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Fans of ELP - whether that stands for Emerson, Lake & Palmer or Emerson, Lake & Powell - have some new compilations to look forward to this spring.
Cherry Red, in partnership with Spirit of Unicorn Music, will issue Emerson, Lake & Powell's studio and live material as Complete Collection, a 3CD set due April 12. It will include the prog trio's self-titled 1986 album (including two CD-only bonus tracks and a single edit of "The Score") and two self-released titles on ELP's Manticore label: Live in Concert (recorded during the group's U.S. tour) and The Sprocket Sessions, a collection of live-in-studio rehearsals for said tour. Andy Pearce has remastered all the material, with PROG editor-in-chief Jerry Ewing writing liner notes.
In 1984, after five years of inactivity, keyboardist Keith Emerson and singer/instrumentalist Greg Lake were keen to reunite to record new music. Unfortunately, drummer Carl Palmer was unable to rejoin the group due to commitments with the supergroup Asia; in his stead came Emerson's friend Cozy Powell, well-known for work with Jeff Beck and Rainbow among others. (The band's ability to retain a very similar name and acronym as before was a happy accident.) Emerson, Lake & Powell continued the progressive traditions of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, blending rock epics, moving balladry and even a classical cover ("Mars, The Bringer of War" from Holst's The Planets).
A week before the release of that ELP compilation, BMG will release Fanfare for the Common Man, a multi-disc box set devoted to the work of Carl Palmer. Palmer is, of course, the sole surviving member of the trio, still touring the hits of the group as Carl Palmer's ELP Legacy. He's also worked with British artists like Chris Farlowe and Mike Oldfield, bands like Atomic Rooster, PM (a combo Palmer founded after ELP's dissolution), 3 (a short-lived, post-Powell trio featuring Emerson, Palmer and American musician Robert Berry) and, most famously, Asia - a prog supergroup founded by Palmer, keyboardist Geoff Downes and guitarist Steve Howe (both from Yes) and ex-King Crimson/Roxy Music/Wishbone Ash vocalist John Wetton.
Fanfare for the Common Man, a 3CD/1 Blu-ray set, showcases the full breadth of that career. A sort of expansion/reorganization of Palmer's 2001 collection Do Ya Wanna Play, Carl?, two studio discs offer material from ELP, Asia, Oldfield, 3 and more (including the debut single sides of Palmer's first work with U.K. group The Craig). A third disc collects live tracks by Palmer, including the current line-up of Palmer's ELP Legacy (Palmer, singer/guitarist Paul Bielatowicz and Simon Fitzpatrick on bass/Chapman stick), while the Blu-ray offers Carl Palmer - The Rhythm of Life, a full-length documentary narrated by Palmer, featuring live and behind-the-scenes footage of ELP, Asia, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown and others. The set is rounded out with a copy of Palmer's 200-page illustrated autobiography, also called Fanfare for the Common Man.
Links and full track lists for both products are below. (As an Amazon affiliate, we earn a small portion off their links.)
Emerson, Lake & Powell, Complete Collection (Spirit of Unicorn Music/Cherry Red SOUMBOX004 (U.K.), 2024) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
Disc 1: Emerson, Lake & Powell (1-8, released as Polydor POLD-5191 (U.K.)/829 291-1 (U.S.), 1986) and bonus tracks (9-11)
- The Score
- Learning to Fly
- The Miracle
- Touch and Go
- Love Blind
- Step Aside
- Lay Down Your Guns
- Mars, The Bringer of War
- The Loco-Motion
- Vacant Possession
- The Score (Single Edit)
Tracks 9-10 released on U.S. CD pressings - Polydor 829 291-2, 1991
Track 11 released on Polydor U.S. 12" promo PRO 432-1, 1986
Disc 2: The Sprocket Sessions (released as Manticore CD3008, 2003)
- The Score
- Learning to Fly
- The Miracle
- Knife Edge
- Tarkus
- Pictures At an Exhibition
- Lucky Man
- Still, You Turn Me On
- Love Blind
- Mars, The Bringer of War
- Touch and Go
- Pirates
Disc 3: Live in Concert (released as Manticore CD3009, 2003)
- The Score
- Touch and Go
- Knife Edge
- Pirates
- From the Beginning
- Lucky Man
- Fanfare for the Common Man
- Mars, The Bringer of War/Drum Solo
- Medley - Karn Evil 9 (1st Impression)/America/Rondo
All tracks recorded live at the Lakeland Civic Center, Lakeland, FL - 11/4/1986
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Carl Palmer, Fanfare for the Common Man (BMG, 2024) (Official Store)
CD 1: Emerson, Lake & Palmer
- Concerto for Percussion (Part Rock) - Carl Palmer & Joseph Horovitz
- The Enemy God Dances with the Black Spirits - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
- Bullfrog - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
- Toccata - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
- Close But Not Touching - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
- L.A. Nights - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
- Canario - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
- Tank - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
- Karn Evil 9 1st Impression, Part 2 - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
- Two Part Invention in D Minor - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
- Fanfare for the Common Man - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Track 1 from Do Ya Wanna Play, Carl? - Castle Music CMEDD163 (U.K.), 2001
Tracks 2, 6, 8 and 10-11 from Works Volume 1 - Atlantic SD 2-7000, 1977
Tracks 3 and 5 from Works Volume 2 - Atlantic SD-19147, 1977
Tracks 4 and 9 from Brain Salad Surgery - Manticore MC-66669, 1973
Track 7 from Love Beach - Atlantic SD-19211, 1978
CD 2: Other band recordings
- I Must Be Mad - The Craig
- Suspense - The Craig
- Everyone Makes a Mistake - Chris Farlowe
- Friday the 13th - Atomic Rooster
- Decline and Fall - Atomic Rooster
- You've Got Me Rockin' - Carl Palmer's PM
- Mount Teidi - Mike Oldfield
- Ready Mix - Mike Oldfield
- Heat of the Moment - Asia
- Wildest Dreams - Asia
- Time Again - Asia
- Tomorrow the World - Asia
- Desda La Vida (I. La Vista, II. Frontera, III. Sangre de Toro) - 3
- Eight Miles High - 3
- Shawnee (Live) - Carl Palmer and the Buddy Rich Orchestra
Tracks 1-2 released as Fontana U.K. single TF-715, 1966
Track 3 from expanded edition of The Art of Chris Farlowe - Repertoire REP 4292-WY, 1992
Tracks 4-5 from Atomic Rooster - B&C Records (U.K.) CAS 1010, 1970
Track 6 from 1:PM - Ariola ARL-5048, 1980
Track 7 from Five Miles Out - Virgin V-2222, 1982
Tracks 8 and 15 from Do Ya Wanna Play, Carl? - Castle Music CMEDD163 (U.K.), 2001
Tracks 9-11 from Asia - Geffen GHS 2008, 1982
Track 12 from XXX - Frontiers FRCD-560, 2012
Tracks 13-14 from ...To the Power of Three - Geffen GHS 24181, 1988
CD 3: Carl Palmer Band and ELP Legacy Live
- Bullfrog - Carl Palmer Band
- Canario - Carl Palmer Band
- Carmina Burana - Carl Palmer Band
- Trilogy - Carl Palmer Band
- Hoedown - Carl Palmer Band
- Romeo and Juliet - Carl Palmer Band
- In a Moroccan Market - Carl Palmer Band
- Toccata and Fugue in D minor - Carl Palmer's ELP Legacy
- Jerusalem - Carl Palmer's ELP Legacy
- Fanfare for the Common Man/Drum Solo - Carl Palmer's ELP Legacy
Tracks 1-2 from Working Live Volume 1 - Sanctuary SANCD172, 2002
Tracks 3-5 from Working Live Volume 2 - Sanctuary SANCD288, 2004
Tracks 6-7 from Working Live Volume 3 - Eagle ER202012, 2010
Tracks 8-10 from Live - BMG BMGCAT226CDX, 2018
Blu-ray: Carl Palmer - The Rhythm of Life
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The Carl Palmer boxed set is reasonably priced!
I definetly buy the Emerson Lake & Powell CD box set. It's about time this lineup have the recognition they do deserve. Keith and Greg together with a powerful, amazing drummer like Cozy were really incredible. I wish they could last longer and perhaps made another couple of records.
IMHO, I have to give a point to Cozy Powell. I followed his career, as the heavy metal/hard rock fan I am, but also loving ELP music. And he took the challenge of his life when he withdrew from hard rock/heavy metal to play something so intricate and difficult, yet wonderful, like ELP music is. And he did a remarkable job. Cozy was a thunderstorm drummer, who played with some of the best musicians. And hey, you have to be damn good to play with a demanding guy like Ritchie Blackmore!!
Carl Palmer, on his side, is a great drummer, to me one of the best in history, and an innovator of percussion mostly in the 70s, a genious in his early 20s already... but what?? It's more than 50 years he has done the same thing in terms of music. In addition, I was very, very dissappointed when he refused to play with Keith and Greg after the success of a fantastic perfomance at High Voltage, when he "put an end to ELP" (his words)... to keep playing ELP music with his band. Apart from Asia (love them!!!) and 3 (never liked them), he only played ELP music most of his life, so it comes natural to him. Instead, Cozy Powell had to put his own personality and style to a much more complicated style of music, the opposite to what he always played, alongside two genius like Keith and Greg. And to be fair, the ELPowell album is considered one of the best in Keith's and Greg's careers, a masterpiece, after the Love Beach fiasco...
So, guys, sorry for saying this, don't get me wrong, but I am more behind Cozy Powell. So my choice is done. I will buy the ELPowell CD box set (perhaps I would buy Carl Palmer's book, if it's available separately. Oh, btw, couldn't he choose a better name for the book? Name the book Fanfare for the Common Man, to me, is tasteless; it is a piece by Aaron Copland, adapted by Keith. IMHO, I think Drum Crazy would have suited it better. According to him, that was the movie that led him to play drums...).