What more is there to be said about Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine that hasn't already been said? Every misgiving I had with Putin decades ago as he rose to power as an ex-KGB operative has proven true. There's some degree of shadenfreude with how much pain the Ukrainian defenders have inflicted upon the Russian invaders, but that's cold comfort for the thousands of dead civilians and millions who are displaced and suffering. Ukraine's collective courage is inspiring, so it seems apropos that Emerson, Lake & Palmer's "Great Gates of Kiev" carry us through the weekend.
Keith Emerson, of the legendary prog-rock band Emerson, Lake and Palmer, died last week. I was originally exposed to Emerson's work in high school through that other incarnation of ELP, with Cozy Powell on drums, but shortly thereafter got ahold of Brain Salad Surgery, the actual vinyl album form with the gatefold sleeve adorned with Geiger art. Pretty amazing. I never got into ELP as much as, say, Pink Floyd, but there have been long stretches of my life where their music forms the predominant soundtrack of my life. I never got to see them in concert, and now it appears as if I never will. Their interpretation of "Fanfare for the Common Man" gives a pretty good impression of the group's musical skills, Emerson's keyboards in particular. Watching this video, all I can think is that it must've been damn cold in Montreal that day. I'll wager the band's primary goal was to get the video shot in one take.
