Tonight I took advantage of the fact that we now have some Sky channels available on our Virgin box and watched an ELP concert from 1997 on the Sky Arts channel, with mixed emotions.

I do like some of ELP’s stuff but there is something about them.  When I was at school I had Brain Salad Surgery and Works voume 1.  I enjoyed them both but never felt tempted to get anything more by them, and I still think that Karn Evil 9 is fantastic.

In this month’s Word magazine there is a special feature on prog rock and nearly everyone interviewed in there manages to gush over Yes and Genesis, Pink Floyd gets some honourable mentions along with King Crimson and quite a few others, but nearly everybody interviewed manages to get a negative comment about ELP in there somewhere.

I can sort of see why though.  Even at the time, the members of ELP seemed more remote than those in other bands and the sheer amount of plundering from the world of classical music does get a bit much.  My opinion of them now is that of the parson and his egg – I like them in parts.

After actually watching the start of the show, which kicked off with some Karn Evil 9 (“Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends” – a good way start) I turned to other things and just left it on as background.  Greg Lake’s voice really had lost a lot of its purity and power. I thought it was a bit ropey to be honest.

I did turn around and watch the end though, with Keith Emerson abusing his, by now extremely battered, Hammond organ.  I couldn’t believe that he was still doing the bit where he stabs the organ then pulls it down on top of himself while he plays Bach’s toccata and fugue in D minor upside down.

It was worth it for those cutaway shots of Carl & Greg. Especially Greg. The expression on his face was pure magic. I can imagine a conversation before the show where Keith negotiates to be allowed to go berserk at the end and the others reluctantly give in and have to indulge him – but don’t have to enjoy it.