Across 20 CDs (yes 20!), we get the sprawling Variations box set, chronicling the career of Keith Emerson. The set is broken up into five sections — Part One: The Early Years / The Bands, Part Two: The Solo Albums, Part Three: The Soundtracks, and Parts 4 and 5 Live / Collaborations.
Early stabs of solo piano, beginning with “Medley” played by a 14-year-old Emerson to “Lament For Tony Stratton Smith,” sounds as if we are sitting in the musician’s living room for a personal recital. This flows right into The Nice’s “America” and a variety of ELP pieces that highlight Emerson’s mastery of the keyboards.
The Solo Years comprises full discs of Honky (1981), Changing States (1995), Emerson Plays Emerson (2002) and 2008’s Keith Emerson Band album (AKA Keith Emerson Band Featuring Marc Bonilla), which comes close to recapturing the majestic, edgy ELP sound.
Emerson‘s soundtrack is also included. There’s Inferno (1980) with some of Emerson’s finest moments on piano. His other soundtrack albums — Nighthawks (1981), Murderock (1984), Best Revenge (1986), Iron Man (2001), and Harmagedon / Godzilla (1987) — are mostly contemporary to the times, though the playing and musicianship of Emerson remains strong. Much of this material was ignored by ELP fans. Something like Harmagedon / Godzilla soundtrack is a rare listen indeed.
Live / Collaborations is the best of the lot here for me personally. There’s a guitar-heavy Boys Club (a one-time group Emerson had with Glenn Hughes and Marc Bonilla) performance; the live show in Moscow with the Keith Emerson Band Featuring Marc Bonilla; the full Live From Manticore Hall disc of Emerson with Greg Lake; and a 2004 live set of The Keith Emerson Trio at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York City.
Everything here has been curated with the full involvement and blessing of Keith Emerson’s family, presented in a 10 x 10-inch box. The 20 CDs are accompanied by sleeve notes written by PROG Magazine editor Jerry Ewing. The set also includes a 48-page book with many previously unpublished photos from the Emerson family archive. Is this all that Keith Emerson had recorded beyond what we usually hear from the maestro? Who can say, but Variations surely covers a lot of ground.
~Ralph Greco, Jr.
