A massive hero of mine in the 70s and a brilliant musician. How many more this year?
This track features Emersons famous Moog solo at the end. The original was recored in one take on the first album and announced the arrival of the Moog synthesizer in grand style in 1970.
I saw ELPās first gig at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival (the Hendrix one) and also before as The Nice, once at The Beehive in Bournemouth and once at The Guildhall. Emerson was always an extravagant performerā¦great fun to watch. 
This has all the showmanship elements including the knives holding down the keysā¦taken out and thrown into the Leslie cabinet.
Sad to see this morning he appears to have decided on his own curtain call.
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Yes, apparently he lost he use of two fingers and the nerves in the others were going the same way. Seems like he was suffering from depression. Very sad.
This band got together for fun. Awesome musicians all and here Emerson struts his stuffā¦
Keith Emerson rocked up the classics with The Nice but this took things to a new level with the addition of the Moog, which looked like a huge telephone switchboard. āProgressiveā rock took music to different places, sometimes up the bands backside, but when they got it right it was magical. This was a live staple for ELP for many years and the climax with Emerson throwing the Hammond organ around the stage was always a crowd pleaser.
Another one of my favourites from 1972. Now where did I put my crushed velvet jacket and loon pants?
Iām not joking this is freaking me out - forst George Martin now Keith Emerson !
Not watching Big Train again
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We used to play this track in our school common room at full volume. The finale when the group and orchestra kick in again after Emerson has been throwing his Hammond organ around the stage still gives me goosebumps. This was recorded live at the fairfield Halls Croydon, which was only a few miles from where I lived but sadly I was too young to go to gigs at that time.
I have just heard an old interview with The Nice and the drummer mentioned that on one occasion the knife bounced off the Leslie cabinet and hit him on the head! No health & safety in those days! There is also a story about Emerson setting light to the American flag at the end of America in protest of the Vietnam War and The Nice were banned from the Albert Hall as a result.
The time I saw the Nice at The Beehive in Bournemouth they arrived about 90 minutes late. They hadnāt let us in until they arrived and we stood grumpily outside waiting for them to arrive thinking they had got too big for their boots. The conversation went something like this, āI paid 17/6d to be kept waiting all this timeā¦whereās it going to endā¦soon weāll be paying a quid to see a bandā 
This was spring 1969.
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