Thanks to some dedicated Asia/ELP fans, there are still some live recordings of the short lived 80′s offshoot band 3 (Three) being circulated around. You may remember this little variation in the ELP timeline – it was when Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer teamed up with singer/guitarist Robert Berry to record the album “To the Power of Three” back in 1988. As you may have guessed, the album flopped and the supporting tour got cut short. I’m not totally certain how many live gigs the group actually ended up doing but I recently received copies of two of their shows (Boston and NYC), both of which were simulcast live on the radio at the time.
I haven’t had a chance to listen to the NYC gig but after listening to the Boston show, it’s pretty obvious to me why the band didn’t last (..well, besides the lack of album sales). In a live setting, the band just didn’t gel. It sounded more like a showcase for Keith Emerson and a backing band. I can’t say if it was his ego or talent or a bit of both but Emerson pretty much overshadowed the rest of the group. And there’s no question about his ability on keys. Just listen to his jawdropping solo piece “Creole Dance”. amazing stuff. But it just seemed that Palmer and Berry weren’t up to the task of pulling their own weight in this setting. Berry’s bass work was simply buried by Emerson’s synthesizers and his vocal range had a lot to be desired. And don’t get me started on Palmer’s drumming. Granted, he’s a world famous rock drummer and does amazing drum solos but when playing with the rest of the band, he simply can’t stay “in the pocket”. his tempo is all over the place. I’m not sure if he was preoccuppied with his electronic drum setup but his playing was pretty subpar in my opinion.
The problem was compounded with lackluster material that just didn’t translate well onto the stage. Come on singing lyrics like: “Sangre de toro, drinking the wine, beneath la montana, the shadows of time” is just embarrassing. Oh, they also included a backing vocalist (Jennifer Steele) and a guitarist (Paul Keller) for these live gigs. I’m almost certain that they brought in Steele for “eye-candy” because from hearing her off key harmonies, she obviously can’t sing.
If you’re interested in the group, I say stick with the studio album. Even though it has the typical 80′s production sheen, it’d a whole lot better than hearing them live.
retroGrade: C (performance), B+ (sound quality, FM source)
After the sudden cancellation of the first three shows on the Keith Emerson/Greg Lake tour, Emerson posted an explanation on his facebook page.
I must apologize for the very last-minute cancellation of the show in Lakewood, and also of Glenside and Ridgefield shows, and for my absence of an issuance of any sort of statement.
The production we had hoped to put on was lacking in its musical and technical preparations. I was too distraught and embarrassed to come on stage to perform or even to announce the sudden cancellation myself, and to issue a statement immediately. What we were embarking upon was completely new ventures for both of us. I could not appear in front of an audience with high-expectations so unprepared. At that particular time, the quality of music I wished to present was more important to me than my reputation or financial gain. I now realize fully that the decision had a devastating effect on many including fans, my crew, staff, the promoters and the venues.
I will make every effort to fulfill our commitments to fans and friends at the re-scheduled dates in May for the cancelled shows.
I realize that I have disappointed my loyal fans. I know that many of you have traveled afar, used your precious vacation days, and spent your hard-earned money just to see the show. I am very sorry not only to those who came to Lakewood and those who bought tickets for Glenside and Ridgefield shows, but also all fans for whom I have deep respect.
I hope you can accept us delivering good shows, starting on Monday, April 5 in Annapolis, as a form of sincere apology.
Keith Emerson and Greg Lake recently announced tour dates for the month of April. The announcement of a tour is a bit of a surprise since I thought Emerson had experienced some issues with his hands last year which led him to cancel a set of “Keith Emerson Band” dates. Well, I guess this is a sign that he’s well enough to perform live again.
I’d be interested to see how this goes. According to the press release, the format is pretty much the two rock icons on stage re-interpreting their classic tunes in an “unplugged” setting. I’m a bit bummed that they’re not coming to my town but if any of you catch the show, feel free to post your thoughts right here on this page.
Here are the Emerson/Lake Tour dates: Thu 04/01/10 Lakewood, OH Lakewood Civic Auditorium
Fri 04/02/10 Glenside, PA Keswick Theatre
Sat 04/03/10 Ridgefield, CT Ridgefield Playhouse
Mon 04/05/10 Annapolis, MD Rams Head On Stage
Tue 04/06/10 Alexandria, VA Birchmere
Thu 04/08/10 New York, NY Nokia Theatre Times Square
Fri 04/09/10 Westbury, NY Theatre At Westbury
Sat 04/10/10 New Bedford, MA Zeiterion Performing Arts Center
Tue 04/13/10 Montreal, QC Place des Arts
Fri 04/16/10 Milwaukee, WI Northern Lights Theater
Sat 04/17/10 Merrillville, IN Star Plaza Theatre
Sun 04/18/10 Indianapolis, IN Murat Theatre
Sun 04/25/10 Los Angeles, CA Orpheum Theatre
**UPDATE: 23Feb10** new dates added to the tour - Sunday 04/11/2010 Lynn, MA Memorial Auditorium
Saturday 04/24/2010 Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas Hilton
Wednesday 04/28/2010 Colorado Springs, CO Pikes Peak Center
I guess at this stage in the game, Keith Emerson won’t be going out of his way to try and win over new fans. Legacy artists like Emerson already have a built-in fan base to feed off of. All they have to do is release product that’ll connect with all those existing fans. And I’m pretty sure that was part of the plan with Emerson’s latest release – Keith Emerson Band featuring Marc Bonilla. Long time listeners of Emerson, Lake and Palmer will feel right at home with this new album. The basic elements from ELP are all here – bombastic prog fused with classical bits along with some melodic rock thrown in for good measure. There’s even the requisite honky-tonk number on the album (“Gametime”). I totally enjoy Emerson’s playing and would have personally preferred a completely instrumental album. He’s got some great musicians here including Marc Bonilla on guitar and Gregg Bissonette on drums but whenever Bonilla starts singing, it just feels derivative of ELP’s past work. Bonilla even sounds sort of like Greg Lake. “A Place to Hide” is probably the most listenable vocal-based track on the album but most of the others are just marred with clunky lyrics and bland melodies.
to celebrate the upcoming release of Asia‘s brand new studio album Phoenix (out April 15th), I thought I’d share some Asia-related tracks from the mid-80s. I consider the mid to late eighties as the “lost period” for the original members of Asia after the breakup of the band in 1985. Carl Palmer, John Wetton, Geoff Downes and Steve Howe (Howe left in 1983 after the Asia in Asia debacle) all went their separate ways trying desperately to somehow find their way back onto the billboard charts. Generally they were unsuccessful in duplicating the sales number they had for their debut album back in 1982 but Steve Howe got closer than the rest with his 1986 project…
Steve Howe
Howe left Asia after the disastrous Asia in Asia ’83 concert (with Greg Lake in place of John Wetton) in japan and formed another “supergroup” with Steve Hackett. Geoff Downes came on board as producer which is interesting since the project was guitar-based and Downes is a keyboard player. The group made a dent on the charts with “When the Heart Rules the Mind” and “The Hunter” but soon disbanded due to Howe and Hackett’s inability to work with one another.
- Download When The Heart Rules the Mind [via mediafire]
- Purchase GTR on amazon.com
John Wetton
Matching the huge success of Asia’s debut album would be a tough feat for just about any band. and when Alpha and Astra didn’t meet the record label’s expectations, the band was dropped. I’m sure it was tough for Wetton during this time. and it showed on his next project. Wetton hooked up with an old friend of his Phil Manzanera. along for the ride was producer Keith Bessey and Yes drummer Alan White. sounding like a lesser-version of Asia, the Wetton/Manzanera album tanked in 1987. It was a good try though. and having a soft spot for all things Asia, I still pull out the CD every once in a while.
- Download It’s Just Love [via mediafire]
- Purchase Wetton/Manzanera on amazon.com
Geoff Downes
Downes released an instrumental/new age-type album in 1987 titled The Light Program. the album sounds a bit dated now but I still listen to it every now and then for Downes’ very melodic compositions. interestingly, the original CD indexed the various themes into 2 minute pieces. so I’m not able to share a complete “song” as intended. I suppose it’s a good way to deter file sharing…
- Download Majesty [via mediafire]
- Purchase The Light Program on Amazon.com
Carl Palmer
With management’s love for shuffling members around, Palmer got back together with Keith Emerson but instead of Greg Lake, songwriter/musician Robert Berry was brought in (Berry was involved with GTR’s aborted second album, Nerotrend). The group was named “3″. why they didn’t go with “Emerson, Berry & Palmer” is anybody’s guess. with an ever diminishing market for “pop-prog”, their album To the Power of Three sank like a stone upon release in 1988.
- Download Talkin’ Bout [via mediafire]
- Purchase To the Power of Three on Amazon.com
bonus:Greg Lake
Lake came into Asia back in ’83 as a favor to Carl Palmer when the group decided to give John Wetton the boot. unfortunately, Lake didn’t have the same vocal range as Wetton and it was very apparent to the millions that watched the Asia in Asia telecast on cable. Lake as well as the band knew it wasn’t a good fit and Lake went back to fronting ELP. the problem was that Carl Palmer was still contractually obligated to Asia so Lake and Keith Emerson had to find a replacement drummer to fill the “P” in ELP. Luckily, Cozy Powell was available and they quickly released Emerson, Lake & Powell in 1986.
- Download Touch and Go [via mediafire]
- Purchase Emerson, Lake & Powell on amazon.com.
. Long time listeners of Emerson, Lake and Palmer will feel right at home with this new album. The basic elements from ELP are all here – bombastic prog fused with classical bits along with some melodic rock thrown in for good measure. There’s even the requisite honky-tonk number on the album (“Gametime”). I totally enjoy Emerson’s playing and would have personally preferred a completely instrumental album. He’s got some great musicians here including Marc Bonilla on guitar and Gregg Bissonette on drums but whenever Bonilla starts singing, it just feels derivative of ELP’s past work. Bonilla even sounds sort of like Greg Lake. “A Place to Hide” is probably the most listenable vocal-based track on the album but most of the others are just marred with clunky lyrics and bland melodies.
(out April 15th), I thought I’d share some Asia-related tracks from the mid-80s. I consider the mid to late eighties as the “lost period” for the original members of Asia after the breakup of the band in 1985. Carl Palmer, John Wetton, Geoff Downes and Steve Howe (Howe left in 1983 after the Asia in Asia debacle) all went their separate ways trying desperately to somehow find their way back onto the billboard charts. Generally they were unsuccessful in duplicating the sales number they had for their debut album back in 1982 but Steve Howe got closer than the rest with his 1986 project…
on amazon.com
album tanked in 1987. It was a good try though. and having a soft spot for all things Asia, I still pull out the CD every once in a while.
. the album sounds a bit dated now but I still listen to it every now and then for Downes’ very melodic compositions. interestingly, the original CD indexed the various themes into 2 minute pieces. so I’m not able to share a complete “song” as intended. I suppose it’s a good way to deter file sharing…
sank like a stone upon release in 1988.
in 1986.
