KEITH EMERSON

Variations SPIRIT OF UNICORN MUSIC

DAVID WEST

Soundtracks, solo albums, symphonies: it’s all here. This massive, 20-disc box set opens with a recording of a 14-year-old Keith Emerson playing ragtime piano, so it’s clear this is going to be a deep dive into the late keyboard maestro’s music. The focus is squarely on his solo career, with just one track from The Nice and eight from ELP, although music from the ELP years appears repeatedly in live recordings throughout the collection. “A remarkable legacy, celebrated warts and all.” Much of Emerson’s solo output from the 1980s was written for film soundtracks, some of which sound rather dated now with their synth strings and electronic drums. The main offenders on that front are the soundtracks for Nighthawks and Murderock, which trespass into the realm of 80s muzak. The…

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Prog (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 143

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