Robert Berry announces release of 'The Rules Have Changed' with contributions from late Keith Emerson
Singer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Robert Berry's new album The Rules Have Changed will be released under the name 3.2. The full-length album will feature musical contributions by the late Keith Emerson, of Emerson, Lake & Palmer fame, who was a bandmate of Berry in the band '3'. This is the last musical project in which Emerson was involved prior to his untimely death in 2016.
A preview of the album, the track Somebody's Watching, is available for streaming below. The track is available on all streaming services as well as for instant download with digital pre-orders.
The working relationship between the legendary Keith Emerson and Robert Berry started in 1987. Iconic manager Brian Lane (YES, Asia, A-Ha) and former YES member Carl Palmer arranged a meeting between the two prolific musicians.
The plan was to form a more melodic, song-oriented band (compared to Emerson, Lake & Palmer), which would allow Emerson, Berry and Palmer to follow in the footsteps of the success that Asia and GTR were enjoying in that period.
The result of that collaboration between Emerson, Berry and Palmer was the band 3, and the album To The Power of Three released worldwide by Geffen Records in 1988. The first single, Talkin' 'Bout reached #9 on the Billboard Magazine charts and the band toured the US to support the album. With the success of the first release, Geffen urged the band to go back into the studio to begin work on a second album.
But Emerson felt uncomfortable with Geffen’s momentum stifling, inconsistent strategy that ultimately cut the first album's success short, consequently prompting the band to call it quits. At the time of their breakup, several songs were already written for that second release with some of the songs were later released on Robert Berry’s solo album Pilgrimage to a Point.
In October 2015, conversations about a new 3 album started between Robert Berry and Frontiers President Serafino Perugino as Robert had been speaking to Keith about releasing the long-delayed follow-up album. Along with renewed fan interest in the band, Berry had sparked revived enthusiasm from Keith Emerson for pursuing the project. The exchange of musical ideas and song collaborations ultimately paved the groundwork for this new release to be called 3.2.
Everything was set. Song ideas, studio time, record contract. And then, on one dark day, Emerson’s untimely death made the album an uncertainty. Robert was left with Keith Emerson’s final musical ideas for the project.
From old cassette tapes, keyboard parts written over the phone, to long discussions about style, the framework of the album was set and ready to be produced.
After several months of grieving and contemplation about what to do with these co-written songs and musical fragments from Emerson, Robert decided to resume work on the material that was created and craft a record that would ultimately be a fitting tribute to Keith Emerson’s musical legacy and at the same time re-energize and update the musical style started with 3 some 30 years ago.
The final result is 3.2, a reboot of the original 3 project, centered on Robert Berry’s amazing talent. This is a record that deserves to be heard by each and every fan of the great Keith Emerson and includes some exquisite musical parts, which every progressive music fan will be delighted to indulge in.
"Every second I worked on writing, recording, and performing those songs I had one thing on my mind," says Berry. "The phrase... 'What would Keith do'...drove me, it guided me, it consumed my creativity. It was so important to me to fulfill our vision for this album. I believe Keith worked through me. I especially felt him with me when I did the solos.
"The songs we had worked on together but the solos were to be improvised while recording. You will hear his flare coming through on the solos. The solos are played by me, but, at the same time, also by him. I would never say I was even close to being the player Keith was. But I believe you can hear his spirit in the sound and in my playing. I am so proud of this album. I can't help but think somehow he is proud of the results too."
The Rules Have Changed drops on August 10. Pre-order the album here.
Find the tracklisting and the artwork for the album below.
Tracklisting
1. One By One
2. Powerful Man
3. The Rules Have Changed
4. Our Bond
5. What You’re Dreaming Now
6. Somebody’s Watching
7. This Letter
8. Your Mark On The World