Touch And Go - Emerson, Lake, & Powell

[StevieJams]

Cool thread, gentlemen. Keith used a Kurzweil K250 extensively on the ELPowell Record. It was one of the hottest synths out at that time. All the drum kits have the finger snap, sand paper, claps - the exact ones used on the record - and such mapped out at the top of the keyboard. It was easy to make a split, with a layer of the choir pad (with filter) on the bottom, and only the percussion at the top. I've owned a K250 RMX since the 80s and have covered Touch and Go verbatim, thanks to the K250 sounds and the myriad of FM and analog synths I layered to get "that magic horn" sound.

 

I have covered The Score with a band, and also with an elaborate sequence - also verbatim - thanks to the K250 and all the magic synths that Keith used in the mid 80s. I also covered Mars, The Bringer of War al la ELPowell at the NAMM Show years ago. Ironically, it was as a guest artist for, you guessed it.....Kurzweil Music Systems. I only used K Series synths for the show and it sounded amazing. Lots of programming and sound design.

 

Come and see The Score again at this year's Synthplex. I will be performing it, along with Karn Evil 9 - the entire 1st Impression in the Keith Emerson Tribute. Show is March 26, at 7PM. Burbank Marriott Hotel in Burbank, CA.

 

See you there.

[Mark Schmieder]

Interesting timing on the revival of this zombie thread, as I just played the Emerson Lake & Powell album last week for the first time in a few years.

 

I much much much prefer the Emerson lake & palmer version -- MUCH higher energy. The comparison brings home points I raise when producing metal and hard rock acts:

 

If everything is at 11 all the time, the energy is actually lower, because energy and power need contrast to shine.

 

Powell's a great drummer and a nice guy, and Greg Lake was very mature for not saying anything bad about him and very astute in assessing the differences.

 

I am pretty sure the real reason some people here think the energy is lower with Palmer is that lake's voice had fallen by then, so it is performed a whole fourth below the original!

 

I listened to the 1997 live version first and already noticed the improvement in the synth parts and the drumming, but in many ways the earlier version with palmer is better still.

 

The Powell version is partly plagued by 1980's production standards, which make the drums sound like a drum machine with every hit the exact same volume; no dynamics.

 

No swing either, which is important for ELP even when they're rocking it hard. But that may not have been due to Powell's drumming; the producer might be responsible.

 

I'd like to hear a live version with Powell, which I think exists, so I'll search YouTube to see, as it erases over-production from the equation.

 

Regardless, Lake is the star every tine, and his passion and humanity shine through and add exciting and original musical elements that aren't in the original folk tune.

[Mark Schmieder]

Interesting how the 2008 version with Marc Bonilla brings it back to the original key from the Emerson Lake & Powell version.

 

Low energy overall, due to slower tempo (the 1997 version is a tad slow too, but not overly so), and zero-dynamics drumming.

 

Bonilla's voice is awesome though, and reminiscent of Lake's when he was a younger man. Emerson's playing and sounds also good.

 

In spite of the drummer clearly emulating Powell more than palmer, he does put more feel into it, so I suspect Powell did also at concerts.

[Mark Schmieder]

I found Detroit and New Jersey from 1986, but it's bootleg video/audio, poor quality with cutouts and well over an hour as it's an entire set, so I'm not bothering to link, but I did find Powell's drumming more dynamic in concert than on the overproduced studio album (whose songs are great and have some of Lake's best singing).

 

40th anniversary Emerson lake & Palmer concert is a bit slower but still has good energy and performance standards overall:

 

 

Same key as all the Palmer versions, so I guess Lake's voice didn't fall any further after its initial drop in the very late 80's or early 90's. It's cute how Emerson walks it down from the original key to the new key in the intro though.

 

I do find the reader comments interesting for the Powell tours, saying Palmer is too wimpy and sloppy and low energy. I guess we all hear differently!

[Mitch Towne]

 

 

I am pretty sure the real reason some people here think the energy is lower with Palmer is that lake's voice had fallen by then, so it is performed a whole fourth below the original!.

 

 

Nope. It is lower energy because Palmer sounds terrible on it and they took a slow song and made it slower. He is the most overrated drummer. His fills sound like an 8th grader in stage band. (And I am an ELP fan from way back.)

[Mark Schmieder]

Wow. We couldn't disagree more. At least I'm open minded enough to accept that people listen and hear differently and thus are moved by different aspects of playing.

[dje31]

Love prog, really like ELP including P, but as I've gotten older, I've found that Palmer can be pretty loose (read: sloppy) at times, and timing can be sketchy, but you know it's real, warts and all.

 

If ELP were new today, they'd quantize everything and snap it to the grid and it would sound like robots. Thanks, Rick Beato!

[TommyS]

Cozy absolutely rocked and pocketed the band,,,