''In the Hot Seat'' is the ninth and final studio album by English
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
band
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer (informally known as ELP) were an English progressive rock supergroup formed in London in 1970. The band consisted of Keith Emerson (keyboards), Greg Lake (vocals, bass, guitar, producer) and Carl Palmer (drums, percus ...
, released on 27 September 1994 by
Victory
The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal Duel, combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitu ...
. Recorded at Goodnight L.A. Studios in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, it was produced by
Keith Olsen
Keith Alan Olsen (May 12, 1945 – March 9, 2020) was an American record producer and sound engineer, who worked with Magnum, Rick Springfield, Fleetwood Mac, Ozzy Osbourne, the Grateful Dead, Whitesnake, Pat Benatar, Heart, Santana, Saga, ...
.
Production
The making of the album was complicated by health issues encountered by both keyboard player
Keith Emerson
Keith Noel Emerson (2 November 1944 – 11 March 2016) was an English keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer. He played keyboards in a number of bands before finding his first commercial success with the Nice in the late 1960s. He became ...
and drummer
Carl Palmer
Carl Frederick Kendall Palmer (born 20 March 1950) is an English drummer best known as founding member and the last surviving member of the progressive rock supergroup Emerson, Lake & Palmer. He was also a founding member of progressive rock s ...
. Emerson had trouble with the ulnar nerve, which made it difficult for him to control his right hand. As the prognosis for recovery after the surgical treatment was not promising, he had to overdub the right-hand parts with his left hand. Palmer suffered problems with
carpal tunnel syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the collection of symptoms and signs associated with median neuropathy at the carpal tunnel. Most CTS is related to idiopathic compression of the median nerve as it travels through the wrist at the carpal tunn ...
, which led to numbness in his fingers, but was rid of it by an operation.
"Daddy" was written by Lake in memory of missing child
Sara Anne Wood and was used to raise awareness of missing and abducted children. The royalties from the song initially brought in $5,000 and were donated to the Sara Anne Wood Rescue Center, a national non-profit foundation established by Wood's father.
"Street War" originated in summer 1988 sessions by Lake with Geoff Downes under the project name Ride the Tiger, but was reworked for this album by adding and rewriting lyrics and composing new music. Ride the Tiger was finally released in 2015.
Reception
The album was a commercial flop. It received very little airplay and was the only Emerson, Lake & Palmer studio recording not to chart on the US
''Billboard'' 200. ''In the Hot Seat'' is their least-selling album.
Marc Loren of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
rated ''In the Hot Seat'' 1.5 out of 5 stars, saying it "falls short on so many levels that not even the talents of three phenomenal musicians can save it," and named "Hand of Truth" and "Daddy" as among the few highlights.
Keith Olsen later regretted having produced the album, saying it had "No songs, no preparation, no work ethic," while Carl Palmer described the album as "dreadful".
Track listing
2017 Deluxe Edition
Personnel
;Emerson, Lake & Palmer
*
Keith Emerson
Keith Noel Emerson (2 November 1944 – 11 March 2016) was an English keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer. He played keyboards in a number of bands before finding his first commercial success with the Nice in the late 1960s. He became ...
– keyboards, keyboard programming
*
Greg Lake
Gregory Stuart Lake (10 November 1947 – 7 December 2016) was an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He gained prominence as a founding member of the progressive rock bands King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP).
Born and b ...
– vocals, guitar, bass
*
Carl Palmer
Carl Frederick Kendall Palmer (born 20 March 1950) is an English drummer best known as founding member and the last surviving member of the progressive rock supergroup Emerson, Lake & Palmer. He was also a founding member of progressive rock s ...
– drums
;Additional musicians
*
Bill Wray
Bill Wray (born Shreveport, Louisiana) is an American musician, composer and producer. His performing career spanned the mid 1970s through the early 1980s. Since then he has written and produced a variety of artists from glam metal to cajun. He is ...
– backing vocals (on "Thin Line")
* Paula Mattioli – backing vocals (on "Thin Line")
* Kristen Olsen – additional vocal (on "Daddy")
*
Tim Pierce
Tim Pierce (born 1959 in Albuquerque) is an American session guitarist. He has worked for artists such as Joe Cocker, Crowded House, Goo Goo Dolls, Michael Jackson, Beth Hart, Roger Waters, Alice Cooper, Johnny Hallyday, Phil Collins, and the C ...
– additional guitars
[http://www.brain-salad.com/Digest/back-issues/1995/elp-digest-05-20.txt ]
* Richard Baker – additional keyboard programming
* Brian Foraker – additional keyboard programming
* Keith Wechsler – drum programming, additional keyboard programming
;Choir (on "Pictures at an Exhibition")
* Fred White
* Ricky Nelson
*
Lynn B. Davis
* Linda McCrary
;Technical personnel
*
Keith Olsen
Keith Alan Olsen (May 12, 1945 – March 9, 2020) was an American record producer and sound engineer, who worked with Magnum, Rick Springfield, Fleetwood Mac, Ozzy Osbourne, the Grateful Dead, Whitesnake, Pat Benatar, Heart, Santana, Saga, ...
– producer, engineer
* Brian Foraker – engineer
*
Joe Gastwirt
Joe Gastwirt is an American audio engineer, known for digitally remastering hundreds of CDs and LPs for famous artists, including the Grateful Dead, Tom Petty, Helen Reddy, Electric Light Orchestra, Jimi Hendrix, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, The B ...
– mastering engineer (at Ocean View Digital Mastering, Los Angeles)
*
Hans Neleman
Hans Neleman (born 30 May 1960, Vlaardingen) is a Dutch-born international photographer and film director who lives in Connecticut and working in New York City. He is also the founder of boutique stock photography agency Win-initiative and its pro ...
– cover photography
* Karl Kristkeitz – package design
*
Brian Aris
Brian Aris is a British photographer who began his career as a photojournalist. Initially, he was a front line photographer of The Troubles in Northern Ireland, the plight of Palestinian children in Jordan, the civil war in Lebanon, famine in Afr ...
– band photography
Charts
References
{{Authority control
Emerson, Lake & Palmer albums
1994 albums
Progressive rock albums by English artists
Albums produced by Keith Olsen