Emerson Lake & Palmer
Live in Montreal 1977
Shout! Factory [2013]
Fire Note Says: Live in Montreal features ELP backed by a 70 piece orchestra on their Works tour!
Album Review: Emerson Lake and Palmer’s 1977 tour was an ambitious undertaking, a failure on some levels, and an absolute triumph on other levels. The band originally set out with a full 70 piece orchestra to support their Works lp, but had to scrap the orchestra due to the cost involved. However, this live cd recorded on the Montreal stop on the tour, presents for the first time, a complete orchestra show in its entirety, and it’s a doozy! The prog rock titans are right at the peak of their craft, this was before the disastrous Love Beach album all but destroyed the group (great album cover though), they are completely over the top with their arrangements, but it all works fabulously well.
The only thing holding this set back from a higher score is the muddy sound. It bounces back and forth between crystal clear and sub bootleg quality. Not sure what the deal is there, but it does hold back the set. On tracks like “Pictures at an Exhibition”, the orchestra should take this thing over the top and really blow your head off when they kick in, instead it’s murky and tough to hear. It doesn’t quite get there for me. “Abaddon’s Bolero” on the other hand sounds completely incredible. Every woodwind and every string can be heard clearly. It’s a remarkable track! “Fanfare for the Common Man” is able to cut through the murk as well, particularly the horns in the beginning. It’s one of their signature pieces that the group performs, and they do a great job on it here. Their two most popular songs on classic rock radio, “Karn Evil 9, First Impression Part 2” and “Lucky Man” are represented on the set as well. “Karn Evil” suffers incredibly because of the sound problems, but the acoustic rendering of “Lucky Man” fares a bit better, although it is almost drowned out by the audience’s approving roar in spots. “Closer to Believing” is a perfect blend of orchestra and Greg Lake’s acoustic balladering. It’s a pretty stunning track.
The important thing to keep in mind is that this is an archival release, presented to us warts and all. I’m glad it’s out there, and most fans will be as well. What I would really love to hear would be beautiful completely restored and produced tapes of this date to appear, though I’m not sure if those exist. That would definitely be a 5 headphone reissue. Live in Montreal 1977 is a good representation of what had to have been an amazing night.
Key Tracks: “Abaddon’s Bolero”, “Closer to Believing”, “Fanfare for the Common Man”
Artists With Similar Fire: Moody Blues / Genesis / King Crimson
Emerson Lake & Palmer Website
Emerson Lake & Palmer Facebook
Shout! Factory
-Reviewed by Kevin Poindexter
Born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, I am extremely proud of the area I grew up in and the influence it has had on the world at large, from the Wright Brothers to Robert Pollard, the area has been a center of innovation both technologically and artistically. During my college years at the University of Dayton, I found myself becoming more and more immersed in the local music scene, a period of time in the early to mid 90's that coincided with the rise of bands like Guided by Voices, Brainiac, and The Breeders, who added to the rich musical legacy of the area. Dayton is also the hometown of many giants of funk in the 70's and is also the birthplace of Jazz greats Billy Strayhorn, John Scofield and Bud Shank. I wrote extensively for The Fire Note, a great online magazine focused on indie rock, in the 2010's while simultaneously being a partner in Rockathon Records, before retiring from both in 2018. In 2024, my thoughts turned back to helping at Rockathon and more importantly to pick back up on my writing, and more specifically to write about my love of jazz. I'm always listening, always searching for something new, something great. It's been a lifelong journey, and I still feel like there is so much out there to hear.
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
I saw this tour (with orchestra and choir) in Milwaukee back in ’77.
Amazing!!!
Love live ELP.
Nice! I still need to really dig into the “Return of the Manticore” box I got a while back, I haven’t given it enough time yet.
I was there in Montreal in 1977 and what a great show that was, with the orchestra and Godfrey Salmon directing, it was a beautiful concert. And even though it was done at the Olympic Stadium and the roof wasn’t done yet, the sound was absolutely wonderful, I will always remember that concert and also the time I spent with the band, from august 76 to january 77. Great memorys…