A brand new version of the Emerson, Lake & Palmer classic Lucky Man has been recorded by Keith Emerson's son Aaron Emerson, tackling his father's famous Moog solo on Keith's actual synthesizer, and friends including Yes keyboard player Geoff Downes, Keith Emerson Band guitarist Marc Bonilla, former House Of Lords/Giuffria bassist Chuck Wright and Inglorious vocalist Nathan James. You can watch a new video for the song below.
The new video celebrates the release of the epic, career-spanning 20-disc box set Variations, which is released today through Spirit Of Unicorn Records. The collection, curated with the full involvement and blessing of the Emerson family, contains rare early tracks with The T Bones And Chris Baber, music from The Nice and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, all of Emerson's solo albums, his soundtrack work, recent collaborations with conductor Terke Mikkelsen such as The Three Fates project, and a host of live sets featuring previously unavailable material.
The idea to record a version of Lucky Man was born out of the friendship between Aaron and LA-based singer songwriter Brett Copeland. Aaron and Copeland used to play together in a band called The Last Drag, who would regularly perform on Sunset Strip at the world-renowned Whisky A Go Go.
"I remember my Dad coming to see us play at the Whisky and telling me that he’d played there with The Nice, Aaron recalls. "He thought it was really cool to see me up there, on stage. He even became my roadie that night!"
Aaron flew to the Electronic Music Education and Preservation Project (EMEAPP) in Philadelphia, a private museum where Keith’s famous Moog resides. Aaron was able to perform (and have filmed) the Lucky Man solo on his father’s own famous synthesiser, beloved by Emerson fans around the world.
"Playing on Dad’s Moog is a moment I will never forget.” Aaron says. “I’m very happy to know that my Dad’s entire collection is at EMEAPP and is very much looked after."
