Greg Lake was part of what was referred to in the ’70s as a “supergroup” – made up of key players from other big-name bands.
In this case, he was part of Emerson, Lake and Palmer – a group whose trademark sound was to incorporate classical riffs in their music.
When he went solo, Lake wrote a Christmas song that was at turns wistful and cynical, an unusual combination. He reminisced about holidays past while decrying the commercialism of the season. He threw in a few measures of a Sergei Prokofiev suite and created “I Believe in Father Christmas.”
The result is what seemed at the time like a very dramatic holiday tune. Is it a classic? I’m not there, but I do like to hear it a time or two every year.
Here is the original:
SUBJECTISM 