Black Moon (album)

Last updated

Black Moon
ELP - Black Moon.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 1992
Studio
  • Marcus Studios
  • Front Page Recorders
  • Conway Studios (mixing)
  • Precision Mastering (mastering)
Genre Progressive rock, synth-pop
Length48:28
Label Victory Music
Producer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer chronology
Emerson, Lake & Palmer in Concert
(1979)
Black Moon
(1992)
Live at the Royal Albert Hall
(1993)
Singles from Black Moon
  1. "Black Moon"
    Released: May 1992 [1]
  2. "Affairs of the Heart"
    Released: November 1992

Black Moon is the eighth studio album, and the first in fourteen years, by English progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer, released in May 1992. [2] The band had broken up in 1979, and recorded Black Moon to kick off their 1990s revival.

Contents

Production

The track "Affairs of the Heart" originated in summer 1988 sessions by Lake with Geoff Downes under the project name Ride the Tiger. Another song from the sessions, "Money Talks", became "Paper Blood" with a different chorus and new music. Ride the Tiger was finally released in 2015.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Classic Rock Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Entertainment Weekly C [5]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]

Black Moon received mixed reviews. Jim Allen of AllMusic wrote in a retrospective review that the performers "stripped down their sound and amped up their attack." [3] In his book The Music's All that Matters: A History of Progressive Rock, Paul Stump compared it favorably to its contemporary Union (by fellow progressive rock giants Yes). He explained that Black Moon "did at least aspire to interest and excite the listener, and it would be a churlish mind that overlooked a vigour in the playing which had formerly been notable by its absence. The material, though, suffered from the Yes malaise: cynicism and over-exposure to the wallet-fattening blandishments of easy-out FM mores, intervals and development procedures had blunted edges and dulled nerve-endings both of players and listeners." [7]

Half of the album's songs were played at the band's 1992-1993 concerts. Greg Lake also used to play "Paper Blood", "Farewell to Arms" and "Footprints in the Snow" at his solo performances in 2005. Notably, "Farewell to Arms" was played at the group's final concert, at the High Voltage Festival in July 2010.

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Black Moon" (Keith Emerson, Greg Lake, Carl Palmer)6:56
2."Paper Blood" (Emerson, Lake, Palmer)4:26
3."Affairs of the Heart" (Geoff Downes, Lake)3:46
4."Romeo and Juliet" (Sergei Prokofiev, "Dance of the Knights" from the eponymous ballet, Op. 64)3:43
5."Farewell to Arms" (Emerson, Lake)5:08
6."Changing States" (Emerson)6:02
7."Burning Bridges" (Mark Mancina)4:41
8."Close to Home" (Emerson)4:33
9."Better Days" (Emerson, Lake)5:33
10."Footprints in the Snow" (Lake)3:50
Victor and 2008 Shout! Factory Bonus Track
No.TitleLength
11."A Blade of Grass" (Emerson)2:15
Sanctuary and Sony Bonus Tracks
No.TitleLength
11."Black Moon" (Single edit)4:48
12."Affairs of the Heart" (Edited version)2:20
13."Paper Blood" (Edited version)1:34
14."Romeo and Juliet" (Edited version)1:33

2017 Deluxe Edition

2017 Deluxe Edition - CD one - Original 1992 album - 2017 remaster - plus bonus
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Black Moon" Keith Emerson, Greg Lake, Carl Palmer 6:56
2."Paper Blood"Emerson, Lake, Palmer4:26
3."Affairs of the Heart" Geoff Downes, Lake3:46
4."Romeo and Juliet" Sergei Prokofiev, "Dance of the Knights" from the eponymous ballet, Op. 643:43
5."Farewell to Arms"Emerson, Lake5:08
6."Changing States"Emerson6:02
7."Burning Bridges" Mark Mancina 4:41
8."Close to Home"Emerson4:33
9."Better Days"Emerson, Lake5:33
10."Footprints in the Snow"Lake3:50
11."Black Moon" (Bonus track - single edit)Emerson, Lake, Palmer 
12."Affairs of the Heart" (Bonus track - edit)Downes, Lake 
13."Paper Blood" (Bonus track - edit)Emerson, Lake, Palmer 
14."Romeo and Juliet" (Bonus track - edit)Prokofiev 
2017 Deluxe Edition - CD two - Live at the Royal Albert Hall - 2017 remaster
No.TitleLength
1."Karn Evil 9, 1st Impression, Part 2" 
2."Tarkus"
  • "Eruption"
  • "Stones of Years"
  • "Iconoclast"
 
3."Knife Edge" 
4."Paper Blood" 
5."Romeo And Juliet" 
6."Creole Dance" 
7."Still... You Turn Me On" 
8."Lucky Man" 
9."Black Moon" 
10."Pirates" 
11."Finale"
  • "Fanfare for the Common Man"
  • "America"
  • "Rondo"
 

Personnel

Production

Charts

Chart (1992)Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [8] 66
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [9] 77
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [10] 45
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [11] 16
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [12] 23
US Billboard 200 [13] 78

Singles

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emerson, Lake & Palmer</span> English progressive rock band

Emerson, Lake & Palmer were an English progressive rock supergroup formed in London in 1970. The band consisted of Keith Emerson (keyboards) of the Nice, Greg Lake of King Crimson and Carl Palmer of Atomic Rooster. With nine RIAA-certified gold record albums in the US, and an estimated 48 million records sold worldwide, they are one of the most popular and commercially successful progressive rock groups of the 1970s, with a musical sound including adaptations of classical music with jazz and symphonic rock elements, dominated by Emerson's flamboyant use of the Hammond organ, Moog synthesizer, and piano.

<i>The Best of Emerson, Lake & Palmer</i> 1994 greatest hits album by Emerson, Lake & Palmer

The Best of Emerson, Lake & Palmer is an album by British progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer, released in 1994. This supersedes a 1980 compilation with a shorter, different track list and Japanese ukiyo-e cover.

<i>Pictures at an Exhibition</i> (Emerson, Lake & Palmer album) 1971 live album by Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Pictures at an Exhibition is a live album by English progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer, released in November 1971 on Island Records. It features the group's rock adaptation of Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky, performed at Newcastle City Hall on 26 March 1971.

<i>Tarkus</i> 1971 studio album by Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Tarkus is the second studio album by English progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer, released on 14 June 1971 on Island Records. Following their debut tour across Europe during the second half of 1970, the group paused touring commitments in January 1971 to record a new album at Advision Studios in London. Greg Lake produced the album with Eddy Offord as engineer.

<i>Brain Salad Surgery</i> 1973 studio album by Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Brain Salad Surgery is the fourth studio album by English progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer, released on 7 December 1973 by their new record label, Manticore Records, and distributed by Atlantic Records.

<i>Minstrel in the Gallery</i> 1975 studio album by Jethro Tull

Minstrel in the Gallery is the eighth studio album by British rock band Jethro Tull, released in September 1975. The album sees the band going in a different direction from their previous work War Child (1974), returning to a blend of electric and acoustic songs, in a manner closer to their early 1970s albums such as Benefit (1970), Aqualung (1971) and Thick as a Brick (1972). Making use of a newly constructed mobile recording studio commissioned and constructed specifically for the band, the album was the first Jethro Tull album to be recorded outside of the UK, being recorded in tax exile in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

<i>Works Volume 1</i> 1977 studio album by Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Works Volume 1 is the fifth studio album by English progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer, released as a double album in March 1977 on Atlantic Records. Following their world tour supporting Brain Salad Surgery (1973), the group took an extended break before they reconvened in 1976 to record a new album. They were now tax exiles and recorded new material in London and overseas in Montreux, Switzerland and Paris, France. Works Volume 1 features a side dedicated for each member to write and arrange their own tracks, while the fourth side features songs performed collectively. Keith Emerson recorded his Piano Concerto No. 1, Greg Lake wrote several songs with lyricist Peter Sinfield, and Carl Palmer recorded tracks of varied musical styles.

<i>Works Volume 2</i> 1977 studio album by Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Works Volume 2 is the sixth studio album by Emerson, Lake & Palmer, released in November 1977. Unlike Works Volume 1, Works Volume 2 was a single album compilation of leftover tracks from other album sessions, similar to The Who's Odds & Sods or Led Zeppelin's Coda. While many derided the album for its apparent lack of focus, others praised it for showing a different side of the band than usual, with blues, bluegrass and jazz being very prominent as musical genres in this recording.

<i>Trilogy</i> (Emerson, Lake & Palmer album) 1972 studio album by Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Trilogy is the third studio album by English progressive rock supergroup Emerson, Lake & Palmer, released in June 1972, by Island Records. The group had spent most of 1971 touring, and paused in September so they could record a new album at Advision Studios with Eddy Offord resuming his role as engineer. It would be his last with the group, as he later elected to work full-time with Yes. The album features "Hoedown", an arrangement of Aaron Copland's ballet composition which became a live favourite.

<i>Waynes World: Music from the Motion Picture</i> 1992 soundtrack album by Various Artists

Wayne's World: Music from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack album for the 1992 comedy film Wayne's World, released on February 18, 1992. The album was certified double-Platinum by the RIAA on July 16, 1997.

<i>Welcome Back My Friends to the Show That Never Ends – Ladies and Gentlemen</i> 1974 live album by Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Welcome Back, My Friends, to the Show That Never Ends – Ladies and Gentlemen is the second live album by the English progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer, released as a triple album in August 1974 on Manticore Records. It was recorded in February 1974 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, during the group's 1973–74 world tour in support of their fourth studio album, Brain Salad Surgery (1973).

<i>Emerson, Lake & Palmer</i> (album) 1970 studio album by Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Emerson, Lake & Palmer is the debut studio album by English progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer. It was released in the United Kingdom by Island Records in November 1970, and in the United States by Cotillion Records in January 1971. After the group formed in the spring of 1970, they entered rehearsals and prepared material for an album which became a mix of original songs and rock arrangements of classical music. The album was recorded at Advision Studios in July 1970, when the band had yet to perform live. Lead vocalist and bassist/guitarist Greg Lake produced it.

"Tarkus" is the title track of Emerson, Lake & Palmer's second album. The progressive rock epic lasts 20:35. It was the longest studio suite by the band until the three impressions of "Karn Evil 9". The name "Tarkus" refers to the armadillo-tank from the William Neal paintings on the album cover. The artist has explained that the name is an amalgamation between 'Tartarus' and 'carcass'. Consequently, the name refers to the "futility of war, a man made mess with symbols of mutated destruction." The song "Tarkus" supposedly follows the adventures of Tarkus from his birth, through a fight with a manticore, which he loses and concludes with an aquatic version of Tarkus named "Aquatarkus". Keith Emerson, when asked what work he is proudest of, named his "Piano Concerto" and "Tarkus".

<i>Live at the Royal Albert Hall</i> (Emerson, Lake and Palmer album) 1993 live album by Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Live at the Royal Albert Hall is a live album by Emerson, Lake & Palmer. It was recorded at two concerts at the Royal Albert Hall during the Black Moon tour in early October 1992.

<i>Emerson, Lake & Powell</i> (album) 1986 studio album by Emerson, Lake & Powell

Emerson, Lake & Powell is the only studio album by English progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Powell, released on 26 May 1986 by Polydor Records.

<i>In the Hot Seat</i> 1994 studio album by Emerson, Lake & Palmer

In the Hot Seat is the ninth and final studio album by English progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer, released on 27 September 1994 by Victory. Recorded at Goodnight L.A. Studios in Los Angeles, it was produced by Keith Olsen.

<i>Live in London</i> (Deep Purple album) 1982 live album by Deep Purple

Live in London is a live album from Deep Purple. It was recorded on 22 May 1974 at Gaumont State Theatre in Kilburn, London by the BBC for radio broadcast, but was unreleased on vinyl until 1982. It features the Mk 3 lineup of Blackmore/Coverdale/Hughes/ Lord/Paice during the tour for their album Burn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emerson, Lake & Palmer discography</span>

The discography of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, an English progressive rock band, includes 9 studio albums, 24 live albums, 12 compilation albums and 17 singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucky Man (Emerson, Lake & Palmer song)</span> 1970 single by Emerson, Lake & Palmer

"Lucky Man" is a song by the English progressive rock supergroup Emerson, Lake & Palmer, from the group's 1970 self-titled debut album. Written by Greg Lake when he was 12 years old and recorded by the trio using improvised arrangements, the song contains one of rock music's earliest instances of a Moog synthesizer solo. "Lucky Man" was released as a single in 1970 and reached the top 20 in the Netherlands. The song also charted in the United States and Canada. The single was re-released in 1973 and charted again in the U.S. and Canada.

"The Barbarian" is the opening track on the eponymous debut album of British progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer, released in 1970.

References

  1. "The Great Rock Discography". p. 266.
  2. "The Great Rock Discography". p. 266.
  3. 1 2 Allen, Jim. Black Moon at AllMusic. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
  4. Fielder, Hugh (February 2005). "Eight by Three". Classic Rock. Vol. 76. London, UK: Future Publishing Ltd. p. 104.
  5. Altman, Billy (31 July 1992). "Music Review: 'Black Moon' Review". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on 17 December 2009. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  6. "Emerson, Lake, and Palmer - Black Moon CD Album". CDUniverse.com. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  7. Stump, Paul (1997). The Music's All that Matters: A History of Progressive Rock. Quartet Books Limited. pp. 338–9. ISBN   0 7043 8036 6.
  8. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2023". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  9. "Dutchcharts.nl – Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Black Moon" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  10. "Offiziellecharts.de – Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Black Moon" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  11. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN   4-87131-077-9.
  12. "Swisscharts.com – Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Black Moon". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  13. "Emerson, Lake & Palmer Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 April 2018.