Richard Fraser

Who is Richard Fraser?

Richard Fraser was a lyricist for the British progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

He is notable for receiving credit for their 1970 debut album's third track, the hit "Knife Edge" and for his lyrical contributions to Pictures at an Exhibition. Fraser and bassist Greg Lake wrote the nightmarish lyrics together while Keith Emerson added some improvisations on the Hammond organ.

Most of the music to "Knife Edge" was "borrowed" from the first movement of Leoš Janáček's Sinfonietta, except for the organ solo section, which is a note-for-note quotation of the Allemande of Bach's 1st French Suite in D minor, BWV 812. On the original Cotillion Records USA release of the Emerson, Lake & Palmer LP, Knife Edge was credited entirely to Emerson, Lake and Fraser without any mention of Janáček or Bach; however, on the British Manticore LP re-release, Sinfonietta and Janáček were listed in the album credits, including on the back cover, and Keith Emerson has often mentioned the French Suite quote, including in the 1977 Keyboard Magazine interview.