Keith Emerson Band Album and Tour Info

[tarkus]

Thanks to the folks at ELP Digest, we get a look and some clips of the new album on the following links:

 

Keith's official announcement of 'Keith Emerson Band featuring

Marc Bonilla' including release dates (some are 'Coming Soon')

 

http://www.keithemerson.com/Music/Solo/KEBandFeatuingMB/KEBandFeaturingMB.html

 

Keith's page with details of Eastern Europe/Baltic Tour (Aug-Sept)

 

http://www.keithemerson.com/TourInfo/2008/2008EEuroBalticTour.html

 

Keith's page with details of Japan tour (Oct)

 

http://www.keithemerson.com/TourInfo/2008/2008JapanTourInfo.html

 

Of additional interest is a Japan-based CD site with snippets from every track from the new album:

 

http://www.neowing.co.jp/track_for_cdj.html?KEY=VICP-64196

(though it's in Japanese, you can click on the 'F' Flash icon

to launch the audio snippets in a Flash window).

 

 

[b_3guy]

Cool!! I can't wait until the album is released.

[BP3]

The album sounds promising. I caught the band at NEARfest a few years ago. They are worth seeing if they come close by.

 

As far as the snippets, the only problem to my ears is that the piano seems out of tune.

[ELP71]

Anything from Emerson is welcome...except for maybe YET ANOTHER version of 'Pictures at an Exhibition'. Sounds okay, the vocalist has a distinct Greg Lake-like tone, and there doesn't seem to be an inordinate amount of guitar.

[Mark Schmieder]

Interesting crossover with the Chicago thing: two of them also play with Danny Seraphine in his retro California Transit Authority.

[Moog_Man]

His new album looks pretty cool. Just as long as its not another one of these

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/14/ELP_Love_Beach_cover.jpg

[Mark Schmieder]

Actually, that album grew on me. I resequenced it and ended up liking much of it. It's funny how song order can impact one's state of mind as to how receptive one is to Greg Lake's schmaltzy ballads :-).

[BP3]

Which came first? Love Beach or Captain Morgan's?

[ELP71]

Actually, that album grew on me. I resequenced it and ended up liking much of it. It's funny how song order can impact one's state of mind as to how receptive one is to Greg Lake's schmaltzy ballads :-).

 

I wouldn't go so far to say that I like 'Love Beach', but 'Memoirs of an Officer and a Gentleman' is actually a pretty nice suite in the ELP vein. Tons of GX1 and Rhodes (!)...and although the lyrics have been described by Emerson as 'gross' I think it tells a nice story. 'Canario' is a fun listen, and 'The Gambler' has a pretty good solo for my money.

 

But overall, the album is an embarrassment, maybe because it also represents the end of ELP. The cover, album title, and majority of the 'first side' damn 'Love Beach' to infamy.

[Mark Schmieder]

The album cover reminds me of Chippendales. Not the sort of image you'd expect from a Progressive Rock outfit.

 

When a band is on the way down, they are often susceptible to Bad Advice.

 

[ oops, we have two interleaving discussion at this point -- my comments are directed at "Love Beach", not the new Keith Emerson Band project ]

[tarkus]

I like what I've heard.