Recorded on Guy Fawkes day
November 5th 1981, this concert was certainly
full of fireworks. Recorded during the
world tour at the Hammersmith Odeon, England,
for his first solo album (simply titled
“Greg Lake”). The show presented Lake
on a London stage for the first time since
the demise of his previous band “Emerson,
Lake and Palmer”.
With its Massive American radio audience,
the King Biscuit Flower Hour gave Lake’s
fans in the states a chance to hear him
with this powerful guitar driven band,
before they started their American leg
of the tour. Now, gladly, it’s out on
C.D, a concert to be cherished.
It was imperative for Lake to have a solo
band as good as the one he was able to
assemble for the tour this album comes
from. After all he was rising from the
ashes of E.L.P., one of the most successful
bands in the history of music. At the
time of their break-up, E.L.P. had gone
out with a whimper. With this band behind
him, Greg Lake re-emerged with a blinding
bang.
Lake was able to assemble a crackerjack
line-up that included guitar virtuoso
Gary Moore (fresh out of one of his many
stints with hard rock legends Thin Lizzy
and at the onset of his own solo career),
Sensational Alex Harvey Band and Rory
Gallagher drummer Ted McKenna. Very talented
and very mercenary keyboardist Tommy Eyre
(he jumped bands so often that he had
played the Reading festival eight different
times with eight different bands), and
the marvelously monickered Tristram Margetts
on bass. All five had worked on Lake’s
solo album along with members of Toto,
ex King Crimson drummer Mike Giles, and
Bruce Springsteen sidekick Clarence Clemmons
on sax.
First as a founding member, lead vocalist,
writer and bassist for King Crimson, and
then, as a superstar for a decade in E.L.P.,
Greg Lake was among the pioneers of the
Progressive Rock Movement. From the bombastic
crunch of “21st Century Man” to the acoustic
simplicity of “Lucky Man” at the time
he launched his solo career, the voice
of Greg Lake had been a staple on both
top 40 and album-orientated radio.
Though the tour was used primarily as
a way of promoting his solo album, Lake
was not afraid to utilize the best elements
from his past or his fellow band members.
He was able to re-invent a few of the
E.L.P. and King Crimson classics. He even
did a re-make of the old Miracles hit
“You Really Got A Hold On Me”.
From their opening medley of “Fanfare”
and “Karn Evil 9” through to the ethereal
impact of “In The Court Of The Crimson
King”, this Biscuit performance exhibits
the scope and depth of Greg Lake’s contribution
to contemporary music.
As in any real live album (no chance of
overdubs here) there are a couple of minor
flaws – the odd burst of feedback, a couple
of notes that go off the mark, but then
again that’s what Rock ‘n’ Roll is all
about.
Of the four tracks from the solo album,
stand out track is “Love You Too Much”.
It was co-written with none other them
Bob Dylan and an all-out belter it is,
too. A fine concert on a fine night by
a fine band.
Pawed by Mott The Dog
Remastered by Ella Crew
E-mail: review@mott-the-dog.com
