Greg Lake dies

Greg Lake, who fronted both King Crimson and Emerson, Lake and Palmer, has died aged 69.

One of the founding fathers of progressive rock, the British musician is known for songs including In the Court of the Crimson King and his solo hit I Believe in Father Christmas.

He died on Wednesday after "a long and stubborn battle with cancer", said his manager.

The news comes nine months after Lake's band-mate Keith Emerson died.
www.bbc.co.uk...

Another shock loss of an iconic celebrity...back in the days when celebrity meant you had to be good at something.

Another one joins the 2016 Hall of Fame.

Please god, make it stop now.

RIP

a reply to: CJCrawley

Oh...No...another of my favourite prog rockers gone...

RIP Greg

I absolutely love the lyrics of I believe in Father Christmas.

Fanfare for the common man was always used at athletic track meetings in the 1980's, well at least the first 16 bars of it.

Lucky Man by ELP was and is one of my favorite songs



RIP my friend

a reply to: CJCrawley



I think early Floyd (post-Barret) were influenced by King Crimson which would make Lake and his boys hugely influential. Gilmour and Waters seemed to emulate the sound before they found their own identity.

God speed to him and, if there's a heaven, he'll surely have a star up there for bringing the music that moved a few million people. Yeah, fair enough, plus long-haired stoners who wanted to talk about Tolkien and minor chord sequences at parties.

Having nothing better to do on long winter nights music became what I turned to. Thanks to a buddy (life long still), we would exchange music and mixed tapes. I dug King Crimson and he liked ELP. So I have heard most of it since me and my buddy are kind of completists when it comes to music.

Thanks Mr. Lake from a wanna be teenage guitarist during the long dark Alaskan winters of yore! I have jammed with you many times and will have to do so another time to bid farewell.

R.I.P.

My older brother (by 10 years) introduced me to ELP in the late 70's and changed the way I listened to music...I still have my copy of Brain Salad Surgery.

I think I will go put it on the old turn table and crank up my Pioneer speakers. Life is waaay too speedy.

Brilliant musician. Go with the angels.

a reply to: Cobaltic1978

I believe in Father Christmas is required festive music. It never quite feels like Christmas till I hear that song.

Inspired use of Prokofiev's Troika from the Lieutenant Kijé Suite as the instrumental riff between verses, which, interestingly, was Keith Emerson's suggestion.

a reply to: CJCrawley

Such a terrific musician with powerful, sincere vocals. I was lucky to see ELP at least 3 times in their heyday. He was schoolmates with Robert Fripp.

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

Thanks to a buddy (life long still), we would exchange music and mixed tapes. I dug King Crimson and he liked ELP. So I have heard most of it since me and my buddy are kind of completists when it comes to music.

Memories, right? Mid-90s a few of us got a taxi back from a rock night and the driver played a King Crimson tape I had. That's how we rolled back then...going out with a tape in the pocket lol. SMH.

When we got out the driver said, "Do me a favour mate? Don't ever ask to play that sh** again."

Taxi drivers, eh?

I'm embarrassed just thinking of the old biker jacket, long hair and mix-tape in the pocket. Rizlas and mix-tapes. Good times.

a reply to: Kandinsky

Ah! Don't forget a pencil incase you have reel the tape back in! LOL

Prog is a strange beast. Most people do not really listen to music. Take space jazz like Zappa. You get two reactions. "I love this!" or "Turn that sh# off!". The later is how I feel about a particular band from San Fran that most hippies love. But prog takes a while to seep in. Which is great because if you get it then you can talk to (usually other) musicians and aficionados a like.

Getting out of 4/4 and barre chords is a tough road to hoe. Thanks to King Crimson it was not that difficult!

I heard "From the Beginning" on the radio this morning. And then Bo and Jim came on afterward and broke the news. They played an interview they did with Greg Lake earlier this year just after Keith Emerson died, talked about King Crimson and getting a Tarkus tee shirt on that ELP tour, then played "I Believe in Father Christmas."

Greg's bass tone on "The Barbarian" is like evil, tasty, stomach filling barbeque. Pure meaty goodness. Wicked. No bass tone today slays like his did.

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

Prog is a strange beast. Most people do not really listen to music. Take space jazz like Zappa. You get two reactions. "I love this!" or "Turn that sh# off!".

A mate has been inflicting Zappa on everyone for 20 years and doesn't care. I've probably heard a 1000 hours of Zappa and switch off like someone living under a busy flight-path.

There's a Yes thread around here somewhere and I still have a couple of the LPs. I guess prog is very personal with different thresholds for what the ears can stand.

My Zappa mate also plays Saucerful when everyone else in the world knows damn well it's a footnote in the discography. Ravi Shankar is another on his playlist lol.

The horror...

ELP, an early rock influence of mine. RIP

a reply to: Kandinsky

For me it is kind of a gateway drug! King Crimson to Yes to electronica then swam back out thanks to the Talking Heads (Fripp) and The Police. Only then did I pick up the punk flag that I basically still fly today. Oh, I admit, metal of 80's is a big part and I still listen to grunge, the 70's is a comfortable blanket. But I always come back to punk. Nobody led me to it. I found it on my own. It speaks to me!

Blues, love it! Classical? Bring it on. Prog rock? Been there done that and still do enjoy it. But my punk flag is firmly planted (he types while listening to New Model Army).

But today, a break. And thanks ugmold for Epitaph!

Thanks Mr. Lake for the start of a journey that continues!

ETA: LOL, made it ten page refreshes in while searching for the Yes thread!

a reply to: Kandinsky

I guess prog is very personal with different thresholds for what the ears can stand.

In 1967 i bought what is regarded the first prog rock album " Days of Future Passed " The Moody Blues.

Took me on a journey that i still travel to this day.

ELP where part of that journey.

R.I.P.

NOOOOOO! This made me so sad!

This was always a favorite of mine...awesome voice!



RIP Greg!

A musician's musician. I was a big fan of ELP back in the day when I was a young hippy. So sad.

Seeing it's close to that time of the year...this is for everyone.

www.youtube.com...

Regards all

a reply to: Kandinsky

You just reminded me that Moonchild from In The Court Of The Crimson king was sung by Greg as well...
Beautiful song, great lyrics by Pete Sinfield

a reply to: Kandinsky


When I play Thela Hun Ginjeet from KC's Discipline album my wife threaten's to split the asset's and walk out....hahaha
The taxi driver would probably pulled a gun on you if you played that.
Back on topic C'est La Vie would rank up there highly