Emerson, Lake & Palmer

如萬人空巷般的體育場里，三個年青人正在空曠的舞臺上賣力的彈奏著改編自古典音樂的作品?？此崎L發(fā)披肩、老成持重的Keith正用疾如風(fēng)的指法快速地滑過鍵盤；身材修長、卻有張娃娃臉的Greg一面彈吉它一面唱和著；短發(fā)而顯出乾靜俐落、精神飽滿模樣的Carl則準確專注地敲擊。三種逕謂分明的形象，用各自擅長的樂器演奏著迥異於原曲的古典音樂，復(fù)雜的曲式結(jié)構(gòu)與簡潔有力的演繹卻還能完美地調(diào)和在一塊。欣賞他們技術(shù)精準而臨場即興的現(xiàn)場實況是每個樂迷所津津樂道的，在當時的定義中這就是所謂的超級樂團，他們就是七十年代獨領(lǐng)風(fēng)騷的前衛(wèi)/古典搖滾巨星Emerson, Lake and Palmer。
這一切都要從他們於1969年那個不大尋常的巧遇講起。話說六十年代中期有個古典搖滾樂團The Nice，當中的主腦Keith Emerson從小即著迷於兼具浪漫樂派與國民樂派風(fēng)格的柴可夫斯基(Tchaikovsy)與西貝流士(Sibelius)，畢生也希望以鋼琴技巧高超有如莫札特(Mozart)第二為職志。在The Nice的第二張專輯Ars Longa Vita Brevis(1968)中，他嘗試重新翻奏伯恩斯坦(Leonard Bernstein)所創(chuàng)作音樂劇西城故事(West Side Story)中耳熟能詳?shù)牟迩鶤merica而備受矚目(據(jù)說伯恩斯坦當時對這主意可不表贊同)，同年Royal Albert Hall的演出也很成功，提出原始構(gòu)想的Keith Emerson自此成為鎂光燈下的焦點。
1969年，以擔任前衛(wèi)搖滾先驅(qū)King Crimson主唱并以In the Court of the Crimson King(1969)專輯揚名立萬的主音歌手Greg Lake與The Nice的Emerson在英國Croydon的爵士與藍調(diào)音樂季中結(jié)識。雙方當時英雄惜英雄，決定在音樂會結(jié)束后各自離開其原來樂團并t組新團以別苗頭。 他倆找到了當年年僅二十，曾以搖滾與融合爵士演奏著稱專屬Arthur Brown與Atomic Rooster的鼓手Carl Palmer，等Lake錄制完King Crimson的第二張專輯已是1970年的春天了。經(jīng)過幾場密集彩排后更加堅定三人信心，決定以團員的姓為團名，組成當時舉世注目的Emerson, Lake and Palmer(E.L.P) 。
依照文獻，他們練習(xí)的曲目從伯恩斯坦到柯普蘭的皆有，{Take a pebble}是他們成形后的第一首歌，也收錄於Lake所制作的第一張專輯Emerson, Lake and Palmer(1970)里。在曲式方面受到德國Bartok及捷克Janacek的影響，主唱柔美抒情的嗓音、節(jié)奏剛硬的敲擊，構(gòu)成同名專輯的初步印象。在這張同時被喻為定義古典與科技搖滾的杰作里，融合了古典、硬式搖滾甚至民謠等音樂原素，以all-stars的supergroup三人組，試圖帶給樂迷完全不同的感受。環(huán)顧當時的音樂環(huán)境中，YES與Genesis皆尚未成氣候，知名度與開創(chuàng)性能與ELP并駕齊驅(qū)的也只有King Crimson與Pink Floyd了。{The barbarian}以純演奏出發(fā)，末了的一分鐘內(nèi)曲風(fēng)逆轉(zhuǎn)，Emerson的鍵盤與Lake的貝斯聲線完美契合，搭配Palmer精確的鼓擊相當精彩。 {Take a pebble}，十二分鐘，是ELP第一首注重樂曲結(jié)構(gòu)的曲子，我們聽到了繁復(fù)而具有fusion味道的編曲，還有Lake美聲唱腔般的男中音。 {Knife-edge}有那么一點受到國民樂派的影響，在演奏上三人默契十足、熱情奔放。{The three fates}三個段落，分別可以聽到Emerson以管風(fēng)琴、鋼琴、與鼓合奏等精湛的演出。{Tank}中段有Palmer精彩的鼓獨奏還有特制的合成樂器聲響。{Lucky man}是終曲也是筆者較鐘情的一首，由Lake嗓音與原音吉它起始，合聲與簡單旋律逐漸引人入勝，結(jié)束前一分鐘Emerson還以Moog(早期專門模擬管弦音色的合成樂器)彈了一段你從未聽過且難以形容的獨奏。
總結(jié)來說，從之后的專輯也可看到，ELP并沒有從事發(fā)明或革新的概念，但就是能以其技巧掛率與獨到的樂念創(chuàng)造出兼融古典與前衛(wèi)的樂風(fēng)。 在第二張專輯Tarkus(1971)，ELP稍微改變了一些前張受好評作品的風(fēng)貌，當然團隊的向心力絲毫不受影響。Emerson更加專注於moog合成樂器的音效實驗上、Palmer則也繼續(xù)鉆研更艱深的鼓技。內(nèi)容上也采取了寓言與神話概念，以兩個虛構(gòu)的野獸交戰(zhàn)為題展開故事情節(jié)，這張在英美都得到銷售與口碑的滿堂喝采，英國還拿到排行榜冠軍。前幾條歌曲都是以單曲走向，較特別的是{Are you ready, Eddy?}向當時地位崇高的錄音工程師Eddy Offord致敬(他老兄制作過大部份YES的全盛時期專輯)。{Honky tonk}則是模仿五十年代流行的老式搖擺樂，十分有趣。{Stones of years}、{A time and place}則是在美國發(fā)行成單曲。標題曲{Tarkus}是ELP成軍以來野心最為龐大的曲子，器樂演奏部份比前作快速而營造出緊迫的效果，又未喪失旋律的動聽性，可說是集上述精華於大成。 商業(yè)上的成功并沒使他們被名利沖昏了頭，同年在Tarkus發(fā)行不久之后，ELP再接再厲把當年三月在New Castle City Hall的實況演出發(fā)行。但并不是一張全新內(nèi)容的專輯，而是把俄國五人團中的穆索斯基(Mussorgsky)為記念其好友所創(chuàng)作的組曲"展覽會之畫"Pictures At An Exhibition(1971)重新照ELP的方法演繹，提到這就不能不提它的背景。國民樂派的眾支流中俄羅斯有所謂的五人團，其中最有才華卻最短命的穆索斯基在俄國現(xiàn)實主義文學(xué)的影響下與一群藝術(shù)家朋友過著人民公社般的生活。其中志同道合的建筑師朋友赫特曼(Hartman)玩票性質(zhì)的畫作偶而在圣彼德堡展出，穆索斯基還特地作曲慶賀。
1873年赫特曼急病過世，穆索斯基追懷摯友最好的辦法就是不眠不休地將其畫作，以音樂的形式表達出來。此組曲與"荒山之夜"并列為穆索斯基最杰出與為人熟知的作品，然而在生前作曲家并未得到今日所受到的贊譽。 ELP針對原曲并依照樂團意念加以改編，保留了原作中奇幻的部份少數(shù)再加入歌詞以Lake演唱，此樂曲本來由十首與畫作相關(guān)連的鋼琴獨奏及具有間奏功能的{Promenade}(漫步)組所成。以筆者手邊的原始鋼琴版本作比較，除{The sage}、{Blues variation}是后來被樂團加上以輔助氣氛的作品，ELP保留了原畫作中{The gnome}(侏儒)、(The old castle)(古堡)、{The hut of baba yaga}(女巫的小屋)、{The great gates of kiev}(基輔城門)等四幅，分別代表著"活潑生動的"、"雅致與神秘"、"粗獷而具戲劇性"、"威風(fēng)凜凜與光輝燦爛"。除{The hut of baba yaga}部份從原組曲倒數(shù)第二被移到第三幅，其余大致同於原作觀畫時間的順序，全套組曲不算安可總共三十五分鐘。為什么要如此大費周張地說明呢?這當然是有理由。這闕曲子神妙的地方便在於，觀賞畫的人的心情轉(zhuǎn)折在一開始也就是被設(shè)定在曲子里面的。從看到第一幅畫前的{Promenade}(漫步)開始，心情就會隨著不同意味的畫所欲表達的內(nèi)容而改變，兩張畫之間的步履速度與心路歷程也被生動地寫入其間的{Promenade}(漫步)里。也就是說，從剛踏入畫廊的那一步到跨出畫廊都被寫到整首曲子里了，作曲家意圖表達的觀畫者內(nèi)心體驗與外在環(huán)境的復(fù)雜性交互出現(xiàn)，成為這首曲子的獨特內(nèi)涵。
那ELP 的詮釋到底如何呢?它的確帶給我對這首原先就很喜歡的作品另類表達方式，尤其是聲樂與鼓、貝斯、吉它、合成樂器等搭配的結(jié)果是很新鮮的。但純就感覺來說倒也不是那么成功，首先是樂曲進行中的漫步因為人聲出現(xiàn)而心神被打斷，中途安插的兩首曲子對於氣氛營造的意圖也略顯畫蛇添足，現(xiàn)場演出時聽眾的鼓噪聲多少也破壞了它有時應(yīng)具有的聲音表情。其余各項音畫里器樂的配置適當與否則見人見智了，我自己對它是特別驚艷於開頭跟結(jié)尾的兩部份。起始的 {Promenade}(漫步)帶有詭異意味的動機，樂團把漫步的感覺帶到一種沉重的速度，接應(yīng)到侏儒篇活潑生動的四分之三拍子中。{The great gates of kiev}(基輔城門)應(yīng)該是專輯中的最高潮，從一開始的肅穆的主題到尾奏都是以強而有力的演奏形態(tài)，結(jié)尾聽到Emerson與樂團競飆華麗的快速音群十分過癮。安可曲則是開了Emerson的精神導(dǎo)師柴可夫斯基一點玩笑，把胡桃鉗組曲(Nutcracker)的其中一首改編為"Nutrocker"。算是送給所有共同經(jīng)歷過這場音樂之旅樂迷的一點釋放壓力的小禮物。 隨后的Trilogy(1972)，依然得到樂迷與樂評的雙重肯定。三人的演出默契與點子在這張唱片可說是發(fā)揮地淋漓盡致，從成人抒情到空間搖滾(space rock)都有，當然還有給編自古典音樂的作品。單就概念來說并沒有創(chuàng)新只不過比前兩張專輯修飾更精致旋律更動聽罷了，在本地樂迷也造成一股漩風(fēng)。 {The endless enigma part one}前頭詭譎的音效起，到后面樂團與主唱的進場整首六分多鐘緊緊扣人心弦。{Fugue}(賦格)則延續(xù)了前首的情緒，以Emerson鋼琴獨奏為主軸。{The endless enigma part two}是完結(jié)這段概念的終曲。{From the beginning}是ELP在美國唯一的排行勁曲，Lake以輕柔的中音演唱，同時負責(zé)原音與電吉它獨奏，最后Emerson的moog才悄悄地滑進來。{The Sheriff}里L(fēng)ake的唱腔稍有改變?yōu)榍纹さ谋憩F(xiàn)，后段的轉(zhuǎn)換較為突兀還伴隨一記槍聲。{Hoedown}原是大家耳熟能詳?shù)耐ㄋ讟非?，?jié)錄改編自柯普蘭(Aron Copeland)的"牛仔"(Rodeo)，感受到與原作截然不同的趣味。標題曲{Trilogy}中段有Emerson精湛的合成樂器演出， Palmer的強勁準確的鼓點與其輝映。{Living sin}相比起來或許是較弱的曲子，Lake刻意嘗試具威脅性與低沉的嗓音，倒可看出Lake千變?nèi)f化而又游刃有余的能耐。{Abaddon's Bolero}一聽結(jié)構(gòu)便知是在向拉威爾(Ravel)的波麗露舞曲(Bolero)致敬的作品(或是光從曲名就可看出來了?)，當然也是Emerson 展現(xiàn)炫技才華的良好示范。整首演奏時間八分多，層次井然，聲音由小而大、配器也漸趨繁雜。平心而論，在這張并未看到ELP杰出的創(chuàng)造力或復(fù)雜的樂念，但是由9首一氣呵成、皆有其不凡之處的作品組合而成還是有一定的聆賞價值。1972年關(guān)於ELP也有些許改變。首先原專屬King Crimson的作詞家Peter Sinfield跳槽到ELP擔任Lake的寫詞搭擋。同年他們以Tarkus專輯中出現(xiàn)的怪獸為名組新唱片公司Manticore，創(chuàng)業(yè)作為義大利藝術(shù)搖滾團P.F.M (Peter Sinfield亦是其中一員)的作品，此外簽約藝人還有Stray Dog、Banco等。
1973年，ELP重新上路，錄制了當年轟動一時的Brain Salad Surgery(1973)，這也是他們第一張交由Manticore發(fā)行的作品。Brain Salad Surgery被視為科技搖滾與空間搖滾發(fā)展的極致，首先是封套設(shè)計交由后來以異形系列電影造型名氣大開的H.R.Giger繪制，類似外太空不明生物與地球遠古文明的交媾，相當怪異。第一首單曲{Jerusalem}旋律源自於英國當?shù)貍鹘y(tǒng)的歌謠，Lake唱來有種莊嚴的氣息。{Toccata}是 Emerson節(jié)錄自Alberto Ginestera第一號鋼琴協(xié)奏曲的第四樂章再加以改編而成，新作充滿著高科技的音效。Emerson曾特地飛到日內(nèi)瓦向作曲家本人請益而留下一段佳話，Ginestera曾在唱片內(nèi)頁的注解寫下:"Keith Emerson has beautifully caught the mood of my piece"。{Still you turn me on}是Lake每張都要如法泡制一般的抒懷作品，{Benny the bouncer}充滿喧囂即興的氣氛。{Karn evil 9}大概是ELP成軍以來最長企圖心最強的作品，全曲長三十分鐘以上(!!)，與同年YES發(fā)行的Tales from Topographic Oceans(1973)雙專輯不逞多讓一樣使許多人大嘆吃不消。從1st impression(第一印象)的樂隊的徹底瘋狂到2nd、3rd impression(第二、三印象)的狂飆飛馳，Emerson使用了Hammond(一種廠牌的電風(fēng)琴)、moog、大鍵琴與傳統(tǒng)鋼琴等數(shù)種樂器似乎要耗盡個人精力在這首曲子上；Palmer鼓點則窮追不舍般地跟緊節(jié)拍。
最后對這張專輯值得一提的是詩人Sinfield的加入或多或少彌補了原本ELP 音樂與詞意表現(xiàn)不等的毛病，總之，這是樂團極盛時期的表現(xiàn)。 后世在評論"前"前衛(wèi)搖滾的發(fā)展時總不免提到Y(jié)ES與ELP，當然不可諱言的他們一定會有瑜亮情結(jié)的存在。他們各別已都是名震一時的巨星，加上有超高知名度的鍵盤手為號召，每次新唱片發(fā)行總難免會被拿出來比較。Rick Wakeman獨步於新創(chuàng)的新世紀曲風(fēng)，以樂段氣氛整體烘托為主；Keith Emerson則擅長古典音樂(二十世紀以后作品)的改編與重新賦予時代新意，兩者對實驗各種合成樂器音效領(lǐng)域的拓展皆功不可沒。有趣的是，組團較早的 YES七十年代初期受到ELP同名專輯的影響而由硬式搖滾走向概念專輯的路，兩團同樣在1971-72年達到其表演藝術(shù)的巔峰，73年一齊發(fā)行正反兩面評語兩極的長篇作品，開始有人認為前衛(wèi)搖滾已走向無病呻吟、嘩眾取寵的老調(diào)。兩團在七十年代中期以后走的卻是不同的路了，當然這是后話。
by Bruce Eder
Emerson, Lake & Palmer were progressive rocks first supergroup. Greeted by the rock press and the public as something akin to conquering heroes, they succeeded in broadening the audience for progressive rock from hundreds of thousands into tens of millions of listeners, creating a major radio phenomenon as well. Their flamboyance on record and in the studio echoed the best work of the heavy metal bands of the era, proving that classical rockers could compete for that arena-scale audience. Over and above their own commercial success, the trio also paved the way for the success of such bands as Yes, who would become their chief rivals for much of the 1970s.
Keyboardist Keith Emerson planted the seeds of the group in late 1969 when his band the Nice shared a bill at the Fillmore West with King Crimson, an up-and-coming band that featured lead singer and bassist Greg Lake. Emerson and Lake first discussed the possibility of collaborating at that point, but only after the Crimson lineup began disintegrating during their first U.S. tour did he finally opt to leave the group (after agreeing to sing on the forthcoming Crimson album). Upon officially teaming in 1970, Emerson and Lake auditioned several drummers, including Mitch Mitchell, before they approached Carl Palmer, a former member of the Crazy World of Arthur Brown who later hooked up with bandmate Vincent Crane in an experimental band called Atomic Rooster.
The trios first rehearsals mostly picked up from the Nices and King Crimsons repertoires, including such well-known numbers as Rondo and 21st Century Schizoid Man. In August of 1970, even as they were working on the songs that would ultimately comprise their first album, ELP played its first show at the Plymouth Guildhall, just ahead of the Isle of Wight Festival in August of 1970. The groups self-titled debut album was finished the following month and released in November; an instant success, it rose to the Top Five in England and the Top 20 in America. The single Lucky Man also was a hit, and their stage act rapidly became the stuff of legend.
The recording of the second ELP album, 1971s Tarkus, tested their cohesiveness while stretching their sound in new directions. Emerson was interested in further exploiting the range of the Moog synthesizer, and had conceived of an extended suite built around an opening eruption of sound, while Palmer had come up with an unusual drum pattern that he was eager to use. When they tried to present their ideas to Lake, who had assumed the mantle of producer with the first album, however, he couldnt really grasp the piece. He balked, and arguments ensued, and for a time it looked as though there might be no second album.
The group eventually agreed to disagree about the proposed track: Tarkus became the title of the new album, and ultimately defined the ELP sound as most people understood it — the song was loud and bombastic, somewhat gloomy in its lyrical tone, and exultant in its instrumental power. A descendant of The Three Fates and Tank from the first album, Tarkus was a much denser piece of music, featuring not only multiple overdubs of instruments but textures that ultimately proved very difficult to re-create on-stage. After Tarkus hit the number one spot on the English charts and reached the Top Ten in America, their March 21, 1971, concert at Newcastle City Hall — featuring the groups adaptation of Mussorgskys Pictures at an Exhibition — was recorded for release, and became another major hit.
It was eight months before ELPs next record, Trilogy, was released in July of 1972. In the interim, they toured extensively, and made it their business to cultivate the college audience that took most naturally to their work. With Trilogy, the partnership was back fully in balance, with each member taking an equal share of musical responsibility. Moreover, Lake never sang better, nor did the group ever sound more comfortable and laid-back; among the eight very solid numbers in a classical-rock vein, there was tucked a track that became virtually the bands signature tune, a version of Aaron Coplands Hoedown.
Such was the groups credibility that when it came time to record a version of the first movement of Alberto Ginasteras Piano Concerto No. 1 and the publisher denied them permission, they approached the composer himself, who fully approved and applauded the track that became Tocatta on Brain Salad Surgery, released in 1973 on their own record label, Manticore (named for one of the mythological creatures portrayed in Tarkus). Through Manticore, ELP also released material by Pete Sinfield and the Italian progressive rock band PFM; Sinfields presence as a composer with Lake on Brain Salad Surgery helped strengthen one of the groups lingering weaknesses, its lyrics — where Lakes use of language had always tended toward the pleasant but simplistic, Sinfield, a veteran of King Crimson, provided lyrical complexity nearly as daunting as the best of the groups music.
In the wake of this string of successes, ELP released a triple live album, Welcome Back My Friends to the Show That Never Ends, in August of 1974, but their streak came to a halt with Works, an album that also marked the dissolution of the group sound. At the time, each member was feeling constrained by the presence of the others, and their inclination was to release a trio of solo albums; cooler heads prevailed, however, and they reasoned that none of their solo works would sell remotely as well as an ELP album. The result was Works, a double album released in March of 1977. The album consisted of three solo sides and a fourth side on which the group did two extended collaborative efforts, Pirates and Fanfare for the Common Man.
The record fared poorly, and the group was never the same: Works destroyed ELPs unity, and their main motivation for recording seemed only to be their contractual obligations. Worse still, theyd squandered valuable time with work on the double album, time during which the publics taste was changing — the progressive bands were coming in for special criticism, and the notion of extended suites, conceptual rock albums, and classical-rock fusion now seemed hopelessly ponderous and pretentious as the rise of punk rock and disco seemed to undermine any notion of intellectualism in rock. Works, Vol. 2, released in November of 1977, was nothing more than a collection of obscure B-sides and odd tracks dating back four years, while their next album of new material, Love Beach, was later described by the bandmembers themselves as nothing more than a matter of going through the motions.
ELP split up in 1979: Lake embarked on a moderately successful solo career, Emerson took to composing film scores and recorded the occasional solo project, and after a stint with the band P.M., Palmer joined the pop supergroup Asia. In the mid-80s, Emerson and Lake got together with drummer Cozy Powell as the short-lived Emerson, Lake & Powell, complete with a self-titled 1985 album. In 1991, Emerson, Lake & Palmer reunited for an album called Black Moon, followed by a fairly successful tour. In 1993, they released Live at Royal Albert Hall. Their attempt at another new album, In the Hot Seat, was doomed to failure by Emersons development of a repetitive stress disorder in one hand, which required surgery and restricted the groups ability to record or perform.