Emerson, Lake & Palmer in Concert

Emerson, Lake and Palmer in Concert (also known as simply In Concert) is a live album by Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP), recorded at their 26 August 1977 show at the Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada which is featured on the album cover. It was released by Atlantic Records in November 1979, following ELP's breakup. It was later re-released and repackaged as Works Live in 1993. Some of the tracks were not from the Montreal concert, but from other concerts during their 1977–1978 tour, such as "Peter Gunn" and "Tiger in a Spotlight".

Emerson, Lake and Palmer in Concert
Live album by
Released16 November 1979[1]
Recorded26 August 1977
Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
GenreProgressive rock, symphonic rock
Length43:12 (In Concert)
87:39 (Works Live)
LabelAtlantic
ProducerKeith Emerson
Emerson, Lake & Palmer chronology
Love Beach
(1978)
Emerson, Lake and Palmer in Concert
(1979)
Black Moon
(1992)
Emerson, Lake & Palmer live chronology
Welcome Back My Friends to the Show That Never Ends - Ladies and Gentlemen
(1974)
Emerson, Lake & Palmer in Concert
(1979)
Live at the Royal Albert Hall
(1993)
Singles from In Concert
  1. "Peter Gunn"
    Released: December 1979[2]

"Peter Gunn" was nominated for Best Rock Instrumental Performance at the 23rd Annual Grammy Awards.

Content

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Interior view of the Olympic Stadium Montreal from a similar perspective as on the album cover image.

Similar to most live albums, In Concert showcased fan favourites of previously released material. However, "Peter Gunn", ELP's take on the classic TV theme song, was never released on any of their other albums (a slightly edited version of this live recording was included on the 1980 The Best of Emerson, Lake & Palmer compilation and released as a single in some countries). ELP frequently opened with this song on the Works Volume 2 tour.

The band hired a 70-piece orchestra for some concerts of this tour but eventually had to dismiss the orchestra due to budget constraints that almost bankrupted the group. On the original release, the orchestra performs on "C'est la Vie", "Knife-Edge", Keith Emerson's piano concerto, and "Pictures at an Exhibition". Works Live adds four other songs performed with the orchestra: "Fanfare for the Common Man", "Abaddon's Bolero", "Closer to Believing", and "Tank".

Release

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The original release of this album carried no producer credit; however, production and mixing of the album was largely carried out by Keith Emerson.

While Emerson intended to release In Concert as a double LP, the band's imminent dissolution meant ELP's label, Atlantic Records, limited it to a single album. The 1993 re-release of the album, as the double CD Works Live, restored Emerson's original intent to some extent.[3]

Track listing

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In Concert

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Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Introductory Fanfare" (Keith Emerson, Carl Palmer)0:53
2."Peter Gunn" (Henry Mancini, arr. by Emerson, Greg Lake, Palmer)3:37
3."Tiger in a Spotlight" (Emerson, Lake, Palmer, Peter Sinfield)4:06
4."C'est la Vie" (Lake, Sinfield)4:12
5."The Enemy God Dances with the Black Spirits" (Sergei Prokofiev, arr. by Emerson, Lake, Palmer)2:49
6."Knife-Edge" (Emerson, Richard Fraser, Leoš Janáček, Lake)5:14
Side two
No.TitleLength
7."Piano Concerto No. 1, Third Movement: Toccata con fuoco" (Emerson)6:35
8."Pictures at an Exhibition" (Emerson, Lake, Modest Mussorgsky, Palmer)15:43
 
The re-released and expanded CD "Works Live"

Works Live

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Disc one
No.TitleLength
1."Introductory Fanfare"0:52
2."Peter Gunn"3:34
3."Tiger in a Spotlight"4:08
4."C'est la Vie"4:14
5."Watching Over You" (Lake, Sinfield)3:59
6."Maple Leaf Rag" (Scott Joplin)1:14
7."The Enemy God Dances with the Black Spirits"2:46
8."Fanfare for the Common Man" (Aaron Copland)10:54
9."Knife-Edge"5:03
10."Show Me the Way to Go Home" (Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly)4:20
Disc Two
No.TitleLength
1."Abaddon's Bolero" (Emerson)6:02
2."Pictures at an Exhibition"15:40
3."Closer to Believing" (Lake, Sinfield)5:28
4."Piano Concerto No. 1, Third Movement: Toccata con Fuoco"6:40
5."Tank" (Emerson, Palmer)12:36

Personnel

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Band members

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Others

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  • Godfrey Salmon – conductor
  • Michael Léveillée – sound engineer
  • Neil Preston – inner sleeve photo
  • François Rivard – cover photography
  • Bob Defrin – art director

Release details

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  • 1979, UK, Atlantic/WEA K50652, Release date 17 November 1979, LP
  • 1979, Japan, Atlantic/Warner-Pioneer P-10697A, Release date 21 November 1979, LP
  • 1996, UK, Essential/Castle ESDCD362, Release date ? ? 1996, CD (double release called "Works Live")
  • 1999, Japan, Manticore/Victor KVICP-60644, Release date ? ? 1999, CD

Singles

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  • Peter Gunn / Knife-Edge
  • Peter Gunn / Tiger in a Spotlight (USA release)

Charts

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Chart (1979) Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[4] 80
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[5] 3
US Billboard 200[6] 73

Notes

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  1. ^ "In Concert".
  2. ^ "ELP singles".
  3. ^ Macan, Edward (2006). Endless Enigma: A Musical Biography of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Open Court, ISBN 0-8126-9596-8, p. 434.
  4. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6863b". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  5. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Emerson, Lake & Palmer – In Concert" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  6. ^ "Emerson Lake Palmer Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2023.