Greg Lake 'Live in London '81' CD due!

[jrw]

There was an opener for the ELPowell Chicago date who didn't announce themselves, and at the end of their set, they left to the crowd chanting "WHO ARE YOU?!?" Never got an answer to that question...

I saw ELPowell in August 1986 in Norman OK. Yngvie Malmstein (sure I spelled it wrong, but you know who I mean) was supposed to open, but cancelled on the day of the show for some reason, and there was no opening act.

[Patelena396]

That took balls release an album like that during that time (kind of what Marillion did with Misplaced Childhood in 1985) I probably like ELPowell and 3 more than you do. But 3 was definitely more of a concession to those times.

I'm pretty sure ELPowell almost sold out the Meadowlands. That's the way it looked anyway. I remember Yngwie was supposed to open, but managed to get himself thrown off the tour for reasons that are still not known to me. So there was no opening act that night.

Saw Tull/ELP in 1996 too.

I don't dislike the 3 album, though it is a bit uneven to me overall. It does have some good songs on it though. I am a big fan of the Emerson, Lake and Powell album. It is actually one of my favorite ELP albums.

[ytserush]

I don't dislike the 3 album, though it is a bit uneven to me overall. It does have some good songs on it though. I am a big fan of the Emerson, Lake and Powell album. It is actually one of my favorite ELP albums.

I would have loved a second album from that lineup.

[Jeremy Bender]

From what I've read about ELPowell, there was a big component of "Let's make a ton of dough!" about it. I don't begrudge musician making huge piles of money, but in ELPowell's case, the whole enterprise was poorly managed, they came nowhere near selling the amount of albums and concert tickets they thought they would and like that, it was over. I don't know how true it is, but the standard line is they made a total profit of $500 from the touring.

I saw them twice and the show at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles was great. A 6,000 seater, they sounded fantastic both sound-wise and musically. If they'd had the patience to write some more material (I like the album too, more than the ELPalmer albums from the 90's), tour at the appropriate level, they could have done some good things in the future. Alas.

[WytchCrypt]

Translation: Greg Lake couldn't have filled "monster domes" in 1981 even if he'd wanted to, so he played theatres and universities.

"It wasn't that his popularity was waning...but his audience was becoming more selective" - Greg and Spinal Tap manager Ian Faith

[JKL2000]

Seems this has already been released? King Bisquit Flower Hour title. Same songs.

This is mentioned in the first post.

[ytserush]

From what I've read about ELPowell, there was a big component of "Let's make a ton of dough!" about it. I don't begrudge musician making huge piles of money, but in ELPowell's case, the whole enterprise was poorly managed, they came nowhere near selling the amount of albums and concert tickets they thought they would and like that, it was over. I don't know how true it is, but the standard line is they made a total profit of $500 from the touring.

I saw them twice and the show at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles was great. A 6,000 seater, they sounded fantastic both sound-wise and musically. If they'd had the patience to write some more material (I like the album too, more than the ELPalmer albums from the 90's), tour at the appropriate level, they could have done some good things in the future. Alas.

Still need to get a few of those ELP bios that are out there. I don't know enough about what went on behind the scenes.

[Jeremy Bender]

Ed Macan's book Endless Enigma isn't really the place to start. It's a prog-like 815 pages long for one thing and it spends too much time IMO ranting against rock critics that don't like prog and what he calls "the blues rock orthodoxy". He also gets too much factual stuff wrong and for me, the book took a big dive when he dismissed the live bootleg series as just more live stuff, why bother listening to more live versions of Tarkus? The lack of photographs is a turn-off too. The Forrester, Hanson & Askew book The Show That Never Ends: A Musical Biography is much more concise (254 pages) but it was a weird reading experience, they just quoted a lot of stuff that had been in the British music papers such as Melody Maker, Sounds and NME that I'd read years before. I haven't read Keith's book but the general consensus is that it's more of a "Well, it was Tuesday, we played a show and we drank a lot afterwards" kind of thing rather than an insight in to the music.

ELP in the 70's was a great story: one of the first "supergroups", two of the guys didn't get along at all leading to all sorts of problems, commerical and touring success almost immediately, state of the art live shows culminating in the BSS tour, the hiatus, the failed orchestra tour, touring to recoup all the money they lost on that, Love Beach.

[Scrotum Scissor]

These were during the first week of the tour and they were playing in small venues (2000-3000 seats). They canceled the entire first week of the tour due to low ticket sales. So they couldn't even sell 2000-3000 seats.

[ytserush]

Ed Macan's book Endless Enigma isn't really the place to start. It's a prog-like 815 pages long for one thing and it spends too much time IMO ranting against rock critics that don't like prog and what he calls "the blues rock orthodoxy". He also gets too much factual stuff wrong and for me, the book took a big dive when he dismissed the live bootleg series as just more live stuff, why bother listening to more live versions of Tarkus? The lack of photographs is a turn-off too. The Forrester, Hanson & Askew book The Show That Never Ends: A Musical Biography is much more concise (254 pages) but it was a weird reading experience, they just quoted a lot of stuff that had been in the British music papers such as Melody Maker, Sounds and NME that I'd read years before. I haven't read Keith's book but the general consensus is that it's more of a "Well, it was Tuesday, we played a show and we drank a lot afterwards" kind of thing rather than an insight in to the music.

ELP in the 70's was a great story: one of the first "supergroups", two of the guys didn't get along at all leading to all sorts of problems, commerical and touring success almost immediately, state of the art live shows culminating in the BSS tour, the hiatus, the failed orchestra tour, touring to recoup all the money they lost on that, Love Beach.

Those have been on my radar. I have Macan's Listening To The Future so I know he can rant with the best of them. Still was a thought-provoking read. Normally using quotes from other sources would bother me if I read the sources (Rush immediately comes to mind) but it might be fun if I have limited familiarity.

Was always a huge fan of the music, but it never went much further than that in the case of ELP. I would hope Keith's book would be more substantial. Perhaps I should abandon that halfhearted search too.

Thanks for the rundown.

[revporl]

Greg Lake is an endless Enigma! His album has been 18 years in the making, he keeps an incredibly low profile. His whole career since the late 70s seems to have been one huge missed opportunity. I quite like his solo stuff, he's a good singer and songwriter. Is he lazy or scared to do more?

[JJ88]

Those have been on my radar. I have Macan's Listening To The Future so I know he can rant with the best of them.

Listening To The Future is a Bill Martin book. I read that one (and another Martin one, I forget what that was) in a library.

I don't have a problem with Macan taking the critics to task- they've dished it out so should expect it back, even if it's decades after the event!

[ytserush]

I already have this King Biscuit set, bought cheap in some sale or other. Macan's book seemed to suggest this was a better representation of the solo material than the albums themselves were...it's not bad.



Listening To The Future is a Bill Martin book. I read that one (and another Martin one, I forget what that was) in a library.

I don't have a problem with Macan taking the critics to task- they've dished it out so should expect it back, even if it's decades after the event! Whether or not ELP are the best band to choose in order to do this, is another question.

It's shocking to read posts like flowerking's, to see just how far they fell in the 90s. Forget how big they were in the 70s, even in the 90s they were doing multiple nights in venues like the Royal Albert Hall...what happened??

Rocking The Classics was the book. Confused Martin and Macan for some strange reason. I should read both of those again at some point.

[gallen1964]

Re critics I ve just re read some mid 80s Sounds/NME reviews of ELPowell and it's quite astonishing ( and totally unprofessional) the lack of comment on the music. It's literally a self appointed personal vendetta with no attempt at considering the music. Some reviews make no comment at all about the music. Just personal attacks. Where were the editors ?

[-=RTFR666=-]

Re critics I ve just re read some mid 80s Sounds/NME reviews of ELPowell and it's quite astonishing ( and totally unprofessional) the lack of comment on the music. It's literally a self appointed personal vendetta with no attempt at considering the music. Some reviews make no comment at all about the music. Just personal attacks. Where were the editors ?

The editors were probably the ones directing the angle for the journalist to report *cough*JannWenner*cough*

[revporl]

I remembr Andy Kershaw on Whistle test annoucing that "The Worst Band Ever" had reformed with ELPowell, and that was it, not even a review or a feature.

[Rufus]

The editors were probably the ones directing the angle for the journalist to report *cough*JannWenner*cough*

Keith always said it was based on jealousy because they were astounding musicians!
As for Kershaw, the guy was always a total wanker and has been unemployable in broadcasting for years!

[JJ88]

^Alas, not quite- I heard his sneering narration on an ITV series called 'Pop Gold' a few months ago.

[Rufus]

^Alas, not quite- I heard his sneering narration on an ITV series called 'Pop Gold' a few months ago.

I remember he had a re-straining order to stop him harassing his ex wife a few years back. I know he released an autobiography a little while back that got slated by the press, so at least he got a taste of his own medicine!

[revporl]

I remember he had a re-straining order to stop him harassing his ex wife a few years back. I know he released an autobiography a little while back that got slated by the press, so at least he got a taste of his own medicine!

He's my partners neighbour now, despite slagging off ELPowell, I quite like him, he always seems like he has the world on his shoulders, and looks like he smokes and drinks more than he should but he's personable enough.