What on Earth "The Little Drummer Boy" is doing here? First things first: "The December People" are a project by Robert Berry, the American guitarist once involved with Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer in the short lived band called "3". He decided to set up a band of his own playing Christmas songs and carols in the style of the most celebrated classic rock bands. So, in their records you'll come across a "Silent Night" version sounding like "The Great Gig in The Sky", a "What Child Is This?" performance reminiscent of "The Lamb Lies down on Broadway" and even a "Stairway to Heaven"-ish reddition of "'Twas The Night Before Christmas"!
This record has both Christmas and prog rock charms.
The band's still touring and recording this way and their best CD is, in my humble opinion, the debut album "Sounds Like Christmas", including all the above songs and gathering important guests like John Wetton and Steve Walsh. This version of "The Little Drummer Boy" in the wake of ELP is simply stunning. It's a real prog-ification of the innocent carol we all know, featuring all the explosive style of the powerful trio. Weird? Impossible? Mundane? Just listen to it and let me know...
No comments:
Post a Comment