Customer Reviews

Emerson Lake & Palmer - Live at Montreux

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'll give this a token one star because Carl Palmer can still play like hell and Greg Lake plays the most beautiful bass guitar I've ever seen (not heard, mind you, seen.) Otherwise this disc is literally going in my trashcan. I can only assume that my fellow reviewers who've looked upon this DVD kindly are so young that they never saw ELP in their prime, when they were an amazing band and their concerts a thrilling, spine tingling experience. I HAVE NEVER SEEN THREE MUSICIANS WHO HATE PLAYING TOGETHER SO OBVIOUSLY as I do on this DVD. The bad vibe between Emerson and Lake is palpable, they won't even look at each other. Emerson's chops are all but gone, he's content to substitute speed for accuracy, he's all over the place, sloppy BEYOND belief, the Alvin Lee of keyboards. Greg Lake plays some nice acoustic guitar but plays bass like he hasn't picked it up for a decade and isn't all that sure where the right notes are. His voice is....well, it's gone. He sounds like me doing a really, really good imitation of Greg Lake in the shower, with the flu. Technically, as others have noted, the sound is dreadful, as is the stage lighting which never surpasses that which you saw at your high school prom. On the positive side, even at half effort, playing with two guys who clearly don't give a damn, Carl Palmer shows why he was one of the greatest drummers of his era, if not the greatest. If you're a young fan, please know that ELP were honestly one of the most important, groundbreaking, genuinely awe-inspiring bands of the 70's... though you'd never know it from this travesty of a performance. If you're an ELP fans who remembers their greatness, avoid this at all costs. It's a quick cash desecration of their past brilliance, a trashing of their own art and their own heritage. It's just too sad.

I soooo wanted to like this DVD concert, and soooo looked forward to it. I'm an original ELP nut, going back to having seen their shows after the Brain Salad Surgery release and on the Works tour (lucky enought to have seen them with the full orchestra). In the mid-70's and early 80's nobody was a bigger ELP fan than I.

That said, I can't excuse the terrible production values of this DVD. I'm so sick of concert DVD's released with sound quality that no one would ever accept from a current movie release. The sound here simply sucks - and this thru a system with more than $40,000 of equipment. Keith's keyboards come in at various volumes, Carl's drums are not distinct in the least, and Greg's bass and singing are a muddy mess. This might be one of those instances that those with lesser home theater system might not notice - but state of the art this is not (not even average compared to today's best). It all sounds like something recorded by a bootlegger in the audience.

Performance-wise, the boys are clearly past their prime here, and it's a shame to see a once unbelievable performance band reduced to kinda-getting-by. Keith's keyboards are not as sharp as the once were, and he occassionally seems to be off, time-wise, with his mates. Carl was once the most promising of the rock drummers, with technical skill and energy that were far above his peers. His playing here has none of the fire and technical acumen it once had. Greg seems solid by comparison; both in playing and singing, but the aforementioned poor sound quality makes it hard to tell.

Unless you gotta have something to remind you of what this band once was, I'd save your money. This is nothing like the greatness of their prime performances.

Somebody dropped the ball here. Yes, although ELP in 1997 was way beyond their prime and they didn't have the energy (or even the pride) they use to have many years ago back in their heyday, but it still doesn't justify why they should sell this DVD with a reduced picture and sound quality. But, I was willing to accept this DVD after I saw it on High Definition cable TV.

Yes that's right! This show was filmed with High Definition equipment and was in Widescreen on cable TV. But this DVD is not presented in the High Definition that it should be. And this DVD is Full Screen, not Widescreen. The sides were cut off. Even in the rolling credits, it tells you (in horrid blurry hardly decipherable print) that this concert was filmed in High Definition.

I saw them live back in 1992 in Sacramento and that particular world tour has been captured on film in England and is available as the DVD of "Live at The Royal Albert Hall." At least, at that show, they still seemed to care about working together and giving their audience their best effort. And strangely enough, this concert looks better on DVD than "Live at Montreaux." It's not High Definition, but just looks and sounds better. They looked a little healthier too at the Royal Albert Hall.

The only thing I have to say "positive" about their "Live at Montreaux" DVD, is that some of their instrumental work is still pretty good. The show starts off very typical of any ELP show over the many years they've performed together. It's no surprise that an aging comeback band like ELP will start off their show with Karn Evil 9 ("Welcome Back My Friends...."), and about the first 20 minutes of this show could easily bore you and make you want to shut it off, but as you get deeper into the show, it does get a little better. They get more instrumental, and that is usually what we ELP fans enjoyed the most about ELP live. It's not Greg Lake's fault, but it is unfortunate that the first thing that diminishes in appeal about any aging rock band, is that the vocalist suffers the most obvious of the inability to continue to perform. Keith and Carl can still entertain their audience with their instrumental solo performance, but you can tell that it's very exhaustive for them. On this DVD, Keith's "Creole Dance" was quite good. And the encore performance of "Fanfare For the Common Man" was an excellent display of Keith and Carl giving their best. I didn't forget about Greg, It's just that nothing really stands out for him on this show. "From the Beginning" is always good, so is "Lucky Man", but I wish he would have done "Still...You Turn Me On", "C'est La Vie", "The Old Castle", and maybe even "Epitaph". All his input here was very short term and nothing outstanding. He didn't even bother to smile for his audience.

If they ever decide to re-release this DVD in the true High Definition Widescreen that it should have been, then maybe I'll buy it. But, this DVD is a disaster at all levels. I'll have to pass.

(ATTENTION: PROG FANS: Check out the new DVD of "Yes: Live at Montreaux." It is the best Yes live DVD available to this day.)

****Pay no attention to the review w/ONE star.. Whoever wrote that needs a new telescope!*** I own all the DVD's by this group. The production on this is AWESOME. It would have been nice to have an overhead cam on Keith Emerson..(only a minor quibble) but... there is PLENTY of great technical shots, so do not worry!! This is killer picture and sound! Great "patience" by the director too, as I cannot stand directors who jump too quickly with camera angles. Great job! Most of the new Montreaux releases are getting the same great reviews..See the Gary Moore Montreaux reviews for example, as they too rave of the quality. I paid only $9.00 for this at Tower. Just a fantastic show...Keith even hits a really bad note on the solo for "From the beginning" which makes him seem almost human?(Yeah right)..Actually no, ...he is not human... he is incredible! The "one star reviewer" claims his "timing is off throughout the entire show???? Yeah ok, that's believable...NOT. (Mr one star needs a gyroscope to go with the new telescope)I don't think Keith has slowed one bit. It isn't 1972 anymore and most artist get better with age and Keith and Carl are no exceptions. Keith is better on the Piano segments then back then.(Lake has slowed, and his voice has dropped, but most fans know that)..Buy this one! It blows away that Royal Albert Hall DVD (AND THE OTHER ONES TOO)

The pace is a little slower, but the technicality and timing are still there. This is a crystal clear DVD, that has great sound.
From beginning to end, ELP demonstrate the superior musicians that they are. The audience seems spellbound at times, and who wouldn't be ?
A great addition to any ELP fan's collection, and great entertainment for anyone else interested in the Prog Rock genre.

It's a great DVD with great sound. There are a few reasons why some idiots gave it 1 star: The lighting is plain (because it's the Montreux Festival and the stage and lights are not just for ELP), they're older (that seems to matter to some people), and I think some say the audio is bad because the synth tone on Tiger In The Spotlight is bad (just for that song, synths make many different tones if you don't know) and they use that song for the menu, so it's the first thing you see and hear, so the idiots say "the whole show is bad" when the audio is great. Emerson's playing on the first few songs isnt quite as tight as it could be on certain parts, but he really gets into the groove after the first few songs and plays great for the rest of the show. Lake's bass playing and voice sound great. Palmer's drumming is great, as always. All around, the show is great and the performances of Tarkus, Pictures, Fanfare, Rondo, are nothing short of amazing. I've seen ELP in in the 70's and still listen to recordings from that time, the energy is different on this DVD, but not less (as some say) and this performance has great energy. It's sad that some people may not buy this great DVD because of some bad reviews at the top of the page

I was fortunate enough to have been stationed in Germany in 1997...and to have seen this show a mere week prior to this Montreaux performance. I may be looking back with rose -colored glasses, but it seemed as if The Boys were a bit more relaxed when I saw them in Kassel...possibly they were more conscious of the cameras darting in and around them at Montreau? It's still a good show, and I too must take exception to the "one-star" reviewer above: technically, the video is crystal clear, and the audio, while not being a perfect mix, is very good. I guess there were a few more bum notes than I remember from the Kassel performance, and Greg flubs a couple of lyrics. But this has always been part of ELPs' charm! There's a "rogue" aspect to this band that has always appealed to me. I've always been suspicious of how Perfect those Yes and Pink Floyd concert videos have always been...they're sterile to the point of being somewhat boring after a while. Not the case with these guys! You never know just what is coming next. These guys are not as fast or "on top of their game" as they used to be ( and I saw them twice during the 1977 Works tour ), but this is definitely worth the modest price. Now if only the Holy Grail of ELP footage will come out: California Jam from 1974. Amazon, better order a LOT of that one...you won't be able to keep it in stock.

"Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends..."

It is a rare treat to see 3 of the best musicians of the 20th century still displaying talent and showmanship. Yes, they are past their prime, and it shows, but for true fans, it is always a pleasure to watch 'any' performance from such influential artists. It's not like ELP will win a new generation of fans with this DVD, but as a collector, I would hate not having this item in my 'vault'.
Rock and/or jazz fans just can't ignore ELP's legacy, and the DVD's song list does a good job representing their style.

Production values could be better, so I can't give it 5 stars.

This group never ceases to amaze. This is one of the last shows the band performed prior to Greg Lake's departure. The video quality is crystal clear. The sound is great. Although the band is somewhat slowed from their heyday, their superior musical talent shows throughout this video. Longtime ELP fans will be pleased as this represents one of the last looks at this great band together. The uninitiated should be impressed at the virtuosity of Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and Carl Palmer. An excellent concert !

This DVD is excellent.It's better than Royal Albert Hall in 92',and close to 'From the Vaults'. Greg Lake is in fine voice(better than 92'),and Keith Emerson is incredible.There is some good close up shots of Keith playing hie numerous keyboards.And Carl Palmer is ..well Carl Palmer. One of the best rock drummers ever.I'm still waiting for the classic concert's of the 70's to come out on DVD.This one has great sound and is a must have for any fan of this band.