Keith Emerson and Dario Argento
 
In light of the loss of yet another rock legend last week, prog-rock pioneer, keyboardist and composer Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake & Palmer or ELP, I thought I’d share this video of Emerson in the studio with director Dario Argento working on the soundtrack to Argento’s 1980 film, Inferno.
 

 
The critical reception to Emerson’s Inferno soundtrack didn’t see it receive the same accolades as the Goblin-composed Suspiria‘s music did, which is understandable on many levels, but the fact is that Argento specifically requested that Emerson create something far different than Suspiria‘s much loved score.

For Inferno, Emerson reworked Italian operatic compositions by Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi, including “Va, pensiero, sull’ali dorate” (the chorus from the third act of Verdi’s 1842 opera Nabucco), in five-four time (like the Dave Brubeck classic, “Take Five”). Despite the fact that pretty much of all of the dialog in the six-minute clip is in Italian, it’s still a charming behind-the-scenes look at a lesser known bit of Emerson’s body of work. I’ve also included a video of Keith Emerson performing the theme to Lucio Fulci’s 1984 film, Murder Rock (the film’s soundtrack was also composed by Emerson) as well as the track, “Are the Streets to Blame” (with Doreen Chanter on vocals) on Italian television.
 

Footage of Keith Emerson and Dario Argento together and in the studio during the recording of the soundtrack for “Inferno.”
 

Keith Emerson performing the theme to director Lucio Fulci’s 1984 film, “Murder Rock” on Italian television and the track “Are the Streets to Blame” with Doreen Chanter on vocals.

Previously on Dangerous Minds:
Progrock on Broadway? Keith Emerson & the Nice take a stab at ‘America’ from ‘West Side Story, 1968