Someone Get Me A Ladder

EPL - Keith Emerson, Carl Palmer & Greg Lake

(Out of their ordinary ELP lineup)

It's a rare privilege to see pure genius at work. The first concert I ever attended was Emerson, Lake and Palmer in Philadelphia, 1974. It shook me to the core.  Nothing can reduplicate or compare to  that experience,  but this is a close second.

      

"Knire Edge" (at about 44:45) is based on the first movement of  Leoš Janáček's Sinfonietta (1926) with an instrumental middle section that includes and extended quotation from the Allemande of Johann Sebastian Bach's first French Suite in D minor but played on an organ rather than clavichord or piano.


Knife Edge

Just a step, cried the sad man,
Take a look down at the madman
Bearded kings on silver wings
Fly beyond reason
From the flight of the seagull,
Come the spread claws of the eagle
Only fear breaks the silence,
As we all kneel, pray for guidance
Tread the room, cross the abyss,
Take a look down at the madness
On the streets of the city,
Only spectres still have pity
Patient queues for the gallows,
Sing the praises of the hallows
Our machines feed the furnace,
If they take us, they will burn us
Will you still know who you are
When you come to who you are?
When the flames have their season
Will you hold to your reason?
Will you die with your chance?
Can you still keep your balance?
Can you wake from the nightmare?


Compare the following 2 versions of Knife Edge and see if you come to the conclusion I do.

and 

This 2nd version is FANTASTIC, but it seems odd to me that Keith is dressed to the hilt in blue glitter-wear, while Greg and Carl are wearing their same old- same old everyday wear.  I'm wondering if this video was 're-masterd" or edited with 1974 footage of Keith introduced (cut/spliced & inserted/pasted) into the 1970 Live in Switzerland version.  If so it was a masterful edit.  In the Swedish performance Greg and Carl are wearing the same clothes and Keith is wearing everyday ordinary clothes too.  When I saw them in Philadelphia in 1974 they were all dressed in stage or costume clothing.