It’s been a long time coming, yet – despite him being busy with YES and, occasionally, ASIA – Billy Sherwood has finally released, online-only at the moment, his “A Tribute To Keith Emerson & Greg Lake“. Yes, that’s the album’s title – and that’s basically all one needs to know about the flight of fantasy involved in bringing this endeavor to fruition. The selection isn’t really surprising, except for the inclusion of a single KING CRIMSON cut alongside ELP pieces which are delivered by the usual suspects who rarely match the late artists they pay homage to in terms of passion, even if the chops are in place, and the players seem to feel it. But the record was endorsed by the Emerson estate, given Keith’s sons submit a track here – the same estate that didn’t allow Robert Berry to use the late musician’s sounds on the "3.2" project. Go figure.
Tribute To
Keith Emerson & Greg Lake
Still, it’s nice to hear the veterans again, so while a CD version is bound to be out further later on, the album can be meanwhile heard and purchased via Bandcamp. The first listen doesn’t reveal a lot of treats, although there are quite interesting interpretations of classic pieces.
1. 21st Century Schizoid Man – with Todd Rundgren & Brian Auger
2. A Time And A Place – with Leslie Hunt & Derek Sherinian
3. The Sheriff – with Billy Sherwood & David Sancious
4. C’est La Vie – with Jon Davison & Larry Fast
5. From The Beginning – with Thijs Van Leer & John Wesley
6. Hoedown – with Patrick Moraz
7. Still… You Turn Me On – with Sonja Kristina & Steve Porcaro
8. Lucky Man – with Martin Turner & Geoff Downes
9. Fanfare For The Common Man – with Aaron & Ethan Emerson
10. Karn Evil #9, 1st Impression, Part 2 – with Arthur Brown & Jordan Rudess
