On this day 39 years ago, Emerson, Lake & Palmer brought their show to the Caird Hall.Not a gig I was at, so can't pass on any info as to how the evening went.
ELP are probably just as well known now for being the band who's name crops up most when used as an example of how prog-rock went way over the top in the mid 70's to earn the tag "pomp-rock", a term which derided this kind of music as being overlong, overplayed and overbearing!
This Dundee gig being a week before Xmas in 1971 reminded me that a little later on in 1975, Greg Lake's solo project released THAT Christmas song, which has since gone on to be blasted out every year since!
Santa's little hELPer.
Perhaps it is an apocryphal story, but an older friend of mine swears blind that at an Emerson Lake and Palmer concert at the Cairdie (perhaps this one), Keith Emerson climbed the stairs and gave the resident organ laldy during their act.I certainly hope he didn't stick daggers between the keys to hold notes as he was in the habit of doing. Was anybody there who saw this (or not). Information gratefully received.
ReplyDeleteI used to live in Dundee and saw Keith Emerson do this when he was giving a concert with his group THE NICE.
DeleteI was at both early concerts and Keith certainly played the pipe organ. He had to return to the stage at record speed to keep the piece on cue. - think it was part of Pictures at an Exhibition
DeleteGot some Kodak photos of the great man riding his Hammond and running around the aisles with a portable moog thing.
What a band. I was 15
Fanta, were you not there at that gig?
ReplyDeletenaebuddie sticks onythin in the cairdie organ wi oot permishun.
ReplyDeleteBIG J
that is unless a substanshil backhander is on the go. mon the coonsil.
.
ReplyDeleteELP played the Caird Hall three times.
Keith Emerson definitely played the Caird Hall organ; it was used for the introduction to "Pictures At An Exhibition".
I think it was at concert 1 or 2. I still have the cutting from The Courier - somewhere!
yep, was there, papier mache tarkus action f
ReplyDeleteRemember Tarkus well. It was a beast of a thing to the left hand stage. Pictures remains on of my go to pieces of music
DeleteFanta, were you wearing your brushed denim dungarees to this gig?
ReplyDeleteyes, and a pink, teardrop collar chemise, with a broon stripe. f
ReplyDeletehttp://www.keithemerson.com/images/EmoArchives/ElpDundee1972-Tarkus.jpg I took this photo of Tarkus at the 1972 concert and it is one of only a couple that exist of the stage prop - noiw it is posted at Keith Emerson's official website
ReplyDeleteLooks like it is jizzing soap pooder a' owed the crowd.
ReplyDeleteI was a young Fleet Air Arm Apprentice at Arbroath and was persuaded to go by a pal Bruce Adams, long deceased.Emerson did indeed play the Caird hall organ on the intro to Pictures at an Exhibition, memorable stuff. Loved the concert and hated almost everything else they did :-)
ReplyDeleteI went down to Caird Hall from Aberdeen with 2 pals and we saw ELP, they Performed Barbarian, Knife Edge, Lucky Man, Take a Pebble,among others though I don't remember in which order, Keith came down among the Audience with his small Moog Synth. and wandered about the centre Aisle playing. He didn't play the Caird Hall organ that night. I remember thinking it would be great if he had. It was a great Concert anyway. Sorry his life ended the way it did, I have wondered if he could have continued playing, using one of these Electronic Hurdy Gurdy's only one hand needed, watch some modern players on You Tube.Sounds Pretty similar to Moog.
ReplyDeleteBorn too late!!
ReplyDeleteCan rember the foam flowing doon castle street into shore terrace where the buses left fae these days what a night only thing don't think they get away with Jerusalem these days. Even to many concerts one of the best.
ReplyDeleteSorry me ant to say w arching SKY tonight just goin doon memory lane.
DeleteI was at the Caird hall gig. Keith played "Promenade" on the Caird hall organ, a big Tarkus model sprayed foam (?) out of its guns. Abbadon's Bolero played to a montage of photos of musical instruments before the band appeared. I coveted Lake's guitar!
ReplyDelete