Customer Reviews

Emerson, Lake & Palmer: Live at Montreaux 1997 [Blu-ray]

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

 

 

Comment: Usually I don't like old farts giving concerts that represents the music they were able to make when they were young. I usually don't get the same "vibe" because it isn't the same sound I remember... analog and distorted. This Blu-ray changes that by starting out moderately and building to a crescendo that if you can stand to raise your volume to live concert levels (and your neighbors don't mind) you will get an experience that matches the concerts of younger days. The picture is stellar... giving you an up close and personal look at three aging rockers that can still knock your sox off! If you are a fan of EL&P... buy this Blu-ray.

Well to start Ive been a diehard #1 fan of ELP since I got BSS for my 16th birthday in 1976. Any serious ELP fan will find something to love about this Bluray. I love it because Im in the Home Theater biz so its a technical audio and video gem of the band I have loved and admired for 30+ yrs..
That being said most will have to agree, if they are honest, that most of the magic that made ELP a progressive rock legend is sadly gone. The laser intensity, the seamless, mind blowing musicianship has given way to a tired and obviously puppet like performance. Obvious is Keith's degenerative, now 3 finger playing and Greg's sorely lacking ANY real energy or soul in his performance. Carl is still Carl the one and only, banging away with much energy and is probably the cohesive bond still bringing these guys together.
I found the TARKUS arrangement to be the highlight and was played with as much more enthusiasm than most of the other songs (biased you bet).
To me the sound is excellent and earned an extra star.
The video looks great but the camera editing is amateurish at best with very annoying and awkward scene changes and panning.
Im sure to play this BR many times to come....... just sighing at the end wishing for the good ol days.

I have been a serious ELP listener since I bought their first LP, and have purchased several DVD's of their performances from the 70's, only to be disappointed by the abysmal sound and video quality. So I was glad to see that a stage performance was available in Blu-ray and 5.1 surround. I was also happy to read mostly glowing reviews of the disc on the Amazon site. So I bit, and now have my own review to offer.

I agree with most other reviewers that this disc was better than expected, but not all that you would like it to be either. My personal take in this disc: Performance=4, Picture=4, Sound=3.

I feel that considering their age (and mine), ELP gave a fine show. Energy and musicianship is about as good as you can expect. The disc showcases some of the best material of their career, especially those from ELP(first), Tarkus, Trilogy, Pictures, and BSS. However I have a hard time appreciating the selections from the later, and justly unsuccessful, LPs after BSS.

On the production quality side, this is certainly not the "technical audio and video gem" opined by another reviewer. It is a Montreux Jazz Festival Production, with post at their own facilities.

I checked with other web reviews of the disc to confirm my conclusions about audio quality, which are:
- Greg Lake's vocals are pretty badly buried in the mix, not center channel as you would expect, but disembodied in the L, R, and surrounds. Thankfully his guitars are well presented, especially the acoustic.
- Keith's keyboards are well recorded and mixed. No complaints except: why didn't he use his original Moog more than he did?
- Carl's drums are "all there", but not up front in the mix like they should be in a power-trio. The snare and kick come through alright, but high-hat and cymbals are weak. The drum mix just does not have the impact it should.
- I'd be willing to bet that this was remixed from stereo to 5.1; that would explain some of the above weaknesses. The DVD format was new in 1995, and 5.1 mixes did not show up on it until 1997. The original production from 1997 might have been mixed to stereo only, and the original multi-tracks not used for remixing when the DVD was finally produced in 2004.

The quality of the video is good, but not great as Blu-rays go. It is 1080i rather than the preferred 1080p. According to the credits, it was "recorded in HI Definition", and downconverted. This implies the early Sony HD1280(?) system was used. I saw no evidence of film grain or motion artifacts that would indicate transfer from film. In general, color and sharpness is good, and the editing did not get in the way of my enjoyment of the performance. It was thankfully free of MTV-type production frenzy.

In summary, if you love ELP, you will like this blu-ray better than the other available performances on disc. Some of those look more like documentaries or even newsreels.

In itself a wonderful registration of what must have been an awesome show. With the exception of "Tiger in the spotlight" which is too silly to talk about, the set list is exactly what you'd expect. And after 25 or so years, ELP is still a great and very professional band (even though they - once again - appear not to be talking much to one another).

Plus: This may be the only chance to see a Moog #1 synth live in action. With the promise of crisp pic and audio. And the pic quality is very good indeed.

Minus: I have an issue with the audio mix, though. The rear surround speakers are way too loud and drown out the front speakers including Greg's vocals. And the bass guitar is hardly audible - you would be forgiven for believing this is a synth & drums outfit. My subwoofer didn't even kick in. I found myself downgrading to the PCM stereo mix to improve my listening experience. That is not what you'd expect from a HD-Master sound track.

If you're an ELP fan, and I one of their biggest fans, this DVD will help you remember the days when rock ROCKED! This DVD has excellent video and audio, no weakness in either.

The program gives a full overview of the masters of Classic / Jazz & Rock fusion that is ELP. While I would have loved to have full versions of Tarkus, Pictures at an Exhibition and Karnevil 9, the time allowed me to enjoy one of the best groups ever.

Don't pass on this DVD at a great price.

Better than I expected. Sound quality is excellent, and as usual Amazon lists the sound as just DTS 5.1 when it is actually HD Master. I always enjoyed ELP's unique style and energy, and if your a fan, unless your a stuck in the mud fan that insists they must sound exactly as they did 40 years ago, I think you will enjoy this. Lake's voice was a little weak in the beginning, but once he got warmed up he did a very respectable job on Lucky Man. Emerson's energy is astounding as well as his keyboarding talents and virtuosity, and Palmer did a very nice drum solo.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and will continue to enjoy it for many years.

If you are fond of ELP'ers music, you will love this title. Yes, 1970 is long gone, so you naysayers really need to get over it!

Performace = 5 stars, AQ/VQ = 5 stars. After watching this, I think Keith Emerson may be a better keyboard player than John Lord. Of course, we all know Lord ruled on keyboard, no.

Great performances get played more than once or twice - this one is gonna get spun quite a few times.

This is excellent material. See the legendary ELP in concert, and have the best seat in the house. One better, also see it from angles no one at the concert can see, like from behind the stage or from under the keyboard. The picture and sound are perfect!

There are a few notable editing mistakes I noticed:
1. At the beginning the editor does not pay enough attention to Keith Emerson, focusing too much on Greg Lake and Carl Palmer.
2. When Emerson grabs a portable keyboard and flames shoot out of it, we only see the very end of the effect.
3. When Palmer takes his T-shirt off during the drum solo, it is missed, and the next thing we see he is shirtless.

I would highly recommend this Blu-ray to any ELP, Jazz, or Prog Rock fan. The performances are top notch and they are beautifully delivered through this disk.

I have been an ELP fan since the beginning. I have seen them countless times in concert over the past 40 years. I was disappointed in this DVD. Keith Emerson's performance was rushed and sloppy. He did not have his full battery of keyboards, and bashing his Hammond organ in the encore was too corny. Greg Lake's voice was not what it used to be. Aside from playing acoustic guitar on "From the Beginning" and "Lucky Man" he only played bass. Carl Palmer's performance was excellent, however his drum kit was a bit down-sized as well. The biggest disappointment for me was they did not include "Pirates" in this performance. The 40th anniversary DVD from 2010 is about the same as this one, however Lake's voice is a bit stronger in spite of the 40-50 lbs he gained since 1997. And Mr. Palmer is sporting a belly too, and also no "Pirates". If you absolutely have to have an ELP performance DVD, I would recommend the 40th anniversary DVD over the Montreaux '97.