Customer Reviews

In the Hot Seat

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

 

 

What happened? Well, let us view the guitly. At the time of recording, Keith Emerson had undergone arm surgery and was for the most part playing lame- often multitracking keyboard parts and playing with one hand. Greg Lake's voice had deteriorated considerably, becoming gruff and raspy, and more suitable for blues or depressing folk music than the bombastic ELP of old. Carl Palmer's drumming is restrained- more in tune with his work with Asia than ELP. He recieves no writing credits, nor does he really shine on this particular album. He must have been locked out of the studio or restrained at gunpoint. Then there is producer Keith Olson, who although is a fine producer, may have had a hefty shake in the direction of this album. Certainly the production is a notch above their previous album 'Black Moon'. He may have over-produced it to the point of rubbing off any of the magic that may have been left over from Black moon. There is nothing wrong with pursuing a more commercial/aor direction, that isn't the point. It's just that some of the songs just aren't that good. That, added to Keith's hand condition, Greg's voice sounding an octave lower, and Carl's absence, make for another black mark on the band which makes the previously lambasted 'Love Beach'(1978) sound like a progressive meisterwork. Greg Lake seems to be back in his dominate pop mode, and most of the album was written by him with many tracks co-written with Olson. So the most guilty is Lake. Also for the first time since 'Love Beach', the electric guitar is featured- the results being most forgettable. I'm not just going along with popular view of this album, there still are a few good moments. I for one had grown to really love Emerson's more modern synth sound he employed during the 80's(ELPowell and To The Power Of 3)and 90's stuff such as 'Changing States' and the studio version of Pictures At AN Exhibition. Some of that is here as well, although in smaller doses. Here are the tracks:

HAND OF FATE - An unusual album opener from what you're used to(a droning synth line or something similar). Here, Emerson's nimble piano is the lead instrument over synth chords instead of a synth or hammond lead. This is a fresh track, somewhat like ELP's take on neo-prog. Vocals don't even appear until almost halfway through. The solo towards the end sounds a little like uninspired synth squiggling.

DADDY - This is one of Greg Lake's worst songs. The piano/synth intro is nice enough, though the song itself is underdeveloped. Just when you think Greg is about to take the song into another level after the verses, it just continues with the 'Daddy come and take me home'. There could have been much more emotion to this track, but concerning the lyrics, perhaps that's just as well- 'Daddy' deals with the subject of child abduction. Any real power this song could have had would have made it more heatbreaking. This is probably ELP's most depressing song.

ONE BY ONE - Nice 90's synthesizers that I like. This is one of the better tracks. Although still a bit accessable, this one is closest to earlier ELP, with their recognisable keyboard driven sound. Lyrically, this one sounds like it has leftover words from Tarkus or Bitches Crystal, bringing back some fantasy imagery for whatever reason they brought it back. The part at the end with the orchestral keyboards cannot be deserving of the animosity heaped on the rest of this album.

HEARTS ON ICE - whatever happened to the pretty acoustic ballads like 'Footprints In The Snow' from Black Moon? Hearts On Ice features a lot of lyrics seemingly from a list of cliche lyric phrases- often a problem with Greg Lake. Where was Peter Sinfield when ELP needed him? The cringability factor is high.

THIN LINE - this one had potential and could have been extended a bit(rumour has it that it was, but producer Olson chopped it up to make it more radio-friendly). Something about this reminds me of The Nice. Background singers on an ELP album? Sure, that's not a terrible thing. Very different for ELP, but why not. New directions are fine, just a shame more wasn't done with this track. This is what the Nice may have sounded like in the mid-90's, maybe.

MAN IN THE LONG BLACK COAT - continues with the Nice comparison. Bob Dylan was one of Emerson's early heroes- The Nice performed a few Dylan covers back before ELP were formed. Now he's come full circle by doing Man In The Long Black Coat, another Dylan cover. A interesting track, but not for die-hard fanatics of Brain Salad Surgery and nothing else. Whereas Lake's voice sounds strained performing live versions of ELP classics in concert, here his new raspy, darker voice works best.

CHANGE - an upbeat one, but one that sounds incomplete- without any real solos. Again, the newer synths are much to my liking, but the song itself won't gain them any new fans.

GIVE ME A REASON TO STAY - another ballad from mr. Lake, written by outside writers. Here it is assumed that perhaps Lake was thinking he could try the Phil Collins thing and maybe have an adult contemporary hit. He should have saved this for his solo album. Possibly the worst moment in ELP history.

GONE TOO SOON - Greg's guitar playing isn't much to write home about either, and takes up too much space on this album, often pushing out keyboard bits. Greg and Olson really did want to crossover into Phil Collins territory and have hits, didn't they? Did it occurr to Lake to just be himself? Sad. But dig the cozy synth solo. That makes the song listenable.

STREET WAR - An apocalyptic rocker sounding like something from the Emerson Lake & Powell album. Not too bad. A far cry from Trilogy, but don't always judge a band on past merits. I'm sure there is something decent to be found by all on this album, you'll just have to dig harder.

PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION - well, this had already appeared on their box set the previous year, so this wasn't anything new. Instead of writing and recording an all-new 15-minute epic which fans really probably wanted, they put this on instead, assuming that people buying this album weren't die-hard fans who already had the box set who were buying the album because of the smash hit 'Daddy'. They really did want some hits this late in the game, didn't they? The studio version of Pictures is very good but belongs on the box set.

HAMMER IT OUT - the Japanese version includes this under three minute bonus track which is a jazzy piano solo by Emerson, offering probably the most notable glipse of the old ELP on the whole Hot Seat album. Think 'Piano Improvisations' from 'Welcome Back...'. A shame it's too short.

If you are an ELP fan, buy it. Make up your own mind. You may like some of it. Some will definately dissapoint you. What happened, guys? Why were we left with this as your last album?

Not half as bad as most critics say. It is very different than the '70s ELP but what long lived band hasn't changed. Yes has changed much more and I cannot say they changed for the better. This recording by ELP has a very nice opening with Hand of Truth. De second track Daddy regarded by most as a waste of time may not be one of the most remarkable songs ever written but is a heartbreaking song about child abduction and murder. A song that grips you (at least it did that with me) if you have a little girl of your own. Man in the Long Black Coat is a beautiful cover of a Dylan song. How come that Dylan songs sound a lot better when performed by others (take Times are a Changing performed by Phil Collins). Street War is an ELP worthy closing of a very nice album. Pictures at an Exhibition is good but it would have been nice if the guys had written a couple of songs more instead of using an oldy.

Definitely not their best but still a very nice recording.

The death knell of creativity is sounded by the monotone of commercial expectation. It is refreshing to see a major Rock act taking new steps of creative freedom.

In the Hot Seat has obviously disappointed those ELP groupies who still live in the 70s, but there is much on this album to commend it.

Songs like Thin Line, Street War, Man in a Long Black Coat, Gone Too Soon and One by One are well written Rock tunes, and the sonic quality is superb.

This version of Pictures at an Exhibition is the best one ELP ever released - Dolby 5.1 sound, and cutting age Synth samples.

If you like ELP but have avoided buying this CD because of the lousy reviews - think again!

For the life of me i can't understand what some people (elsewhere on this page) find so objectionable about this album. Sure, ELP (formed in 1970) were no spring chickens anymore at the time of release, but on the evidence of this product they were far from over the hill, let alone pronounced d.o.a. before they ever set foot in a recording studio, as these reviewers would have you believe. I guess this rapidly dwindling group of long-time fans are only content if ELP keep repeating themselves over and over again and become a musical anachronism forever stuck in the 70's, rather than see them incorporate some contemporary influences. If it is done right, and it most definitely is, i am quite happy to see any progressive rock band spread its wings into AOR or melodic rock territory. Producer Keith Olsen has never been involved in the making of a substandard album and this one is no exception. It would perhaps be advisable to refrain from comparing this effort to ELP's past works and to judge it on its own intrinsic qualities. Their change in style by the way is nowhere near as drastic as that of post-Phil Collins Genesis on their "Calling all stations..." album, to draw an obvious parallel. It's been a gradual change at that, "Black moon" already showed clear signs of the direction they were going. Being an AOR fan i may be a little biased myself, but anyone who would deny this album's merits while pretending to be objective is in dire need of a reality check. I have liked it from the moment i bought it (at a rock bottom price, thank God for small favors) and my opinion of it has only improved since.

When listening to "In the hot seat" i can't help but be reminded of Carl Palmer and Keith Emerson's 3, a 1988 project with one great album to its credit entitled "To the power of three", which featured the vocal talents of Robert Berry. Berry's solo album "Pilgrimage to a point" can also claim more than a passing resemblance to this 1994 ELP release, in particular when referring to songs like "Change", "Street war" or "One by one". Lake remains a powerhouse vocalist, whose voice (despite its limited range) is perfectly suited to perform this type of AOR influenced symphonic rock. Except for bonus track "Pictures at an exhibition", the tracks on offer are no meandering, intricately orchestrated, overtly experimental epics with classical arrangements. Nor do they teem with long-winded solos, frequent gear shifting and numerous instrumental breaks. They are concise songs with a well-defined buildup and memorable choruses that you'll be able to sing along to (if you are so inclined) after hearing them a couple of times. Which does not mean to say that they are simplistic in any way. Throughout the album Lake's guitars play second fiddle to Emerson's rampant keyboards, which cater to piano, organ and synthesizer freaks alike without indulging in excessive posturing.

Opening cut "Hand of truth" and third in line "One by one" may be closest to ELP's original style, but still sound accessible to the untrained ear. They are fabulous songs in the vein of recent albums by Kerry Livgren (ex-Kansas) and another illustrious trio who go by the name of Thread. "Thin line" to me is the CD's least convincing track, due to its poprock approach and flawed drum computer sound. Both "Daddy" and Bob Dylan cover "Man in the long black coat" (newly arranged by Keith Emerson) summon an eerie mood that reflects their unsettling lyrics. The former deals with a little girl who goes missing on her way back from school and ends up dead in the woods somewhere (cheerful stuff !), while the latter is more cryptic and harder to interpret. "Heart on ice" and "Give me a reason to stay" are two good ballads that derive their main strength from Greg Lake's vocal delivery, "Gone too soon" a fast-paced, AOR oriented track propelled by another delectable keyboard theme. My copy is not the Japanese version and to the best of my knowledge contains "only" 11 tracks, which add up to over an hour of music. (Unless they've got the hidden track so well hidden that i just haven't found it yet !) Closing song on my disc is a classy, "hi-tech" recording of the about 15 minute long "Pictures at an exhibition" (named after their third album, released Dec. 1971), which takes up track 11 through 16. Not being the world's leading authority on Emerson, Lake & Palmer, i was surprised to discover how familiar this opus sounded to me. (Must have heard it before, go figure !)

People who are willing to keep an open mind and give this album a fair shake may find that they could do a lot worse than these "aging rockers". It would of course be helpful if one's perspective on what constitutes good music is not impaired by a severe case of tunnel vision. Since 4,5 stars is not an option, i have no choice but to go with a 4 star recommendation, feeling that there is still room for improvement. A lone star might do for the state of Texas, but in this case it's a travesty of justice ! Mark my words.

I know not every ELP fan favored their later albums, however I have not been disappointed yet. I felt that ELP became more brilliant as they matured.
They changed their style as music in general changed. what i appeciate about ELP, is that they did not release albums every 2 years, like most bands do.
They made us wait in between albums and took their time to master these"masterpieces". and every album was worth the wait.

Black Moon as well as In The Hot Seat were actually two of my favoites.
And to this day they all remain in my collection...
A few years ago, I replaced In The Hot Seat. I had to order the Japenese Import and I was not disappointed to pay $30.00 for it.
I was grateful to find it.
I have replaced most of my ELP albums from vinyl to CD.
The sound quality is more appeciated.

Emerson,Lake And Palmer are by far...Legends in their own time.
Maybe one day they will resurface and once again they will add to my collection.....

I figured I'd get in on all this Amazon review hullabaloo surrounding "In the Hot Seat", the 1994 swan song from Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. I just bought it the other day and have listened to it a couple times, and only wish I had first bought it when it came out 12 years ago. I opted to shell out like 30 bucks for the Japanese import after searching for it for a long time. It's not phenomenal, but I also think it's not as bad as some of the other reviewers on here have said it is.

The first track is "Hand of Truth", which starts out with a great, extended, proggy intro, but regrettably gives way to some lame vocal sections, interrupted in the middle by a nice solo from Keith. I'm undecided on this tune.

The second track is "Daddy", a song about child abduction and murder which is an attempt at being dark and haunting, but unfortunately sounds stale and 80s-ish. The samples of a little girl's voice crying "Daddy!" are cheesy and melodramatic. Things on "In the Hot Seat" get better after these first two tracks are out of the way.

The third track, "One By One", is a good tune with a nice melodic vocal hook. The cheesy "trumpet" synths are a little too much, though. It's like, get a real trumpet.

The fourth track is "Heart On Ice", a strong ballad. It would have been nice if Greg had busted out the acoustic guitar for this, as he has done with all his great ballads in the past. And the lyric "Just take my heart, put it on ice" reminds me of an organ harvesting clinic, or something.

The fifth track is "Thin Line". It's a groovy Chicago style shuffle, the rythym of which is puncuated by one of my favorite elements of instrumentation in prog rock- some drum programming here and there. I could deal without the female backup vocals.

The sixth track is a dark ballad entitled "The Man In the Long Black Coat", originally penned by Bob Dylan. On a side note, Steve Hackett also covers this on his forthcoming release "Wild Orchids".

The seventh and eighth tracks are "Change", a solid rocker with a hooky chorus; and "Give Me a Reason to Stay", a ballad with some heavier sections.

The ninth track, "Gone Too Soon", is the best track on the disc, with an infectious and unforgettable driving dance groove.

The tenth track and the last one on the disc proper is the politically themed "Street War", another standout track. This one wasn't my favorite at first but has grown on me.

Then we get to the bonus tracks. The rendition of the Mussorgsky classical piece "Pictures at An Exhibition" here is the same 15 minute truncated studio version included on the box set "The Return of the Manticore", and you can get other live and unedited versions of this track on other ELP releases. It seems as though they felt a need to include an extended piece to pass "Hot Seat" off as "more progressive".

"Hammer it Out" is a nice piano piece from Keith, but at a brief 2:35 it doesn't accomplish more than to close the CD as a mere afterthought, and is for serious collectors only. As far as I know, the same version of "Hammer it Out" is available on Keith's recent and likely titled anthology set.

The CD booklet contains lyrics and notes in Japanese, for anyone who cares, and also includes the lyrics in English. Included for the first time anywhere are the lyrics to "Pictures". Classical purists would argue that adding lyrics to this song amounts to vandalism, but the lyrics at least convey the song's theme- images of paintings via the eyes of some dude who sees them in a museum.

It's to bad that ELP chose not to reform for their 35th anniversary. Keith and his current band do have a disc coming out soon which should be good.

The band's reinterpretation of Pictures of an Exhibition is the only track I bother to listen to on a regular basis. The album is a great disappointment compared to Black Moon - which marked their return after an absence from the recording studio as a trio for more than a decade. It's unfortunate that this could very well be the last studio albums we see from one of the best progressive rock bands to come out of England.

The good: I kind of like the track 'Daddy', compelling lyrics and they match Greg's huskier tones here.
Pictures at an exhibition: Very effective, I really enjoy this one, although it does not really belong on the album.

The rest: Verging from average (one by one) to rubbish (Thin line, Street war, etc, etc...)

What a change from the really listenable 'Black moon', no ballads, acoustic guitars, piano, just boring synthesised nonsense.

Through the 1970s, ELP were one of the best prog rock groups out there, with every album (except Love Beach) combining classical elements with modern rock, thus creating a hybrid that made the group all their own. Unfortunately, like 1992's Black Moon, In the Hot Seat does not deliver the majesty and wonder clearly heard on the older records. Sure, the band can still play their instruments, but overall, it sounds very much like a sophomore reunion album by a trio of washed up prog musicians. Most of the songs are just plain futile attempts at mature adult pop, with bland arrangements and uninspired lyrics. What makes this record such a shame is that there was a time when ELP really amazed people with their musical and songwriting abilities. But here, it's just third and fourth-rate material for the most part. However, the album isn't a complete and utter failure - it has its brief moments, mainly the opener, "Hand of Truth" and the final track, a new version "Pictures at an Exhibition", which I believe was done to get skeptical fans of old to buy the album. So really, all you need with this album is the beginning and the end. Everything in between is just mediocre, at best.

Whatever you do, do not pay money to hear this record by a once great band. Yes, there are a few decent songs on the record. With the opening song "Hand of truth" you are fooled into believing that you have a great record before you. The next song "Daddy", which is one of the most haunting descriptions of child abduction ever written (well, how many people write songs about that), is not bad. Besides that, every song stinks. When you hear the rest of the record you will never believe that this was once one of the most talented bands of their time. Besides "Hand of Truth" they do not even make an attempt to sound like virtuosos. The song writing is horrible with hardly a trace of melody. Borrow the record from a friend, copy "Hand of Truth", listen to the rest of the record, and save your money.