What does it sound like?:
This new box set comprising 3 cds, a bluray, and a book looks back at the career of the sole surviving member of ELP, encompassing his work with that band alongside other outfits he has worked with such as Atomic Rooster and Asia.
The first two cds are actually a slightly rejigged version of the 2001 compilation ‘Do You Wanna Play Carl’. Kicking off with the unused Works Vol 1 piece Concerto For Percussion, ultimately dropped in favour of a number of shorter pieces, the selections focus on music that Palmer feels best showcases his contributions to the band rather than necessarily their best combined work as a unit. Annoyingly, two other unreleased pieces have been dropped for this release to accommodate a section of Karn Evil 9, which seems a shame. The second cd focuses on his work in other contexts, covering a whole gamut of artists from Arthur Brown and Atomic Rooster through to Mike Oldfield and the mega selling Asia years. It also touches on his work with his own band, PM, and the ELP offshoot 3, which also featured Keith Emerson but no Greg Lake, the latter being replaced by US musician Robin Berry. CD 3 has a selection of live performances from the Carl Palmer Band and the more recent ELP Legacy shows, and features faithful renditions of old favouries such as America, Rondo, Hoedown and Trilogy – particularly good to hear the latter as it’s often overlooked in the back catalogue.
Also included is a copy of Palmer’s autobiography, which is a very worthwhile read with some interesting photos. However, at only 200 pages it shares the same fault as Emerson’s and Lake’s books, namely it’s far too short. You feel that a whole lot of things have been left out from such a long career, and I think the book could and should quite easily have been twice the length.
The highlight of the box for me is the bluray which is a documentary entitled The Rhythm of Life. Narrated by Palmer, it includes a mix of live and behind the scenes footage of the various bands he’s played with, including ELP of course, and goes right up to the most recent Legacy shows. A very entertaining watch.
Whatever band Carl Palmer has featured in over the last fifty odd years, his talent, skill and virtuosity as a ground breaking and innovative percussionist has never been in doubt, and that is only reinforced by the comprehensive selection of music presented here.
What does it all *mean*?
All in all, a very good summation of Palmer’s long and varied career, which has taken him down many different paths over the years.
Goes well with…
Digging out those old ELP albums for a prog wig out.
Release Date:
5 April
Might suit people who like…
ELP, Asia, musicianship.
Hardly a week goes by without some part of ELP’s history being repackaged for our delectation. I’m amazed there is still a market for this stuff.
I think the aim is to grab the cash while they still can.
Always enjoyable review, bargepole. But this does say to me there is clearly feck-all in the ELP archive, as nothing of interest has been found in decades. And I liked ‘em. The current fire sales many bands are having does not help the legacy, but maybe if skint, they have to give the orange another squeeze, and nobody now kids themselves the legacy is worth much.
I think pretty much everything avaiable was used on the 2cd reissues of the albums back in 2016/17.