Entertainment For Lively Minds
Tarkus fever! One for the handful of ELP fans out there in Word-land
Keith Emerson reports on his Facebook page that ELP are still big in Japan.
"First, this year's long running Japanese weekly epic saga series "Taira No Kiyomori" (marking 50th year this year, new saga every year) will be using Mr. Takashi Yoshimatsu's arrangement of "Tarkus" throughout the year. Mr. Yoshimatsu, whose arrangement of "Tarkus" was performed by Tokyo Philharmonic Symphony (conducted by Mr. Sachio Fujioka) two years ago, was commissioned to write the music for this year's series, which is about "Taira No Kiyomori", a 12th century General in Japan.
"Second, the original ELP version of "Tarkus" is the background music for the new SUBARU TV commercial Japan. (See below for the ad!)
"Then, a renowned Japanese conductor, Mr. Yutaka Sado's wind ensemble, "Siena Wind Orchestra" will be performing yet another arrangement (for wind ensemble) of "Tarkus". Mr. Sado conducted Mr. Yoshimatsu's orchestral arrangement of "Tarkus" on NHK TV program a year ago. The wind orchestra will be touring in Japan from February 3 until 12th, and tickets are almost all sold out."
It's good to know the pension pot's still being topped-up for the old proggers.
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hope this works
"ELP were always reknown for their spectacular and expensive stage shows", says cliche 200 of the "snide rock journalists book of glib comments".
Pshaw. I was seeing gigs from 1974, and when i watch archive footage of them, it doesn't seem all that spectacular or fancy even accordign to the times ;Yes and Pink Floyd, let alone led Zep in "Son Remains the Same" - a 1973 show - were far fancier.
panto quality
shttp://www.ukrockfestivals.com/oval-72-tarkus.jpg
Tarkus was an unpredictable beast.
He once shot his load (ahem), comprising a shower of polystyrene balls, into KE's piano, causing the show to grind to a halt while a roadie vacuumed it out.
CHEEPNIS
I'll raise you "Karn Evil 9"'s climax at the 1974 California Jam - jump to 7m 45 seconds to get the full quality FX we are supposed to believe ELP introduced. as i said: PSHAW. Alice Cooper in 1975 was much more effective.
Where's Frunobulax?
I want to see Nuclear Force!
Steady on, Vincent...
this isn't a competition! I don't think ELP has ever claimed to be at the cutting edge of rock theatrics. Musical showmanship, yes, at least as far as KE and CP were concerned. If anything, they've always been pretty self-deprecating about those few theatrical elements (and there were very, very few of them) that they had in their shows. In fact, I can only think of ropey old Tarkus and KE's levitating piano. What they DID introduce was mainly technical - on-stage Moog, their own travelling proscenium stage (largely to support CP's 2.5 ton stainless steel kit), drums connected to synths, etc.
Oh, and to my eyes and ears, Alice Cooper was never more than a rock'n'roll vaudeville show dressed up as shlocky-horror.
the best firework display at California Jam
was the explosion that almost did for Ritchie Blackmore.
Avoid the rest of this clip unless you really want to see a Strat being smashed up (yawn, how 1967). The fun starts at about 2:10
rondo!
agreed
I agree - my point is that contrary to the "humourless prog/ endless performing elephants and strobe lights" cliches that are perpetuated out there, ELP were actually more basic in their presentation than lazy journalism (and the fans who love them) would have it. And i bet they were having fun with the panto Tarkus, too. What ELP DID bring in (and this is noted above) is professionalism in the technical aspects of the show, whether it be a stage with curtains (surely sensible if you are playing a large venue and want to create a sense of drama), kit which worked, lights and a lighting tech instead of a jobsworth who forgets to use the spotlights, etc. I think they bought it for being one of the first acts to use standards of production nobody gets upset about in other live mediums.
Was
Greg Lake the first to introduce the Persian carpet as stage dressing?
Another one of their innovations.
Ignoring what may be imagined sarcasm....!
GL wasn't the first, or only, artist to use an oriental carpet. His dates from 1974, when he bought it to cover up an ugly rubber mat he used to cover up trailing cables, and protect himself from electric shocks. Apparently, he still has it in his living room.
Crosby, Stills Nash and Young had one in 1970, according to rock promoter Bill Graham's book "My Life Inside Rock and Out".
Grateful Dead, Eric Clapton, U2, Tom Petty, Robert Plant, and many more have had Persian rugs on stage before and since Greg Lake. Though, for some reason, it seems to be only GL who gets stick for it!
I feel this is the ideal opportunity for me to tell, yet again,
my "I saw ELP at Wembley in '74" story.
I had a good view of the side of the stage, and as either E or P finished a solo L appeared in the wings ready to go on and stand on said Persian Carpet and do his Solo Spot. As he moved into view, a roadie handed him his guitar, and once it was suitably strapped round his immac white suit, another roadie offered him a wine glass of what looked like orange juice from which Mr L took a small and delicate sip.
As the roadies moved out of view I noticed a glamorous woman nearby, with a dog on a leash. Presumably this was the Mrs L of the time. (The woman I mean). I imagine there were another 19 satin-dressed ladies backstage, and some white horses as well.
Anyway after this preliminary palaver the Lucky Man himself strode onstage, stood on his preferred floor covering and sang us a song.
Unsurprisingly, he played it From The Beginning.
Yoshimatsu - prog crazy
Yoshimatsu has a bit of previous in the tinkering with all things prog - to whit, Atom Hearts Club Suite no 1 - the full name of which is really 'Dr Tarkus's Atom Hearts Club Suite' "which draws on all kinds of music from classic to rock; Emerson, Lake & Palmer's Tarkus, a great progressive-rock work of the 1970s; Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother; and Fragile by Yes. These have then been shaken using the 100,000 horsepower of Osamu Tezuka's comic book hero Might Atom (a.k.a. Astro Boy). There are four movements: the first is a progressive-rock-style Allegro Molto in irregular time, the second a mysterious Andante in ballad style, the third a paramour's Scherzo, while the fourth rounds the suite off in slapstick boogie-woogie style", to quote the liner notes from the CD (Chandos CHAN 9960) should you wish to explore further. Also includes his Symphony No 4 which I absolutely adore!
Cheers
gb
Pictures At An Exhibition
Always really enjoyed ELP's version of Pictures At An Exhibition - One of my favurite Prog albums - behind Close To The Edge, Selling England By The Pound, The Court Of The Crimson King and several Tull albums