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by Bruce Pilato
It is noon when Greg Lake, looking rested and ready to rock, casually strolls into his rehearsal soundstage at Shepperton Studios. Today is Tuesday, October 18th and his upcoming UK tour is only five days from commencing.
It is the second day of a final three days of rehearsals and the mood is considerably more relaxed than yesterday (mainly because the expansive and epic "Pictures At An Exhibition" seems to have been nailed by the end of yesterday's rehearsal). Today, Greg and the band can have more fun and concentrate on songs like "Lucky Man," "I Believe In Father Christmas," "Watching Over You," and "Take A Pebble."
"Take A Pebble" has a considerably different sound than its original recording with ELP. For one, Greg plays a Fender Stratocaster rather than the acoustic guitar he has usually performed it on in the past. The acoustic guitar this time, is played by Lake's 22-year-old German band member, Florian Opahle. Bassist extraordinaire Trevor Barry moves to an electric upright double bass, to give the track a "smoke-filled nightclub" jazz vibe.
Midway through "Take A Pebble," the band stops and Opahle ignites into a decidedly Flamenco classical guitar solo, played with both passion and incredible skill. He segues into a run of high-energy Spanish guitar chord changes, joined by drummer Brett Morgan, on some light percussion. Moments later, keyboardist David Arch slides across the piano keys, leading Greg and the band back into the core "Pebble" song once again.
As with "Take A Pebble," Greg leads the new band through a particularly vicious version of the KC classic, "21st Century Schizoid Man." Their performance is precise and ferocious, with Greg belting out the opening line, "Cat's foot, iron claw!" with power and conviction. It's clear these folks mean business.
Actor, comedian and TV personality Jim Davidson, a long-time friend of Greg's, executive producer on the forthcoming DVD and involved in organizing the tour, is bouncing around making sure many of the last-minute tour logistics are in order. He snags Greg and reminds him there are interviews to be done and CD booklets to sign. Later today, Greg will need to speak with The London Express, just one of the many media outlets excited about his return to the live stage. Through it all, Greg remains unfazed and happily obliges.
After a lunch break, the band returns for another several hours of rehearsal. They work out what appears to be a handful of minor changes, before tomorrow, which will be at least two run-throughs of the entire two hour-plus show.
More to come from behind the scenes at Shepperton...
Bruce Pilato
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