Customer Reviews

Encores Legends & Paradox: Tribute to Elp

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

It is wonderfully ironic that, at a time when the members of the progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer have decided that they are unable to work together -- again -- an assorted group of progressive rock musicians opt to release a tribute album to the band. Despite the irony, "Encores, Legends and Paradox" is a great CD, an assortment of exciting and powerful new renderings of classic ELP tunes. The focus of the CD is the harder, guttier edge of ELP, so fans of Greg Lake's ballads may find little to interest them. But the performances by classic progressive rock musicians Peter Banks, Martin Barre, Geoff Downes and John Wetton, as well as (relative) new kids on the block Robert Berry, Trent Gardner and Derek Sherinian, make this CD a must for any true ELP fan. The CD features dazzling instrumental work on numbers like "Toccata," "Hoedown" (with the highly appropriate and Copeland-esque addition of Jerry Goodman's violin) and especially "The Barbarian." The quirky "The Sheriff," a favorite ELP honky-tonk showpiece, has been delightfully transformed into a biting rock number. On the down side, some tracks -- particularly "Bitches Crystal" and "A Time and a Place" -- veer into overly-electronicized "techno-rock" and shy away from the gutsy, primal earthiness that anchored ELP's early works, got lost during the "Works" - "Love Beach" years, and dramatically reappeared in time for the band's "Black Moon" CD in '92. (Part of this might simply be the lack of Keith Emerson himself, who throughout his career has striven for an organic growl rather than a synthetic whine from his varied keyboard ensembles.) Despite this minor complaint, "Encores, Legends and Paradox" is an exciting, handsomely-packaged release ... and a fitting tribute to the greatness that was ELP. If we are to be denied new songs and new CDs from this classic band, perhaps the best we can hope for is a CD like "Encores, Legends and Paradox" with its fresh new takes on some of our old favorites.

I have been a devote ELP fan since I first dropped `cid back in 1971. I love this CD and found the renditions close enough to the originals (I hate remixes and such) yet different enough to add variety. The Levelord highly recommends!

They've got thrills and shocks.... starting with a muffed lyric in the second line of the opener! Some transcriptions/variations remain close to the originals, others use the original more as a point of departure (Toccata in particular). Energetic and lively, and at turns thoughtful (prelude to The Sheriff), this CD bears repeated listenings. In my opinion, a Volume II is called for, to furnish new perspectives on other worthy originals (Pirates, Three Fates -- but skip Pictures to avoid stigma of a variation on a variation).

I came across this CD by accident and almost didn't buy it. 30 seconds into the first tune I was glad I did! You will hear top notch playing by the likes of veterans Peter Banks, John Wetton, Geoff Downes, and Martin Barre blended with some of the finest newer players in progressive rock...The result is an incredible work in tribute to ELP's ground breaking music (although I still can't get used to the "Digital Hammond" sound :) Even the liner notes are good...especially Trent Gardner's "Music Appreciation as a Vocation" . This is a fine tribute to a great band!

I'm a hugh fan of ELP and this album takes their music to another plane - 2000 technology. It's better that the original. Thanks to magna carta for reawakening my desire in the techno Classical/Rock Fusion genre.

...but the original 3 no longer can? We saw it in the way ELP's own last two albums were almost creatively null, definitely geared to '90s radio play. You will notice that nothing from those albums is featured here. Only the stuff that made them great is. Like (would you believe?) "Karn Evil 9: Impression 1" in its entirety. I shudder to think of how many people think that piece begins with "...welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends...", a section that's actually pretty close to halfway through it. To be honest, I'm not sure I like the way the entire rhythm of "A Time And A Place" has been changed (maybe it'll grow on me). I'm used to that number going "BUH-duh-duh-duh BUH-duh-duh-duh" like Hollywood's '50s caricature of Native American tom toms. Plus, John Wetton's voice, once so close to Lake's that Lake subbed for him on a few "Asia" gigs, sounds nothing like him here. Another familiar name here (to me anyway) is that of this album's chief producer--Pete Morticelli. A high school grad classmate of mine. Anyway, I guess this album's chief value is how ELP's music stands the test of time with a younger generation of prog.

I have waited for this tribute CD ever since I discovered Magna Carta a few years back-I thought of all the great tunes that could be covered and all the great musicians associated with the label and relished its release. However, I have to give it a qualified "thumbs up" for the following reasons: (1)Of the ten pieces chosen, four are covers of ELP doing covers of other composers works; what about "Trilogy","Pirates","Three Fates", or even "Benny The Bouncer"? A tribute should, by definition, include that artists original works. (2)Half of the tunes are arranged and produced by Trent Gardner(Magellan), who uses a "techno-rock" approach that doesn't suit ELP's material. Robert Berry, who worked with Emerson and Palmer on "3", does a better job with the other half capturing the spirit of ELP. Arguably the most innovative and influencial progressive rock group, ELP deserves a better tribute. Maybe a second volume is in order. If so, let Berry do the whole job!

Here's another in Magna Carta's line of tribute albums to classic progressive rock artists. This time Trent Gardner and company take on the works (no pun intended) of the legendary Emerson, Lake & Palmer. In this collection, some of ELP's best known songs are covered by an impressive array of prog veterans as well as up and coming talents, including Robert Berry (who worked with Emerson and Palmer in 3), Trent and Wayne Gardner (Magellan), John Wetton and Geoff Downes (Asia), Peter Banks (Yes), Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple), Jordan Rudess, James LaBrie, Mike Portnoy and Derek Sherinian (all Dream Theater alum). I confess I bought this album when I was in a full-on Dream Theater mania and frantically searching for anything that featured that band's members, so it's those last names that sealed the deal for me.

Encores, Legends & Paradox is hit-and-miss. The fact that someone was willing and able to pay homage to ELP is worth celebrating, but the performances here aren't always up to par. I love James LaBrie and Glenn Hughes's contributions, and it's cool to have Wetton, Downes, Banks, and Berry on the same disc as so many Dream Theater members. Unfortunately I never really warmed up to Trent Gardner's particular brand of neo-prog, and he looms quite large on this album.

I have to go with a 3-star rating for this one. It's just interesting enough for progressive rock fans, and not entirely insulting to ELP fanatics (Keith Emerson's "blessing" in the liner notes helps with that). It's also a bit too uneven to be considered a "must have", even by tribute album standards.

I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A HUGE ELP FAN BUT A BIGGER SIMON PHILLIPS FAN...WHEN I SAW SIMON WAS DOING THE DRUMMING ON MOST OF THE CD I SCREAMED...A+ TO ROBERT BERRY FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER AND FOR THE REARRANGEMENTS OF ELPS GREAT SONGS...WHAT A GREAT CD...LOVE ALL THE BERRY/PHILLIPS SONGS...ALL MUSICIANS ON THIS CD ARE TOP NOTCH...LOVED IT

Many of the other reviewers are right. Why have a covers tribute album that covers covers? Did't ELP write enough of their own music to qualify? I think so.

Why couldn't they do some of the accoustic songs - From the Beginning, Still...You Turn Me On, etc.? Why not choose something else like Pirates, Brain Salad Surgery, Trilogy, Karn Eval 9 (3rd Impression), et al?

Many of the tracks on this album I would consider of pedestrian ability. There are a few outstanding cuts - Karn Eval 9 (1st Impression), The Endless Enigma, and Tarkus. These tracks are absolutely wonderful. However, most of the rest are quite forgettable.

If you have an open mind, and are an ELP fan, get this. If you think that it is sacrilege to try and cover ELP, don't get this. If you want a few great versions of ELP, you'll like this, for the most part.