Emerson, Lake and Palmer: The Show That Never Ends [Paperback]

George Forrester (Author), Martyn Hanson (Author), Frank Askew (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2001

This is the first every biography of Progressive rock supergroup Emerson, Lake & Palmer-one of the most successful acts of the 70s who, in terms of sound artistic vision and concept, operated on a scale for in excess of all rivals. Featuring The Nice's keyboard virtuoso Keith Emerson, King Crimson's Greg Lake on lead vocals and ball and Stomic Rooster's drummer Carl Palmer, ELP enjoyed a huge profile from the start. Their 1970 debut album Emerson, Lake and Palmer mixed new compositions with reinterpresations fo classical themes such as Bartok and Janacek, while Emerson's "Lucky Man" Moog solo represented one of the first recorded instances of the synthesiser in rock. After bestselling albums Tarkus, Pictures at an Exhibition and Trilogy brought the synthesiser to a wider audience, the band's recorded sound reached its apogee with 1973's high-concept album Brain Salad Surgery, which boasted artwork by Swiss Surrealist H.R. Giger.

Live, the band was a phenomenon, tearing up European classical music and turing Copland inside out through a giant quadrophonic PA, in front of packed audiences, whiile a shirtless Emerson hammered knives into his keyboard.

The rise of punk changed everything, and ELP split in the late 70s. However, by the 90s they were back with the classic Black Moon and a world tour that culminated in three triumphant shows at London's Royal Albert Hall.

George Foster, Martyn Hanson, and Frank Askew are acknowledged experts on ELP and after five years of research, they have produced a gripping and fascinating document of one of the great rock bands of the 70s. George Forrester also provides a erudite study of the band's complex and challenging music.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Emerson, Lake & Palmer answered blues funkiness with power-chord bombast. Rife with soaring solos and virtuoso turns, ELP's live performances converted four-minute songs into extravaganzas that threatened never to conclude and helped define the then viable term art rock. Forrester and friends profile the trio in detail and, in true rock journalistic manner, arguably too sympathetically. This book will not make any best rock books lists for '01, yet it is solid enough to serve any pop music book collection well. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From the Author

For thirty years Emerson, Lake and Palmer have been one of the most dynamic and thrillingly musical forces in rock music. They've given us extraordinary concept works - "Tarkus", "Karn Evil 9", their version of Mussorgsky's

"Pictures at an Exhibition". Keith Emerson composed a Piano Concerto (and Carl Palmer a Percussion Concerto, soon to be released for the first time). Greg Lake conjured visions of sword and sorcery, science fiction landscapes, and piracy on the high seas, and penned other songs extolling the joys and

agonies of love, sex, bar fights and gambling, and cursing politicians, warmongers, hypocrites and exploiters of the poor. And there's so much more. These three musical virtuosos have lived their lives to the maximum and on the edge. That same go-for-it attitude characterises their music and their performance. They have spun their uniquely compelling, colourful web of music for three decades now. We said to

ourselves, "There are books about Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, Jethro Tull - it's time someone wrote about Emerson, Lake and Palmer! - about them, their music, and the amazing show they put on, both as ELP and in their solo work." So we did. We wrote the book that had to be written! Hey, why be modest?

It's been a long labour of love, and we think you'll find it was worth it. "Emerson, Lake and Palmer: The Show That Never Ends" tells the story of the band from their early pre-ELP days right up to the present day. There's detailed analysis of all their music. Plus appendixes - an extensive discography and videography, tour dates. And there's an index too - you don't

always get that in rock books, do you? Legendary journalist and rock author Chris Welch - famous for his recent book about that other progressive giant, Yes - has kindly written the Foreword...

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Helter Skelter Publishing (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 190092417X
• ISBN-13: 978-1900924177
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,214,253 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Should have been better, May 22, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Emerson, Lake and Palmer: The Show That Never Ends (Paperback)

It's nice to finally read a book on the mighty ELP, but this is too much of a fluff piece to address the concerns of serious fans. There are mistakes (the string sound on TRILOGY was from an ARP string synthesizer not a mini-Moog), and the musical analyses are laughable (Piano Concerto No. 1 is clearly a Romantic composition not a serialist work; and while we are told that "Abbadon's Bolero" resolves into a C chord at the end, something anyone with a copy of the sheet music would know, the authors fail to notice that the second impression of Karn Evil 9 is performed in the style of Dave Brubeck as a tribute to the "Rondo" composer). Moreover, the important question is not addressed: what happened to Keith Emerson? Emerson has gone from writing the concerto to endlessly performing "America." What happened to his ambition and why has he produced so little new music over the past twenty years? Even for the "comeback" album BLACK MOON, he simply recycled three-year old songs from CHANGING STATES. Does he have writer's block? I guess we'll have to wait for another ELP book to find out.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine work about a misunderstood band, January 30, 2001

By 

Mark D Burgh "Music, Writing, Art, Film, Hist... (Fort Smith, AR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Emerson, Lake and Palmer: The Show That Never Ends (Paperback)

George Forrester, et al, have created a straightforward and earnest look at Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, a band incorrectly reviled for their musical excellence, showmanship, and pretentions. In the early 1970's, few events were more exiting than hearing a new ELP release, and then seeing them perform live. In an era plagued with boogie rock, nascent glam, and the brewing punk, ELP plunged ahead towards a modernist reading of music. Combining their classical chops, jazz free-styling, and heavy-metal sound, they created not just a sound, but a world around their music.

George Forrester's book explains the history of the band, their musical steps, and mis-steps in clear, straightforward prose. While other works such as Paul Stump's The Music All's That Matter seems written with a distain for Prog and ELP, ELP: The Show Never Ends is an unabashed love letter for the devoted fan.

The books concludes with a musical exegesis of Keith Emerson's work, and to anyone who understands music, these analyses are enlightening, and thought-provoking.

If you want to learn about ELP, this is the place. If you want to relive the salad days, this is the place. If you want a picture of the rollercoaster ride of 1970's rock, this book will show you how a band was greeted with great hope and then dismissed into oblivion mostly because they knew how to play their instruments well.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Belongs in Your Collection, January 29, 2001

By 

Mike Myers (Denton, TX United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Emerson, Lake and Palmer: The Show That Never Ends (Paperback)

Once I began reading this book it was hard to put down. This is the definitive, end-all story, from beginning to end, of ELP. Its all here: the early days of E, L, and P, the formation of the "Show That Never Ends", the hits, the misses, the fights, the breakups, the reconciliations, more fights, more reconciliations and tours, etc. etc. Also, there is plenty of trivia, behind the scenes information, and analysis of the music, instruments and people connected with the band. This book is laid out very logically, in a chronological order and represents the first time a publication has been available which tells the entire story, in a professional manner, from beginning to end. George Forrester and company are to be commended on being factual without being opinionated or judgmental. ELP had plenty of "wrong turns" and less than successful changes in musical direction through the years, but those events are all reported in a factual manner rather than a condescending one. One of the hidden gems of this book is the information provided in the back. George Forrester gives us a piece by piece analysis of all the major album tracks. Even more valuable is a chronological listing of EVERY concert ever played by the guys, from the beginning all the way through recent years, along with radio broadcasts and interviews. There's even internet sources listed for staying current on the band's activities. This is one of those must-own items if you are, or ever were a fan of the greatest band in rock n roll.