Label: Atlantic Records (Japan), 55XD-668/9
Style: Symphonic Rock
Country: London, England
Time: 41:08, 46:04
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 230, 289 Mb
Charts: UK #9, AUS #6, AUT #11, CAN #17, GER #10, ITA #5, NED #17, NOR #11, JP #13, US #12. UK, US & CAN: Gold.
Side
one features Emerson's Piano Concerto No. 1, a three-movement work for
piano and orchestra. Emerson performs on a Steinway grand piano with the
London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by John Mayer, who assisted on
the orchestral arrangements. He wanted to write a serious piece that
would not date itself, with the aim of having it performed by others in
the future. Working hard on the score, Emerson looked back on it shortly
after the album was released: "I've squeezed every ounce of myself into
that thing. And I feel very satisfied." An initial recording session
took place at Kingsway Hall in London with mobile studio equipment, but
the orchestra had difficulty understanding the score and performers
complained of the hall's acoustics, resulting in Emerson "wasting a lot
of money." A successful session arose when recording relocated to De
Lane Lea Studios. When it came to preparing material for the album,
Emerson dedicated a period to "think and write" following his depression
after his Sussex home caught fire two years prior, burning his
possessions and music he had put down. The work's third movement
reflected Emerson's mood at the time of the fire, and he was able to get
"a lot of anger" out through the music. In the band's Beyond the
Beginning documentary, Lake recalled that Emerson invited composer
Leonard Bernstein to listen to the work during his visit to the Paris
studio where the recording was being mixed. Upon listening to the work,
Bernstein said it "reminded him of Grandma Moses", a folk artist.
Emerson, however, did not recall Bernstein saying this.
Side 2 is the Greg Lake side, and consists of acoustic ballads, all of which were written by Lake and Peter Sinfield.
Side
3, the Carl Palmer side, includes a remake of "Tank" from the band's
self-titled debut album released in 1970, with orchestral accompaniment
and minus the drum solo. "L.A. Nights" features Eagles guitarist Joe
Walsh on lead and slide guitar and scat vocals. Two arrangements of
classical pieces are included: Two-Part Invention in D minor, BWV 775 by
Johann Sebastian Bach and a piece titled "The Enemy God Dances With the
Black Spirits", an excerpt of the 2nd movement of the Scythian Suite by
Sergei Prokofiev.
Side four. The fourth side features two
group-performed pieces. "Fanfare for the Common Man" is an adaptation of
the same-titled piece by American composer Aaron Copland. Emerson
sought Copland's permission so the group could use it; Copland found
their version appealing but was puzzled at the solo section in the
middle of two fairly straightforward renditions of his piece.
The
13-minute "Pirates" originated from a piece Emerson had written for a
cancelled film version of Frederick Forsyth's book The Dogs of War. When
Lake and Sinfield got together to write lyrics for the track, Emerson
had told Lake that he wrote it with mercenaries in mind, which Lake
found distasteful and wanted the song to be about something else. He
conjured images of the sea upon listening to Emerson's piece, which made
him think of pirates. Sinfield liked the idea, and the pair wrote words
at Lake's mountain chalet. "Pirates" was recorded in two separate
studios; Lake had a falling out with the orchestra used in Montreux, so
recording moved to Paris with the National Opera of Paris orchestra and
conductor Godfrey Salmon. Sinfeld recalled the band wanting Leonard
Bernstein to conduct the orchestral arrangements on "Pirates", and
arranged for Bernstein, who was conducting at the nearby Opera House, to
visit the studio and hear the piece. Lake said: "I pressed the play
button, and he put his head in his hands and from beginning to end, he
didn't move. If he didn't like something, you would be told he looked at
me, and he said, 'The singing's not bad.'. I'm sure he didn't realize
that I was the singer". Sinfield remembered Bernstein describing it as
"primitive".
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Works_Volume_1)
01. Piano Concerto No.1, First Movement - Allegro Giojoso (09:24)
02. Piano Concerto No.1, Second Movement - Andante Molto Cantabile (02:13)
03. Piano Concerto No.1, Third Movement - Toccata Con Fuoco (06:49)
04. Lend Your Love To Me Tonight (04:05)
05. C'est La Vie (04:19)
06. Hallowed Be Thy Name (04:38)
07. Nobody Loves You Like I Do (04:00)
08. Closer To Believing (05:35)
01. The Enemy God Dances With The Black Spirits (03:19)
02. L.A. Nights (05:44)
03. New Orleans (02:47)
04. Two Part Invention In D Minor (01:55)
05. Food For Your Soul (04:00)
06. Tank (05:09)
07. Fanfare For The Common Man (09:46)
08. Pirates (13:21)
CD1: TurboBit FikPer FilesPayout DailyUploads
CD2: TurboBit FikPer FilesPayout DailyUploads
All my files: TurboBit FikPer FilesPayout DailyUploads
No comments:
Post a Comment