Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)At some point when I was in high school I declared that if I could have the voice of any rock singer in the world, then I would want to sing like Greg Lake. Now, I probably would prefer to be able to play every keyboard in the world like Keith Emerson and I might have to flip a coin if the choice was between having Greg Lake's voice or being able to sing a phrase like Frank Sinatra, but ever since the first time I heard "Lucky Man" I have really liked the sound of this guy's voice. I am not alone in that regard and there are Greg Lake fans who go back to before Emerson, Lake and Palmer when he was the lead singer for King Crimson, which explains why "In the Court of the Crimson King" is the opening track in the concert on the first disc of "Greg Lake: Live in Concert."
I was rather surprised that most of the songs in the concert are from the ELP days including "From the Beginning" (just once I would love to see Lake start that song on the guitar and launch into "Roundabout" instead), "Touch and Go" (Okay, that is an Emerson Lake and Powell song, but two out of three ain't bad), a version of "Take a Pebble" that takes advantage of Florian Opahle on acoustic guitar, "I Believe in Father Christmas," "Farewell to Arms," "Fanfare for the Common Man," "Footprints in the Snow," "Lucky Man," "Pictures at an Exhibition," and "Karn Evil 9 (1st Impression - Part 2)" for the encore. I was even more surprised that "Lucky Man" was really the only ballad that Lake sang (he tells the story of how it became the last addition to ELP's debut album), because I was expecting to hear more songs like "Still...You Turn Me On" and some of the tracks from his side of ELP's "Works: Volume 1." I should add that "The Sage" part of "Pictures at an Exhibition" would count as being a ballad. But the only song from his solo career in the concert is "Love You Too Much" and there is a second King Crimson track with "21st Century Schizoid Man." The concert is enjoyable and while Lake is losing power on his upper register there are plenty of moments in many of these songs where he does not have to go that high and I remember why his was the voice I coveted most in my youth.
The second disc starts off with what would be called "Greg Lake: Live in Rehearsal," which consists of a half-dozen full length tracks from the pre-tour rehearsals (all performed on disc 1 except for one of the aforementioned missing ballads) mixed with backstage footage and interviews with band members and others associated with the tour. A short documentary on "The Band" has more interviews with the members, who explain how they came to be in Greg Lake's band (there is a nice bit where David Arch, who plays keyboards and is the group's musical director, explains how they did not intend to go the whole Keith Emerson route with lots of keyboards but could not avoid picking up an organ, a moog, a couple of more keyboards and eventually a second keyboard player). The final treat is a live performance of "I Believe in Father Christmas" performed live at St. Bride's Church on London's Fleet Street. Lake plays one of the two acoustic guitars accompanied by a keyboard player, the church's choir and Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson on flute. The sound is not perfect (I have trouble understanding the minister's introduction), but fan's will still be enthralled. Too bad they did not also do Anderson's "Christmas Song," because that is my second favorite "prog-rock" Christmas song. But three versions of Lake's Christmas song on two discs is a pretty sweet.deal, especially this far out from the Holiday season.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Greg Lake: Live In Concert (2005)
2-DVD Set!Greg Lake - The Voice of a Generation. From his initial days in the explosive London music scene of the late 1960s, through his time as founding member and voice of rock innovators King Crimson, and legendary British rock band, Emerson, Lake and Palmer (ELP), Greg Lake has continually made records that have endured the test of time. This double-disc set presents Greg Lake performing live in a feature-length concert, recorded during his 2005 Tour. Includes a bonus disc loaded with special features and exclusive material! SONGS: In the Court of the Crimson King - Paper Blood* - From the Beginning* - Touch and Go* - Take a Pebble* - I Believe in Father Christmas* - Farewell to Arms* - Fanfare for the Common Man* - Love You Too Much - Footprints in the Snow* - Lucky Man* - 21st Century Schizoid Man* - Pictures at an Exhibition* - Karn Evil 9 (1st Impression - Part 2)* (* Originally performed by Emerson, Lake & Palmer) BONUS FEATURES: "Welcome Backstage" presents an exclusive insight into Greg Lake and his band in pre-tour rehearsals filmed in 2005 at "Classic T Stage," Shepperton Film Studios, U.K.The feature captures a selection of full length tracks, excerpts from rehearsals, backstage footage and interviews. "The Band," a documentary filmed exclusively behind-the-scenes during Greg Lake's tour, features interviews with Greg Lake and many of the key musicians involved. "St. Bride's:" Greg Lake performs his 1975 classic "I Believe in Father Christmas" filmed live at St. Bride's Church, Fleet Street, in the City of London with Jethro Tull' s Ian Anderson on flute and the church choir.
Get 10% OFF
Click here for more information about Greg Lake: Live In Concert (2005)
0 comments:
Post a Comment