EL & P Emerson,Lake & Palmer/Italy 1972

EL&P from the “TRILOGY” era was racing toward the peak of their legendary first visit to Japan. A masterpiece live album that conveys the scene is now available. What is infused into this work is “Bologna performance on June 25, 1972”. This is a valuable audience recording. Speaking of the live shows of 1972, there are also the official unearthed masterpieces “LIVE AT THE MAR Y SOL FESTIVAL ’72” and “LIVE AT POCONO INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY” released last year, so here we will also look back at the schedule from that time. Let’s see. [“TRILOGY” completed in January] ・March 10th: Cardiff performance ・March 21st-April 29th: North America #1 (35 performances) ← *Official ・June 4th-26th: Europe #1 ( 13 performances) ←★Here★《“TRILOGY” released on July 6th》・July 8th: Long Pond performance　←*Official・July 22nd + 24th: First visit to Japan (2 performances)・July 27th – August 20th: North America #2 (24 performances) September 30th: Kennington performance November 30th – December 1st: UK (23 performances) This is EL&P’s 1972. They completed “TRILOGY” at the beginning of the year and started touring without waiting for its release. This work was held about two weeks before the release of the album, and was the 12th concert of “Europe #1”, about two months after the official version “LIVE AT THE MAR Y SOL FESTIVAL ’72”. This work recorded at such a show is an indescribably wonderful vintage recording. At first listen, the sound is a little muffled, and it seems like it needs a “for a 70s” song, but its true value lies in its bold and powerful core. There’s no sense of distance, and the keyboard and vocals come right in front of you. Although the snare feels like an audience, it’s all about the tone level. A storm of wild hits cut through the sound, each shot being distinct and not blending together. As you get used to the thicker sound, you will notice that the subtleties of the performance are actually coming through to the line level, making this a recording that will amaze connoisseurs. What is depicted with such a sound is a show that has become even more colorful with a group of masterpieces created one after another, while maintaining the extreme north of the world’s most impressive keyboard trio. Basically, it follows the official version “LIVE AT THE MAR Y SOL FESTIVAL ’72” and “LIVE AT POCONO INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY”, but “Endless Enigma”, which can’t be heard on either of them, is delicious. Of course, you can enjoy a passionate performance of over 8 minutes, including “Fugue” in between. Although this song itself cannot be heard in “THE ORIGINAL BOOTLEG SERIES”, there is a problem unique to this day. During the “Part 2” part, they did not include the seasoned brass synth (maybe they forgot to set it?) but managed to liven up the performance, and the venue was filled with applause. Although there is a timing when the album has not been released yet, it is the flavor of 1972 that recovers while suffering from equipment trouble, and you can enjoy the flash of resourcefulness with powerful sound. The order of the songs is different, but the enthusiastic performance of “Tarkus” before that is also amazing. The organ solo in “Stone of Years” is crisp, and the innovative monosynth in “Aquatarkus” is also strong. This part is the best part to listen to in the entire work. Also, the first half of “Take A Pepple” is a bit strange to listen to. The audience was talking loudly about something and it was making a lot of noise. I can’t understand the content because it’s only in Italian, but amidst the calm melody, a brawl-like mayhem stands out (you can also hear a banging sound). “It’s such a waste when such a great performance is right in front of me…” he thought, but there was no way he could understand such a sense of gratitude, and the emotions of the audience surged. This is also the real atmosphere of the golden 70s. In any case, this is a valuable live album that allows you to experience EL&P’s colorful show with an increased number of famous songs while maintaining their performance potential. Speaking of Italy in 1972, it is the time and place where masterpieces of the EL&P style were born one after another, such as LE ORME’s “Bandaged Man” and LATTE E MIELE’s “Passion Play.” Unlike their followers in other countries, they left their mark on history with their rich composing skills rather than their playing ability, and this may have been the afterglow of EL&P during the TRILOGY era. Maybe there are Tony Pagliuca and Oliviero Lacanina at this scene too… A wonderful and historical live album that will make you fantasize. Live at Stadio Comunale, Bologna, Italy 25th June 1972 TRULY AMAZING SOUND (79:52) 1. Hoedown 2. Tarkus 3. Endless Enigma incl. Fugue 4. Take A Pebble incl. Lucky Man & Piano Improvisation 5. Pictures At An Exhibition Keith Emerson – Keyboards Greg Lake – Bass, Guitar & Vocal Carl Palmer – Drums & Percussion