Customer Reviews

Pictures at an Exhibition

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The positive:

This performance is good but not as good as the Emerson Lake and Palmer: Masters From The Vaults DVD. The video and remix of the sound are very much improved over my Japaneese import laserdisc of the same concert. This a young ELP still in their prime.

The not so positive:

There are some unfortunate things about this video. The special effects are annoying to the point of being nauseating. The overly "creative" post production crew really got carried away with the psychedelic tint & color saturation effects. This may have been interesting as a DVD special feature, (I might have even thought it was great 30 years ago), but these days I'd just like to see the performers without these effects. I wonder if the unaffected video source even exists anymore.

Yes, the performance is over the top. But so is about every live rock performance from that era. Just look at the recently released Zeppelin DVD. But hey, the era was what it was. I'm just glad that some of these bands were captured live while they still had some fire in their bellies.

The unfortunate:

My laserdisc of this concert includes full performances of Barbarian, Take A Pebble, and Knife Edge along with Pictures At An Exhibition. It's really, unfortunate that they chose not to include the entire concert in this DVD! They should re-release this without the special effects (except for maybe in the special features section) and included the omitted songs.

This album is a masterpiece from start to finish. This was ELP's provocative take on Mussorgsky's famed classical piece, and it was performed live, with some extra makeovers. Of course, many classical purists are still having a fit, even after more than 30 years since this hit the shelves, but if you're a bit more open-minded, this may just be something of a treat. This peformance captures ELP mixing moments of refinement and explosive intensity combined with an ethereal rawness. Rarely have I heard this combination work well...especially in a LIVE performance.

It starts with the anthemic "Promenade" which leads to a bizarre intro of The Gnome, which then takes off as a synth-washed quirky jazz fest. "Promenade" (reprise) follows, this time with lyrics written and sung by Greg Lake. "The Sage" starts off softly then turns into an elegant classical guitar instrumental. "The Old Castle" starts with some synth/distortion feedback then kicks into a rocker. Next comes "Blues Variation" which is a beautifully crafted mix of well...jazz and blues. "Promenade" starts the second half of the disc. Unlike the previous two versions of "Promenade," this version features Greg Lake, Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer performing collectively with their instruments. "The Hut Of Baba Yaga" is frenzied up jazz rock. "The Curse Of Baba Yaga" continues as Keith Emerson is doing genuinely innovative stuff on his keyboard. It is also in this section that you will probably find the most explosive moment on the disc, as Carl Palmer and Keith Emerson are out of control on the drums and synths respectively, while Greg Lake is shouting passionately as he plucks his bass strings frenetically. "The Hut" is briefly reprised before the beautifully dark and haunting finale of "The Gates Of Kiev/The End." Just hearing Greg sing "They were sent from the gates" sends a chill down my whole body. It's very powerful.

For the encore, the bands rips out "The Nutrocker", a fun, rocked up take on Tchaikovsky.

Much has been said about how annoying those synth distortion noises, some off-key vocals and other things are repelling. To me, it is this very aspect, combined with technically brilliant instrumentation, much like some of Jimi Hendrix's live performances where it was a mix of premeditation, spontaneity, abstraction and technical ability that makes this the masterpiece that it is. This performance is on the same lines of Hendrix's performance of "Wild Thing" at the Monterey Pop Festival: Brilliant to shameful/ugly, magical to phenomenal. Think of this recording the same way.

In short, this is one of the singlemost mind-blowing things I have ever heard, and still shocks, scares, offends and delights me as much as it did when I first experienced this thing. Recommended to all that apply.

The only thing wrong with this DVD, in my opinion, is that
it is not the full length concert video that also featured
"The Barbarian", "Take A Pebble", "Knife-Edge" and "Rondo" on
it. I knew that before I bought it, but I got it anyway because
I *had* to have this on DVD, hoping that the sound would be
improved like it said on the box. And guess what--it is!
Whoever remixed the sound here did a GREAT job; it is much
louder and clearer than the professional VHS copy I had previously. It is true that some psychedelic visual effects are
superimposed on about half of the performance (from "The Old
Castle" to just before "The Great Gates Of Kiev"), but I always
thought they were great, especially the comic book effects
over the intense "Curse" segment. And, other than in that segment, I can still see the band playing underneath the effects.

So, to some people (like some of the reviewers below) the visuals can look a little dated, or annoying because they semi-cover the band. But the band's performance itself is magnificent. This version of "Pictures" is better than the
actual album version (taken from a live show four months later),
because "The Gnome", "The Old Castle" and "Blues Variations"
are extended, there is no hideous "Nutrocker" and there is FAR less audience noise. In fact, the audience is so silent that when listening to the bonus audio CD of the performance, it almost sounds like a studio release. Indeed, I would declare this performance--in spite of one or two slight mistakes--to be the definitive version of "Pictures" from all those that are available. It is great to hear the audio in such good quality (only Palmer's drums sound a bit muffed, but still far clearer than on the original soundtrack), and even in stereo! There is almost no need to defend "Pictures" from clueless, oh-so punk-minded critics these days, although they continue to slam ELP's interpretation; it is in fact a wondrous musical journey, using Mussorskgy's concept piece as the basis for a diverse variety of styles ranging from medeival acoustic guitar balladry to synthesizer wizardy to dizzying hammond organ jam to the vicious power of all instruments--fuzz bass, organ, synths and drums--
coelescing on "Curse" and then finding symphonic release in
"Great Gates Of Kiev". Although there is no piano work here (but there would be if they had only included the rest of the concert, ie. "The Barbarian" and "Take A Pebble", hence the
four-star rating), this is still an absolutely essential purchase
for any ELP fan: it should be on the top of one's priority list.
As the other guy below said, just blast it in defiance of all
the brainless rap/metal, Britney, boy band, techno, Creed crap
out there today and leave the anti-prog critics to their own twisted machinations.

For a while ELP could do no wrong - up to Brain Salad Surgery and the superb Welcome Back my friends. After that we got diminishing returns, with the uninspired Works Vol I, the better but too-eclectic Works Vol II, and the embarrassing "Love Beach."

And anything later than "Love Beach" isn't really ELP at all...

But "Pictures" finds them in the middle of their awesome period. As a classical fan, I've always thought this is actually the best arrangement of Mussorgsky's piece. I much prefer the original piano version to any of the three orchestrations: the (sorry, this is heresy) banal Ravel version, the attempt by Stokowski, or even the Ashkanazi version, which is the best orchestrated arrangement.

The ELP version doesn't have the depth or the "Russianness" of Ashkanazi, but it wins out on sheer gusto, virtuoso musicianship and energy. Speaking as both a classical and a rock fan, this is one of the few rock/classical hybrids that actually add (rather than cancelling out) the virtues of each style.

And the Greg Lake contributions, interpolated songs musing on ideas from the music, are brilliant: the heart of the album in many ways.

(Just as Greg Lake was always the heart of the band, despite Emerson's greater showmanship. It needed Lake's voice and the humanistic side of his music. When Lake lost his voice, and seemingly the ability to write good songs, that was when ELP spun into its astonishingly rapid decline.)

Some people have criticised the sound quality. I can't say I've ever noticed that as an issue. On the other hand, Greg Lake had one of the greatest voices in rock when this was recorded. His pure tenor could be as angelic and beautiful as a choirboy, or it could do a powerful rock-shout for the thundering "Great Gates of Kiev" finale.

In the more recent studio recording, we have instead a hammy performance by a man with an ugly baritone he can barely control. They should indeed have recorded this in a studio, but the time when they had the ability to do so had past by about 1976.

But we do have this live document, and it's awesomely fine. Incredible band, brilliant playing and singing.

(One minor quibble; I don't know why they tacked on Kim Foley's "Nutrocker" at the end. It must have been fun and funny in the live show, but on CD or vinyl the joke gets old quickly. Anything else, surely, would have been better. Program your CD-player to skip this, once you've heard it once.)

Laon

Keeping it brief, here's the following information... Only Pictures is on this CD. Over 95% of the video from Blues Variation through Great Gates Of Kiev consists of cartoon drawings and various colors spattered quickly across the screen, so you don't get to see the group (too bad the editors back then didn't realize the great thing about ELP was sitting back and watching their live performance -- they were unlike any other group ever; if we didn't want to watch them, we could just close our eyes and listen). Too bad they couldn't find the original video before the editing. The camera work is far better than that of Wakeman in the Journey DVD, as we get to see close-ups of the members playing and the interaction between Emerson and Palmer. Emerson was much more of a showman than Wakeman. Great video, anyway, even with the crappy visual effects.

UPS dropped off this DVD this morning at my doorstep. Yes, I've already watched it. : ) Anyway, I'm suprised at the quality of sound and video for this concert video. It's really pretty good, especially for something that was recorded in 1970. I thought the audience's response was pretty funny during the begining of the show. They just sat there as Emerson coaxed all sorts of neat sounds out of his Moog synthesizer. Back then synthesizers were pretty new and weren't often used in popular music, so I guess the audience was a little shocked! I agree with all the comments posted before me. It was pretty aggravating to see the video special effects and cartoons(?!). I'd rather see the musicians! If you liked ELP in their hey-day, I recommend getting this video. Just be aware that much of it does contain the video effects.

Well, I rate it 4 stars for originality, quality of musicianship and the nerve to undertake the project. However, it gets a fifth star from me because, you see, I was actually at the concert at Newcastle City Hall in 1971 when it was recorded. I can still see Greg Lake to the left, Carl Palmer in the middle and Emerson to the left of the stage with a Moog synthesizer that looked like an old telephone exchange, there were so many wires coming out of it! He also had a couple of Hammonds and an electric piano on top of one which was used in 'Nutrocker' at the end. One of my mates whistled during one of Lake's bits (which is still on the album) and I think I've still got the ticket somewhere. On the original vinyl there was a blank picture frame on the inside of the cover and some of my mates stuck their tickets in there when they bought the album. Happy days....but it's an album still worth listening to.

I did not wait till this DVD arrived because the concert is all ready available in Holland on DVD. The concert contains good close-ups of all three musicians and especially the interaction between Palmer and Emmerson in the third number (the second “Promenade”) is a joy to watch. Later on the movie reflects the seventies when psychedelic images joins the number “Blues Variation” and hardly leaves till the end of the movie. Although my copy last only 41 minutes I am pretty sure this one will be the same concert. Hopefully the sound quality will improve because sometimes it sounds a little bit distorted when Emmerson creates an ‘overkill’ of sounds. Like all other DVD’s this video start with two sections you can not skip. They annoy me. .... I wonder if people share these thoughts.

As I recall, I played cello on the Great Gates of Kiev way back when I was in the junior high school orchestra, so when I finally did get around to listening to rock music (somewhere around 1979-1980), a rock adaptation of Mussorgky's Pictures at an Exhibition was too much to resist. It has been a while since I listened to this album (my vinyl copy is long gone) so I picked up the CD and ELP's take on Pictures at an Exhibition was every bit as good as I remember it. Better even.

The lineup on this 1972 album includes virtuoso keyboardist Keith Emerson (piano, Hammond organ, and moog synthesizer); Carl Palmer on drums; and Greg Lake (bass, vocals, acoustic guitar). The performances are, as you might expect, completely unbelievable. Keith's playing is especially muscular - he really rips on this live album and his work on the Hammond organ and moog synthesizer is truly stunning. Of course, I also like the "churchy" tone that he gets on the Hammond too. Carl Palmer also turns in some of his finest drumming.

The music on this album is very, very energetic and goes completely over the top sometimes but that is what I love about this album. Besides, it is a lot of fun to hear Mussorgsky "rocked up" in a way that he could not possibly have imagined. Keith's overdriven and screeching feedback on the organ is especially effective and there are some ear-splitting moments on the moog that are very...electric. Of course, at the other end of the spectrum is Greg's nice ballad The Sage, which provides some relief from the thunderous, electric maelstrom. Although I really enjoy this album (especially the ELP original pieces), my least favorite track is the Nutrocker (the Tchaikovsky reference notwithstanding), which continues in the tradition of ELP's "silly" songs.

Regardless, I consider this a fantastic ELP album and feel that it would make an excellent addition to the prog collection. Highly recommended along with the 1970 eponymous debut; Tarkus (1971); Trilogy (1972); and Brain Salad Surgery (1973).

If you're looking for a straight rendition of Mussorgsky's Pictures, this ain't it! What you get with this album is an amalgam: Some of it is Mussorgsky, some of it ELP, some of it is Mussourgsky as adapted by ELP. The result is one of the finest pieces of progressive rock ever pressed on black vinyl.

I've been a fan of ELP since I first heard Tarkus in the early '70s. Saber rattling, aggressive, over the top rock-n-roll. ELP was at the forefront of progressive rock, blending classical, jazz and rock in a frantic keyboard driven fusion. They are as dark as Pink Floyd could ever be and just a touch more complex and grand in scope than the best work by Yes. With this album, they just took it just a bit further.

ELP was critisized as pompus and pretentious. And with this album, they peaked in that regard. Ravel's orchestration of "Pictures" is one of those classical pieces which is perfect without any further adaptation. It is one thing to tackle great classical pieces such as Alberto Ginastera's 1st Piano Concerto ("Tocotta" on Brain Salad Surgery) or Bartok or Janacek ("The Barbarian" and "Knife Edge" on ELP's first album). But Mussourgsky! Glad ELP violated that holy cow! Rock-n-Roll!

If you have a good stereo and turntable, I highly recommend trying to find the audiophile half speed master pressing on the Mobile High Fidelity label. The fidelity is much better than with a CD, and this is one piece of music which is worth it!