The Diamond. Sutton-in-Ashfield – 21st January
2007
It was at Wembley (London), April 1974, that I last heard Karn Evil 9 played
live in its entirety. Thirty three years later, at a small club in northern
England, a similar experience was no less thrilling. BrainSalad has never taken
the easy options in its ELP tribute shows; from the very first gig they were
playing such stuff as Tarkus and PaaE but, last night, they took it up another
notch. The set list speaks for itself:
Fanfare for the Common Man
Hoedown
Jerusalem
Tarkus (all of it)
Jeremy Bender/The Sheriff
The Endless Enigma (all of it)
Lucky Man
Karn Evil 9 (all of it!)
Pictures at an Exhibition (all of it)
I mean, what can you say? I've heard parts of all of these numbers at previous
BS shows, but last night was the culmination of several years of hard work by the
band. All the 'big' numbers were played in their entirety, and the general
standard of performance improved (particularly from Graham on keyboards, who turned
in a very intense and impressive performance). Adj (drums) and Ian
(guitars/vocals) were as reliable as ever and rock solid throughout.
Highlights of the show, for me, were Endless Enigma (particularly the Fugue and
the segue into part 2) and KE9 Second Impression (which was quite exquisite;
almost unbelievably good!). Hats off to you, guys!
The show was helped by a good loud
mix from another of our friends (Dave Gooding was at the 'desk'; well done
Dave). It certainly helps to have a genuine ELP fan at the controls.
The only downside was the poor turnout. This is a generally well attended
venue, but the atrocious weather (high winds, heavy rain and, for some of us, drifting
snow) undoubtedly deterred some. Those that did make the effort were rewarded
by BrainSalad's best performance yet.
Well done guys; keep this great music alive.
Steve Jones
Limelight Club, Crewe – 19th October
2005
From Jon Plant on
the Prog Archives website : www.progarchives.com
Well, it may only have been a Drive
UK white van parked out the back of the Limelight as opposed to three, forty
foot trucks, but this band delivered a superb show.
The set comprised a full range of
material from all the early albums with paricular highlights for me being
Pictures and KE9 pt 1 and 3.
Musicianship was superb, and despite
Jim Garten's reservations, the keyboards sounded very authentic, even if they
were not Hammonds and Moogs. The use of the bass through a wah pedal
on Pictures added to the perfect sound.
We even had some onstage antics from
Graham the keyboard player with a ribbon controller and a beat up organ.
It was a real shame that the
sequencer (I presume it was that) wouldnt kick in for the finale of KE9 pt3.
That must have been a real blow for Graham as it spoilt what would have been a
triumphant exit prior to the encore. Still, we did get the vocoded "bridge
computer" speaking. Who was that, and can I do it next time !
Great show lads, and all for a quid!
Hotel California,Birkenhead – 17th July
2005
Guest book entry from
Steve Crosthwaite:
ELP is my favourite band.
Went to Hotel Califoria with an open mind. Mind now blown. -As close to the
original as you can get. Still buzzin' Thanks Steve
Guest book entry from
Steve Jones:
Hi guys! Saw your show at
Liverpool on Sunday night (17 July); absolutely fantastic, especially the 1st
Impression. Thanks for keeping this stuff alive, and keep it up!
Limelight Club, Crewe – 30th March 2005
Along
with around 80 other ELP aficionados I was lucky enough to witness the latest
'Brain Salad' gig on Wednesday night (Limelight Club Crewe England). It had
been a year since I last saw them play and their confidence and set list had
expanded substantially.
The
set began with 'Peter Gun' followed by 'Tiger..IAS'. It was then down to the
'serious stuff'- their version of 'Pirates' was fantastic and nearly
note-perfect. I've tried playing the keyboard parts at speed and it ain't easy
- Graham (Sherwood) did an amazing job. There was then a 'Bender/Sheriff'
medley which included the extended (74 WBMFTTSTNE) ending.
This
was followed by the full version of Tarkus with ribbon controller 'Mass',
'Epitaph'(Ian did a great job) and extended Aquatarkus (ala 75 live). They then
moved to a lighter section including 'Watching Over you'(spot on) and then
'Honky Tonk Train Blues'. 'Pictures' followed and received a tremendous ovation
- I loved the 'Old Castle and blues Variation'.
Finally
we had the whole of Part I of 'Karn Evil 9'- a really energetic attack (great
drum solo by Jonathan), followed by Part 3. Frankly (for me) this knocked the shit out of the recent
performances of 'The Keith Emerson Band' I've witnessed - I wonder if KE could
even play these parts nowadays.
The
encore was Fanfare - again fantastic.
Excellent
playing from all 3 members, great synth patches, superb drum sound but above
all they really rocked. Whenever Ian wasn't singing he was 'freaking out'(loved
that). In summation a totally confident and accomplished performance. The band
told me after the gig that they're looking for other venues to play (initially
around Britain) so, if you're in the UK and know of a local venue let them know
- you would be in for a real treat.
Dave
Gooding
Limelight Club, Crewe – 24th November
2004
Hi to you all, Well, it was worth the trip from Scotland. We didn't hang around afterwards to say hello because I had to drop someone off in Lytham and then head home north of the border. That was a very adventurous set - never would I have guessed that any ELP tribute band would take on so much in one go.And, despite the dying synth, multiple claps on the back for KE9/3 which I've never heard anyone other than ELP play.I was on the phone today telling a mate who couldn't get a pass from his keeper what was in the set. He was mortified and made the comment that no ELP concert he's been to had such a comprehensive raft of the 'big' set pieces. For me, having listened to your versions, I reckon you've worn out a couple of copies of the triple live set and a couple of the GX1 albums putting that lot together. Do you do requests? What about FTA off Black Moon as a 'get your breath back' song somewhere between the manic stuff (not a great challenge - If I can guess most of it must be easy.) We were on the right side of the venue (when looking toward the stage) on the mantlepiece about half way between the stage and the mixer. From there, the Leslie effect got a bit lost and the piano/harpsi sounds were drowned in reverb. Everything else came through alright. I was particularly impressed with the way the BX attempted the Hammond stuff – although I was more than a bit spooked when it MIDIed its way into pretending to be a GX1 - to a dedicated Hammondist, an organ being played and a GX1 floating out of the PA is mega-weird. Whenever people talk about ELP, they concentrate on E and forget LP (which is stupid as it's a composite sound) The effort made to replicate Lake's guitar parts and Palmer's drumming worked for me. Like most sad obsessive blokes, I believe that 'the devil's in the detail' and the bass guitar filter wha wha (that most ELP fans think is the Moog) was a perfect counterpoint to the rolling organ keying. The drumming was excellent capturing the essence of the pieces that you played and remembering the detail (the tubes and the drums in tune with each other was unexpected and brilliant) So, it was well worth the trip - I made myself a member of Limelights so I hope you play there some more... Up here where I live we have little or no entertainment - I tried a couple of our live music venues hoping they'd rise to the challenge of an ELP night but they seem to prefer bagpipes, country and (yee haw) western. While I was there last night I was chatting to Tom (Noddy's Puncture) Szakly. It's nice to see him there supporting you (I saw them at that pub up by the lake a few months ago). I'm always very wary of criticising anything if I can't do better myself but, in conversation I did hear - and voice - a couple of negative comments. But today, after sleeping on it, I realise that at least half of those comments also applied to Keith Emerson & the Nice at Preston Guildhall, and the other comments could equally have been made of ELP at one time or another. So, I'll keep them to myself and congratulate you again on an excellent evening's free entertainment well worth the LPG that my greedy car insisted on eating in return for the journey.Cheers for nowKeith
Just a few lines to say thanks for a wonderful gig at the Limelight on Wednesday. I have seen all three BS performances and can say that this one was by far the best with improvements to the confidence, playing, sound and vocals taking the band to another level.The playlist is excellent being based largely around the ‘Welcome Back …’ era with Pictures, Barbarian, Honky Tonk TB, Endless Enigma and Pirates thrown in. Pirates was a triumph and the change of Take a Pebble from the ‘Poland’ version to the ‘Welcome Back’ was a surprise. A delight also, as it included Ian’s solos with ‘Still YTMO’ and ‘Lucky Man’ for the first time.I was pleased that there was a sizeable and appreciative audience for this brilliant performance. Pleased also that the vocals have improved so much. Lake had a unique voice but Ian more than did justice to Battlefield, Sage, Still…, as well as blasting it out in KE9, Jerusalem, Kiev etc.For me this is the point of Brain Salad. If ELP were to get back together again, they would not sound like they did in 1973. Brain Salad do! This is why I have no reservations in recommending Brain Salad to any ELP follower. More please. Congratulations to all three of you,Ken Craig.
I was fortunate
enough to attend Brain Salad's gig at the Limelight Club (Crewe, northern
England) in the company of Tom Szakaly and friend (watch this space; Noddy is
not yet down & out). It was good to renew some old acquaintances among a
healthy midweek crowd.
This was the
second time I'd seen BS on stage and, I think, their third ever gig. I'd been
impressed by the depth and breadth of their repertoire on the previous occasion
and even more so this time.
Get this: we had
complete renditions of Tarkus, PaaE, Pirates(!), Endless Enigma (including most
ofthe Fugue), KE9_1 part 2 and KE9_3 (including the'battle scene'). Throw in an
extended 'Take a Pebble' (with a lovely 'Still ... ytmo', 'Lucky Man' and a
very enthusiastic jazz trio bridge) a charming medley ('Jeremy Bender/The
Sheriff') plus one or two others, and you can see that this was a bold attempt to
reproduce a golden era ELP show.
My
personal gold star goes to Ian (guitar, bass, vocal) for an all round top
performance on all manner of stringed instruments (the gut-stringed solo in
'The Sage' was fabulous) and a big improvement in the vocal department.
As
on the previous occasion, there were some sublime moments, in all of the
extended pieces, where the band hit the groove perfectly. There were also
moments where the band struggled to maintain control but, as we all know, this
material is no cake walk.
I
was happy that the 'keyboard abuse' section was toned down considerably from
last time. Graham (keys) doesn't have the aggressive on-stage persona required
to carry this off; the show is much the better without it.
Very
pleasing (for the band, I'm sure) was the good turnout (this was a wet
Wednesday evening) and the enthusiastic, encouraging reception afforded to the
musicians.
So,
in conclusion, another admirable effort from Brain Salad, and well worth the
long journey to see it. Well done guys ... keep it up, and keep it coming.
Steve
Jones 24/12/2004
A second outing for the excellent Brain
Salad and a chance to build on the potential shown at their debut in September.
Their hard work has not been in vain
and this was a most amazing show, but not without some difficulties along the
way.
After a shaky start last time a good
opening was needed, and this is what we got.
They launched into a rousing Hoedown played
at a furious pace with the organ and synthesiser coming across loud and
clear. Straight into Jerusalem where Ian’s singing was a
revelation. Deeper, stronger and more confident, this was great stuff.
The classic concert opening from
‘Welcome Back …’ had been recreated. In fact most of BS’s material is
based on meticulously
researched live tracks. They
really do their homework.
I don’t normally like Tarkus, but this was
the BEST version I have heard since 1974. The tightness of the playing
demonstrated the
bonding of three very talented musicians.
This again being the ‘Welcome Back ..’ version, the piece climaxed in the
magnificent
Battlefield – Epitaph – Aquatarkus
ending. Ian’s guitar solo was outstanding, what a pity that ELP’s music
does not allow more
opportunities for him to showcase his
abilities on lead. The Bass playing was faultless (as it was all night)
combining with Aj’s drumming
to form a most powerful engine room.
From here on the mood lightened and we were
treated (in no particular order) to Endless Enigma, (no choice but to play the
album version
here) great singing again from Ian,
and the difficult Fugue could have been straight from CD.
Honky Tonk Train Blues, (the Albert Hall version) played with a great sense of fun.
21st Century/America – complete with organ humping, although it was a pity that being in Crewe the train noises barely raised a chuff.
Take a Pebble – From the first album but here based on the jazzy ‘Poland’ live version. Faultlessly played all round.
Jeremy Bender / The Sheriff – again lifted straight from ‘Welcome Back’
Another nice touch was the lads’ own tribute to Alan ‘Fluff’ Freeman with a short and sweet Pick of the Pops played in the style of ELP – ‘Not Arf!’
As accomplished musicians the Sherwood
brothers are totally comfortable whilst playing, but less so when introducing.
There again Emo himself was painfully
shy. No problem for Jonathan Ajderian who stepped forward from his ever
expanding array of hardware to deliver his piece to microphone with great
warmth and humour. What a guy!
There was time for a truly dark and
menacing Barbarian before Graham released those classic words ‘We’re gonna give
yer Pictures at an Exhibition’
This is pure gold from Newcastle City
Hall and played almost in its’ entirety is BS’s finest achievement. The
Pipe Organ Promenaded and soon we reached Ian’s impressive Sage. However
tonight there was a problem when the acoustic guitar seemed to be lacking
amplification. I thought Ian could have carried on unplugged but he
called for a halt. There was awkward pause while jack plugs were reseated
and knobs twiddled, before rescuing the situation by playing on with the
Telecaster. With the juggernaut back on the road, Graham via some more
humping, played a magnificent Blues Variation tightly backed by the engine
room. Back into Promenade and on to the climatic Gates of Kiev
The show ended with a debut for KE9 3rd Impression to again mirror the classic 1974 concerts. What a great job they made of this. The organ roared and the synthesiser wailed, driven on by furious drumming. Ian’s vocals were just right, sounding more powerful when they are reigned in a bit. Only the ending was a problem, in that having left the stage to leave the computer to wind itself to destruction, we were left with nothing to applaud but an empty set. Something to work on for the future; a visual effect, or at least the band returning to acknowledge the ovation.
With the hard work over, BS were welcomed
back on stage to encore with Fanfare and the Rondo. Classic stuff.
Overall then a hugely enjoyable
evening and a performance that has improved enormously from debut. Most
of the problems were technical
ones, but that’s live music
for you. The percussion and guitar work were faultless all evening.
Ian’s singing sounded better in the more restrained style.
Only when he tries to belt it out too hard does it go off the scale.
Graham is a very talented player and he coped really well with his huge workload, hardly a bum note all night.
The band may score lowly on showmanship, but that can be worked on in the future. For now it is the playing that counts. The way they recreate the sound and energy of ELP’s live recordings is remarkable.
What next for Brain Salad? Three nights at the Albert Hall? Maybe not, but wherever they resurface ELP fans should seek them out and be transported back in time by thirty years.
Ken Craig 12/02/2004
14/02/2004 From Dave Gooding
I had the good fortune to catch 'Brain
Salad' (ELP tribute) at 'The Limelight' in Crewe last Thursday.
Considering the complexity of the ELP
repertoire this band did a superb job. The set consisted of full versions of
Pictures and
Tarkus, Lucky Man, Knife Edge,
Barbarian, Take a Pebble, Honky Tonk TB, Fanfare, Sheriff, Endless Enigma,
Hoedown
and 20th Century SM (I think that was
all - did I miss any Tom?).
A few rough edges and edits (e.g.
contrapuntal part of 'The Fugue' was cut out) but most of the set was stunning.
'The Sage' was first rate.
My only (constructive) criticism would be
that the 'Hammond' throwing should be ditched as it was patently obvious that
it was a
lightweight transmitter keyboard in a
plywood box. Hopefully these guys will start playing more frequently and travel
further a field.
It was the first time I had been to
'The Limelight' and it's a great place for a gig (lots of hidden nooks and
crannies) - reminded me of
many 1970s clubs. Nice to see Tom
again (catch you at the Fisherman's in March).
Dave Gooding
As a long time ELP fan, I first saw
them on the best tour they ever did, Wembley Empire Pool 1974, for the 'Brain
Salad Surgery Tour', and was so disappointed they never got back to that high
standard. Anyway, saw an advertisement for a new 'ELP tribute band',
'Brain Salad' to be playing their
first gig at the Limelight Club in Crewe. As I am always happy to support good
tribute bands and
especially live music with anyone
brave enough to try and play it, I thought I would make an effort to travel up
from Stratford-upon-Avon with a few old ELP fans to give them a
viewing.
Here are my comments from the set list as I remember it.
'HOEDOWN' - This was an obvious opener,
although looking a bit nervous the guys pretty well nailed it, good organ sound
from the
Korg B-3 and the drumming and bass
very tight.
'JERUSALEM' - Now I may be a bit biased,
but I love this track anyway, so I was really pleased to see it in the set
list, also it gave
us a first sounding of Ian's vocals,
well Greg is a hard man to compete with on the old angelic vocals, but Ian did do a pretty good
interpretation, though even Greg
would struggle with this track now, I’m sure.
'TARKUS' - I suppose if you are going to compare the competence of a tribute band against the real thing, then this is the track to do it. Based mainly on the 'Welcome Back Live' version, I was very impressed, they all covered this song well, 'Stones Of Years' & 'Mass' especially. also the lead guitar break in 'Battlefield' was excellent, accompanied by the synth bass from Graham.
'BARBARIAN' - Again another early favourite of mine, I especially liked the middle piano section which showed off Graham's classical training prowess, well deserved to be in the set list. I think people who come to see any tribute band, get more out of seeing these older type tracks than the more 'Fanfare' type obvious ones.
'KNIFE EDGE' - A bit of negativity here,
but only on a personal note, as this is one of my least favourite ELP tracks,
but the band
delivered it well and was well
appreciated.
'TAKE A PEBBLE' - Great piano work again,
Graham definitely looks more comfortable doing the acoustic piano type work,
and it
showed, a lot more confidence shown
playing this track. I will say (hopefully taken constructively),Ian did seem to
struggle a little on
the melodic vocals of this song, but
overall he managed to pull it off and with more work on his voice this really
could be a show stopper.
'21st CENTURY SCHIZOID MAN / AMERCIA' - A
bit of a medley here, first part of 'Schizoid' going straight into 'America', I
have not mentioned Jonathon on
drums and percussion, so I will add a few comments generally, he very much
seemed in the background, but
this is a positive. You can
tell he has definitely studied the tracks, rather than just blasting away, he
puts in the fills etc in at the right times
without any over-statement. I thought he did a great job all night in
supporting the main keyboard and guitar work.
Well done Jonathon.
'JEREMY BENDER / THE SHERIFF' - Once again
a little medley taken from the 'Welcome Back' album. It was nice to hear the
band
joking about the naming of the band
and whether should they should have gone with the name 'Jeremy and the
Benders'.
Instead of 'Brain Salad' (I think you
should!!, great name!!). I have to say 'The Sheriff' I thought was excellent, I
don't think anyone would deny this was a classic ELP tribute, A+ for this one.
'HONKY TONK TRAIN BLUES' - Back to reality, again not one of my favourites, I don't see this a an ELP track, so I would suggest, lose it and get in 'Benny the Bouncer' Fast.
'THE ENDLESS ENIGMA' Now this is what tribute bands should be about, playing tracks rarely heard live, even by the original artists. One of the highlights of the night for me, agreed it's in my top 5 of ELP tunes, and it was a superb effort. Loved the little 'tubular bells' section from Jonathon at the back. also gave Ian a chance to belt out some vocals, which came across much better. Top banana!!!.
'PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION' - Well what can I say, this topped the last track, based on the original live album version, we had it all from the lads here, I could not fault the individual musicianship of all three, hey, the timings between all the band could be worked on, but I understand the difficulties and intricate work in this track, and for a first gig effort I was really impressed. it's a classic and was worth waiting for. A special mention though for the acoustic guitar work from Ian on 'The Sage' this was faultless. As a side note, I play a little keyboards so I know and appreciate Graham's contribution, but I would say as a real complement, they would not get a better overall guitar player if they searched the whole country. Admitting the vocals really need work,(but as I review 'Fragile' a Yes tribute band), their singer is no 'Jon Anderson' but it does not stop me travelling the country to see and appreciate a great tribute band.
'FANFARE / RONDO' - Obvious choice to end
with, well this was the encore, we had a bit of 'hammond humping' from Graham
here, I
think I even saw a dagger
appear at one point, all part of the 'Emerson live show' I suppose, although
I’ll comment Graham did not seem that
confident in doing it. still it was nice to see the band rewarded for their efforts,
I admit their was only a small crowd, but I think those of us who attended,
certainly myself and my friends, really enjoyed it.
To finish off I will say, I fully support the efforts of the band, (in fact any tribute band) as long as they are keeping the music we love playing live to a reasonable standard, I give them all my full backing and will continue to support them as and when I can.
Kind regards
Mike Weatherhead 30/09/2003
posted to : http://www.brain-salad.com/
As an inveterate listener to anything ELP related, it was inevitable that, in these days of ELP famine, I would eventually cast a sardonic eye and a critical ear in the direction of the so-called 'Tribute' bands. It is not surprising that 'Three Chord Wonderland' and 'Ballad City' are saturated with the offerings of the tone deaf, the dull-witted and the uninspired lacking imagination. That's taken as read but the idea of anyone wanting to cover ELP, and even more so, the thought of anyone actually pulling it off?
I was surprised (even bl**dy dumbfounded) to find out that there are indeed people out there of stature enough to grab a handful of Hammond, a modicum of Moog, the rattle of wood on skin, and the depth of a Lake. And what a deep little puddle this is. Alan (colleague from work) went all snotty at the thought of anyone having the audacity to attempt his favourite (Hoedown). Mick who pulls pints and has the encyclopaedic knowledge of career barmen and barbers curled a practiced sneer and reminded us of the lack of modular Moogs and Hammonds. Daniel (compulsive obsessive collector type with prog-rock short circuited brain) swore to deal with anyone who as much as lost a seventh or replaced a minor with a major.
During a period of evening opening hours, we rode this to death, eventually agreeing that if you want guaranteed kosher ELP, you need the real thing. However, like virgin beluga, modular moogs and high morals in Blackpool during Glasgow Fair, ELP are thin on the ground. If we're happy enough to accept ELP flavoured entertainment (sort of like drinking Virgin Cola instead of Pepsi or Coke), and as long as we accept that it's a cola flavoured band we're drinking, not a bottle of Vintage Chateaux ELP, then it's OK.
Which is good really as I'm getting to quite like some of these tribute bands. I'm still waiting for some output from the Seven Virgins mob but I've already borrowed (and enjoyed much) the Noddy's Puncture CD and Video.
Today was then an excellent day. In among the bills, offers of cheaper balance transfer credit cards, and Kleeneezee catalogues was a present from the Brain Salad brigade in Cheshire.
OK, it's not a commercial offering - more a sort of: 'Why don't we record this live stuff and see what it sounds like in the cold light of day on CD,' kind of thing.
It has, Fanfare, Jerusalem, Old Castle/Blues Variation, Eruption and Hoedown. And if this is what happens live in Cheshire, someone should push these buggers into a studio sharpish and make them record a proper tribute album.
It might not be a bottle of ELP but it's pretty damn good cola. The instruments (modern) do a good job of replicating some of those 70s analogue sounds.
I was quite impressed and asked what they used. I was told:
Keys: Korg BX3 , Nord Lead for lead synth lines, a Roland piano and a Korg X5D poly synth
Drums: Gretsch kit, Gong and tubular bells.
Guitars: Fender Jazz Bass, Fender Telecaster and Fylde Acoustic. Trace Elliot bass rig and a Peavey Bravo valve guitar amp
I reckon that they're worth a look and a listen and, at last point of asking, they were looking out for gigs within travelling distance of Cheshire. Encouragement, demands for gigs and CDs should be aimed at band@elptribute.co.uk.
And after that long rant, I suppose there
will be those who think tributes are great and those who will damn me to hell
for having the audacity to mention them. Me, I'm in the middle. I want real
glass of ELP but if I can't have it, I'm not going to stop drinking to prove a
point (hic)..