 5 stars)

2.10