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Most music fans know of Keith Emerson for his work with Emerson Lake and Palmer. The progressive supergroup scored a succession of hits and well-regarded albums through the 1970s. Sure, naysayers point to them as part of the so-called \u201cdinosaurs\u201d that punk is thought to have saved us from, but the truth is far more nuanced. At their best \u2013 and often \u2013 ELP rocked with fire and passion.<\/p>\n
But Emerson did more than just play with Greg Lake and Carl Palmer. His work in The Nice (pre-ELP) was impressive, and in the years after ELP\u2019s initial run, he made music on his own and with a group called 3. (I\u2019ll refer to that group here as Three because it reads a bit better.)<\/p>\n
Three was a kind of successor to ELP, with Emerson and drummer Palmer joined by an American vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Robert Berry. They would release only one album, 1988\u2019s To the Power of Three<\/em>. Released at a time when progressive rock was somewhat out of fashion, it performed modestly in the marketplace. Reviews weren\u2019t kind, which is unfortunate; the group had its strengths.<\/p>\n Many years later, Emerson had plans to reunite with Berry for a followup. That didn\u2019t happen, and of course Emerson left us in 2016. Berry picked up where the project left off and made, essentially, a solo album using the name 3.2 (\u201cThree-point-two\u201d).<\/p>\n Berry has also been involved in a number of progressive tribute projects, making him something of another Billy Sherwood. Those two pursuits – 3.2 and his skill at interpreting the work of other prog heroes \u2013 dovetail on a superb new album (2 CD + DVD), Alive at Progstoc<\/i>k<\/i>. Credited to Robert Berry\u2019s 3.2, it features a four-piece band that includes Berry, lead guitarist Paul Keller, keyboardist Andrew Colyer and (from Spock\u2019s Beard) Jimmy Keegan on drums.<\/p>\n The set list is a tasty mix of tracks from Three\u2019s slim catalog (the multi-part suite \u201cDesde la Vida\u201d and \u201cYou Do or You Don\u2019t\u201d) alongside later 3.2 material (\u201cPowerful Man\u201d) and an intriguing selection of covers. In a fair universe, Berry\u2019s \u201cCan\u2019t Let Go\u201d \u2013 included here in a soaring live version \u2013 would have been a smash hit; anyone who likes Asia would love it. But as solid as the Three and Three-point-two material is, really, it\u2019s that last category where Berry and his band truly shine.<\/p>\n Not content to reproduce the songs in carbon copy fashion (because, honestly, what\u2019s the point of that?) Three-point-two brilliantly reinvents them. Case in point is a reading of Yes\u2019 \u201cRoundabout.\u201d One might think that there\u2019s only one way to play that song. Or maybe two, if one goes the acoustic route. But this band digs into it with a highly-charged arrangement that is at once recognizable and fresh.<\/p>\n Because the show documented here is a Progstock show, there\u2019s a fair amount of chat between the songs. Prog fans wanted to hear about the tunes, and Berry obliged. While that approach inevitably diminishes the flow of the listening experience for the listener, it makes sense in context.<\/p>\n Andrew Colyer is quite skilled on his own, but in the context of this group his brief is to play like Keith Emerson. This he does, and it\u2019s a treat, with Colyer serving up the sorts of sonic textures that devotees of the virtuosic Emerson will relish. \u201cSomebody\u2019s Watching\u201d is a prime example.<\/p>\n Even back in the day, Three played covers, too. Their reading of The Byrds\u2019 \u201cEight Miles High\u201d was a bit over the top, to be sure, but it works in the same way that the successor group\u2019s other covers work. Berry\u2019s soaring voice \u2013 think John Wetton or Greg Lake with an American accent \u2013 is well suited to the soaring, thunderous arrangement. \u201cEight Miles High\u201d is appended here with a faithful (if tantalizingly brief) reading of Aaron Copland\u2019s (by way of ELP) \u201cFanfare for the Common Man.\u201d<\/p>\n Sweeping, dramatic orchestral prog is Three-point-two\u2019s metier, and so a cover of Genesis \u201cWatcher of the Skies\u201d is entirely suited to the group. Colyer coaxes all manner of vintage sounds out of his gear \u2013 Mellotron-like sounds and so forth \u2013 while Keller engages in spirited instrumental dialogue with Colyer. Berry makes his guitar sound like an electric sitar. The band is simply on fire, and Berry makes the vocal part his own, refraining from trying to sound or emote like Peter Gabriel. Eight minutes blows by in an instant. (I haven\u2019t mentioned Keegan much, but be advised that he performs superbly throughout, and his vocal harmonies add a lot to the arrangements.)<\/p>\n The group closes its set with nine-plus minutes of ELP\u2019s classic \u201cKarn Evil 9, 1st<\/sup> Impression, Part 1.\u201d It\u2019s predictably brilliant, and the perfect way to end a set that both honors Emerson and showcases the superb musical interplay of the successor Three-point-two.<\/p>\n Alive at Progstock<\/i> is one of the most musically satisfying live prog albums in recent memory, and is recommended in the most enthusiastic terms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Most music fans know of Keith Emerson for his work with Emerson Lake and Palmer. 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