Greg Lake I Believe in Father Christmas- Joe Merrick

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Two weeks ago my good friend Chris Nelson sent me an e mail suggesting we record a version of “I Believe in Father Christmas” (released in 1975 by Greg Lake and again in 1977 with Greg’s progressive rock trio Emerson, Lake and Palmer). Chris felt the song would be a great match for my voice. I responded with an enthusiastic YES and we put a recording date in the books. Between the time of our correspondence and the session, Greg Lake passed away. As a child, I was an obsessed geek (still am) with all kinds of music and ELP/Greg’s voice became a part of my being. Greg’s voice has a majestic beauty with a commanding, confident projection.

ELP and progressive rock in general have fallen by the wayside and maybe some of my Facebook friends haven't even heard of Greg Lake or ELP. But, this song written by Greg Lake and Peter Sinfield possesses an imaginative, enigmatic quality in the lyrics and a sparkling holiday spirit in the arrangement. Greg has said it was about his disdain for the commercialism of Christmas.

Last Friday, I pulled an all nighter in the studio to record my tracks from 7PM to 5 AM loving every minute but also feeling a sense of sadness now aware of his passing. My daughter, Elizabeth, is sort of a night owl too and she came up to visit just when I was singing a harmony that was a bit too high for me. So she went in the vocal booth and sang some harmonies which gave this project a warm, specialness for me.The following Monday night, Chris came down to record his guitar parts with brilliant mastery and immediately after, we filmed the video in the live room downstairs with Michael Carroll and his brilliant mastery.

Earlier this year, I was saddened and somewhat disturbed to discover Keith Emerson (composer and pioneering keyboardist for ELP) died by suicide. Keith developed a degenerative disease that prevented him from playing piano which lead to his apparently inescapable depression. So with love, sadness and the Spirit of Christmas, it is my sincere pleasure to share the song and video with all my friends. Merry Christmas!

~ Joe
P.S. If you want a free mp3 please email at jhmerrick@hotmail.com