The White Dove Has Flown Away

Hi to those who read me.

No. Don't fear my blog is going to be the Prog Rock Artists obituary. It's not my style and attitude.

Maybe you have noticed I hardly talked about ELP in all these years, though sometimes I posted some of their music stuff on Facebook.

How it's been possible to neglect such great prog icons?

And why only now, after Keith Emerson's self-shot, I'm going to do it?

Will to be clicked? Will to be read?

I repeat... it's not my style, otherwise I didn't wait for so long to publish this post, isn't it?

Let me first give you evidence on how I came in contact with ELP.

When I was very young (about 12 years... sigh! A huge amount of years ago!), almost every afternoon I used to go to some of my friends who lived near home, to stay with them, play football and (obviously) listen to some music.

We often were in our older friend's home because his father had the best stereo deck among us. So we used to bring our LP or 45rpm to listen on it and discuss about them together.

Giancarlo was also a proficient piano player, so we eventually asked to him to play for us. 

At that time there was a cultural/political in-depth  TV Show named "Stasera G7" or something like this, whose ending musical theme started with a filtered snare roll, followed by a snare/bass drum attack and the entering of the other instruments: bass and electronic keyboards...

The father of our friend was as captured by it that went up and down to the music shops to find it, but he wasn't successful.
So he decided to ask directly to someone to RAI and knew the name of the song and of the band, but the 45rpm was not available, so he bought the LP.

Once Giancarlo put it on the turntable and the magic began...

This was my first time with His Greatness Keith Emerson, and I have to thank Giancarlo's father for his obstinacy!

The fun fact is that when I asked to listen the rest of the album my friends were a little bored, because they didn't like it, so I asked to my friend to copy it on a MC to listen it on my own.

After the first listening, I was astonished by noticing that 'Tank' (and 'Lucky Man') weren't the best track in it! 

Then came the opus Tarkus, Trilogy (their best to my opinion), and the powerful Brain Salad Surgery...

I remember at that time BSS was considered "too cold and technical" by the most, and even by me. I re-evalueted it several years ago, especially comparing it to some nowadays steel-cold prog-metal (who shouted: "Dream Theater"?).

So, why I never talked about this great band?

To be honest I always felt a hate/love feeling towards them.

There are moments I need to listen to them, but sometimes I don't stand their music. I cannot explain why, but it's this way in my mind.
However I always esteemed Keith Emerson as a great keyboardist and composer.

You should pay attention to tracks like the following:

This is a complete rock-opera: passes to different moods and dynamics and it's composed in the aim of a classical piece of music.

The piano moment, with that incredible left-hand ostinato is among the best things we can find in progrock (in fact it inspired, among the others, a similar passage in Kansas 'Song For America')

Or to this one...




One of their best song ever...


Or their magnum opus epic track:

In their whole production you can find something timeless, eternal. Something which is still considered as basics for musical compositions, inspiration for old and new keyboardists.

It's not strange that the most keyboardists I know on Facebook identify Keith Emerson as their unreachable Master.

Someone said: "Keith Emerson stays to the keyboards as Jimi Hendrix stays to electric guitar"... and he's not far away from the truth.

Now that Keith has decided to pass away, because of his degenerating hillness, I feel so guilty and cold, and so I decided to write down this post.

One thing I'm sure: If Keith should see from wherever he's now, the respect, love and affection we have showed in these days after his departure, he surely would mind to come back... and we all should be happy to see his smile another time.

Thank you to His Greatness "best keyboard player in the world", thank you to the always smiling face graceful artist. Thank you Keith...