In the Hot Seat

In the Hot Seat
Studio album by Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Released	27 September 1994
Recorded	Goodnight L.A. Studios
Length	46:09
Label	Victory Music
Producer	Keith Olsen
Emerson, Lake & Palmer chronology
The Return of the Manticore (1993) In the Hot Seat (1994) King Biscuit Flower Hour: Greatest Hits Live (1997)

Professional ratings
Review scores
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Allmusic	[1]

In The Hot Seat is the ninth and final studio album by progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer, released in 1994. During the album's recording, Keith Emerson suffered medical problems with the nerves in his right hand, which made it difficult for him to play the keyboards. The tensions between him and Greg Lake surfaced again during this album. "Daddy" was written in memory of missing child Sara Anne Wood and used to raise awareness of missing children.^[2] The song initially raised $5,000 for the Sara Anne Wood Rescue Center, a foundation for missing and abducted children established by Wood's father.^[3]

The album was recorded at Goodnight L.A. Studios in Los Angeles, California and engineered by Brian Foraker & Keith Olsen. It was released 27 September 1994.

The album was not a commercial success. It received very little airplay and is the only Emerson, Lake and Palmer studio album not to have charted on the Billboard 200 album chart.^[4]

Track listing

1. "Hand of Truth" (Keith Emerson, Greg Lake) – 5:22
2. "Daddy" (Lake) – 4:42 (Single Cut: 4:16)
3. "One By One" (Lake, Emerson, Keith Olsen) – 5:16
4. "Heart on Ice" (Lake, Olsen) – 4:17
5. "Thin Line" (Emerson, Olsen, Wray) – 4:45
6. "Man in the Long Black Coat" (Bob Dylan; arr. Emerson) – 4:12
7. "Change" (Emerson, Lake, Olsen, Wray) – 4:43
8. "Give Me a Reason to Stay" (Steve Diamond, Sam Lorber) – 4:14
9. "Gone Too Soon" (Keith Wechsler, Lake, Wray) – 4:11
10. "Street War" (Emerson, Lake) – 4:24

Bonus Track

1. "Hammer It Out" - 2:30 (bonus track on Victor (Japan) and Rhino re-issues)
2. "Pictures at an Exhibition" – 14:47 (studio recording, already published in The Return of the Manticore box set)
   • A. "Promenade" (Mussorgsky, Emerson) – 1:46
   • B. "The Gnome" (Mussorgsky, Carl Palmer) – 2:06
   • C. "Promenade" (Mussorgsky, Lake) – 1:45
   • D. "The Sage" (Lake) – 3:10
   • E. "The Hut of Baba Yaga" (Mussorgsky) – 1:16
   • F. "The Great Gates of Kiev" (Mussorgsky) – 5:24
3. "Nighthawks" - 1:32 (bonus track on Victor (Japan) and Rhino re-issues)
4. "Creole Dance" - 3:40 (bonus track on Victor (Japan) and Rhino re-issues)
5. "Inferno" - 1:51 (bonus track on Victor (Japan) and Rhino re-issues)
6. "5 Bridges Suite (All Bridges)" - 15:44 (bonus track on Victor (Japan) and Rhino re-issues)
   • A. "Fantasia" - 6:21
   • B. "Andante Cantabile" - 3:41
   • C. "Allegro" - 2:20
   • D. "Fugue" - 1:06
   • E. "Finale" - 2:16
7. "Interlude" - 1:06 (bonus track on Victor (Japan} and Rhino re-issues)
8. "Rondo" - 5:44 (bonus track on Victor (Japan) and Rhino re-issues)
9. "Piano Improvisations" - 10:43 (bonus track on Victor (Japan) and Rhino re-issues)
10. "Peter Gunn" - 3:38 (bonus track on Victor (Japan) and Rhino re-issues)
11. "Dream Runner" - 2:44 (bonus track on Victor (Japan) and Rhino re-issues)
12. "Blue Rondo A La Turk" - 6:11 (bonus track on Victor (Japan) and Rhino re-issues)

Personnel

Band members

• Keith Emerson - keyboards
• Greg Lake - guitar, bass, vocals
• Carl Palmer - percussion, drums

Additional musicians

• Bill Wray – backing vocals
• Maula Mattioli – backing vocals
• Kristen Olsen – backing vocals
• Choir :
  • Fred White – choir vocals
  • Ricky Nelson – choir vocals (not the Ricky Nelson of Ozzie and Harriet fame)
  • Lynn B. Davis – choir vocals
  • Linda McCrary – choir vocals
• Keith Wechsler, Richard Baker, Brian Foraker - keyboard programming

Producer

• Producer: Keith Olsen

Difficulties in production

Emerson had difficulty recording In the Hot Seat, having had corrective surgery during its production. In some parts, he overdubbed with his left hand parts that his right hand was incapable of playing.^[5]

References