Click Here To Order !

CARL PALMER BAND 'Working Live - Volume 2' Sanctuary (2004) ELP fans will delight in this live album although it has a twist with the keyboard parts mainly replaced by the guitars of Shaun Baxter. So 'Fanfare For The Common Man' and 'Hoedown' take on a much heavier sound than you'd expect. Needless to say Carl Palmer drums up a storm, he is one of my personal favorite drummers (more so for his work with Asia) and the drum solo is pretty awe inspiring. Only Neil Peart and the late Cozy Powell can really pull of drum solos that don't start a rush for the bar at gigs. A interesting stab at 'Carmina Burana' but possibly the weakest track on here. Something doesn't quite click on this. A must for all ELP fans and interesting to hear ELP classics done with the emphasis on the guitar/drum axis. Good live sound as well, making it a strong live CD. Jason Ritchie

Review The Rhythm King. Wed Oct 20, 2004 Rated 10 out of 13 by Erin Sheridan For all the great bands that have come and gone over the years, it is more often than not, the vocalist and guitarist who get remembered. Drummers have a difficult time, barely making it to the front of the stage during a band's existence and fading into obscurity after it's death. If you're Carl Palmer however, this is not so. Having begun working as a drummer at the age of 14, his CV is so impressive that you couldn't have faked it to look as good. Having worked with groups like The Crazy World of Arthur Brown ("I am the God of hellfire...") during their peak, he then went on to join one of the 60s most celebrated supergroups, Emerson, Lake and Palmer (ELP). Even in the wake of ELP's death, Palmer, rather than disappear from the scene, wound up in another huge band, Asia, before eventually reforming ELP. But this was all years ago and things change. It was during those early ELP days that they recorded much of the material for the two "Works" albums. Volume 1 was a double album on which the artists each had a solo side with the final side left for a full-on ELP finish. Palmer's side wound up being a combination of various influences of his. A chance to really showcase his talents, it included a track with Joe Walsh of Eagles fame and some Big Band numbers. You can't help but feel that the seed for the Carl Palmer band was sown here. Largely driven by the guitar, this trio perform their own interpretation of various artists including a lot of Emerson, Lake and Palmer. But this is Carl Palmer's band and although it is led by the guitar, those that buy this will be listening out for the drummer. Consequently this album is a chance for these musicians to demonstrate how adept they are at their instruments. At times the guitar work is precisely orchestrated and executed. It very often reminds me of the work of Bob Fripp from King Crimson. (Hardly surprising when John Wetton was in King Crimson prior to joining Palmer in Asia.) The unfortunate thing is that a lot of the time, the guitar just sounds pretentious. I can't help but think that the album serves as an ego massage for the band. Definitely one for the hardcore ELP fans out there. I've enjoyed listening to the Carl Palmer Band's live work, especially their rendition of Orff's "Carmina Burana". But for a first time listener, sure you'd be blown away at how consumate a drummer Palmer is. Yet, at the same time, I feel that most people would find this music fussy and esoteric. An interesting album nonetheless.