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KEITH EMERSON

Crossover Prog • United Kingdom


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Keith Emerson biography
Keith Noel Emerson - November 2, 1944 (Todmorden, UK) - March 11, 2016

KEITH EMERSON is regarded by many as the most influential keyboard player on progressive rock, even acquiring the name 'Hendrix Of The Organ' for his organ stabbing routines on stage with both THE NICE and EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER during the Sixties and Seventies. Outside of Jerry Lee Lewis, keyboard playing is normally for quiet characters who stare fixatedly at the keyboard usually not even acknowledging the existence of the audience.Not so for EMERSON, who would jump on top of the organ, ride it across the stage and then throw it away once he had his 'evil' way with it in a grand display of over the top showmanship.Audiences lapped it up, while critics complained about ''Keyboard masturbation'' and ''pretentiousness''.

This all somewhat hides the fact that EMERSON was a serious musician. Studying classical music from an early age, he was fascinated by the relationship between classical music (like Bach) and rock music. He fully understood the importance of counterpoint as shown when The Nice performed 'Brandenburger'. The Nice were also quite happy to play live with orchestra as demonstrated by the 1969 Fairfields concert of 'The Five Bridges Suite'.

In 1970 EMERSON was to focus his attentions towards the recently invented Moog Synthesiser. ELP were one of the most significant innovators of this instrument in prog. Tracks like 'Lucky Man','Toccata' and 'Tarkus' showed EMERSON's prowess on the Moog. He worked closely with the inventor himself to develop new keyboards and to refine its use. Robert Moog was a great fan of EMERSON and regarded him as the foremost player of the instrument.

EMERSON, however, was still keen to pick up his classical/orchestral ambitions, and in the mid Seventies composed his first (and to date only) Piano Concerto. This eventually (almost by accident) found its way onto ELP's 'Works Volume One' as the prog trio ventured further towards classical/jazz and symphonic music. However, the emergence of punk brought further cries of 'self indulgence' from music critics. ELP were to crash and burn, but EMERSON was still justifiably proud of his classical creation. Not only aired on classical radio, this fine piece of music has even been adopted by professional orchestras.

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KEITH EMERSON discography


Ordered by release date | Showing ratings (top albums) | Help Progarchives.com to complete the discography and add albums

KEITH EMERSON top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.31 | 56 ratings
Inferno (OST)
1980
2.93 | 58 ratings
Honky
1981
3.30 | 34 ratings
Nighthawks (OST)
1981
3.60 | 19 ratings
Best Revenge (OST)
1982
2.50 | 2 ratings
Harmagedon (OST)
1983
2.95 | 19 ratings
Murderock - Uccide A Passo Di Danza (OST)
1983
2.89 | 26 ratings
The Christmas Album
1988
2.08 | 5 ratings
La Chiesa [Aka: The Church] (OST)
1989
2.70 | 16 ratings
Iron Man - Vol 1 (OST)
1994
3.31 | 30 ratings
Changing States
1995
3.78 | 43 ratings
Emerson Plays Emerson
2002
3.60 | 99 ratings
Keith Emerson Band featuring Marc Bonilla
2008
3.39 | 43 ratings
Keith Emerson Band: Three Fates Project
2012
3.46 | 13 ratings
Beyond The Stars
2018

KEITH EMERSON Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

2.85 | 19 ratings
Keith Emerson - Glenn Hughes - Marc Bonilla. Boys Club - Live From California
2009
4.18 | 27 ratings
Keith Emerson Band Featuring Marc Bonilla - Moscow
2011
3.42 | 22 ratings
Live From Manticore Hall (Emerson & Lake)
2014

KEITH EMERSON Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

4.76 | 20 ratings
Keith Emerson Band Featuring Marc Bonilla - Moscow
2010

KEITH EMERSON Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

2.26 | 4 ratings
Chord Sampler
1984
0.00 | 0 ratings
The Emerson Collection
1986
4.00 | 1 ratings
Best Works Collection
1992
3.81 | 17 ratings
At The Movies
2005
3.15 | 10 ratings
Hammer It Out - The Anthology
2005
3.04 | 21 ratings
Off The Shelf
2006

KEITH EMERSON Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

3.00 | 1 ratings
Honky Tonk Train Blues
1976
3.00 | 1 ratings
Taxi Ride (Rome)
1980
4.00 | 1 ratings
Inferno
1980
4.00 | 1 ratings
Salt Cay
1980
4.00 | 1 ratings
I'm A Man
1981
0.00 | 0 ratings
Rum-A-Ting
1982
5.00 | 1 ratings
Children Of The Light
1983
4.00 | 2 ratings
The Christmas Single
1995
3.40 | 5 ratings
The Keith Emerson Trio
2015

KEITH EMERSON Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Inferno (OST) by EMERSON, KEITH album cover Studio Album, 1980
3.31 | 56 ratings

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Inferno (OST)
Keith Emerson Crossover Prog

Review by sgtpepper

3 stars Keith Emerson stepped down from his ambitions and pretensions after ELP was dissolved. By listening to the playing style and occasional virtuosity on his 80's and 90's albums, it's not hard to judge that this comes out of his shop, though. Inferno is first Emerson's solo album, let's call it a relatively virtuoso soundtrack. Emerson plays confidently on piano, synths, Moog and organ. "Taxi ride" has the drive and speed rivaling ELP but it is too short to gain momentum. The last soundtrack composition is in the same vein, though not interesting compositionally. "The library" is a solemn chord-based church organ piece however I doubt it is played on a real church organ. The album is rather patchy and does not provide a deep listening experience. Take is an occasional curiosity to listen to.
 Honky Tonk Train Blues by EMERSON, KEITH album cover Singles/EPs/Fan Club/Promo, 1976
3.00 | 1 ratings

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Honky Tonk Train Blues
Keith Emerson Crossover Prog

Review by jamesbaldwin
Prog Reviewer

— First review of this album —
3 stars Keith Emerson enjoyed great popularity in Italy in the 1970s. In addition to inspiring the keyboard players of PFM, Banco and Orme, he and Lake and Palmer placed the trio's records in the Italian Hit Parade.

In 1977, the prog era having passed, Emerson had a great and unexpected success with a 45 rpm, 'Honky Tonk Train Blues', a piece that made boogie-woogie and jazz history (it was written by Meade Lux Lewis in 1927). The track was used as the theme song of the television programme 'Odeon. Tutto quanto fa spettacolo su Rai 2', created by journalists Brando Giordani and Emilio Ravel, and thus became a national-popular catchphrase that made it one of the best-selling singles in 1977.

There is little to say about the song, which is well known: everything hinges on a rhythmic pianism (the piano as percussion instrument) that engages and gives no respite until the end. The interesting parts of Emerson's version are especially in the second part of the piece, when drums, piano and wind instruments go wild, creating almost frenzied and distorted passages. Rated 8.

SideB. The second track, writtenby Keith Emerson, is another boogie piece, arranged in the same way: drums and horns. In this case, there are also woodwinds (clarinet?), making it even more of a vintage saloon tune, especially in the middle section, where Emerson unleashes himself on the keyboard with ever-rhythmic liquid pianism. The ending is a little repetitive. It is a true revival track, very epigonic (in fact it sounds like a variation of Honky Tonk Train Blues), but enjoyable. Rated 7+.

Pop revival music suitable for showing off Emerson's piano technique, but competently performed and enjoyable.

Rated 7.75.

Three stars.

 Best Revenge (OST) by EMERSON, KEITH album cover Studio Album, 1982
3.60 | 19 ratings

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Best Revenge (OST)
Keith Emerson Crossover Prog

Review by richardh
Prog Reviewer

4 stars It's quite interesting to return to these Emerson solo albums after such a long time. For some reason no one has yet to write a review for this yet it has the highest rating of any Emerson solo album. Go figure.

This is the third Emerson film soundtrack and really the last one that is worth taking seriously. I did check out the film and unfortunately it's not up to much. Emerson though does a great job the highlight being the 15 minute track called Orchestral Suite to Best Revenge. It compares favourably to Pirates in my view although you may ask , ''but there is no Carl Palmer?'' Instead we have Aynsley Dunbar of all people. Not a bad swap! I enjoy this album a lot , Emerson's choppy style of keyboards coming to the fore on The Runner and dear ole Brad Delp (Boston) even appears on Playing For Keeps. No bad tracks and a well organised album this is probably the best of the OST's that Emerson did. Can't quite go 5 stars but still a well earned 4 stars in my book.

 Nighthawks (OST) by EMERSON, KEITH album cover Studio Album, 1981
3.30 | 34 ratings

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Nighthawks (OST)
Keith Emerson Crossover Prog

Review by richardh
Prog Reviewer

4 stars Emerson's second film soundtrack album and third solo album. I've seen the film a few times and it's actually very good. Don't be put off by the fact that Sly Stallone is the star (he's fine) you have a very creepy Rutger Hauer as an international terrorist to enjoy. I digress though.

Keeping Godfrey Salmon on board for conducting duties, this altogether has a much more cohesive feel compared to Inferno. I love the track The Chase , the second longest and best track on the album , showing Emerson's ability to construct a piece inventively. Tramway is also another fine track as he utilises the Fairlight to great effect. Some might dislike Nighthawkin , a disco track but I like the groove and the way it almost imperceptibly appears to speed up as Emerson happily improvises on the piano. In fact I like all of it and a special nod to Neil Symonette on drums aided by Tristram Fry and Frank Scully on percussion.

 Inferno (OST) by EMERSON, KEITH album cover Studio Album, 1980
3.31 | 56 ratings

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Inferno (OST)
Keith Emerson Crossover Prog

Review by richardh
Prog Reviewer

4 stars This was Keith Emerson's debut solo album , coming after the split of ELP a year earlier in 1979. He retained conductor Godfrey Salmon from ELP's Orchestral Works Tour for what is mainly a traditional horror soundtrack that recalls Hitchcock movie scores . Perhaps not that surprising as Italian film maker Dario Argento is quite a disciple of the master of suspense. It's not all typical soundtrack music though as Emerson shows his proggy brilliance on Taxi Ride, Cigs Ices Etc and Mater Tenebrarum. I love that latter piece especially , weird time signature, pipe organ, choir et al. Prog madness at its best. Overall perhaps this may disappoint ELP and prog fans a bit but there is no wasted moments as Emerson manages to add his own little twists to well trodden ground.
 Keith Emerson Band featuring Marc Bonilla by EMERSON, KEITH album cover Studio Album, 2008
3.60 | 99 ratings

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Keith Emerson Band featuring Marc Bonilla
Keith Emerson Crossover Prog

Review by black/note

4 stars Since the first lead vocals on Miles Away pt.1 & 2 you can see that KE had found in Marc Bonilla almost another Lake. To say nothing of A Place To Hide! Probably Lake's tones & peaks of voice are easy-to-imitate - i.e. that you can see in Atomic Rooster's 1970 second album Death Walks Behind You (...) - but his melodic textures moulded since King Crimson's "school-times" were always very personal, immediatly recognizable: so, we applaud (for) Marc Bonilla, who was able to peak Greg Lake's essential valid-ly re-making it in his own way! Obiouvsly, Lake's "phantom" appears very close also in The Art Of Falling Down, which reminds the EL&P rough moods of the early '70... But - in my opinion - in this beautiful 2008 EDEL issued album Marc's forte is the wary, subtle treatment of lead guitar lines: specialists & aficionados noticed that presence of guitar enriches & upgrades sounds of the EL&P derivative groups, whether in KE Band here & in 1995 (1989) Changing States played by Tim Pierce, or in Carl Palmer's 2014 EL&P Legacy played by Paul Bielatovic. On both situations, lead guitar effectively provides to sustain KE's melodic plots, high-lighting their characteristic shape!

All over Band Feat. Marc Bonilla Keith displays the whole range of his instruments, from Grand Piano to Pipe Organ, through the magniloquence of Hammond Organ & the update effects of his Custom Moog Modular Synth, always proving himself proud & rough & keen. Keith was from rare musicians able to get involved, to explore their limits, to cross/break them! Perhaps less spectacular & virtuoso than in EL&P fantastic live rides, surely more peremptory & authoritative, he always makes the point, then apparently disappears from the front line, at last re-emerges - as you can see for example on Marche Train - with his Moog or Hammond peculiar sharp shades!

In a few words: maturity, experience & enormous talent. KE this was! Therefore we all regret his sudden disappearance in 2016. The artistic heritage he leaves is immense, and - in my opinion - even today unexplorated, sometimes underrated by short-sighted persons, shelf-styled connoisseurs!

 Emerson Plays Emerson by EMERSON, KEITH album cover Studio Album, 2002
3.78 | 43 ratings

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Emerson Plays Emerson
Keith Emerson Crossover Prog

Review by black/note

4 stars Surely many albums feat. Keith Emerson, from the Nice to the EL&P, deserved major flavours in developing brilliant- burning-bursting IDEAS in a sort of Blade Runner's world, always on the ridge between different styles... with K's keyboard acrobatics, especially at the Hammond organ & the Robert Moog legendary synth.

Surely - on the contrary! - THIS album feat. KE only at the acoustic piano - i.e. usually a nine-foot Steinway Grand - reveals & demonstrates The Other Side of K's imagination: here he's maybe a finger-breaker, whether in the classical Creole Dance originally written by Alberto Ginastera, or in the boogie-honky tonk-ragtime inspired pieces, like Cajun Alley, Roll 'n Jelly, Hammer It Out; here he's certainly a sort of magic wizard, in depicting smooth paysages, imaginary landscapes of his vast mind not less than (of) his profound heart.

That's The Project KEY! Recorded in different times, the 22 short pieces we found in this album can be distributed per genres/styles: jazz efforts, in which B&W Blues literally overwhelms a clumsy, mechanical Summertime; soundtrack traces, from the Best Revenge series and Lucio Fulci's 1984 italian thriller Murderock; early jazz oriented rags - i.e. Jelly Roll Morton, Eubie Blake, Meade Lux Lewis - including Honky Tonk Train Blues recorded in 1976 with "monster" Oscar Peterson (!) at BBC TV Piano Party Programme; a true GEM, the Creole Dance by Alberto Ginastera - i.e. Keith re- arranged it... with rough/sincere composer's & his wife's approval (!); live pieces - i.e. For Kevin (Gilbert) recorded at Gorge at George, Washington 1996 and Close To Home, Royal Albert Hall, London 1992.

At last - but they connect & amalgamate - not less than eight meditative & introspective pieces, seemingly piano improvisations... but they aren't (!) Here Keith, afar from sleight-of-hands demonstrations, is more than once Close To The Edge, that's always on the ridge between music & painting, playing nothing but the essential - i.e. the Vagrant is a dedication by Keith to his Steinway Grand Piano which is "vagrant" as him... and the Outgoing Tide contains an evident quote from Ludovico Einaudi piano work.

In a few words, Plays Emerson isn't a typical K's album: it's one that classical pianists (!) - especially the ones who dig jazz roots & american composers of the XX century - can esteem & appreciate more & more! nb. Sleeve Notes by Keith are translated in German & in Italian too...

 Changing States by EMERSON, KEITH album cover Studio Album, 1995
3.31 | 30 ratings

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Changing States
Keith Emerson Crossover Prog

Review by black/note

4 stars Remastered for the Esoteric 2014 edition, originally issued in 1995, three years after EL&P's Black Moon, but recorded BEFORE it in 1989, Changing States is probably the finest album of complainted great keyboard master & wizard Keith Emerson: he was a visionary! man, he was able to interlace baroque music & Bob Dylan's favourites, romantic symphonies & barrelhouse pianos, jazz efforts & classical suggestions. He composed, wrote, played, IMAGINED memorable suites of pieces, like the Three Fates, Pictures at an Exhibition from Musorgskij, Tarkus, the Endless Enigma, Karn-Evil... To say nothing of the Nice! In CS we actually can see true moments of KE's transistion from the EL&P - more & more Lake-oriented - to the new band featuring talented musicians such Kevin Gilbert & Mark Bonilla, in the '90 years so far from us... CS is a sort of molecular improvement, seemingly a strange fruit of inspiration where "disco" "classical" "jazz" & many other styles can "kaleydoscope" one into another. That's the KEY for this intriguing KE's project! Surely sustained & inspired by skilled guys as guitarist Tim Pierce & especially Kevin Gilbert - who suddenly & tragically died in 1996 at the age of 29 - Keith fully developes his imagination & technique, not only for the sparkling brilliance of the Hammond organ, but also for the IDEAS spread all over the pieces... In Shelter From the Rain & The Band Keeps Playing the band featuring Kevin Gilbert... keeps playing a sort of up-to date "disco" seemingly "Hair" inspired. In Ballad & Interlude KE's piano is prominent, but soft & meditative. In Montagues & Capulets - Romeo & Juliet in Black Moon - and also in Abaddon's Bolero form Trilogy, classical suggestions are evident, as tipically in KE's work from the Nice to the EL&P - i.e. in Hebrew tradition Abaddon is the Despoiler, the Destructor, the Angel of the Abyss, finally the Evil, the Inferno... Dulcis in fundo, Another Frontier - Changing States in Black Moon - & especially The Church - main theme for Dario Argento's 1989 horror movie - deserve major flavours: great essays of KE's Hammond treatment, with breathless descending chord progressions in Frontier, & many running shades & rotating blades in The Church solo, which Keith notices was remaked in better, insisting Kevin! However, what's noticeable is probably the Album Project, which admirably alternates "disco" tracks seemingly "musical" inspired, smooth & meditative ballads/interludes mainly for the piano, "classical" inspired themes, the "gem effort" George Gershwin's standard jazz - i.e. KE wasn't properly a jazz pianist! Finally the two astounding aforementioned originals Another Frontier & The Church: they both abundantly worth the price of the entire album!
 Taxi Ride (Rome) by EMERSON, KEITH album cover Singles/EPs/Fan Club/Promo, 1980
3.00 | 1 ratings

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Taxi Ride (Rome)
Keith Emerson Crossover Prog

Review by SouthSideoftheSky
Special Collaborator Symphonic Team

— First review of this album —
3 stars The best of Inferno

I don't normally rate singles unless they offer something different from the full-length album from which the music in question was taken (like a single edit, alternative mix, or a non-album track), but I make an exception on this occasion as I think that this single deserves a higher rating than the Inferno soundtrack album overall. While the album is a largely orchestral affair, this single release brings together two of its perhaps "rockiest" tracks. The excellent a-side Taxi Ride (Rome) features drums, bass, and synths in addition to piano, and the track would not have been out of place on an ELP album. The b-side Mater Tenebrarum is equally strong, and features a gothic choir and organ. These are my two favourite tracks off the Inferno soundtrack, and I enjoy them in isolation a great deal more than I do the soundtrack album as a whole. Which is why I award an extra star to this single compared to the album.

 La Chiesa [Aka: The Church] (OST) by EMERSON, KEITH album cover Studio Album, 1989
2.08 | 5 ratings

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La Chiesa [Aka: The Church] (OST)
Keith Emerson Crossover Prog

Review by SouthSideoftheSky
Special Collaborator Symphonic Team

2 stars Go to hell

This official soundtrack album for the Italian horror movie La Chiesa ("The Church") features four pieces performed by Keith Emerson. These are The Church (Main Theme); Prelude 24 (From Well Tempered Clavier); The Possession, and The Church Revisited, all four of which have also been included on the Keith Emerson "At the Movies" 3CD set. Emerson's contributions add up to about 13 minutes of music all in all.

The rest of the music on this soundtrack is by other artists, including several tracks by Italian Prog band Goblin (who specialized in movie soundtracks). On their own the Goblin tracks do not stand out, but they work rather well in between Emerson's. (However, it would have been more interesting if they had worked together on the same pieces.)

Had we been spared the vocal tracks by Zooming On The Zoo and Definitive Gaze, which are both downright awful, this album would be a much more enjoyable listen. Since Emerson's contributions are by far the best here, I would recommend the At the Movies release instead.

Thanks to raff for the artist addition. and to Quinino for the last updates

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