Tastes can vary absurdly when it comes to that music, it's a fact.
Tastes can vary absurdly when it comes to that music, it's a fact.
I need to get the Trio album. I knew nothing about that.
And I should get At The Movies too even if I have most of the individual soundtracks.
Never picked up Three Fates either now that I think about it.
I picked up the Keith Emerson band a couple months ago, a couple years late. There are some nice instrumental moments, but I don't care for the singer(Mark Bonilla), and it seems his influence is at odds with Emerson's. Overall it isn't bad, I admit I expected more. Perhaps repeated listens will reveal more, but...
I love the Keith album with Marc Bonilla. Lovely compositions, terrific playing.
I think Keith Emerson Band is not what I'd meant to be marked as 'solo album', more a cooperational album with Bonilla: same goes for "3", Emerson Berry and Palmer...but Ok, lets speak about anything he recorded aside of The Nice and ELP. My top 5 of Emerson's 'solo', consequently
1. Emerson Plays Emerson
2. Nighthawks
3. Inferno
4. Off The Shelf( great odds and sods album, IMO - some brilliant stuff here. I love America version with Ian Wallace, Pat Trevers and Mo Foster. Plus very good piano piece And Then January, 2 years later transformed into Prelude to a Hope. Good instrumental Walter L, with people from Colosseum...
5. Keith Emerson Band
Although it's cheating because it's a collection, I think The Emerson Collection from '86 is the best single disc representation of his solo work. It includes Starship, which imo is a better version of Captain Starship Christmas and which isn't available elsewhere. It removes the kids choir, which makes a better track. I think there's another edit that's not available anywhere else; I can't remember if it's Mater Tenebrarum or Chic Charni.
1 Orchestral Suite to Best Revenge 15:34
2 Bach Before the Mast / Hello Sailor / Salt Cay 13:35
3 Prelude to Candice 1:46
4 Candice 3:41
5 Nighthawks 1:37
6 Inferno 2:51
7 Mater Tenebrarum 2:06
8 Starship 4:06
9 Chic Charni 6:20
10 The Dreamer 2:40
11 Playing for Keeps 4:22
wow... didn't kown about it, might be checking it out asap.Originally Posted by Neek21
Changing States and Emerson plays Emerson have been my favourites lately, but I'm about to relisten again to the other ones I once owned.
First Emerson solo CD I ever bought. Was there ever a Volume 2 or was that just a plan that never happened?
^ Yes, some of Emerson's film music deserved more recognition. Maybe that's why he put on his 'regular'albums some stuff from soundtracks. And did some rearrangement, too - for example, the track 'Chopper' from Nighthawks is released as Motor Bikin' on the album 'Off the Shelf". Interesting, that 'Motor Bikin' was the original version, that Emerson composed for the film about himself, for the episode when he was motorcycling through France. I think at least 2 pieces from Best Revenge can be heard in different arrangements in "Off the Shelf'.
Last edited by grego; 03-26-2016 at 08:03 PM.
During the hiatus, Emerson wrote material for the movie Dogs of War which, at that point, was going to be directed by Norman Jewison. He dropped out and the work wasn't used. When ELP were starting on Works they needed a piece for the group and orchestra. Emerson re-worked it. The book/movie was about mercenaries, but Lake and Sinfield didn't like that and suggested pirates.
The film starred Christopher Walken and Tom Berenger among others. Not a bad flick. Haven't seen it for a long time.
As for his film work - I read that some of the music which he composed for Inferno and Nighthawks was used in episodes that it wasn't meant for. And to be honest, I think some of it sounds inapropriate for some scenes. It's fairly well known that Nighthawks was severely edited during post-production so it's possible that some tracks were put in scenes they were not composed for. All speculation though.
Rather strange, that most part of his solo stuff is film music. He was quite a big name, even big is not proper word, he was acknowledged in rock world like one of the very greats. Rock VIP..Could've gather himself a band easily, and tour, like Wakeman did. Maybe his controversal nature was a reason to lurk from public eye for some periods, and then appear agian, for a short time..It seems that after 74 something had happened, which broke him, or disturbed his belief in further career, aside ELP? I think he knew in mid 70s, that sooner or later the band will split. And the 'Works' project was intended as their swan song, maybe..
That was one of the first horror movies I saw as a child (a "friend" lent me a VHS tape). I freaked out (those rats still visit my nightmare from time to time), but there was a silver lining to the whole thing - at the end I discovered that the music was written by Keith Emerson which I knew who he was. I am a proud owner of the album on CD.
Very cool. I have never seen the movie but i sure love the soundtrack.
At the risk of repeating myself, I think the main theme is one of the coolest melodies I have ever heard. Truly unique.
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