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RIP Keith Emerson


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I used to think classical music and rock music were two different things. Keith Emerson changed that for me.

 

Even today when I listen to those old ELP albums the synth sounds are musical and timeless.

 

The flamboyance, and there was plenty of that, never outshone the musicianship.

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It's hard to believe that only 7 weeks ago, he was signing autographs in the Casio booth at NAMM. This comes as quite a shock, to say the least. He certainly turned the world of keyboards upside down...one of the first CDs I bought to replace a worn-out piece of vinyl was ELP's Brain Salad Surgery. If that album had never existed and came out today, it would still be ground-breaking.

 

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Of all the famous musicians of my era who have passed, this one hit me hardest. I saw them live 14 or 15 times. They never ceased to amaze me on albums or live. ELP was the reason I developed an interest in keyboards and still have a fascination with synths to this day. RIP.

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We have lost so many great players lately....Hearing of his death....I don't know the guy was so ALIVE you know? Such an energetic player, such a great composer and instrumentalist....I always thought of him as a bit of an immortal..Really sad about this..

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Unfortunately there will come a time for all of us when we can no longer play music. It may be because we are dead but it will happen.

 

I've been dealing on and off with debilitating tendentious for the last ten years. I used to watch videos of Al Di Meola and think "someday I'll be able to play like that" but now when I watch them I think "I used to be able to play like that."

 

There is a sense of loss that comes with the attachment to our past abilities and, with the tremendous musical ability once possessed by Keith Emerson, I can only imagine how he felt when he could no longer play the way he used to or wanted to.

 

It saddens me deeply when I think about how great he was and how people were touched and influenced by his music only to end up feeling like suicide (if that was indeed what happened) was his best option.

 

Trilogy and Brain Salad Surgery were monumental albums in my development - not only from the perspective of a keyboard player but in opening my ears and my mind.

 

The man had some serious piano chops. Check out the solo that starts 10 min into this from Cal Jam '74 (I think the production team was down one TV camera by this time)

 

[video=youtube;lyTKmmcXLSs]

IMO, his playing was on the level of Glenn Gould and Oscar Peterson.

 

 

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RIP, Mr Emerson. A fine, passionate player.

 

It appears, at least in part, he was depressed because of a degenerative nerve condition that had already robbed him of playing ability in two fingers.

 

While I would not pretend to diagnose Keith's illness, being 'depressed' about his playing ability is not the same thing as suffering from depression, though it could indeed have driven him over the edge. How would I know? I live with it every day; my wife, her mom, her brother, my stepdaughter and stepson all suffer from depression or it's variants. I see the exhaustion they suffer from trying to keep up the appearance of normalcy and cheerfulness, which fools others into thinking they are just fine. I've seen my wife curled in a fetal position while we were anchored in a beautiful cove on our sailboat, hardly something to cause her to feel depressed; yet she was in such pain that she cried for hours, telling me how much better off we'd all be without her. So I'd suspect that Keith was already suffering a painful existence before his deteriorating abilities added to his pain.

 

I saw ELP the first time they came to Philly. I've been to many concerts in many genres, and have never, ever seen anything like their performance that night. After the 1st song, the audience was on it's feet cheering so loudly that the band couldn't continue for several minutes. Never seen anything like it. They were opening for Procol Harum, one of my favorite bands, who were actually booed trying to follow ELP. Keith remained one of my favorite artists, though I play the guitar. My band played several ELP tunes over the years, always a challenge.

 

A great loss.

 

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Thanks for the concern Phil, it's appreciated. Fortunately, all are under professional treatment. My wife is OK about 95% of the time now, step daughter about the same. Stepson.... struggles with severe anxiety in addition to the depression. He sees doctors and therapists more or less weekly, and is better now than 2 years ago, when it first struck. Been a rough road....

 

Thanks again.

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As a young man, I would listen to this band by the hour. I had most of their records. I had heard, even back then, that Emerson was admitted to the psych ward. Brilliant at times, but insane at other times. Dark lyrics in his music didn't help. Sad ending. RIP KEITH.

 

[video=youtube_share;PpMCyIcueUA]

 

Dan

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While I would not pretend to diagnose Keith's illness, being 'depressed' about his playing ability is not the same thing as suffering from depression, though it could indeed have driven him over the edge. How would I know? I live with it every day; my wife, her mom, her brother, my stepdaughter and stepson all suffer from depression or it's variants. I see the exhaustion they suffer from trying to keep up the appearance of normalcy and cheerfulness, which fools others into thinking they are just fine. I've seen my wife curled in a fetal position while we were anchored in a beautiful cove on our sailboat, hardly something to cause her to feel depressed; yet she was in such pain that she cried for hours, telling me how much better off we'd all be without her. So I'd suspect that Keith was already suffering a painful existence before his deteriorating abilities added to his pain.

 

I saw ELP the first time they came to Philly. I've been to many concerts in many genres, and have never, ever seen anything like their performance that night. After the 1st song, the audience was on it's feet cheering so loudly that the band couldn't continue for several minutes. Never seen anything like it. They were opening for Procol Harum, one of my favorite bands, who were actually booed trying to follow ELP. Keith remained one of my favorite artists, though I play the guitar. My band played several ELP tunes over the years, always a challenge.

 

A great loss.

I actually wondered if I should retain the use of the word that had been repeatedly used to describe his state of mind, since I'm familiar with the distinction between the way it's used clinically as opposed to how it's used by the general population. I figured, like the papers, most of the folks reading what I wrote would be lay people. Or I was lazy, I can't remember which. But I definitely weighed whether or not to use that specific word because of the concerns you cite.

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