Pictures at an Exhibition (album)

Infobox Album | Name = Pictures at an Exhibition
Type = Live Album
Artist = Emerson, Lake & Palmer


Released = November, 1971 (UK)
January, 1972 (US)
Recorded = March 26, 1971
Genre = Progressive rock
Length = 37:56 (original release)/ 53:24 (remastered edition with bonus track)
Label = Island Records (UK)
Cotillion/Atlantic,
Rhino Records (US)
Producer = Greg Lake
Last album = "Tarkus"
(1971)
This album = "Pictures at an Exhibition"
(1971)
Next album = "Trilogy"
(1972)
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|3.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:myeb97w7krst~T1 link]

"Pictures at an Exhibition" is an album by British progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer, released in 1971 as a live album and re-released in 2001 as a remastered edition including both live and studio versions of Mussorgsky's classical piece Pictures at an Exhibition. The original live album was recorded at Newcastle City Hall in North East England. The opening track of the album was played on a Harrison & Harrison pipe organ which was installed in the City Hall in 1928. The organ console is some way above stage level, at the top of a stepped terrace used for choral performances. The drum roll connecting the opening track to the next served to cover Emerson's dash back down to the stage.

There was also a video made of a different live performance. This had a limited theatrical release in 1973, and a remastered DVD release with Dolby surround sound in 2000. This performance is notable for the energy passed by the three young musicians. Being a live album, sometimes Keith Emerson's voltage-controlled Moog synthesizer plays the wrong notes, apparently due to power supply problems.

Cover design

The original album cover used a gatefold sleeve depicting, on the outside, blank picture frames labeled with the titles of the pieces: "The Old Castle", "The Gnome", etc. On the inside all the pictures were revealed, but one remains blank: "Promenade". (The musical piece, of course, is not about a picture, but represents a walk through the gallery.)

Some CD covers use only the "revealed" version.

Track listing

#"Promenade" (Emerson, Mussorgsky) – 1:58
#"The Gnome" (Mussorgsky, Palmer) – 4:18
#"Promenade" (Lake, Mussorgsky) – 1:23
#"The Sage" (Lake) – 4:42
#"The Old Castle" (Emerson, Mussorgsky) – 2:33
#"Blues Variation" (Emerson, Lake, Palmer) – 4:22
#"Promenade" (Mussorgsky) – 1:29
#"The Hut of Baba Yaga" (Mussorgsky) – 1:12
#"The Curse of Baba Yaga" (Emerson, Lake, Palmer) – 4:10
#"The Hut of Baba Yaga" (Mussorgsky) – 1:06
#"The Great Gates of Kiev/The End" (Lake, Mussorgsky) – 6:37
#"Nutrocker" (Tchaikovsky, Fowley) – 4:26

Bonus tracks

#"Pictures at an Exhibition" [studio version*] – 15:28
##"Promenade"
##"The Gnome"
##"Promenade"
##"The Sage"
##"The Hut of Baba Yaga"
##"The Great Gates of Kiev"

* This track, recorded in 1993, is available on the 2001 remastered edition. It was also released on "The Return of the Manticore" box set and some pressings of the 1994 album "In the Hot Seat".

Personnel

*Keith Emerson - Pipe Organ, Hammond C3 and L100 Organs, Moog Modular Synthesizer, Ribbon controller, Clavinet
*Greg Lake - bass, acoustic guitar, Vocals
*Carl Palmer - percussion, drums

Production

*Producer: Greg Lake
*Engineer: Eddie Offord
*Remastering: Joseph M. Palmaccio
*Arrangers: Keith Emerson, Greg Lake
*Cover design: William Neal
*Cover painting: William Neal
*Artwork: William Neal
*Photography: Nigel Marlow, Keith Morris
*Lyrics: Greg Lake, Richard Fraser

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Miscellaneous

Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" was also performed in a different electronic arrangement by Isao Tomita and in a heavy metal adaptation by the German band "Mekong Delta". These both are more complete versions of the original suite.

ingles

* Nutrocker / The Great Gates of Kiev