Emerson, Lake & Palmer Album: “Live at Montreux, 1997”

I soooo wanted to like this DVD concert, and soooo looked forward to it. I'm an original ELP nut, going back to having seen their shows after the Brain Salad Surgery release and on the Works tour (lucky enought to have seen them with the full orchestra). In the mid-70's and early 80's nobody was a bigger ELP fan than I.

That said, I can't excuse the terrible production values of this DVD. I'm so sick of concert DVD's released with sound quality that no one would ever accept from a current movie release. The sound here simply sucks - and this thru a system with more than $40,000 of equipment. Keith's keyboards come in at various volumes, Carl's drums are not distinct in the least, and Greg's bass and singing are a muddy mess. This might be one of those instances that those with lesser home theater system might not notice - but state of the art this is not (not even average compared to today's best). It all sounds like something recorded by a bootlegger in the audience.

Performance-wise, the boys are clearly past their prime here, and it's a shame to see a once unbelievable performance band reduced to kinda-getting-by. Keith's keyboards are not as sharp as the once were, and he occassionally seems to be off, time-wise, with his mates. Carl was once the most promising of the rock drummers, with technical skill and energy that were far above his peers. His playing here has none of the fire and technical acumen it once had. Greg seems solid by comparison; both in playing and singing, but the aforementioned poor sound quality makes it hard to tell.

Unless you gotta have something to remind you of what this band once was, I'd save your money. This is nothing like the greatness of their prime performances.

****Pay no attention to the review w/ONE star.. Whoever wrote that needs a new telescope!*** I own all the DVD's by this group. The production on this is AWESOME. It would have been nice to have an overhead cam on Keith Emerson..(only a minor quibble) but... there is PLENTY of great technical shots, so do not worry!! This is killer picture and sound! Great "patience" by the director too, as I cannot stand directors who jump too quickly with camera angles. Great job! Most of the new Montreaux releases are getting the same great reviews..See the Gary Moore Montreaux reviews for example, as they too rave of the quality. I paid only $9.00 for this at Tower. Just a fantastic show...Keith even hits a really bad note on the solo for "From the beginning" which makes him seem almost human?(Yeah right)..Actually no, ...he is not human... he is incredible! The "one star reviewer" claims his "timing is off throughout the entire show???? Yeah ok, that's believable...NOT. (Mr one star needs a gyroscope to go with the new telescope)I don't think Keith has slowed one bit. It isn't 1972 anymore and most artist get better with age and Keith and Carl are no exceptions. Keith is better on the Piano segments then back then.(Lake has slowed, and his voice has dropped, but most fans know that)..Buy this one! It blows away that Royal Albert Hall DVD (AND THE OTHER ONES TOO)

It's a great DVD with great sound. There are a few reasons why some idiots gave it 1 star: The lighting is plain (because it's the Montreux Festival and the stage and lights are not just for ELP), they're older (that seems to matter to some people), and I think some say the audio is bad because the synth tone on Tiger In The Spotlight is bad (just for that song, synths make many different tones if you don't know) and they use that song for the menu, so it's the first thing you see and hear, so the idiots say "the whole show is bad" when the audio is great. Emerson's playing on the first few songs isnt quite as tight as it could be on certain parts, but he really gets into the groove after the first few songs and plays great for the rest of the show. Lake's bass playing and voice sound great. Palmer's drumming is great, as always. All around, the show is great and the performances of Tarkus, Pictures, Fanfare, Rondo, are nothing short of amazing. I've seen ELP in in the 70's and still listen to recordings from that time, the energy is different on this DVD, but not less (as some say) and this performance has great energy. It's sad that some people may not buy this great DVD because of some bad reviews at the top of the page

"Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends..."

It is a rare treat to see 3 of the best musicians of the 20th century still displaying talent and showmanship. Yes, they are past their prime, and it shows, but for true fans, it is always a pleasure to watch 'any' performance from such influential artists. It's not like ELP will win a new generation of fans with this DVD, but as a collector, I would hate not having this item in my 'vault'.

Rock and/or jazz fans just can't ignore ELP's legacy, and the DVD's song list does a good job representing their style.

Production values could be better, so I can't give it 5 stars.

This DVD is excellent.It's better than Royal Albert Hall in 92',and close to 'From the Vaults'. Greg Lake is in fine voice(better than 92'),and Keith Emerson is incredible.There is some good close up shots of Keith playing hie numerous keyboards.And Carl Palmer is ..well Carl Palmer. One of the best rock drummers ever.I'm still waiting for the classic concert's of the 70's to come out on DVD.This one has great sound and is a must have for any fan of this band.