Rating: B+
The Keith Emerson Band features the keyboard guru
behind Emerson, Lake & Palmer and vocalist and guitar
player Marc Bonilla. They recorded this two-disc set
live at the Moscow Theater in Russia, capturing, on
tape, a simply amazing evening of Progressive Rock.
The band, Emerson, Bonilla, Travis Davis and Tony Pia,
are all first class musicians. The tunes, ELP classics,
are performed live, with the precision that only a
skilled master craftsman can muster up. The music is
bombastic, self-indulgent, snooty and brilliant. ELP was
a band like no other. The Keith Emerson Band is like ELP
with a great guitar player.
Carl Palmer may have thought that he was thinking
outside the box with his solo albums, featuring ELP
classics with loads of guitar but Keith Emerson was
doing the same thing back in 2008 when this masterpiece
was recorded.
Here is just a taste of what this double disc has to
offer…”Karn Evil 9 (1st Impression Pt 2),”
“Bitches Crystal,” “Touch and Go,” “Lucky Man,” “The
Barbarian” and “Tarkus.” This is a Prog Nerds wet dream.
By Jeb Wright