Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer, also known as ELP, were an English progressive rock… Read Full Bio ↴Emerson, Lake & Palmer, also known as ELP, were an English progressive rock supergroup which was formed in 1970 in England, United Kingdom. They found success in the 1970s and have sold over forty million albums and headlined large stadium concerts. The band consisted of Keith Emerson (keyboards), Greg Lake (bass guitar, vocals, guitar) and Carl Palmer (drums, percussion). They are one of the most popular and commercially successful progressive rock bands.
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.
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.
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Emerson Lake & Palmer Lyrics
04. The only way People has stirred moved by the word. Kneel at the shrine,…
1st Impression Welcome back, my friends To the show that never ends We're…
21st Century Schizoid Man Cat's foot iron claw Neuro-surgeons scream for more At paran…
21st Century Schizoid Man / America Cat's foot, iron claw Neuro-surgeons scream for more At para…
3rd Impression 1st Impression Part One Cold and misty morning, I …
A Time And A Place There is a place A time and a space No one can…
Abaddon's Bolero Will you stand up or will you freeze That savage woman…
Affairs Of The Heart She looked at me across the room Emerging from a silk…
All I Want Is You Sweep those blues outside the door You won't need them anym…
Are You Ready Eddy Are you ready, Eddie, to turn out rock and roll? (Eddie…
Benny The Bouncer Benny was the bouncer at the Palais de Dance He'd slash…
Better Days I was walking on this station I could see somebody lying…
Bitches Crystal Bitches crystal Knows how you twist all the lines Fortune …
Black Moon Every day I see a nwe cloud coming There's one more…
Bo Diddley Bitches Crystal Knows how you Twist all the lines Fortune T…
Brain Salad Surgery Brain Salad Surgery It will murder you, it murdered me We …
Burning Bridges Miles away The light in the distance looks miles away Tire…
C'est La Vie C'est la vie Have your leaves all turned to brown Will you…
Change A missed step by the river's edge A chosen word, but…
Closer To Believing I am closer to believing Than I ever was before…
Daddy It was a cold night in December The snow lay…
Edge Just a step cried the sad man Take a look down…
Fanfare For The Common Man (Aaron Copland/arr. by Keith Emerson) Instrumental…
Farewell To Arms In this our life on Earth Another dawn we face…
Fire I am the god of hell fire, and I bring…
Footprints In The Snow First time when you looked at me You tried to hide…
For You For you and I There never was a way to say…
From The Beginning There might have been things I missed But don't be unkind It…
Give Me A Reason To Stay I could walk on and tell myself there's no room…
Gone Too Soon Moving like a restless wind, Heaven up above me Floating li…
Hallowed Be Thy Name There may be an om in moment But there's very few…
Hand Of Truth Looking for something and I thought I'd found the key…
Hang on to a Dream What can I say, she's walking away From what we've seen Wh…
Heart On Ice Just take my heart put it on ice 'Cause I…
Hoedown Wicked Josie rode away In the sunset covered sky A lynchin…
I believ in Father Christmas They said there'll be snow at Christmas They said there'll …
I Believe in Father Christmas They said there'll be snow at Christmas They said there'll b…
Jeremy Bender Jeremy Bender was a man of leisure Took his pleasure in…
Jerusalem And did those feet in ancient time, Walk upon England's moun…
Karn Evil 9 1st Impression Part One Cold and misty morning, I …
Karn Evil 9 1St Impression Welcome back, my friends To the show that never ends We're…
Karn Evil 9 1st Impression Part 2 Cold and misty morning, I heard a warning borne in…
Karn Evil 9 1st Impression Pt. 1 Welcome back, my friends To the show that never ends We're…
Karn Evil 9 1st Impression Pt. I Welcome back, my friends To the show that never ends We'r…
Karn Evil 9 First Impression Part 2 Cold and misty morning, I heard a warning borne in…
Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression Welcome back, my friends To the show that never ends We're…
Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression Part 2 Cold and misty morning, I heard a warning borne in…
Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression Pt. 2 Welcome back, my friends To the show that never ends We'r…
Karn Evil 9: 3rd Impression 1st Impression Part One Cold and misty morning, I …
Knife Edge Just a step cried the sad man Take a look down…
Knife-Edge ) Just a step cried the sad man Take a look down…
Lend Your Love to Me Tonight Lend your love to me tonight Don't ask me who or…
Living Sin Will you stand up or will you freeze That savage woman…
Living Sun Will you stand up or will you freeze That savage woman…
Love Beach Now that the coast is clear, I'm moving out of here. It's…
Lucky Man He had white horses And ladies by the score All dressed in…
Man In The Long Black Coat Crickets are chirpin', the water is high, There's a soft co…
Mass I. Eruption Instrumental II. Stones…
Mass ) The preacher said a prayer. Save ev'ry single hair on his…
Memoirs Of An Officer And A Gentleman Walking through the city after recent rain Heard ancient st…
Nobody Loves You Like I Do You can rent your blues and photograph your soul You can…
Oh My Father Oh, my father I feel so sad As I stared upon…
One By One Watch as the demons dance, they move like a spider Look…
Paper Blood Livin' on a razor's edge Sharper than a knife Surrender to…
Peter Gun Theme Hup, hup, hup What, are you kidding me? Psycho-Jello…
Piano Concerto Just take a pebble and cast it to the sea Then…
Pictures At An Exhibition Lead me from tortured dreams Childhood themes of nights alon…
Pictures At An Exhibition Medley Lead me from tortured dreams Childhood themes of nights alo…
Pictures At An Exhibition: The Great Gates Of Kiev Come forth, from love spire Born in life's fire, Born in…
Pirates "Who'll make his mark", the captain cried. "To the devil dr…
Promenade Lead me from tortured dreams Childhood themes of nights alon…
Promenade Pt. 2 Welcome back, my friends To the show that never ends We're…
Show Me The Way To Go Home Show me the way to go home I'm tired and I…
So Far To Fall I was "Master Faster", I was "Mr. Mystery" There wasn't a…
Still You Turn Me On Do you want to be an angel Do you want to…
Stones of Years I. Eruption Instrumental II. Stones…
Street War You can see it on the TV (or in…
Take A Pebble Just take a pebble and cast it to the sea Then…
Tank (Emerson/Palmer) Instrumental…
Tarkus I. STONES OF YEARS Has the dawn ever seen your eyes? Have…
Taste Of My Love Oh, you look so hungry, woman How come you strayed in…
The Curse Of Baba Yaga Doubles faces dark defense Talk too loud but talk no sense Y…
The Endless Enigma Why do you stare? Do you think that I care? You've been…
The Endless Enigma Part. 1 Why do you stare Do you think that I care? You've been…
The Endless Enigma Part. 2 Each part was played Though the play was not shown Everyone …
The Endless Enigma Pt. 1 Why do you stare Do you think that I care? You've been…
The Endless Enigma Pt. 2 Fugue (instrumental)…
The Endless Enigma Pt. Two Each part was played Though the play was not shown Everyone …
The Gambler Hey mister gimme back them dice You're holding all the gree…
The Great Gates Of Kiev Come forth, from love spire Born in life's fire, Born in…
The Only Way People has stirred moved by the word. Kneel at the shrine,…
The Sage I carry the dust of a journey That cannot be…
The Sheriff Wicked Josie rode away In the sunset covered sky A lynching …
Theme From Peter Gunn Hup, hup, hup What, are you kidding me? Psycho-Jello…
Thin Line Precious power, woman to man Cold blue steel in the palm…
Tiger In A Spotlight Bass - playing in my face - grabbin' the elastic…
Tiger in the Spotlight (Emerson, Lake, Palmer, Sinfield) Bass - playing in my face…
Toccata Instrumental…
Touch & Go Man in the street, no time to sleep No time for…
Trilogy I've tried to mend The love that ended Long ago although we…
Watching Over You Good night, good night.... Look at that moon shine so…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Emerson Lake:
A Time And A Place There is a place, a time and a space Just no…
Benny The Bouncer Benny was the bouncer at the Palais de Dance He'd slash…
Black Moon Every day I see a nwe cloud coming There's one more…
From The Beginning There might have been things I missed But don't be unkind …
FrOm tHe bEGinNinG 72-10 There might have been things I missed But don't be unkind It…
Jerusalem And did those feet in ancient time, Walk upon England's mou…
Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression Welcome back, my friends To the show that never ends We're…
Knife-Edge Just a step cried the sad man Take a look down…
Living Sin Will you stand up or will you freeze That savage woman…
Lucky Man He had white horses And ladies by the score All dressed in…
Promenade Lead me from tortured dreams Childhood themes of nights alon…
Still...You Turn Me On Do you want to be an angel Do you want to…
Still… You Turn Me On Do you want to be an angel Do you want to…
Take A Pebble Just take a pebble and cast it to the sea, Then…
The Barbarian [instrumental]…
The Curse of Baba Yaga Doubles faces dark defense Talk too loud but talk no sense Y…
The Great Gates of Kiev Come forth, from love spire Born in life's fire, Born in…
The Only Way People has stirred moved by the word. Kneel at the shrine,…
The Sage I carry the dust of a journey That cannot be shaken…
The Sheriff Wicked Josie rode away In the sunset covered sky A lynchin…
Trilogy I've tried to mend The love that ended Long ago although w…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Palmer:
again Fate looks certain byt then nothing's guaranteed Want for no…
all i ask How do you count the stars or the flakes of…
Don't Tell Me Tell me I'm not dreaming Tell me I'm not dreaming Midnight I…
Etrange ami You gotta save me from the devil echoing inside You gotta…
Everybody Loves My Baby I feel so doggone lonely Today, just isn't my day When I…
If Only You I don't want to lie to you But I don't know…
Mirage Bercée sous la surface Sous la glace Sous ton emprise D′un r…
Mom's Love Momma told me not to play with guns Don't cuss Obey the…
Now I Know Baby, when our hearts awoke Think of all the rules we…
Picture Books Loadin' up On something I don't like Feelin' rushed Doing li…
Postman Come down And meet me where the sidewalk ends Say no You nee…
Who Am I Am I wrong Fallin' in love with you? Uhh, tell me am…