Happy Music Monday! At this point it's pretty clear that it's NOT a good year to be a '70s rock star from the UK. The legendary keyboard warrior Keith Emerson passed away about two weeks ago, and only got time-shifted because the George Martin tribute was already done. But Keith was all about cool effects, right? He'd probably be fine with a little time-shifting. And prog rock wouldn't be prog rock without ol' Keith.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Karn Evil 9
If we're being honest with ourselves, there's a real chance the Insane Clown Posse starts the first time two Detroit kids hear this song. But no matter if that's true or not, this bizarre mix of classic rock and future synth slips in and out of tomorrow funk and pre-rock classical. And don't forget the Giger album cover! If you're a prog head, you've had a beat up copy of this in your collection at one time or another. And it's not even the coolest thing Keith Emerson was involved with.
Unless you're a die-hard fan, you're gonna be surprised what Scott found. And if you are a die-hard fan, you're just gonna want to pay tribute. Come join us as we RIP a prog god.
Emerson wasn't just born with a wall of wires behind him. He had a great love for the Moog and the Hammond and such, but the key to all his music was the actual piano. Without that knowledge, he never would have made such masterful electronic pieces. That classical base served him well when he began leaving rock for, well, a new form of classical.
Emerson, Lake & Powell - Mars, The Bringer Of War
ELP always gets called progressive rock, but is this REALLY rock? The reason so many band geeks fall in love with ELP is that it's aggressive classical. This song was my first exposure to Holst in any form, and it sounded like the opening to a Star Wars movie I really wanted to see. Also here's a fun fact I learned that same year: play this while watching the end battle of sci-fi comedy classic The Ice Pirates and it really does sync up well. Maybe that would work for Guardians Of The Galaxy too. Oh, and SPEAKING of Marvel Entertainment...
Keith Emerson - Iron Man Theme
I KNOW!! I heard this when the cartoon was on the air, but I never would have dreamed it was actually Keith Emerson doing the composing. And yet, now, after the fact, it's all so clear. Even in his ELP days, Keith Emerson had some love for Marvel Comics. You can almost hear Tony Stark's genius brain organizing the circuits in a Bach-like manner. It's certainly more original than this.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Tarkus
There will never be a cover as good as this one. There will never be an era when an artist can submit an armadillo tank from a future war and have people say "Yeah, that's the theme we want." Even Kanye at his most lunatic would never create anything like Tarkus. And that's why I'm ending this Music Monday with this massive progged-out LP rock monsterpiece, instead of Lucky Man or Touch & Go or any other Emerson track you might know. Because if you're writing a song about an armadillo going to war that you composed on a box of wires you basically assembled yourself, you really have to be fearless. God bless you, Keith Emerson. You always went for it, 100%. And you'll be missed.
Let us just remind you: some images come from the corresponding Wikipedia page and are here under fair use. See you next week.