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Thread: Greg Lake on ELP in Surround Sound, King Crimson, and His Earliest

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    Greg Lake on ELP in Surround Sound, King Crimson, and His Earliest


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    Thanks for sharing this, nice interview. He marks King Crimson direction 'abstract', that's interesting.

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    Member lak611's Avatar
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    I wonder why he hasn't finished "Oh My Father". Emerson wouldn't be needed for that.

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  4. #4
    Always cracks me up how transparent Lake is. It's obvious he's got an ax to grind where Crim and Fripp are concerned. The last time Lake was a better guitarist than Fripp was 50 years ago, and like all the rest of the "Courties" (including fans of the original band), he takes it personally that Fripp decided to continue using the name King Crimson. Laughable and childish. "All about the songs". bwahahahahahahaha

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    I see that the quad release of Welcome Back... only came out on 8-track! I know the stereo mix was folded down from that mix, which could account for why it sounds so peculiar.

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    Member AncientChord's Avatar
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    LoL referring to Lake and Fripp as guitarists. Fripp was always light-years more advanced than Lake. Even before Lake was around in Giles, Giles & Fripp, Robert was playing guitar that Greg couldn't touch. By stroke of luck IMO, Lake was convinced to switch to bass in King Crimson, where he excelled on that instrument. Even in ELP Lake's acoustic and electric guitar were at best mediocre.
    Last edited by AncientChord; 09-27-2016 at 07:10 PM.
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  7. #7
    Jefferson James
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    Quote Originally Posted by AncientChord View Post
    LoL referring to Lake and Fripp as guitarists. Fripp was always light-years more advanced than Lake. Even before Lake was around in Giles, Giles & Fripp, Robert was playing guitar that Greg couldn't touch. By stroke of luck IMO, Lake was convinced to switch to bass in King Crimson, where he excelled on that instrument. Even in ELP Lake's acoustic and electric guitar were at best mediocre.
    I've gotta agree with this. Lake did some cool stuff here and there but is in nowhere the same league as Fripp in my opinion.

    I even question his bass lines in ELP, some of the note choices are so, so cool and odd I'm pretty sure Keith told him what to play, or Keith just did it himself.

    When I learned a bunch of ELP stuff on bass for a tribute band, I found learning the parts exceptionally challenging. Kudos to Lake for nailing that shit live!

    Here's the thing: Keith and Fripp will never have that voice. Lake wins.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by AncientChord View Post
    LoL referring to Lake and Fripp as guitarists. Fripp was always light-years more advanced than Lake. Even before Lake was around in Giles, Giles & Fripp, Robert was playing guitar that Greg couldn't touch. By stroke of luck IMO, Lake was convinced to switch to bass in King Crimson, where he excelled on that instrument. Even in ELP Lake's acoustic and electric guitar were at best mediocre.
    Fripp has said that Lake was the better guitarist when they were kids growing up together. As far as Lake and his bass playing, he couldn't touch the Wetton of the early to mid 70s. That being said, guitarists did have a habit of changing to bass when in the same band as Fripp Boz Burrell was taught the rudiments of bass by Fripp and Ian Wallace like 5 minutes before going out on tour with Crimson. To me, this made his choice as the bass player in Bad Company extremely odd, especially given that he was following Free's Andy Fraser. If he wasn't going to sing in Bad Co (and rest assured he wasn't with Rodgers there), I have no idea how he ended up with that gig.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by KerryKompost View Post
    I've gotta agree with this. Lake did some cool stuff here and there but is in nowhere the same league as Fripp in my opinion.

    I even question his bass lines in ELP, some of the note choices are so, so cool and odd I'm pretty sure Keith told him what to play, or Keith just did it himself.

    When I learned a bunch of ELP stuff on bass for a tribute band, I found learning the parts exceptionally challenging. Kudos to Lake for nailing that shit live!

    Here's the thing: Keith and Fripp will never have that voice. Lake wins.
    LOL, so vox is most important?

  10. #10
    Jefferson James
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    No man, and of all the freaking musicians out there, Keith and Fripp are so uniquely distinctive their voices come thru by sheer force of their music. Both amazing, and I love Keith Emerson. I still get a pang in the chest thinking about it.

    BUT I swear to God there is not a single musician out there who doesn't secretly wish he could sing like someone at Lake's level. How many have tried and had shitty voices?

    Learning to play an instrument is something pretty much anyone can do with effort, but one has to be born with something like a voice (or a huge cock).

    That was my point.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by KerryKompost View Post


    No man, and of all the freaking musicians out there, Keith and Fripp are so uniquely distinctive their voices come thru by sheer force of their music. Both amazing, and I love Keith Emerson. I still get a pang in the chest thinking about it.

    BUT I swear to God there is not a single musician out there who doesn't secretly wish he could sing like someone at Lake's level. How many have tried and had shitty voices?

    Learning to play an instrument is something pretty much anyone can do with effort, but one has to be born with something like a voice (or a huge cock).

    That was my point.
    Ok, but to me, Rodgers and Winwood were the best white guy singers of that era. Just sayin' Fwiw, voice is just another instrument on the musical palette. I don't think I can agree that anyone can learn the other instruments either. Many have "great" voices - few learn how to use them properly. THAT'S the real gift.

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    Member dropforge's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by musicislife View Post
    Ok, but to me, Rodgers and Winwood were the best white guy singers of that era. Just sayin'
    Fripp said Daryl Hall was.

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    Member AncientChord's Avatar
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    Hey guys Jakko in King Crimson rises to the occasion on Lake and Wetton vocals IMO. Fripp could not have made a better choice. By the way Kerry, is Heliopolis going to play anywhere in the L.A. area soon? I'd like to see you guys again.
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  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by dropforge View Post
    Fripp said Daryl Hall was.
    There may have been reasons for that He was probably giddy that such a mainstream singer would dare lower himself to sing his stuff. LOL. But......no.

  15. #15
    Jefferson James
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    Quote Originally Posted by musicislife View Post
    Ok, but to me, Rodgers and Winwood were the best white guy singers of that era. Just sayin'
    Why the misdirect?

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by KerryKompost View Post
    Why the misdirect?
    Ha? Maybe because I don't consider Lake to be an example of vocal awesomeness?

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    Progga mogrooves's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by musicislife View Post
    As far as Lake and his bass playing, he couldn't touch the Wetton of the early to mid 70s.... Boz Burrell
    Peter Giles was better than all three of them, imo.
    Hell, they ain't even old-timey ! - Homer Stokes

  18. #18
    Jefferson James
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    Quote Originally Posted by musicislife View Post
    Ha? Maybe because I don't consider Lake to be an example of vocal awesomeness?
    You say this in the face of his obvious success, which you already knew I was talking about. One last repetition then I'm off the bike: I said "someone at Greg Lake's level". I never brought the character of his voice into the conversation, and you veer off into Best White Male Vocalist territory, like, looking to be challenged on some new issue. Were you hoping I'd respond with, "Dude, the Best White Vocalist of all Time, Space and Dimensions was Andy Gibb"?

    "You missed my winkie."

    And you missed a spot, like Kevin Gilbert did, and, well, you know how that ended.

    Now've we got Steve Winwood, Paul Rodgers, I have to mention Freddie Mercury, maybe Andy Sturmer?

    Thread turns to powerpop.

    Now it won't out of spite.

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by KerryKompost View Post
    You say this in the face of his obvious success, which you already knew I was talking about. One last repetition then I'm off the bike: I said "someone at Greg Lake's level". I never brought the character of his voice into the conversation, and you veer off into Best White Male Vocalist territory, like, looking to be challenged on some new issue. Were you hoping I'd respond with, "Dude, the Best White Vocalist of all Time, Space and Dimensions was Andy Gibb"?

    "You missed my winkie."

    And you missed a spot, like Kevin Gilbert did, and, well, you know how that ended.

    Now've we got Steve Winwood, Paul Rodgers, I have to mention Freddie Mercury, maybe Andy Sturmer?

    Thread turns to powerpop.

    Now it won't out of spite.
    I think you're reading way too much into my post, and as usual on music forums, taking the opinions of others way too personally. Other than that, I have no idea what you're talking about. But, I will tell you that sales/success have nothing to do with talent, or even perceived talent. Prog vocalists on a whole other (higher) plane than power pop vocalists. Who knew?

  20. #20
    Jefferson James
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    Quote Originally Posted by musicislife View Post
    I think you're reading way too much into my post, and as usual on music forums, taking the opinions of others way too personally. Other than that, I have no idea what you're talking about. But, I will tell you that sales/success have nothing to do with talent, or even perceived talent. Prog vocalists on a whole other (higher) plane than power pop vocalists. Who knew?
    I know. Dude, I presume?

    You attempted to bait me into something.

    Nothing personal -- there's no real person in there anyway, is there? -- but literally every single thing you said is a textbook example of what one could consider a potential personality disordered person.

    Just my opinion, no judgement passed, end of interaction, end of supply.

  21. #21
    Member lak611's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AncientChord View Post
    LoL referring to Lake and Fripp as guitarists. Fripp was always light-years more advanced than Lake. Even before Lake was around in Giles, Giles & Fripp, Robert was playing guitar that Greg couldn't touch. By stroke of luck IMO, Lake was convinced to switch to bass in King Crimson, where he excelled on that instrument. Even in ELP Lake's acoustic and electric guitar were at best mediocre.
    It's kind of difficult to judge Lake's electric guitar in ELP. He really didn't have much of an opportunity to play it, probably due to Emerson.

  22. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by KerryKompost View Post
    I know. Dude, I presume?

    You attempted to bait me into something.

    Nothing personal -- there's no real person in there anyway, is there? -- but literally every single thing you said is a textbook example of what one could consider a potential personality disordered person.

    Just my opinion, no judgement passed, end of interaction, end of supply.
    LOL. Go back and listen. If you had bothered, or even "knew", you'd know that calling the 2 I mentioned "power pop vocalists" is misguided, if not simplistic. That being said, not only have you managed to further stigmatize "personality disorders" publicly, but you've managed to prove that you're a classic example of one who suffers from them. Take your sophomoric insults and realize that trying to relive your alpha-male high school years has no place in any mature discussion.

  23. #23
    Member since March 2004 mozo-pg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by musicislife View Post
    LOL. Go back and listen. If you had bothered, or even "knew", you'd know that calling the 2 I mentioned "power pop vocalists" is misguided, if not simplistic. That being said, not only have you managed to further stigmatize "personality disorders" publicly, but you've managed to prove that you're a classic example of one who suffers from them. Take your sophomoric insults and realize that trying to relive your alpha-male high school years has no place in any mature discussion.
    Kerry is one of the coolest posters on the board.

  24. #24
    Member AncientChord's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by lak611 View Post
    It's kind of difficult to judge Lake's electric guitar in ELP. He really didn't have much of an opportunity to play it, probably due to Emerson.
    OK, but when he did play, either in the studio or live, it was always the weakest section of any of their songs. He could never reach the levels of Emerson or Palmer. And any amateur guitarist could easily learn his acoustic guitar songs like "From The Beginning," Lucky Man" and "Still You Turn Me On." And as far as his bass goes, it's pretty good. Yeah he's no Wetton or Tony Levin, but besides his voice, bass playing was his second best talent.
    Day dawns dark...it now numbers infinity.

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    Member lak611's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AncientChord View Post
    OK, but when he did play, either in the studio or live, it was always the weakest section of any of their songs. He could never reach the levels of Emerson or Palmer. And any amateur guitarist could easily learn his acoustic guitar songs like "From The Beginning," Lucky Man" and "Still You Turn Me On." And as far as his bass goes, it's pretty good. Yeah he's no Wetton or Tony Levin, but besides his voice, bass playing was his second best talent.
    Regarding the electric guitar, was that by design? I don't think the guitar solo on "Battlefield" is terrible. My guess is that Emerson wouldn't permit additional electric guitar, especially solos, since Emerson had a huge ego and didn't want to be upstaged by a guitarist.

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