Emerson, Lake and Palmer reunited in 1992 and recorded their comeback studio album Black Moon. They carried on for the next six years, stopping by the famous Montreux Jazz Festival to dazzle the fans with their chops. Live At Montreux 1997, previously issued on DVD and Blu-ray-Disc and now available as a double CD set, captures the group’s July 7, 1997 performance.
Beginning with “Karn Evil 9, 1st Impression,” you certainly get the impression that Greg Lake’s voice might just be up to the task, while Keith Emerson’s keys are a little weak, though it has less to do with his playing than the actual keyboard sound he chooses. “Tiger In The Spot Light” fares much better, with some slightly different bass noodling from Lake than what’s on the recorded version. The band chunks along like a cracker jack jazz trio. Lake’s acoustic guitar playing on “From the Beginning” is delicate and recreates the studio version perfectly, with Palmer’s tasty percussion behind him. “Bitches Crystal,” a song from Tarkus added to the late 90s setlist, is a highlight. Palmer and Emerson are locked in the kinetic pace of the tune and Lake’s vocal is strong, even though he avoids some of the higher notes.
The piano-led jams on both “Honky Tonk Train Blues” and the truncated middle of “Take A Pebble” come as a one-two punch. They are certainly high-water marks for Emerson. Unfortunately, on “Lucky Man,” the band sounds like they are simply going through the motions. The “Tarkus / Pictures At An Exhibition” medley sees noticeable improvement as the kinetic snapping of the “Eruption” opening section of Tarkus takes off . Alhough Emerson glistens past some distinctive organ notes, He wails on piano during “Stones Of Years.” By the time they get to “Pictures At An Exhibition,” it is mostly Palmer tying things together. Emerson is a bit sloppy in parts, but the trio makes a valiant stab at “The Great Gates Of Kiev” with Lake singing well.
The “Fanfare For The Common Man / Rondo / Carmina Burana / Toccata In D Minor” medley sees some of Emerson’s best keyboard work and a snare drum solo from Palmer. Thus particularly tasty morsel of “Toccata In D Minor” comes off well and slips easily into Emerson’s spacey jump-over-his-organ noisemaking. Live At Montreux 1997 is a decent historic testament of what a live Emerson, Lake and Palmer show was about in 1997. This is not the red-hot trio of 1973, the more mature ELP fronting an orchestra in 1977, or even the comeback kids of the early 90s. Live At Montreux 1997 is ELP playing their songs reasonably well before they called it a day in 1998.
~ Ralph Greco
