The ELP sound is dominated by the Hammond organ and Moog synthesizer of the flamboyant Emerson. The band's compositions are heavily influenced by classical music in addition to jazz and – at least in their early years – hard rock. Many of their pieces are arrangements of, or contain quotations from, classical music, and they can be said to fit into the sub-genre of symphonic rock. However, Lake ensured that their albums contained a regular stream of simple, accessible acoustic ballads, many of which received heavy radio airplay. Lake, besides providing vocals, bass guitar, electric guitar and lyrics, also produced the band's first five albums.
On two occasions in 1969, The Nice (with Keith Emerson on keyboards) and King Crimson (with Greg Lake on vocals and bass) shared the same venue, first on 10th August 1969 at the 9th Jazz and Blues Pop Festival in Plumpton, England, and on 17th October 1969 at Fairfield Hall in Croydon, England. After playing at a few of the same concerts, Emerson and Lake tried working together and found their styles to be not only compatible but complementary. Emerson wanted to make the "best damned three-piece band in the world", and thought the line-up of The Nice (keyboard, bass, drums) was the way to go.
Before settling on drummer Carl Palmer (formerly Atomic Rooster, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown), they approached Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Experience; Mitchell was uninterested but passed the idea to Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix, tired of his band and wanting to try something different, expressed an interest in playing with the group; the British press, after hearing about this, speculated that such a supergroup would have been called "Hendrix, Emerson, Lake & Palmer", or HELP. Due to scheduling conflicts such plans were not immediately realised, but the initial three planned on a jam session with Hendrix after their début at the Isle of Wight Festival, with the possibility of him joining. Hendrix died shortly thereafter, so the three pressed on as Emerson, Lake and Palmer.
Their first four years were a creatively fertile period. Lake produced their first six albums, starting with Emerson, Lake and Palmer (1970), which contained the hit "Lucky Man" featuring Emerson's first experiments with Moog. Tarkus (1971) was their first successful concept album, described as a story about "reverse evolution". The March 1971 live recording (Newcastle, U.K.) of the band's interpretation of Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition was issued as a low-priced record, the success of which contributed to the band's overall popularity. The 1972 album Trilogy contained ELP's best-selling single to date, the understated "From the Beginning".
In late 1973 Brain Salad Surgery, with an eye-catching sleeve designed by H.R. Giger, was released and became the band's best-known studio album. The lyrics were partly written by Peter Sinfield, who was the creator of the King Crimson concept and lyricist for their first four albums. The subsequent world tours were documented with a massive three-LP live recording, "Welcome Back My Friends to the Show That Never Ends".
Their best known early performance had been a relatively modest show at the August 1970 Isle of Wight Festival, one of the last of the great Woodstock-era festivals. At the end of their set, Emerson and Lake lit two cannons either side of the stage. By April 1974, ELP were joint headliners of the California Jam Festival, and completed the concert when co-stars Deep Purple elected to go on stage first. ELP's California Jam performance was broadcast nationwide in the US and is often seen as the summit of the band's career.
After taking a break, the band began working with an orchestra and released Works Volume 1 in 1977 to mixed reviews. The album contained the band's signature tune, "Fanfare for the Common Man", reaching number two in the British charts. However, punk rock had began influencing the music scene, and the progressive rock giants of the time were suffering as a result. Rifts within the band were beginning to show, and the following albums, Works Volume 2 and Love Beach (one released in 1977,the other in 1978) were mainly made to finish their record contract. They released Works Live in 1979 with the orchestra, but touring was overly expensive and so the orchestra were dropped half way through the tour.
The band split in 1979, with each member doing his own thing. Carl Palmer joined Asia and had commercial success. In 1985 Emerson and Lake wanted to reform, but with Palmer in Asia, they tried out other drummers such as Simon Phillips, but settled on Cozy Powell. Emerson, Lake & Powell released one self-titled album in 1986.
Since then the original ELP have reformed in 1991 and released two studio albums: Black Moon (1992) and In the Hot Seat (1994). Neither albums were critically acclaimed, but the band still managed to sell out venues as they toured the world. The band split again in 1998.
On 25 July 2010, ELP reunited for a single show to commemorate their 40th anniversary. But this reunion was only to celebrate their anniversary and after that show they split again in 2010.
Emerson died on 11 March 2016 in Santa Monica, California, of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. His body was found at his Santa Monica home. Following an autopsy, the medical examiner ruled Emerson's death a suicide, and concluded that he had also suffered from heart disease and from depression associated with alcohol. According to Emerson's girlfriend Mari Kawaguchi, Emerson had become "depressed, nervous and anxious" because nerve damage had hampered his playing, and he was worried that he would perform poorly at upcoming concerts and disappoint his fans.
Lake died in London on 7 December 2016, at the age of 69, after suffering from cancer. His manager announced the news on Twitter, describing Lake's battle with the illness as "long and stubborn". Numerous fellow musicians paid tribute, including Rick Wakeman, Steve Hackett, Ringo Starr, John Wetton, and ELP drummer Carl Palmer. With Lake's death and that of Keith Emerson earlier in 2016, Palmer is the last surviving member of the group.
Promenade
Emerson Lake & Palmer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Childhood themes of nights alone,
Wipe away endless years,
Childhood tears as dry as stone.
From seeds of confusion,
Illusions darks blossoms have grown.
Even now in furrows of sorrow
My life's course is guided
Decided by limits drawn
On charts of my past days
And pathways since I was born.
I carry the dust of a journey
That cannot be shaken away
It lives deep within me
For I breathe it every day.
You and I are yesterday's answers;
The earth of the past came to flesh,
Eroded by Time's rivers
To the shapes we now possess.
Come share of my breath and my substance,
And mingle our stream and our times.
In bright, infinite moments,
Our reasons are lost in our rhymes.
Doubles faces dark defense
Talk too loud but talk no sense
Yeah I see those smiling eyes
Butter us up with smiling lies
Talk to creatures raise the dead
Fate you know sure got fed
Trained apart from houses of stone
Hour of horses pick the bone
Come forth, from love spire
Born in life's fire,
Born in life's fire.
Come forth, from love's spire
In the burning, all are yearning,
For life to be.
And the pain will (must) be gain,
New life!
Stirring in, salty streams
And dark hidden seams
Where the fossil sun gleams.
They were, sent from (to) the gates
Ride the tides of fate,
Ride the tides of fate.
They were, sent from (to) the gates
In the burning of our yearning,
For life to be.
There's no end to my life,
No beginning to my death
Death is life!
The song "Promenade" by Emerson Lake & Palmer is a deep and thought-provoking piece that explores the notion of the journey of life and the interconnectedness of all beings. The first verse is about the pain and confusion that we carry around with us from our childhood, and how it shapes our lives as we grow older. The second verse is about the limitations that are placed on us by our past experiences, and how we are guided by the charts of our past decisions. The third verse is an invitation to share the experiences of life, to breathe together and to lose ourselves in the infinite moments that make up our lives. The fourth verse is a reflection on the duality of our nature, the darkness of our defenses, and the lies that we tell ourselves to make sense of the world around us.
Overall, the song tells a story of the journey of life, how our past experiences shape us and limit us, and how we can find freedom and connection in sharing our lives with others. It is a deeply introspective and philosophical piece, highlighting the complexities of the human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Lead me from tortured dreams
Guide me away from troubled thoughts and nightmares.
Childhood themes of nights alone,
Memories of being lonely as a child.
Wipe away endless years,
Get rid of the pain and misery of many years gone by.
Childhood tears as dry as stone.
Cry no more, the tears have dried up and are now emotionless.
From seeds of confusion,
The beginning of chaos and uncertainty.
Illusions darks blossoms have grown.
Out of this confusion, a world of darkness and false perceptions emerged.
Even now in furrows of sorrow
The sadness and misery remains, even after experiencing so much of it.
The dance still is sung.
Life goes on, regardless of the pain we may suffer.
My life's course is guided
My destiny has been predetermined.
Decided by limits drawn
My options are restricted by past experiences and decisions.
On charts of my past days
Previous experiences show me where I’ve been.
And pathways since I was born.
Where I’ve been ultimately leads to where I am now.
I carry the dust of a journey
Experience molds me and changes me at the same time.
That cannot be shaken away
These experiences, the good and bad, stick with me through life.
It lives deep within me
These experiences are a part of me, they are within me.
For I breathe it every day.
I’m reminded of these experiences every day of my life.
You and I are yesterday's answers;
Our time has passed and we cannot change what has already been done.
The earth of the past came to flesh,
Present shapes and forms came from past experiences.
Eroded by Time's rivers
Time has caused decay and deterioration.
To the shapes we now possess.
What we are now is the result of the decay of the past.
Come share of my breath and my substance,
Join me in life and live as one.
And mingle our stream and our times.
Become part of my story and I’ll become part of yours.
In bright, infinite moments,
When in blissful happiness, time stands still and we are infinite beings.
Our reasons are lost in our rhymes.
We lose sight of the reasons behind our actions when we’re content.
Doubles faces dark defense
People hide their true selves with a mask of lies and deceit.
Talk too loud but talk no sense
People speak out of turn, without thinking about what they say.
Yeah I see those smiling eyes
People can be deceiving with a smile.
Butter us up with smiling lies
People are easily tricked with compliments.
Talk to creatures raise the dead
People will say whatever they think others want to hear.
Fate you know sure got fed
The universe has a way of balancing things out.
Trained apart from houses of stone
People can take their lessons from life and grow, even if they don’t have a traditional background.
Hour of horses pick the bone
When things aren't going well, people resort to desperate measures.
Come forth, from love spire
Let love guide us and bring us forth.
Born in life's fire,
We are all born from the struggles of life.
Born in life's fire.
Life is full of challenges and struggles.
Come forth, from love's spire
Let love guide us and be the reason for our growth.
In the burning, all are yearning,
Everyone wants to make the most of their life while they’re here.
For life to be.
We all seek purpose in life.
And the pain will (must) be gain,
Without pain and struggle, there can be no growth.
New life!
The end of one chapter is always the beginning of another.
Stirring in, salty streams
Emotion and energy are constantly churning within us.
And dark hidden seams
Not all aspects of our past are openly available for inspection.
Where the fossil sun gleams.
The remnants of our past lives on, deep within us.
They were, sent from (to) the gates
All life comes from somewhere and is guided by a universal force.
Ride the tides of fate,
Life’s ups and downs are beyond our control.
In the burning of our yearning,
Our greatest desires are fueled by our fiercest pain.
For life to be.
We all seek purpose in life.
There's no end to my life,
Life, once started, does not stop.
No beginning to my death
Death is not an end, but rather a transition into something new.
Death is life!
Death is just another facet of the same energy that gives us life.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ISAO TOMITA, MODESTE P. MOUSSORGSKY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@agustinvitale9581
Lead me from tortured dreams
Childhood themes of nights alone.
Wipe away endless years,
Childhood tears as dry as stone.
From seeds of confusion,
Illusions dark blossoms have grown.
Even now in furrows of sorrow
The dark still is sown.
My life's course is guided
Decided by limits drawn
On charts of my past ways
And pathways since I was born.
@Woozler554
Lead me from tortured dreams
Childhood themes of nights alone
Wipe away endless years
Childhood tears as dry as stone
From seeds of confusion
Illusions dark blossoms have grown
Even now in furrows of sorrow
The doubt still is sown
My life's course is guided
Decided by limits drawn
On charts of my past ways
And pathways since I was born
@cosmotcat
GOD I wish there was a video release of the album "Pictures At An Exhibition". That particular performance is simply INCREDIBLE!!!! Every time I listen to it,I hear something new that amazes me and wish I could SEE it being performed.
@cheaplaffsarefree
The line about "furrows of sorrow" puts me in mind of my giant Russian dog and still moves me to tears. He left us almost three years ago and there's still a giant hole in my heart.
@joemachunda
What a voice!
@welder-bo6zg
I love this song so much. When my son was an infant I would place him over my shoulder each night and sing this song to him so he could go to sleep before I placed him in his crib. It worked every time. He is now 20 years old, stands 6'-1" tall and weighs 210 pounds of solid muscle. See the beauty of music?
@manco828
r/thathappened
@fcarolina20
So beautiful! ❤🙏
@Believeinlight
Welcome to the Show that never ends! Never forget you and Keith. ....your show gonna never end
@robertacolarette1594
Greg Lake’s voice was so great for their music.
@Vaukan89
im from slovenia born in 89 and i fucking hate the fact that ill never get the chance to listen this live. it's a shame that in their time there was no HD cameras...
@MrGeremia57
Incredible, every time.