LOAD YOUR BROWSER. I AM PRETENTIOUS.
Emerson, Lake and Palmer are quite possibly
the world's most reviled band. Now, they were extremely popular in
the early 70's among those who 'took themselves seriously'
(especially college students), and even today they maintain a
sizable cult following, so it would be unfair to say that absolutely
nobody likes them. Regardless, however, this is a perfectly legitimate
statement on the general level. Fans of punk have always detested them as
they would any prog band, but this extended far beyond normal levels of
loathing; as an example, one of the staples of late 70's Sex Pistols shows
was to burn life-size statues of Keith Emerson in effigy.
Now, this normally wouldn't be such a bad thing, since after all hatred of
art-rock and prog-rock was one of the most important principles upon which
the punk movement was founded. No, what distinguished ELP was the amount
of venom spewed upon them by other "high-brow" artists and their
various followers. Fans of classical music absolutely despised them for
"butchering" various well-known pieces in their attempts to interpret
these standards in a rock idiom. There is a nugget of truth to this, of
course (Pictures at an Exhibition is often quite a stretch from the
original Mussorgsky piece, to put it mildly), but ... I dunno. I'm sure
that a good number of the band's fans became fans of classical music due
to their efforts, so that should be worth something. Or maybe the older
generation was just mad about all these young whippersnappers infiltrating
their societal niche ....
The greatest insult of all, of course, is that even among some prog lovers, they're hated like crazy! Now, prog is often considered a relatively open-ended term, and many are eager to classify any band with
the least bit of 'artsy' leanings as one. Hence, many groups are GROSSLY misclassified in this genre. Styx, Journey, Kansas ... all are talentless (well, ok, they're talented at their instruments, so if you want, let's say tasteless instead) buffoons with large egos but little else, and let's face it, you really
need compositional talent to be a decent prog group (though I guess Kansas and Styx can technically qualify as prog. Ehn). The Moody Blues and Procol Harum often get the tag, but that's only because of the slight symphonic elements in their sound (from mellotron in the former, organs in the
latter); both are most definitely rooted in pop, and it should definitely be noted that the former's concepts are never as overwhelmingly bizarre as one would expect from a true prog band (not to mention that the chord
progressions are never in the least bit intimidating). Jethro Tull ... well, Jethro Tull was a prog band for the bulk of the 70's, sure, but with a couple of MAJOR exceptions, their progressive stuff was
extremely second-rate; I vastly prefer to think of Tull in terms of Teacher and the like as opposed to garbage like Minstrel in the Gallery. And finally, it is highly tempting to refer to Pink Floyd as
progressive, but ... avant-garde yes. Artsy, yes. Pretentious, yes. But the lyrics are, again, always either psychedelic, folk, pop, or hyper-angsty. They weren't really prog outside of Meddle and Animals, if you ask me. Anyway, the whole point of this is that among English
speaking groups (I'm not even going to try and fake any knowledge about German prog or anything like that), there are really five widely acknowledged "classic" prog groups (and yes, I'm aware of the existence of Gentle Giant and Van Der Graff, but I'm speaking of widely acknowledged groups, groups that a casual rock fan who may know vaguely enough about prog to have made some level of judgement will recognize): Yes, ELP, Rush (though that's debatable),
Genesis (the Gabriel-era stuff plus Trick of the Tail and Wind and Wuthering, that is), and first-period King Crimson (later incarnations of King Crimson were certainly prog, but not in the "classic" definition of the word, nor did they strive to be after the initial incarnation). And almost universally, ELP is considered the worst of all of these.
Now, for many, a sufficient explanation of this is simply, "ELP sucks!".
Needless to say, I think that is a grave mistake (myself, I would rate them third on the list, behind Yes and Genesis - note, however, that I now consider King Crimson on the whole to be far superior to ELP, even though first-period KC only has two albums worth caring about), but I think I can make a good estimation on the real reasons people despise this band. The first, and the most obvious, was the group's relatively heavy emphasis on classical music in their sound. Yes, progressive rock almost always has at
least a tinge of some classical elements, but ELP's music had the greatest concentration of it in their music, BY FAR. Now, it's not as if that was the only type of music they did, not at all, but among their
discography you can find covers of Copeland, Holst, Bartok, and they even did a full album rendition of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. Their self-penned material would also sometimes have a
pure 'orchestral' feel as well, and they even managed to create a new and totally bizarre genre, the 'rock-symphony.'
The band's classical leanings, however, are not the only significant
difference between ELP and the others on the list. A key thing to note
about ELP is that, besides King Crimson, none of the others on the list
were prog-groups from the get-go. Yes started as a jazzy, psychedelic rock
band, and it wasn't until their third LP that they really became Yes as we
know them. Rush began as a hard-rock garage band, modeling themselves
after Led Zeppelin and Cream. And Genesis, well, Genesis started as a
bunch of teenagers trying to sell pop songs to the public and not
succeeding one iota (which is a shame, seeing as there are tons of great
melodies on their debut). ELP, however, was pretentious and progressive
from the very beginning, which makes sense. Both Keith Emerson (The Nice)
and Greg Lake (King Crimson) were former key members of groups that had
pretty much created the genre, and as such one could only expect them to
continue what they seemed to have a knack for. Add in Carl Palmer's
technically perfect drumming, and you have a group created for
pretentiousness and lots of it.
There is one more aspect that sets ELP apart from the other groups, and
that deals with the center of the band's sound. Rush focused on the
blistering chops of their guitar and bass players. Yes, regardless of
Wakeman's presence, rotated around their amazing bassist, Chris Squire.
Genesis tried to emphasize Peter Gabriel's vocals and his bizarre
fantasies over the less-than-stellar chops of the rest of the group. In
the Court of the Crimson King, regardless of all of the mellotrons,
was extremely guitar heavy, not to mention the saxaphones and other reed
instruments. ELP, however, did not revolve around a guitar or bass player
like the others. ELP was always centered on the keyboards of Keith
Emerson. Now, it's not that he was a bad player, FAR from it. It's just
that, well, he could be a bit too showoffy. Plus the fact that he often
employed some extremely bizarre and occasionally annoying synth tones
that few others would even touch. And since most people would rather hear
guitar wanking than synth wanking, it's only natural that there would be a
huge turn-away from this group.
I think I have made it sufficiently clear that ELP is not for everyone.
The thing is, for the longest time I refused to give them even the
slightest chance, and that's a shame, because they really aren't bad!
For starters, each of them was a highly talented and extremely
professional musician, and even haters of the band have to give them that.
Keith Emerson, let's face it, was almost indisputably the greatest
keyboardist on earth, hands down (I think he was officially given the
title by some renowned magazine twenty five times in a period of thirty
years). Hence, he was often able to make large parts of the group's
compositions come alive by the sheer force of his talent alone, whereas in
the hands of any lesser player it might have been deadly boring.
Meanwhile, just as important for the group was vocalist/guitarist/bassist
Greg Lake. With the exception of Justin Hayward, NOBODY was a better rock
singer than him in the 70's. He was always able to add incredible power
and powerful emotional content to the highly abstract and bizarre lyrics
that always accompanied the group's music. And one should certainly not
minimize his guitar and bass playing, not at all. And finally, there was
drummer Carl Palmer, as fine a prog drummer as one could find in the
world; with an impeccably fluid and solid playing technique, his playing
abilities in the prog universe were surpassed only by Bill Bruford
himself.
The fact remains, however, that impeccable instrumental technique is not
the only requirement for being a good and distinctive progressive rock
band. After all, if all I cared about was great playing abilities, I would
be sitting here reviewing various jazz recordings rather than talking
about rock and its various forms. You see, it's a common misconception
that the band was primarily a medium for the grandiose ambitions of
Emerson. Now, don't get me wrong, the man could write an excellent and
supremely catchy synth jam (Karn Evil 9.1 in particular), but in NO WAY
was Keith the creative epicenter of the band's music. No, that honor fell
to Lake, who was an extremely talented pop song and ballad writer.
I mean, grandiose and overblown as Tarkus is, it's really just three
short, very catchy Lake numbers whose various musical themes are expanded
upon with the help of Keith's synths and are reprised in just the right
amounts. And that's hardly the only example, as great songs like Lucky Man
or Epitaph (from his King Crimson days) will show.
In any case, the point I'm trying to make is that the music of ELP, in
general, is nowhere near as intimidating as it is often made out to be. If
you're looking for solid pop and rock embellished with a bit of jazz and a
healthy amount of classical and symphonic aspirations, you shouldn't be
afraid to give them a try. I used to rate them as a two-star band, but surprisingly found that my enjoyment of the band has only increased over time (in particular, the debut REALLY grew on me, as you'll see in a bit), so a three-star rating (out of five) seems appropriate enough. Now go ahead and flame me for liking them as much as, say, Led Zeppelin. Barry Allen Schnorr (bas29@cornell.edu)
Also, I'd like to respond to a few things on your general discussion of
ELP...right or wrong, King Crimson is my favorite band, and I hope that by
the time you get around to reviewing them, I will have forgotten who you
were and say "John McFerrin? He was the quarterback for the Baltimore
Orioles back in the 90's, wasn't he?" What on earth were you thinking when
you called '80s crimson "primarily New Age"? It bears no more similarity
to
New Age (author's note: that's WAVE Barry, New WAVE) nonsense than
Yes's foray into '80s pop, and maintains the band's
old artistic sense. As to the latest incarnation, THRAK included
Soundscapes and songs like "Inner Garden"--not their best work, I admit,
but to call it "progressive-*gasp*-punk"...I can't ask what you were
thinking, I must ask what you were _smoking_.
And limiting the number of aceepted progressive groups to 5? I can
understand your leaving out the Moody Blues and Procul Harum and even
Jethro Tull (though I don't) but calling Pink Floyd not-prog? I simply
cannot agree with you there, and neither can the people who compiled The
Progressive Rock Era. When people ask me for examples of prog, I always
mention Pink Floyd because they may be the only group the ignoramuses have
heard of. Gentle Giant is too obscure to make the list? What about early
period Alan Parsons Project, which even Dr. Evil's kid knew was a
progressive rock band? Well, my point is not to disagree with what you
said
about the bands, it's just that to say there was only 5 "widely
acknowledged" progressive rock groups sounds kind of silly. And, of
course,
just to contradict for the sake of it, because I'm an agressive,
objectionable prick, just like all ELP fans.
George Starostin (gstarst@yahoo.com)
I'd just like to mail an objection to Barry Allen Schnorr...
I think, Barry, that it all boils down to what one actually calls
'progressive' music (or progressive rock). Why argue about the term with
foam at your mouth when it's obvious that you and John mean different
things under it? Apparently, you use it in the broader term, that's
rather the equivalent of 'art-rock' in general. John, on the other hand,
is limiting the term to a specific genre of music - rock music with a
very heavy classical influence and an overall obscure, mystical, and
most often bombastic atmosphere around it. That's what I usually
understand as 'progressive' as well; it's better to limit the term so
that it wouldn't be confused with 'art-rock' in general, which, in my
understanding, is a far wider sphere of music (basically, 'prog' is one
of the numerous form of 'art-rock').
In this respect, Pink Floyd are certainly NOT prog-rock: they had glimpses
of prog in the early Seventies around them, like with Atom Heart
Mother,
for instance, but since Dark Side, they abandoned all prog in
favour of a more commercial, simplified approach. I do not make any
positive/negative statements here, mind you, just telling facts as they
are.
Also, John is right in saying there are only five 'widely acknowledged'
prog bands. If you are a prog lover, you'll be offended by this, of
course; but I'm sorry, the name 'Gentle Giant' says nothing to the
general public (a shame, but so it is), and Alan Parsons Project is
crap, so it SHOULD say nothing. As for Jethro Tull, they certainly were
a prog-rock band, too, but only somewhere in between 1972-79.
And, of course, it's ridiculous that you should confuse 'New Age' with
'New Wave'. And what do you mean by 'New Age nonsense'? Have you ever
listened to Brian Eno?
George Starostin
Barry Allen Schnorr (bas29@cornell.edu)
OK, I'm sorry I parsed "New Wave" as "New Age". I don't use the term
"New
Wave" very often, even though I do like some New Wave music and, now that
I
think about it, '80s King Crimson could definitely be said to be New Wave.
When I originally read your site, I had King Crimson's Three of a
Perfect
Pair in my CD player with "That Which Passes, Passes Like Clouds"
playing
and I parsed your phrase as "New Age" and thought, "This song for one is
kind of ambient and a half assed attempt to be trippy, kind of like Enya,
so maybe you could call this version of Crimson New Age BUT ONLY BY AN
EXTREME STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION. Which is true. But irrelevant. I
missed
the boat on that one.
Then again, I may have a completely wrong idea of what the definition of
New Age is, but I don't care.
By the way, I'm not budging on this "progressive punk" thing. Whether
you
use a more narrow definition of 'prog' or a broader one, I think you have
to agree that prog and punk are not only opposites but mortal enemies.
(author's note): In theory yes, but on the other hand, we did have
groups like Metallica, who in their early days could certainly have been
called both a progressive and a punk (well, thrash actually, but
thrash is more or less descended from punk) band. Also, Barry, you should
know that before I said anything about Crimson, I made sure to
consult with my brother, a HUGE fan of the Fripper gang, and it was he who
proposed the punk-prog idea. I merely agreed with him.
Maybe Fripp has said that he admires punk, but that is just one more
reason
why I cannot take seriously anything he has said since about 1989.
Fleetwood the Artistite (fleetwoodwm@yahoo.com)
We, as with anyone else agree and disagree on ceratin
points, such as what we like and dislike about
particular ELP songs. I shan't argue that. Opinions
are opinions. However there are a few factual flaws
and points that need mentioning:
- "various tones he could coax out of his mellotrons
and keyboards"
Keith Emerson never played a mellotron - it would be
interesting to know why he never did
jesusmyth@arabia.com
Ich habbe gelost ein fohrtz. I had one grunch but the eggplant over
there. Close cover before striking. 5 years or 50,000 miles. No
interest until February. Accept credit cards at your website! Toora
Loora Loora, it's an Irish melody.
Your opinions ain't worth shit, buddy.
(author's note): And yours are? At least I don't sit at my
computer and write e-mails of incomprehensible jibberish.
ELP and Brain Salad Surgery is up there among the gods of
Rock.
Kerry Canfield (keriz@teleport.com)
Don't know how long your site's been going, so I don't know if this is new
news or not.
While we were listening to "Emerson, Lake & Palmer" (that is, the
first album) at my parents' house, my mom told me that much of "The
Barbarian" is adapted from Bela Bartok's piece called "Allegro Barbaro"
(seems I had even played the original at one time myself and had forgotten
about it!). Then a year or so later I happened to check out of a library
a classical album with a Hindemith piece on one side and some piece called
"Sinfonietta" by some Hungarian guy named Janacek of whom I'd never heard.
Just for the heck of it I listened to the Janacek first. When I heard the
first few chords, my jaw dropped--it sounded like the opening to "Knife
Edge." The further I listened, though, I realized it was definitely not
coincidence; except for the Bach excerpt in the middle and the organ
soloing, the entirety of "Knife Edge" was lifted--melody, harmony, and
rhythm--from the first section of the Janacek piece.
And yet Mr. Best Rock Keyboardist never gave these composers he RIPPED OFF
(and how can one call it anything else?) until years later in "Keyboard"
magazine, where he admitted when questioned by a reviewer that, yes, he'd
used someone else's music, but he'd thought his "borrowings" were
sufficiently removed from the originals not to be plagiarism.
Interesting, though, that he credited Copland on other recordings, and
Mr. Copland happened to be alive at the time--whereas Bartok and Janacek
were definitely long dead (and presumably their estates lacked the
international clout to claim their due).
It gets worse (though going back in time). Emerson had the unmitigated
gall to state in the same interview that he "thought" that "Rondo" by the
Nice had "contained some quotes." Not even one oblique reference to the
fact that the core of the piece (and the unfortunate excuse for several
minutes of additional keyboard wankery) was an unabashed reworking into
12/8 meter of Dave Brubeck's "Blue Rondo a la Turk," which was in 9/8
time. To add insult to injury, then, not only did he not credit the true
composer, he turned a piece with a truly captivating meter and rhythm
(especially when considered in the context of most jazz of the time) into
a pointless, heavy handed 4/4 jig!
I've been an Emerson fan ever since the first LP, but this business always
sat wrong with me, and since I've seen no one else mention it on this
page, I felt compelled to do so. Thanks for listening.
Eric Williamson (erwill@suitandtieguy.com)
I think that one of the things your forget to mention is that ELP had a
shameless sloppiness about them that was not present in any other prog bands,
the exception being the Islands-period King Crimson.
The sloppiness is one of the things I find charming about the band. The other
is
their extreme emotional dynamic, half the time super-serious and half the time
super-ridiculous.
John Capogreco (capogreco@CIDTEC.COM)
You were correct when you stated that Keith Emerson has played a
Mellotron. If anyone doubts this, just check out the intro to
"Eruption" on Tarkus. Those layered human voice "ahhh's" that slowly
fade in are indeed played on a Mellotron. Besides, the instrument is
listed in the liner notes along with all the other keyboards used.
For what it's worth, I think that it's impossible for anyone who doesn't
personally know Keith to say with certainty that he "has never played"
any particular instrument.
rob kipp (rkipp@si.rr.com) (8/25/01)
Firstly, Keith Emerson has NOT used a Mellotron. Tarkus was recorded in
1971, there were no choir sounds on the Mellotron at that time (The M400
came out at the end of 1971, Tarkus was recorded at the beginning).
Keith has said that he does not use it because it is playing playing back
what someone else recorded, which would go against his "principles." (I
don't understand why, that's what he said though). However, Greg Lake
used one on stage only once or twice in 1972 when they tried to play
"Abaddon's Bolero" live, which obviously did not work. All of the choir
or string sounds used up until "Works" (where he used a whole orchestra)
came from the Modular Moog or Minimoog.
Having said that, some people have complained about the narrowing down of
the important prog groups to only five. I think the list is pretty
good. These five band have had the most commerical influence on other
groups, so they are the most important, but not necessarily the best.
(My favorite is Genesis personally). I could not count Pink Floyd under
the criteria of quasi-orchestral fullness and bombast, but in terms of
sheer ambition, I don't think any other band has released FIVE concept
albums, one a double! Lyrically, their scope is as far-reaching as the
"real" prog groups, if a little more direct. Jethro Tull I wouldn't
consider as well, because their influences came not from European
classical music of the 19th and 20th century, but from folk and
Renaissance music influences, which is not classical in the sense that we
use it in now.
I do enjoy ELP's music, but I think their instrumental virtuosity was
definitely overpowering, and sometimes overbearing, when compared with
the virtuosity of Genesis and Gentle Giant (sort of middle-ground) and
Pink Floyd (no real virtuousity, though I love David Gilmour as a
guitarist). They were the most directly classically influenced-group,
and were very important in bringing some classical music to a mainstream
audience. Keith Emerson, like it or not, has to be regarded as the best
keyboard player ever to emerge from the rock era, no "rock" musician has
ever attempted anything like their own piano concerto!? Greg Lake is a
distinctive bassist and unbelievable singer (though I still believe he
never sounded as good as he did on "In the Court of the Crimson King")
and Carl Palmer is an unbelievable drummer. It's a shame their output
since 1977 has been so spotty, unlike Crimson or Yes or Genesis. They
are very much an important part of prog-rock who deserve respect at least
if not the adoration of music fans or prog fans alike.
Steven Knowlton (knowstev@med.umich.edu) (10/11/01)
To weigh in on the "is a mellotron a keyboard instrument" issue, I'd like to
say:
The mellotron is not a musical instrument at all - it's a form of tape
recorder. The playback function is controlled by a keyboard, and the tapes can
be arranged to play a pattern like that of a keyboard instrument, but
technologically, it's still a tape recorder. The same effect could be
achieved, much more laboriously, by splicing tape together.
john sieber (oneofakind151@hotmail.com) (10/15/01)
Mr. Knowlton:
No offense intended here, but... please.
TheeRubberCow@aol.com (12/28/01)
It is a shame that they get so much hatred. I don't like when they do
classical pieces like "Fanfare For the Common Man" and stuff like that,
but they have got some great stuff! "From the Beginning" has some of the
best sounds I've ever heard on the radio, and the really electronic
sounds that Keith uses on "Brain Salad Surgery" are awesome. Not to
mention some good songwriting, and a great singer....esp. on "The Enless
Enigma."
splazo@telus.net (1/08/03)
I often hear the claim that Keith Emerson is the best rock keyboard player
of all time, but I have yet to figure out why people say such things. For
starters, he can't really play a decent solo. Perhaps the fact that he's
tone deaf is the thing holding him back. Just listen to the rubbish solo in
lucky man. He's sliding the pitch bend on his synth allover the place and
never really hitting an in tune note. I'd always figured that being the
petulent wanker that he is, he was simply trying to sabotage Lake's pretty
little ballad, but maybe that's just really the best he can play.
Another serious shortcoming of his playing is that he can't really play all
that quickly. Not that I put much stock in sheer speed as a redeeming
feature of music, but it seems a fairly objective measure of chops. It's
pretty obvious that when he's getting himself all worked up into a lather in
one of his frenzied wankathons that he's playing as quickly as his big dorky
hands will carry him, and that speed simply isn't up to par compared to the
competition.
Also, his melodic sense is more than a little lacking. Just listen to the
solo in Tiger In A Spotlight for instance. It's like he's used up everything
he meant to play before the allotted number of bars had elapsed and he's
just stuck there without a plan running down the clock. Best keyboard player
in the world and he can't count to 16. Then consider all the sheer crap that
he dared to slap on a record and try to pass off as music on Pictures At An
Exhibition. Shameless meowling without metre melody or chops.
I'm not saying he outright sucks. Just that he's far from head and shoulders
above the competition. Rick Wakeman at full gallop is easily 50% faster than
Emerson at full throttle. Compare the solos from White Rock to those on Karn
Evil 9. No contest. Also notice that Wakeman can bend the pitch all over the
place and land on in tune notes at will. That's the difference that having
an ear makes. ( White Rock, imho, isn't an especially good Wakeman record,
just one where his synth soloing admits of direct comparison to those of
Emerson, much to the disadvantage of the latter. Almost any Wakeman album
will have solos beyond the technical abilities of Emerson.)
Tony Banks can only play a solo at about the same speed as Emerson, but his
melodic sense and ability to ration his chops evenly over the time allotted
for the solo similarly leaves him as an overall more impressive soloist. As
an accompianist his chops put those of Emerson to shame. ( Well, not really
since Emerson is totally shameless, but if he were capable of shame they
would. ) Check out the intricate overhanded tremello chording throughout
The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway for instance. A truly amazing display of
virtuosity if you take the time to notice. The nice thing is though, that
you don't have to notice, because the song works just fine without drawing
your attention to the incredible workout that Banks is getting on the song.
What strikes the listener is a richly textured song rather than some
hyperactive prima dona who has to keep his hands busy.
Given that Emerson simply doesn't measure up when compared to either of his
chief prog rival keyboardist, I'd have to conclude that the wildly
hyperbolic claims as to his abilities arise more from the manner in which
his sub par skills have been packaged. While Wakeman ( even on his solo
outings ) and Banks are generally presented in the context of a full 5+
piece band, Emerson was only able to hog the amount of ice time he wanted by
dispensing with all other treble clef instruments in his band. ( In fact,
when Lake left King Crimson to join ELP, Fripp offered to come along too,
but Emerson nixed that proposal on the grounds that he wasn't interested in
working with a guitarist. ) It's pretty easy for a keyboard player to shine
when he's just working with bass and drums, even a tone deaf noodler like
Emerson.
phil robertson (philrobertson@shaw.ca) (9/02/03)
haha man you sure put a lot of energy into hating a band! Whatever,
thats your perogative I guess. They were pretentious yes but at least
Keith Emerson was a great musician on a technical level, you have to give
him that. They had a few nice accoustic ballads too here and there.
Marie (marie@xpressweb.com) (9/08/03)
"Styx, Journey, Kansas ... all are talentless buffoons with large egos
but little else,"
I'll grant you Styx, but Journey and Kansas talentless? Steve Parry is
possibly the greatest male vocalist of the late 70s and early
80s. Journey's talent wasn't in the writing, it was in the execution.
They were excellent on stage, and their playing was about as perfect as
any artists could hope.
Kansas was the opposite. Not that they were bad musicians, but their
talent was in their songwriting. They were superb song-smiths. From
simple pieces like "Dust in the Wind" to complex creations like "The
Wall" and "Play the Game Tonight," listening to Kansas was always an
emotional experience.
You may not like the mainstream rock musicians from the late 70s and
early 80's, but please give credit where credit is due. Were Journey and
Kansas over-hyped? Probably. Talentless? Not even close.
PAUL RASANEN (rasanenp@gte.net) (8/07/04)
I saw ELP in 1977 at the coliseum in Seattle. I believe their concert
was about a month after I saw Led Zep in the Kingdome. ELP was a far
better concert than Zep put on that year. Actually it was one of the
best I've seen. How you can rate Bill Bruford over Carl Palmer is
beyond me. I have not seen a better drummer ever! Emerson, well, lets
just leave that! There's no one close to him. Lake is awesome. Why do
you think the Who used him for their latest release! There's my two
cents! I like their music! I like a hell of a lot of other rock music.
I'd probly say The Who is my favorite.
Joshua Raisen (joshuaraisen@comcast.net) (12/09/04)
Stumbled across your page on them, and I bet you wrote all that ten years
ago, but hope you don't mind if I felt like writing.
Wouldn't know a mellotron if it bit me in the ass, but I always thought
Wakeman was a better keyboard player than Emerson, and never thought Greg
Lake was anything better than an average guitarist. I dug some of his
bass lines, though, and I have to mention the little screeching fills in
"Stones of Years," probably the most gut-wrenching thing he ever played.
Loved Tarkus. Fucking loved it. Man that album is great alll the way
through, and I like side one better than side two. When I was like 19 or
20 I once played side one all the way through and then dd it again before
playing side two. Wouldn't even do that with Close to the Edge.
Trilogy and Pics at an Exhibition are excellent in my bag, too, but the
first one is only OK, and everything else is totally boring. ELP sucked
in 1977 like Yes wouldn't suck until 1984, and King Crimson has never
sucked that bad, unless maybe 1971.
Kansas were a great prog band who rocked like none other (coz they
weren't English Art School wankers, of course).
I always thought Genesis were more boring than golf.
Great story about the Sex Pistols burning effigies of Keith Emerson (and
I'm sure you know that John Lydon wore (I Hate) Pink Floyd T-shirts as
early as 1975), but in the end ELP made three great records and the
Pistols made one.
I liked those stupid Eglish pub rockers like "Are you Ready Eddie" and
"Jeremy Bender. Didn't you?
Listened to all this prog stuff in high school, when I ranked them Yes,
Kansas, ELP, King Crimson, then got into Iron Maiden and Metallica, and
did up the punk and hardcore thing in college. Listen to Godpeed you
Black Emperor and 90 Day men now. But I'll still pull out Trilogy from
time to time.
sailing2427 (sailing2427@rogers.com) (12/16/04)
Bill Bruford a better drummer than Carl Palmer; man you are out to
lunch!!!!
Steve Winkler (spwinkler@hotmail.com) (03/06/04)
So you don't like prog rock as a style of modern music? Fine, but what I'd
like to know is how many of you are serious musicians? What I have
typically found is that those who are the most critical of prog rock
musicians can't even play chopsticks on the piano. Back in the day, prog
rock groups tended to be the favorites of a lot of serious rock musicians
because of the technical structure of the music and the challenge it
presents to write and play it. Look, Led Zeppelin was a great rock band but
you gotta admit, the stuff that Zeppelin wrote was a heck of a lot easier to
write and play than say what ELP, Yes, Kansas or Rush wrote. And speaking
of groups like Kansas, have you lost your (#$%#*@$) mind? Give a listen
once again to songs like "Spider" or "Paradox". Prog rock players/writers
like Keith Emerson, Steve Howe, Greg Lake, Steve Walsh, Bill Bruford, Alex
Lifeson, Rick Wakeman, Kerry Livgren, Chris Squire etc. could WRITE AND OR
PLAY "circles, squares, rectangles etc." around 95% of the NO TALENT feces
of today who try to pass themselves off as musicians. I mean you have got
to be kidding me! Let any one of your suck ass punk band no-counts come to
one of my rehearsals and just see how lost they would be. "duhhhhhh, what's
a DMaj7? Sharp, what's that mean?". "I'll tell you what it means, it means
get the (#$^%) outta' here and go get yourself some lessons or a chord book
and learn how to play your ($#%&*#@) intrument!"
SolomonsOther@aol.com (03/15/05)
I admit it. Keith Emerson can PLAY! Greg Lake can SING! Carl Palmer
can DRUM!
I just... god, I just get bored with Emerson's technique so quickly.
The man has a lot of energy and can write seriously complicated
music... I just wish he'd have been more interested in jazz and not
classical music. That rapid fire style of his would've done wonders.
Procol Harum and the Moody Blues (two awesome yet underrated bands)
have proven than you can blend classical and popular influences and
yet not overwhelm the listener. The thing about Emerson is that he
rarely takes the time to write out interesting melodies and instead
piles layers of keyboards on eachother. Works some of the time, but
usually I feel the need to put on Simon and Garfunkel to remind
myself of the power of simplicity or something really nasty by Zappa
to remind me great art doesn't need to be grandiose... just
interesting.
Oh, and I wish Greg Lake would play something more often. He's shown
himself to be a pretty decent instrumentalist, whenever Emerson is
too tired to more or less perform EVERYTHING in a particular song.
Pedro Andino (pedroandino@msn.com) (06/25/05)
why don't ya' shut your fucking mouth fagwads! buncha 50 cent loving
cocklicking fags! nothing like a little prindle styled humor to start
your fucking day, bitches! I say the 5 synth players it had to be
wakeman! I like wakeman! and trust me his goofy soloing in the song
golden age was pretty funny! but when songs like and you and I came
out his solos are tastefuly done. tony banks is the best. the intro
to firth of fifth was the most beautiful intro by tony. emerson was
good but guys I'm sorry I must say love beach is better than failed
flops like black moon and calling all stations and union. I like the
sound of mellotrons. journey rocks you fag! kansas rocks to! 50 cett
is a faggoty CONSUCKING PIECE OF
SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! fuck off ya'
trendwhores!
Trfesok@aol.com (06/07/06)
The thing about ELP, I think, is that they became victims of their
own ambitions. Particularly Emerson's. They were willing to try
anything at least once, continually pushing at the boundaries between
rock, classical and jazz. Part of the problem is that most of the
fans were not willing to go the distance. Not everybody wanted to
hear a full length piano concerto on one of their albums, for
instance. They were bound to, sooner or later, run up against the
limits of their deep talents sooner or later, and unable to go
backwards into standard pop territory too well. Nonetheless, they did
come up with some music that still is mind-boggling today.
You do point out one thing -- that they steered a lot of listeners
towards the classics. By starting to look for "real" versions of the
pieces that ELP used, I began to develop appreciation for and
enjoyment of classical music. Even today, I'm still seeking out some
of the more obscure ones!
delettao@peoplepc.com (06/07/06)
ELP was/is the absolute pinnacle of ostentatiousness and pretention!
I find all of their material to be thoroughly unlistenable and
almost everyone I knew back in the seventies that was a big fan of
this band was a pen clicking self-important quasi-intellectual
blacklight poster trip art bongbrain asshole as well. I find their
keyboard oriented progressive rock approach to be sterile, boring,
extremely condescending and just basically full of shit. I also agree
with your estimations of Kansas, Journey and Styx, three other
godawful reasons to avoid classic rock radio stations. Give me the
Circle Jerks or something, please! This band was never any good or
any fun. And I don't want to be "coaxed" into listening to revamped
classical music compositions by Mr. Emerson either...go to hell!
Pedro Andino (pedroandino@msn.com) (07/24/06)
shut the fuck up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! goddamn I am tired
of faggots like you insulting my band. hey! faggot just bought the
new 50 cent album! eat cock you fucking trendwhores!!!!!!!!!!!
Ray Worden (rworden@inebraska.com) (01/30/07)
Well I just stumbled across this site. So I will offer my opinion on
Emerson Lake and Palmer as band, and how this band impacted my life
and musical career. I should say at this point that I am a
professional musician, and I earn my living making music. I was
exposed to Emerson Lake and Palmer in the 70's. I must tell you that
I had never heard music like this before. It just blew me away, it
was so different than anything I had heard before. I had been
listening to the Beatles and the Stones which I really love to this
day. Yet in the 70's we were exposed to all that disco crap ! When I
heard Emerson lake and Palmer it was breath of fresh air !
Trilogy and Brain Salad Surgury just blew me away ! I wore out those
records because I listened to them so many times. I really think that
was their best work. So Creative ! Lucky Man, well that was their big
hit, yet not my favorite song.
Maybe these guys were not the best musicians on the planet, yet they
created something special for us back then. One of the reasons that I
do what I do now is because of that band !! And Maybe that is the
endless enigma !! :-)
Best song: Rondo (minus the drum solo)
The thing that irritates me most about this album is the fact that, despite lots of leftover space, it heavily abridges this performance from the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival. There apparently used to be a limited release version of this concert, with full performances of The Barbarian (conspicuously absent here), Take a Pebble and Pictures at an Exhibition, and I'd have really appreciated having a chance to hear them. On the other hand, that album lacked the band's performance of Rondo, so I guess this isn't a total loss. It's done just as it was when Emerson was with The Nice, and aside from the rather pointless drum solo (though done in Palmer's usual technically immaculate manner), it's a lot of fun to listen to. It's not quite on the level of The Barbarian in the realm of rock adaptations of classical numbers, but it's close, and Emerson's keyboards are always entertaining when they're angry-sounding.
The bulk of the album is taken up by the opening rendition of Pictures at an Exhibition, which is cut from its actual length by about a third, but is edited fairly well. Unlike the much later Works Live edit, this at least touches on all the parts that show up on Pictures at an Exhibition (The Sage is here, as is The Old Castle/Blues Variations), and it ends up working well as an effective 'timesaver' version of PaaE. And actually, Nutrocker is here too, so I guess that, were one so inclined, one could opt for purchasing this instead of PaaE, even if I definitely wouldn't recommend it.
What's here of Take a Pebble is nice as well, but unfortunately that's the only other track here. In the end, then, I'm kinda disappointed by the sparseness of this release, even if it is one of those dualdisc albums that also features a 5.1 mix of the audio. It's a neat historical document (it was the band's second performance, predating the release of its fabulous debut album), and it's fun to imagine the cannons going off at the end of The Great Gates of Kiev, but except for the rousing Rondo, I can't highly recommend it.
Daniel Bosch (bicycle_legs@optusnet.com.au) (09/29/07)
Couldn't agree more. Thankfully I picked this up cheap. I think it's
a matter of expectation - I was expecting a concert DVD, what I got
was a documentary. There is a CD version of the actual concert, and
it's pretty neat, but I would love to see ALL the footage of the
performance. It must exist.
Best song: Lucky Man or anything on side one
Boy, did THIS album ever grow on me. When I first reviewed it, I basically liked it, but only gave it a 7/10 (which explains a shocked email below). Then a couple of days later, I realized I was being a bit of a hardass and upped it to an 8. Then when I thought it would go no further, I eventually found something that basically shocked me - not only had this album managed to sneak its way into my top 100 overall (for a while, anyway), it had managed to be an important reason in my upgraded opinion of ELP as a great band. Brain Salad Surgery may be the focus of ELP's fame (for better or for worse), but THIS is the album that makes them deserving of that fame.
Indeed, the first half of this album is just about PERFECT, one of the best sides of any prog album I own. The Barbarian is an astounding opener, an update of an old Bartok piece that takes on a life of its own here. If you're a cynic who says that Emerson's playing is merely self-indulgent tripe that cannot be easily enjoyed by a casual listener, you really need to give this track a listen or three. It took me a while to get into the rest of the album (to varying degrees, anyway), but this track sucked me in right away. The opening distorted bassline/guitarline is much moodier and "tougher" than one would stereotypically expect out of ELP, and once Emerson jumps in with his keyboards and begins driving forward theme after theme with his whole array of piano and organ tricks, any expectation of archetypical British "wussiness" on the album should fly right out the window. All three are at their very best throughout this track, managing to both demonstrate their huge talent AND make sure that the listener actually cares about what they can do with that talent, with the final result an unabashed prog classic.
The next track is no slouch either, and quite possibly even better. Take a Pebble is based around an absolutely gorgeous ballad courtesy of Greg, and what truly makes the song magnificent is the soaring and powerful vocal effort that Lake graces it with. Now, I appreciate Jon Anderson's vocal approach as much as anybody, but I will admit that prog tunes benefit when
the vocalist is able to (almost) convince the listener that the bombastic and meaningless ravings are actually relevant and, well, emotionally move the listener. And Lake does just that; not that the lyrics are all bad ("the sadness on your shoulders like a wornout overcoat, in pockets greased and tattered hang the rags of your hopes," there's a good line), but they really need that extra oomph in order to make them work. In any case, there's also a really nice middle instrumental section. Parts are in typically bombastic classical motifs, but they really sound interesting (once again, Emerson is at his beautiful best, this time on piano), especially after we get to be enchanted with, of all things, a nice Mississippi-style acoustic ditty (which once again provides a perfect example of ELP's ability to deflate itself at needed times, at least in the early days of the band). As you might imagine, when they performed it in concert, they would stick tons of music between the bookends of the piece, often sticking several of their other tunes in the middle, but this 'miniature' seven or eight minute middle section is wonderful in and of itself.
Next up is Knife Edge, which I once disliked for whatever reason, but I was a F-O-O-L. An adapation of a classical piece (the name and author of which escapes me at the moment), this track is a nearly perfect summary of all of ELP's talents, with almost none of the flaws (except possibly "self-indulgence," but that's just something you have to accept with ELP, and besides, nothing about this track is particularly self-indulgent). The basslines RULE, Lake's vocal delivery is aggressive and forceful in a manner that he didn't use nearly enough in the rest of the band's career (yup, I actually prefer aggressive Lake to bombastic Lake, even though the latter is just great), Emerson's playing is a perfect mix of jarring organ dissonance and blazing organ solos (ALL of which are interesting), and of course Palmer is Palmer. I tell you, when Lake blasts out his, "CAN YOU STILL KEEP YOUR BALANCE?!!" vocal near the end, it's absolute meaningless (but not imageless, make the distinction people) bombastic prog bliss for me, and when taken all together, it's little wonder that this is the track (along with The Barbarian, heh) that I use to try to introduce people to ELP (and with a decent level of success, considering that it's ELP, heh).
Unfortunately, the majority of the second half of the album doesn't come close to matching the sheer brilliance of the first, and for many people this is what causes the rating of this to come crashing down like a ton of bricks. The first two tracks of this side, you see, comprise a lengthy (about 15 minutes) instrumental suite, consisting of a multi-part classically-influenced keyboard piece (The Three Fates) and a drum solo (Tank). Upon first (and possibly second, and third) listen, these will come across as a completely self-indulgent mess, and it's possible you may want to dismiss them outright (I know I basically did). On the other hand, though, by making the three sections of The Three Fates distinctive from each other in both sound and mood, not to mention actually somewhat memorable (even for somebody who doesn't spend all day listening to this sort of thing), Emerson found a way to make me enjoy the piece much more than theory says I should, and as such I'm not at all offended by its inclusion on this album. As for Tank, well, it's a drum solo, and I don't much like drum solos, so it does somewhat offend me. That said, I'm amused that the band employs one significant variation on virtually every other drum solo ever recorded, namely that the main riff of the piece is played by keyboards and not by guitar, and as far as the actual solo goes, I think that Palmer is better suited for "show-off" soloing than most others I've heard (just because of his incredible technical ability), so I don't hate it as much as I do other solos.
Fortunately for all, the album ends not on an ambivalent note (regarding my attitude towards it), but rather on an extremely strong one, courtesy of the radio hit Lucky Man. The song does a wonderful job of reminding the listener that the foundation of the band's greatness lay not with all their instrumental pyrotechnics, but with their ability to create solid "normal" songs, with their playing abilities serving as an augmentation and not as a replacement for true inspiration and creativity. The ultimately tragic lyrics work well with the sea chanty-style melody, and while some might gripe that the ending synth solo (filled with all sorts of cool pitch-bending) is tacked on and completely inappropriate (not me, though), there can be no question that it leaves a major impression (for better or worse, depending) on the listener come album's end, and I'm all for leaving strong impressions. Besides, it functions well on a symbolic level as well, a sort of trumpet's call proclaiming the band's entrance into the pantheon of significant artists (at least for a couple of years).
In short, this is a solid 10, and without a doubt my very very favorite ELP album. It's the one that entertains me the most, and furthermore it's the one that interests me the most - after all, even if it doesn't define an entire genre like In the Court of the Crimson King does, it does represent an intriguing projection of modern-classical values onto conventional rock ideas, and that's definitely worth something in my book.
Barry Allen Schnorr (bas29@cornell.edu)
You gave ELP a 7? A mere 7? Is that the same 7 that you gave to
Octave?
The Three Fates is an interesting piece and does not drag the album down
as
much as you say. And Tank kicks ass! I'm not a fan of drum solos either,
and I love it! C'mon, borrow another point off of Pictures at an
Exhibition
and give it to this album. I'd give it a high 8, maybe even a 9.
Daniel and Corine Bosch (dcbosch@optusnet.com.au) (6/17/02)
A good debut, but they would do better. To be honest, it has a feeling of
"we need to get something into the marketplace to establish our new group
in the public eye". Still, some great stuff here. "The Barbarian" is a
fantastic opening, and still my favourite on the album. "Take A Pebble"
does drag in the middle a bit but the piano is wonderful - one of these
days I would love to hear an album of Keith Emerson solo piano pieces.
"Knife Edge" rocks, "The Three Fates" is indulgent but still cool and
"Tank" rocks - Carl's drums solo is relatively brief and very tasteful,
if a little uninventive. "Lucky Man" is typical Greg Lake - a nice
acoustic ballad with Keith just coming in on the end. I'd give it 8 out
of 10.
Meldrain@aol.com (9/15/03)
Wow, a 13 for the debut? Can't say I agree with that one. To me their
eponymous debut is an exercise in frustration, featuring the best and
worst sides of the band (the latter, predictably, manifesting itself in
the forms of extreme self-indulgence and unbearable pretentiousness,
elements inherent to prog yet not so noxious if a band can control them).
Three songs are undeniably (well, technically anything can be denied, so
don't take it literally) amongst the trio's best; obviously I'm referring
to Lucky Man, Take a Pebble and (especially) Knife Edge. These three
alone guarantee a high rating (and Barbarian's good too, of course) but
the rest of the album conspires to consign the CD to the chthonic abyss
of prog hell, a much nastier representation of it than the mild Vangelis
version. The Three Fates suite isn't bad per se, but it is rather
tedious. If I want to hear Emerson noodle around I'll listen to the
awesome Rondo, or, well, anything that cultivates at least a modicum of
excitement. Tank is, of course, atrocious, as is par for the course for
drum solos. It's depressing that such an abomination can exist on an
album that contains sporadic instances of prog nirvana. In other words, a
bipolar album, and Lithium wouldn't help because grunge is incompatible
with prog anyway. If the entire album were up to the standards of the
three peaks I'd give it at least a thirteen (bad movie, haven't played
the videogame). As it is it barely manages to secure a twelve. I'd say
their best album is the uber pretentious but immensely enjoyable Brain
Salad Surgery, followed by Tarkus. Speaking of that, if you see him would
you ask Carl Palmer who'd win in a fight between Tarkus and an Atomic
Rooster?
"Akis Katsman" (watta502@yahoo.gr) (2/11/04)
Excellent debut. Not 'perfect' by any means (perhaps the two instrumental
tracks on side B should have been shorter), but there are some real gems
here. "Take A Pebble" might be my second favourite ELP composition ever
(after KE9), awesome. Greg Lake is a godlike singer. And what about the
notorious epics "The Barbarian" and "Knife Edge"? Essential for any
serious prog fan. There's also "Lucky Man", a great ballad which was one
of the first songs ever to have a synth solo on it. Second best ELP
album, after Brain Salad Surgery. 9/10.
Finbar Conlon (finbar.conlon@gmail.com) (10/12/05)
On your review of ELP's first
album, (http://www.johnmcferrinmusicreviews.org/elp.html) I agree
with your rating of 10 out of 10. Everything you said about side 1 is
right on the money, and your review of Lucky Man, couldn't have said
it better myself. A good friend of mine, who got me into ELP (and
prog) in the first place, despises that song and anything that has
"Greg Lake" and "ballad" in the same sentence. As such, when he was
originally getting me into the band, it was with prog-themed mix
CD's, and I got a very skewed picture of the awesomeness of ELP. (Not
to mention hearing Karn Evil 9 out of context in a whole new way!
Third impression alone!) But yes, bravo. Everything you say about
Lucky Man and side one, right on the money.
The difference here, I guess, is I loved the CD instantly, track to
track, more so with each note. Particularly the Three Fates, which is
probably my favourite track, and Tank. We'll get to Tank in a second,
but first, c'mon! What exactly is everybody's problem with the Three
Fates!? That track is pure evil! (Which I mean in a good way.) Sure
it's long, but I think the length can be savoured rather than sighed
through much like the deserved length of a Pink Floyd solo section or
Bach dabbliness. You just gotta listen right, and it's
sweeter than sugar.
Tank, I think, is actually the balancing track of this album. It's
unmatched here, or on any of the other definitive ELP albums, for
that matter, in structure. If it isn't to your taste, I guess that
really can't be helped, but it's awesome for what it is, plain and
simple.
I take issue with you commending Keith's "organ solos" on Knife
Edge. If the "organ solo" that I'm supposing is in question is the
Bach-ish stuff over the cowbell in the bridge, it's not an organ solo
at all. It's Bach-ish because, well, it IS Bach. Knife Edge, being
one of the first ELP tracks I ever heard was, I thought, an amazing
example of creativity. It is. Just, Janacek's and Bach's. Not
Emerson's.
All in all, yes, production-wise and creativity-wise, the album
sounds rushed, which it is. But it's the good kind of rushed.
dsn2@Lehigh.EDU (04/25/06)
With regards to the extensive ELP review, the author says in the review of
the
first side of ELP's first album:
"an adapation of a classical piece (the name and author of which escapes me
at
the moment), this track is a nearly perfect summary of all of ELP's
talents..."
that piece is a Bach French Suite. It's the first half of the Allemande
that
opens the piece. I just learned it in my piano studies.
Best song: Tarkus
Look at that cover! That, my friends, is an ARMADILLO TANK. Now, there have been many weird, weird album covers in the history of rock music, but for sheer psycho and bizarre effect, Tarkus has to take the cake. Plus, the theme extends to the pictures on the inner sleeve, which apparently are supposed to illustrate the 'epic story' told by the
side-long title track. Basically, this creature is born on the side of a volcano, kills a giant grasshopper with a ... something-shaped head and a large robot pterodactyl, does battle with a metal manticore, and afterwards retreats into the safety of a nearby river....
But never mind all of the weird imagery and insane story, one that confused Lake so much that he came close to quitting during the album's sessions. What matters is that ELP solidifed their greatness amongst early prog bands by immediately following their best ever album with their best ever song, one that has had a longtime solid hold as my favorite ELP track. And it wouldn't be if it were totally faithful to this story (well, maybe it would, but I'm trying to make a point here). See, although the seven sections of the track have names like Eruption, Manticore, and AquaTarkus (?), the lyrics have almost nothing to do with the 'story.' Rather, the whole piece, when you get down to it, is (as stated in the intro) nothing more than three Lake ballads and pop songs highly augmented by complex and VERY interesting arrangments. Not that the instrumental themes are bad either. For instance, the opening Eruption has a terrific groove, with highly aggressive drum playing and Emerson's amazing keyboards leading the way and setting the tone for the rest of the piece.
Following that, we get the very solid Stones of Years, which has yet another great melody, good singing, and of course lots more of Keith. Actually, come to think of it, that's probably what bothers people most about this song. The playing is fantastic, sure, but Emerson was in a highly experimental mode when it came to the various tones he could coax out of his mellotrons and other keyboards. This unfortunately causes many to denounce the piece as dated as anything can possibly be - I mean, these keyboard tones really have no equivalent to anything that had ever come in ANY format of music to that point. But dagnabbit, they're novel, and if you're a dork, they're so freakin' fun to listen to. And speaking of fun to listen to, next comes the instrumental Iconoclast, which it does a great job of creating in your mind the image of a psychotic tank moving through the countryside and blowing things to bits (all of those tight rolling keyboard lines with fast martial drumming actually can create imagery, fancy that). Plus, it's short, so one can never accuse it of becoming boring vis a vis an overstay of welcome.
But then ... what the heck?? Mass has NOTHING to do with the story, but that's just fine with me. It's too bad that Greg couldn't be in a band with less, um, ambition, since with a less intimidating arrangment it most likely would have been a hit. I mean, that melody, regardless of how annoying Keith's synth tones might be at times, is SO CATCHY AND SO MUCH FUN. And besides, I don't want to give the impression that this part is an otherwise great track marred by Keith, because that's not how I feel at all; the insane amount of energy and intensity and energy that goes into the keyboard playing is quite a sight to behold, weird tones or no, and that gives it a license to stick around me as much as it would like. And besides, Lake gets in some really nice guitar licks in the middle (ah, Lake's guitar, the great forgotten ELP asset), so you can choose to listen to those instead.
After yet another solid instrumental reprise of Eruption (Manticore), we get piece number three, the majestic Battlefield. The lyrics rule, Lake's voice makes them come to life, and his guitar (dig that weeping solo in the middle, especially when it doubles up!) complements Emerson's organ and piano chords perfectly, which present an enjoyable sort of bizarro dignity to the proceedings (a compliment, of course). Yup, Lake makes the words come to life in that good ole Take a Pebble and Epitaph manner once more, making total nonsense find a way to resonate in a way only he can.
And, of course, no symphony (heh, rock-symphony) would be complete without an extended, grandiose finale, and for that we get the synth-fest AquaTarkus. Now, if you want to punch a hole through your stereo while listening to Keith conjure up all of the most annoying synth tones possible (while Palmer plays his military rhythms, heh), I won't blame you in the slightest. I myself once felt that way, but now I wouldn't think of it. Maybe my tastes have just down the drain through the years, I dunno, but it's so funny. Genuinely funny. Besides, it ends eventually, and we close out with another short reprise of Eruption and the huge, important-sounding conclusion. And there you go; seven entertaining and short parts, with a good balance of original themes and timely reprisals, showing all of ELP's good sides and none of the bad (except for the key tones, but that's not so much bad as it is "just part of ELP.")
Oh, by the way, there's a second side to this album too. And it's good! The opening Jeremy Bender introduces to us a side of the band that we hadn't heard before, the lightweight cabaret-style piano band. I used to not be very fond of it, considering it too lightweight and even bland, but now I don't see much reason for that; the lyrics are amusing, talking about a guy who decides to become a nun, among other things, while the vocal melody and piano lines are perfectly enjoyable during its two minutes, so what else should I ask for? Well, actually, I guess I'd want something that sounds like a Tarkus outtake, like the very next track, Bitches Crystal. Yup, the synth-drum-bass pattern is quite like Eruption, but is also augmented with much more piano than the majority of Tarkus has, and whenever Lake brings out that insane Knife Edge belting, it's just ELP heaven for me.
Unfortunately, we finally crash into a low point of the album with the next two tracks. The seven minute Only Way/Infinite Space suite is quite on the dull side (though Prindle really likes it), and the anti-religion lyrics are absolutely pathetic and childish. In fact, I feel no choice but to subtract a full point from the album for this lame and dreary piece of crud. Sorry, Greg, you should've known better - if you want to put together an anti-religion rant, that's fine, but you'd better avoid such tasteless lines like the one about six million Jews. Give me Aqualung RIGHT NOW... To be fair, though, the Infinite Space part is alright on its own, with some low key discordant piano wanking that's pretty moody, so this part isn't as much a black hole as it could potentially be.
Let us forget the bad things of this world, though, and think of the good. The next track, Time and a Place, RULES. Greg is belting his lyrics like there's no tomorrow, and Keith is playing his synths and organs LOUD and AGGRESSIVE (of course Palmer is great, but that just goes without saying). Like I've inferred before, I like the majestic Lake as much as anybody does, but when the band gets into a Knife Edge mode like this, giving Lake a chance to have screaming moments like "Show me those that underSTAAAAAAAAAAAND!" this is when ELP becomes a great band for me. Three minutes of aural bliss.
And finally, to remind us that they're not all serious, though, they close out with the absolutely HILARIOUS 50's R&B parody, Are You Ready Eddy?. It's just neat to hear one of the most serious and majestic singers in rock belting "Bop me Eddy, bop
me all night long." Or maybe it's just me. "Sock it to me"!
A great album this is. An acquired taste, yeah, and a VERY guilty pleasure, but once you can realize just how funny the title track is despite all of its pomp, and how neat these second half tracks mostly are, you should have a blast. Unless, of course, you can't get past all of those weird synths, in which case you should just give up ELP for good.
Mike DeFabio (defab4@earthlink.net)
Wow! Somebody out there actually likes Tarkus! I'm sure there are
plenty
of people out there who love this song, but besides me, I haven't come
across one. The thing is that people are simply scared by
pretentiousness, which makes no sense. I love bombast, as long as the
songs are good (it's the song quality, not the pomposity, of Tales from
Topographic Oceans that make it a bad album.) I'm not sure why, but I
just have an uncanny affection for songs in danger of sinking under
their own weight. I enjoy a speedy punk number as much as anyone, but I
just love it when a song jumps out at you in an overly-theatrical
manner. This is quite definitely my favorite ELP album after Brain
Salad
Surgery. I absolutely love all those crazy noises Keith squeezes out
of
those keyboards. Aquatarkus, for example. I LOVE that synthline. It
actually sounds like it's underwater. He even makes typical everyday
organs sound bizarre. In Eruption and Iconoclast, the organ sounds less
like an organ and more like bones hitting each other. The song parts are
good too.
And hey! There's a whole nother side! Those songs are pretty good too,
INCLUDING Are You Ready Eddy?. It's a perfectly good boogyin' rock song
that closes the album in a completely different way than it began. And
that's Tarkus.
And how bout that cover, huh? Gotta love it!
Echo Albarn (whoneedsthisreality@hotmail.com)
"Are You Ready, Eddy?" is an ode to the sound engineer/sometime producer
Eddy Offord, who's worked with both Yes and ELP, in addition to some other
bands whom I've forgotten just now.
Robert Grazer (xeernoflax@jack-the-ripper.com)
Is that the greatest album cover or what? I mean I love the covers of
Atom
Heart Mother, Sgt. Pepper, and most Iron Maiden and Yes albums,
but Tarkus
is my all time favorite. The inner art is also great.
But there is more than great artwork on this album, we got some good
songs
too. The "Only Way" and "Infinite Space" thing is great, containing some
great
bass by Lake.
BEST TRACK: "Tarkus" is, of course, the greatest thing on this
album. However
my experience with this song differs very little from everyone else's so I
will
not comment too much on it. It's great.
COMPLAINTS: This may be the only album that I like that I will end up
spending more of the review writing in this section than the others. You
see, the problem with Tarkus is that after such a spectacular
opener (apart from "Only Way" and Infinite Space") the rest of the album
ends up sounding like filler. It might not be, but that is how it sounds.
Even though I like a lot of these little songs like "Jeremy Bender," I
still get the feeling that ELP was rushing to make the album full length
and show the world how great "Tarkus" the song is. Think about it,
"Bitches Crystal" and "Are You Ready Eddie?" are really pretty stupid.
They aren't terrible, but it is a rather big let down to hear those cheap
attempts at songs after such a spectacular side-long. It doesn't ruin the
album, but if the entire second side came out as good as "Only Way" and
"Infinite Space," this could have been an easy 14.
RATING: My Scale: John McFerrin's Scale: 9(12) Maybe a *10(12)*
Awake600@aol.com
I think your review here is pretty much right on the money. "Tarkus" is
an absolutely great epic, mainly because it merges a few awesome pop songs
('Mass' especially - how could anyone NOT love that one to death??)
together with gripping instrumental 'battle' interludes to create an
impressive experience that even me, who's not really a great fan of Keith
Emerson's style, can appreciate. Plus, the whole piece has a humorous
concept behind it that many epics just don't have. In fact, I enjoy this
album as a whole a lot because of the entertainment it provides. "Jeremy
Bender", though later eclipsed by "Benny The Bouncer" in the department of
'bizarre lightweight songs', is quite amusing, and "Are You Ready Eddy?"
is even more so - you're not the only one that can get such a kick out of
a serious vocalist singing parody-ish stuff like this. To a lesser
extent, "Bitches Crystal" and "A Time And A Place" are impressively
energetic listening experiences. I'd give this a 9, but I'm forced to
drop it a point because, like you, I'm also very bored with "The Only
Way/Infinite Space" suite. A high 8 it is though. I'm also in possession
of Brain Salad Surgery, but I don't know about that one yet - it
seems to
be really good (possibly also 8 worthy), but one thing's for sure, it very
much lacks the excitement of Tarkus at the expense of overly
bloated
songwriting.
"O'Brien, Mike" (mobrien@JJC.CC.IL.US)
The very first thing that attracted me to the "Tarkus" album was the cover
art, which is highly unusual for me. The very first time I listened to it,
I thought it to be nothing more then noise. As you put it, it is definately
an aquired taste. But it did not take ma long at all to be totaly into it.
I was a sophmore in High School when I first clapped eyes on the ARMIDILLO
TANK on the front cover. Since then, "Tarkus" had been some what of an
inigma to me. I finaly did tind a web site that had the lyrics printed to
the different songs, and as you said, they had nothing to do with this
'epic' about these animal cyborgs that terrorize the world. At first I
thought it was an anti war statement. Then I thought it was a dig against
technology and how it's taking over the world. The third theory I thougt up
is how we became so advanced in our machines, yet socialy we are still in
the stone age. Perhaps it's about all three, or maybe it's just an attempt
at originaly. Originaly is certainly the order of the day where "Tarkus" is
concerned.
Upon reading your opening paragraph, I finaly did figure out the 'epic'
about the great struggle between all these animal cyborgs. The only thing
that still evades me is t he very word "TARKUS" itself. I hav enot seen it
in any dictionary. Is it suposed to have some specific meaning, or was it
contrived by ELP in order to lend more originality (or mystery) to the
album. What, prey tell, is a "TARKUS?"
TheeRubberCow@aol.com (12/28/01)
I can understand you saying "Tarkus" is your favorite ELP track. It's so
good that it actually makes me a big fan of an album that I would
otherwise really not like. I don't like side two much at all, except
"Bitches Crystal," which is very exciting. I think some of the reason,
though, is that it sounds like it was recorded really bad. But the title
track, yes, that is one o' their best. There's just so many good things
about it, I feel helpless trying to explain, besides, some people here
already have.
Daniel and Corine Bosch (dcbosch@optusnet.com.au) (6/17/02)
Well, they sure hit their stride here! "Tarkus" is still MY favourite ELP
track (there you go John, you're not alone!), it is the perfect sidelong
epic. Great songs, great instrumentals, Some of Keith's best playing
ever, it is majestic, ambitious, and absolutely perfectly executed. As
with so many albums with an epic on one side and short stuff on the
other, the 2nd side pales in comparison. I share your sentiments about
the lyrics of "The Only Way" but Greg is entitled to his opinion, even if
it is absolutely not mine. 9 out of 10 from me.
"Fernando H. Canto" (sirmustapha@ig.com.br) (2/26/03)
Alriht, I admit I never heard the B-side of this LP, but I did get the title
track. And I must be very frank... It doesn't entertain me that much. I mean,
the Eruption intro is absolutely fantastic, very energetic and very
important-sounding. But aside from that, I don't really see much. Stones Of
Years is rather boring. The melody doesn't thrill me that much, and the organ
break doesn't do anything to me, either. Mass is kinda good, but doesn't really
thrill me that much. Know what? I think the problem here is that the sound is
way TOO EMPTY. I mean, drums, bass and one or two quiet layers of synths/organs
aren't enough! Come on, Greg, gimme some guitars, or tell Keith to wake up and
make those organs and synths sound fuller. The organ break in Mass is cool, but
that empty sound on the verses annoy me. The same thing with Stones Of Years,
and it's boring. But the instrumental breaks are great, because there's a lot of
movement. And I *love* those melodies on Battlefield - the chimes and that
*buzz-buzz-buz-buzz* synth melody, though the verses also go back to the
"empty" thing again. But yeah, the instrumentals are cool, but the
rest... ehhn, doesn't justify its length. It's interesting that George Starostin
says Tarkus justifies its length, while Close To The Edge doesn't. But I think
the exact opposite. Ain't it weird? Anyway, I don't know about the B side, so I
shouldn't rate it. I think I won't even bother about the B-side, I'll just jump
right into Brain Salad Surgery... or To The Power Of 3 - Just kidding! :-) I
rate Tarkus a 6 out of 10, and that's it.
"Akis Katsman" (watta502@yahoo.gr) (2/11/04)
Alright, what can be said about the infamous prog suite "Tarkus" that
hasn't already been said? Not much. A lot of people complain that it
relies too much of keyboards, but as a keyboard fan, I adore it. Too bad
the rest of the album isn't as good. I like "The Only Way" and "Infinite
Space", but the rest isn't among ELP's best work. "Are You Ready Eddy?"
is a little funny, but it has no place on an album with the "Tarkus"
suite on it. Maybe it should have been on Works Vol. 2 instead. Anyways,
I'd rate Tarkus a high 8 overall.
mgpickens (mgp1205@chilitech.com) (4/29/04)
Tarkus is definitely the best song of all time. From the first time i
heard it i was thinking of how funny this song was and the art drives me
crazy man. Its freakin awesome. SUBMIT TO THE
TARKUS!!!!
Mit (micromooge@comcast.net) (09/05/05)
This album was definatley Keith Emerson evolved. I liked your review
on this one.
I always thought Tarkus was an amazing composition , however; once I
learned how to play it ( on keys) I came to appreciate it that much
more. Although the band tends to jam around on a few figures here and
there, the overall piece is extroardinary and takes mucho chops to
play.
This is the definative ELP whose roots were being planted and
developed for their ultimate commercial success..Brain Salad Surgery.
Best song: The Sage or The Curse of Baba Yaga
This is where I proudly make my stand. Prindle gave this album a 1, and even solid ELP fans often wrinkle their noses at this one. But you know what? I LOVE this album. It's tasteless, it's ear-destructive at more than a few points, and it bleeds white-bred anglophile academic pomposity throughout. In short, it's a complete and utter massacre of a great, well-known classical piece. Man I love this album.
If you're not familiar with the circumstances surrounding this album, allow me to fill you in. One of the most infamous features of early ELP live shows was that, at some point in the middle, the band would perform its own, um, "interpretation" of the Modest Mussorgsky (a 19th century Russian composer) classical piece of the same name as this album. Hence, this is a live recording of one of these performances, which may or may not have been one of the better renditions the band ever did, but is interesting as hell nonetheless. It's more or less built around the same structure of the original classical piece, albeit lacking several themes from the original (for time considerations, I suppose), but it's the differences that really raise eyebrows throughout.
So ok, we start out with the standard Promenade introduction of the original, played majestically and close to the vest on a churchy sounding organ. But then The Gnome comes in, with the same general themes as Mussorgsky's Gnomus, but with a decidedly different and rawer texture than one would be used to in a 'normal' rendition, with clever placements of each of the three's instruments as the primary theme carrier at any one moment. Not to mention, of course, that Keith provides an interesting mix of dirty hammond sounds and 'futuristic' moog sounds that may make you twitch a bit but that are nevertheless quite interesting to listen to ... if you're in the mood. The end effect is that it is easily recognizable as Mussorgsky's piece, but with enough changes to definitely warrant an extra composition credit to Palmer. But whatever, it's still quite neat, and yet only a prelude to the storm to come.
Faithful to the original, the Promenade theme comes up again, but this time, instead of being a rote copy of the introduction, it features Lake singing a bunch of meaningless lyrics in his heavenly voice to the melody. At this point, though, the album diverges into an acoustic ballad (after a short moog interlude, of course) that has no connection whatsoever to the original, but that I'm dreadfully glad is here nonetheless. The Sage is yet another example of Lake at his songwriting best, with a lovely set of simple acoustic lines underpinning a BEAUTIFUL vocal melody with some more totally meaningless (yet nice to listen to) lyrics. And besides, it gives the listener a chance to have a slight rest from Keith and Carl, if by chance their sonic choices for this album aren't your cup of tea.
Up next is The Old Castle, where the album starts to REALLY diverge from the original and causes even some ELP fans to fidget like mad. There's a vague, vague resemblence to Mussorgsky's piece of the same name, in parts, but that's largely obfuscated by the band's, um, *creativity* (not to mention the Moog, nyarrgh) ... and then all resemblance to the original totally evaporates into a blues jam. Man, this is a complete, total massacre of what "good" music is supposed to be; a rock band, adapting a classical piece, by sticking in a blues jam, and then doing the jam all wrong by having the primary instruments be a Moog and a Hammond. IT'S SO GROTESQUE. WOW THIS IS AWESOME.
After another Promenade (the last, don't worry), we hit the part where people start running away screaming. The original piece here goes into The Hut on Chicken's Legs, which in legend was the home of a witch named Baba Yaga. A fine piece of eerie, majestic discord this is, with all sorts of great volume and mood shifts in the course of three-and-a-half minutes. Well, ELP decided to expand on this a bit, all the while preserving the mood and essence of the original. There are two sections called, appropriately enough, The Hut of Baba Yaga, where the melodies of the original are kept, but between these is the AMAZING original The Curse of Baba Yaga. There's Lake screaming out all sorts of incomprehensibilities, his guitar distorted as hell when carrying some parts of the original melodies, there's Palmer keeping a solid groove, and above all there's Keith beating the living daylights out of his Hammond when not squeezing every possible sound out of his Moog. Maybe it's unlistenable, but dagnabbit, I just look at it as some prog S&M, because this is a pain that I definitely enjoy listening to. Not every day or every week, of course, but definitely once in a while.
Finally, we hit The Great Gates of Kiev, the grand finale of both the original and of ELP's rendition. In some ways, this part is actually a bit too pompous for me, as the only major modification to the original (aside from arrangement changes, of coruse) is Lake adding a bunch of grandiose lyrics. Still, I enjoy it, right up until the end where Lake belts out his "DEEEEEEAAAAATH IIIIIIIIIIIS LIIIIIIIIIIIIFE!!" line, albeit with less oomph than I'd like, heh. I gotta say, though, that my favorite moment of the track is probably the kitchiest, the one where the feedback coming out of the keyboards sounds like the buzzer one might hear in a high school gymnasium at the end of a basketball game.
So that's your album, (except for the closing 'encore' - a rendition of the Kim Fowley piece Nutrocker, which is funny but kinda stupid even by the standards of ELP), one which doesn't deserve anywhere near the hatred it so often seems to breed. I can't give it a higher grade than a low eight, if only because while I enjoy it a lot, it's also one of the albums I'd be most embarrassed to play in front of friends, which tells me that my enjoyment is largely a function of my own geekiness. Regardless, though, it's a fine addition to ELP's catalogue, and a nice reminder of the cultural impact, for better or for worse, that ELP had on the music scene in the early 70's.
Barry Allen Schnorr (bas29@cornell.edu)
I gave Pictures at an Exhibition a few more spins, and maybe it's
not
the
piece of unpolished garbage that I originally thought, but I still think
you're overrating it.
What's there to like about The Sage? It's a very deceptive song--you get
all these zany synths kicking around and sounding great at the beginning,
and they go building up to a climax that sounds as if it's going to kick
off the song--and suddenly everything goes quiet and Lake starts singing
rather tiredly with a very thin instrumental backup which adds nothing to
the song, a big disappointment in my opinion. It doesn't stack up to his
other ballads.
(author's note): I disagree here. Sure, from a pure complexity standpoint
it's lame, but the vocal melody is BEAUTIFUL.
With the exception of the Sage, the other tracks which Mussorgsky had
no
part in writing are the best songs on the album. The Blues Variations
which
they spin into from Mussorgsky's "The Old Castle" are surprisingly groovy,
and I love The Curse of Baba Yaga--its fiery energy and scary, coming out
of nowhere lyrics and changes in sound remind me of 21st Century Schizoid
Man or The Barbarian, and the 2 speedy performances before and after it
are
also excellent. Also, The Nutrocker sounds like a quintessential ELP
classical adaptation--lively, not-very-true to the original--it's
surprising that it's not their own arrangement, they were covering a
version originally performed by Bumble B. & the Stingers.
But the rest of the album isn't the greatest. My ears can't follow The
Gnome, adding lyrics to Procession didn't help it much (although I admit,
they were trying to do something to add variation.) And as to The great
Gates of Kiev...I like ELP enough to have a VERY high tolerance for
bombast
and pretentiousness, but hearing this drag on and Lake bellow "deeeeeaath
iiiiiisss liiifffe" is too much for me.
(author's note: I actually disagree on the last comment; I wish Lake would
have really BELTED that last line, and in fact that is one of the aspects
of the album that slightly disappoints me).
Still, it's not a truly bad album. The Curse of Baba Yaga alone makes it
worthwhile. I don't think it's as enjoyable as any of their first four
studio albums, though. Then again, I may be prejudiced against live
albums,
while you may be prejudiced towards them.
Echo Albarn (whoneedsthisreality@hotmail.com)
I wish to take a moment and disagree with the commenter who said that
Modest Mussorgsky had nothing to do with "The Curse of Baba Yaga". Let it
be noted that Lake's solo at the beginning (before the bass line that goes
into Carl & Keith's part) is a mostly-direct transcription of the bassoon
solo from Modest's "The Hut on Hen's Legs".
Steve Barber (drumrolls1@aol.com)
I just checked out your website. Pretty Cool!! I was pretty amazed at
the
guys who like "The curse of Bab Yaga".
I was wondering if anyone of these people might have tried eciphering the
lyrics to it?
I only cannot make out two parts of it, and will leave a blank where I
cannot figure out that lyric or lyrics.
"Terrible faces try defense talk a lot but talk no sense_____smiling lies
cut us up with smiling knives!"
"_____to raise the dead, feeding those who are fed, drain the blood
from
hearts of stone, whores and hustlers pick the bones!"
Can you or anyone fill in those blanks? This is very frustrating!
Kerry Canfield (keriz@teleport.com)
I don't object to the general idea of ELP doing even a half-faithless
adaptation of Mussorgsky nearly so much as I object to Lake actually
making up "lyrics" to "The Great Gate of Kiev"--and then not even singing
the complete melody correctly! Did he jot those insipid high-school
rhymes down a few minutes before the band took the stage? Aauugghh!
What a WASTE of good music!
Daniel and Corine Bosch (dcbosch@optusnet.com.au) (6/17/02)
Good, but not great. And, in support of your general comments about ELP
at the top of the page, it was through this album that I discovered
Mussorgsky's original as a teenager, and my CD with both original piano
and orchestral versions is one of my prized possessions. Back to ELP's
version, I would have preferred if they used one or two more of
Mussorgsky's original Pictures, but this is nit-picking. "The Sage" is
the best Lake ballad of all, I don't care what you all think! You agree
with me, don't you John? It is an exquisite melody, evocative lyrics, it
is a great calm before the storm that comes in the form of the noise-fest
of "The Old Castle" (can't see what Keith's synth squiggles have to do
with Mussorgsky's piece of the same name, they bear no relation to each
other whatsoever!) and the really cool jam of "Blues Variation". Side two
isn't as good for mine, "The Curse Of Baba Yaga" is OK and "The Great
Gates Of Kiev" has the majesty of the original. The encore, "Nutrocker"
takes me back to my childhood - here in Australia (Brisbane to be
precise) there was in the 70's a show called "Boris' Breakfast Club" and
it used "Nutrocker" as its theme. 7 out of 10
m (coyote-1@rocketmail.com) (10/29/02)
Hi,
It should be noted that Deep Purple produced the first
piece written specifically for a rock group+orchestra;
the Jon Lord-penned "Concerto for Group & Orchestra"
preceded Emerson & The Nice's "Five Bridges Suite" by
a few months.
Paul Escamilla (peskypesky@earthlink.net) (11/20/02)
I really dig ELP's "Pictures at an Exhibition" too. In fact, it's probably
my favorite ELP album. Don't ask me why, but I like it. Mussorgsky is one of
my all-time favorite Classical composers and I just love the way ELP rock
his shit up.
Call us dorks, but we're right about this one.
-Paul
P.S. I have to disagree with you about King Crimson's "Lizard" and
"Islands". I really enjoy both of those albums. Even more so than "Red".
Yep, it's true. I mean, "Red" is a monster, but it's too dark and metallic
and menacing for my tastes. I like my discord with a bit of sugar, thank
you. :)
Ethan Rasmussen (ethanrsmssn@yahoo.com) (02/28/07)
I think that I might know the first line from The Curse of Baba Yaga,
I think it says:
"Terrible faces try defense, talk a lot but talk no sense, caught up
in those smiling lies, cut us up with smiling knives!"
Sorry, but to me the second line sounds like it says:
"Try to put you into bed, feeding those who are fed, drain the blood
from hearts of stone, whores and hustlers pick the bones!"
Doesn't make much sense, but that's what I heard.
Hope I could help!
Best song: Abaddon's Bolero
Y'know, the concept of 'fandom' is strange. It's not enough to more or less like an artist's work as a whole, and the fact that most of ELP's early albums get high grades certainly suggests that I'm quite fond of this band. No, there are also certain 'standards' of the band that one must love to be a true fan. And among ELP fans, Trilogy is certainly one of these albums that are required to be adored to some degree. Unfortunately, I just can't share that point of view, no matter
how hard I try.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not calling the album bad, not by any stretch of the imagination. There really isn't a single song on here that I would call crap (although the stupid Living Sin might come close). The problem is that, far too often, this album is extremely dull. The opening ten-minute Endless Enigma suite, for instance. Parts of the vocal melody are nice, sure, but the instrumental passages really drag the song down (especially since it seems too much to me that the band is trying to make all their instrumental tricks replace the main 'song' part, which raises a definite prog red flag for me, as opposed to having them augment the main 'song' part, which is what I love in my prog). And the man to blame for that is, unfortunately, Keith. On the surface, his keyboards sound just the same as they always did, but the energy, the pulsating power that made Barbarian, Tarkus, and Time and a Place come to life just isn't there. The same thing can be said about the title track as well; the first three minutes are beautiful (courtesy of Lake, as well as some very beautiful piano from Keith), but the last five are a real bore (courtesy of Emerson going through all the synth/organ/piano tricks that he already showed quite prominently elsewhere). In short, the form remains intact, but the fire is dwindling at an alarming rate.
Even the 'normal' songs suffer from the boredom factor. I actually did finally come around to enjoying From the Beginning quite a bit, as opposed to before when I thought of it as just another piece of boring filler; it's too mellow, just like everything else on the album, but the main melody is very nice, and I do like the atmosphere created by Keith's keys in the end quite a bit. In any case, there's also The Sheriff, which is little more than an 'old-west' version of Jeremy Bender. It's nice, a pleasant and slightly amusing diversion from the 'serious' parts of the album, but the lyrics aren't as funny as their predecessor's, and let's face it, that was the main appeal of the song. It's not that much of a comedown, though - I do dig the accelerated ragtime piano solos at the end, after all.
So why do I give it a seven if all I've really done is complain about it so far? Well, the band's attempts at staying in their established 'formula' don't really succeed, but when they shifted their mindset into a 'pure' classical mode, they struck gold. Exhibit A is the group's cover of Copeland's Hoedown, known in pop culture as the "Beef: it's what's for
dinner" theme. The synth arrangement here is FABULOUS, and while the energy is still slightly lacking, it's still enough to really get your blood pumping. And closing the album, we have Exhibit B, an Emerson classical number entitled Abaddon's Bolero. I find it highly ironic that the catchiest number on the whole album was probably envisioned as the most pompous and "elite" song of them all, but that's life. This piece really gets you into a foot-tapping groove, and there are all sorts of little symphonic trappings in the background that are enough to vary the sound. I can honestly say that it does not get boring in the entirety of its eight minutes, and I would be perfectly happy if it went on for another ten if Keith could continue to find enough background notes to fill in the time and keep it interesting (which he definitely succeeds at here).
Again, this is not a bad album. It's just that, well, it doesn't do enough to really be considered a very good album. This is just me talking, of course; the people who write reviews on the Amazon.com site love this album, and I won't hold it against you if you're one of them. As for me, though, I'll stick to the other standards of the era. I actually raised the grade from a 6 to a low 7, if only because of the lack of immediately offensive material, but that's largely the effect of digging the ELP approach, even when it's just them doing "ELP by Numbers."
KZ1000PS@aol.com
I think that you just explained what I've been trying to figure out for a
while. I couldn't quite figure out why I didn't like Trilogy as
much as Tarkus or ELP, and it's because it lacks the energy
and more or less the freshness of the previous two. Granted, I like most
of the congs on there, but there's nothing new. Keith's only new sounds
from the Moogs are the spacey, atmospheric stuff you hear in Endless
Enigma suite and From the Beginning.
Speaking of the Endless Enigma, I'm glad it does end. It's pretty and
won't offend anyone, but then again I like the stuff that might offend
someone else (i.e. AquaTarkus). From the Beginning I think is very pretty
and don't mind it at all. The Sheriff is alright, nothing great, but I
like the warp speed rag time segment at the end. Hoedown I feel the same
about as with the previous few, although I think it lasts about a minute
too long. And then there's Trilogy. Although it's a little too long, I
like this song. The opening third is delicate and Lake sounds very sincere
in his lyrics. The other two parts are ok, but again last about a minute
too long each. However, I love the closing coda to it, adds a nice little
touch. Now I don't know why people hate Living Sin so much. Greg tries
something different with his voice, and although it sucks, I don't think
the nstrumental part of the song is bad at all. This perhaps has the most
energy of all the songs on this album (Hoedown could be the one exception)
and I like the beat. And lastly, I agree fully with you on Abbadon's
Bolero. I myself am a classically trained percussionist/drummer and love
the little details and nuances that are added on to that basic synth line.
It almost always has my interest, and it does get you stomping along at
the beginning of every new phrase.
If there's one thing that I notice looking at the album as a whole,
it's that, although Keith doesn't do much new, and Greg and Carl don't
expand their ideas much either, this album has a sense of better quality
and refinement (not so much sound-wise) than the previous two did. Just
listen to the Endless Enigma. And this is then taken another step further
with Brain Salad Surgery.
nicholas.green@ntl.com
completely disagree with you re:Trilogy i'm afraid....Abaddons
Bolero is one of the most stupefying wastes of vinyl ever..utterly dull
and worthless where as the Endless Enigma is a bombastic
masterpiece...fantastically unsubtle and all the better for it!!!
Art Jones (ajones@saatchiny.com) (7/17/01)
To quote Greg Lake, 'You just couldn't be more wrong.' Trilogy( and especially
The
Endless Enigma) is ELP's finest hour. The lyrics, for once, read like spoken
English, in
spite of the ubiquitous rhyming couplets. There is no ' Someone get me a
ladder' to be
found on any of the tracks, with the possible exception of 'Living Sin', the
one throw-away
on this disk ( I agree with you on that).
Melodically, it's accessible without being too simple, and the production,
even by today's
standards, is absolutely transparent. The band sounds full, but at the same
time ( except for
'Abaddon's Bolero' and parts of 'Trilogy') it still sounds like a three-piece
band-- an
exceptional three-piece band.
Even the order of the tracks and the amount of 'dead-air ' between each track
is perfect on
this album / CD.
'Brain-Salad Surgery' by comparison, sounds muddy and overdubbed, and Lake's
voice sounded
over-processed and too low in the mix throughout. While I liked the first
movement of 'Karn Evil 9',
the subject matter and lyrics of the 3rd movement were when I realized that
possibly ELP weren't the
geniuses I thought-- a disappointing moment for me. The third movement sounds
like a tinny, toy-soldier march,
and it's too lyrically dense to be sung, which is why Lake always sounds like
he's struggling to catch up.
Even in the 70's, the concept read like a corny-rehashed sci-fi B movie. It
was the beginning of didactic,
preachy lyrics instead of lyrics that expressed feeling simply, directly and
seemingly un self-consciously.
I've never understood the fuss over BSS.
TheeRubberCow@aol.com (12/28/01)
hmmmm.......I don't know if I can explain why this is my favorite. "The
Endless Enigma" is just so emotional and dramatic, especially pt. 2.
Doesn't the hair raise on the back of your neck when it slows down as
Greg is singing "Ive begun to see the reason why I'm heeeeeere!!!!"
and they play that last dramatic chord with the heralding synth notes at
the end? I will always be devoted to "Supper's Ready" as having my
favorite ending, but this one actually makes me think twice. I like "In
the Beginning" because first of all, it's a good song, and secondly, it
has one of the best guitar solos I've ever heard. The tone is so
"green" if that makes any since. I love hearding that old 60's reverb
with the way he's playing, and the keyboard sound afterwards alyways
makes me picture an alien, or a space level from a MegaMan game or
something. The only thing! I'm really bored by on this album is your
favorite, "Abadon's Bolero." I usually even like long songs, even if
they're repetitive, and I think it does sound good by the time it gets to
the end, but for some reason it reminds me of music from the Andy
Griffith show.
Daniel and Corine Bosch (dcbosch@optusnet.com.au) (6/17/02)
I thought you were a little harsh with this one. No, it's not their best
(that's Brain Salad Surgery for mine) but it is worthy. "The Endless
Enigma" is cool, I like the piano and bongos intro, but the best part of
the piece is "Fugue" for mine. "From The Beginning" is pleasant but, like
any of Lake's acoustic pieces ("The Sage" and "Still.... You Turn Me On"
possibly excepted), not essential. "The Sheriff" is ELP having fun, which
is cool but, again, not essential ELP for mine. "Hoedown" is great, and I
think it has plenty of energy. I love all of "Trilogy", especially the
piano Keith plays after Greg's ballady bit at the beginning, and in the
bit where Greg is singing "Goodbye" there is a synth that sounds so much
like a French Horn that it fooled me at first. And I LOVE the corny
ending, after such a serious piece to just take the starch out, as it
were, just fantastic. Believe it or not, these guys could laugh at
themselves. "Living Sin" is a throwaway, and as for "Abbadon's Bolero"
well, if you like the bolero form you will love this piece, if you don't
it will bore you silly. This is how boleros work people, they have a
melody and then build, and build, and build on it. It is as much an
arranger's art form as a composer's and I think Keith pulls it off with
style. 8 out of 10.
"Akis Katsman" (watta502@yahoo.gr) (2/11/04)
This is, for me, the worst 'classic' ELP album. There's nothing here I
can say I adore (although the first part of "The Endless Enigma" comes
close). "From The Beginning" is cool, but somewhat overrated. I don't
care too much for "The Sheriff" or "Hoedown", they're just ok. The title
track has some very good moments, but the 'overproduced' part is somewhat
annoying. As for "Living Sin" and "Abaddon's Bolero", they're just
filler. Especially the latter, which is this album's "Moonchild" (on King
Crimson's debut). I give this album a very very low 7.
Mit (micromooge@comcast.net) (09/05/05)
I agree with you to the point that this album (Trilogy) was a bit
self indulgent and that they recklessly ruined some good material
with those inflated repetative synth jams.
However, on the other hand..listen to the end of the Endless Enigma (
from the fanfare on ) and that has to be one of the best and
most exciting analog synth arrangements ever recorded. Besides
compositional brilliance and taste, it marked the final step to the
creation of their next work..Brain Salad Surgery.
Abbadins Bolero also enters into the realm of brilliant synth
arrangement. Just to note..Keith Emerson is a classically great
composer.
Best song: Karn Evil 9 1st Impression
This used to be ELP's 10 album on this page (back when they were a 2-star band), but as you can see, even after losing that distinction, I still hold this album in high regard. Well, sort of. It's a fine album, but over time, I've come to this conclusion: no album is a better summary of the good sides and the bad sides of British prog rock, and I almost shudder to guess whether the band could keep walking this dangerous line without falling into a total lack of quality control.
The biggest thing I notice is that, in a lot of ways, this album is less "ELP's take on prog" than "ELP does a generic prog album." The surface elements are the same as before, of course - same immaculate keyboard technique, same Lake singing and guitars, same Palmer as ever - but there's a crucial difference here from previous albums. However "overblown" or "pretentious" or whatever epithets one might have thrown at the band in the past, one could not deny that the core of much of the band's work was solid, no BS "normal" songwriting, albeit surrounded with all sorts of abnormal trappings. On this album, though, it's increasingly difficult to isolate Lake's impact, apart from Still ... You Turn Me On (it's no coincidence, I think, that Emerson gets the sole music credit for almost everything else); this album is very heavy on the synth jam aspect of ELP's shtick, and while the band members are certainly just fine when playing in that mode, they also lose much of that special something that made them so fascinating from the very beginning.
It also doesn't help that the album, in terms of pretense, is bloated even by ELP standards. Part of the blame for this comes from bringing in Pete Sinfield as the band's lyricist (though he actually only contributes on two parts of the album); I'm sorry, but while he is the clever dude who came up with lyrics to 21st Century Schizoid Man and Epitaph, he's also the idiot who came up with lyrics to Cirkus and In the Wake of Poseidon, and his contribution to part 3 of KE9 is definitely one of the greatest negative factors here. Even disregarding lyrical pomp, though, there's something about the production that has come to bother me quite a bit over the years; all that overdubbing and echo and whatnot may make things sound more important than otherwise, but I'd much prefer it if the music itself were the driving impressive force instead of the production trying to tell me when I'm supposed to be in awe. As mentioned earlier, this sort of approach to prog makes me uncomfortable, as it's the approach taken by far too many bands that have destroyed prog far more effectively than any punk revolution could.
And yet, for all of that, the album gets a high grade; I did, after all, say that the album also represents the good sides of prog. ELP may have lost some of their restraint and discipline when making BSS, but what they didn't lose was their talent. However misdirected their efforts may be in some aspects of the album, the power of the band members' talent was such that they couldn't help but still entertain the listener a good portion of the time (how large a portion would depend greatly on one's already determined attitude towards prog, whereas the first two albums could possibly be enjoyable even to a non-prog-devotee). Funny how certain bands can still produce good works even when largely on creative autopilot ...
Anyway, the album kicks off with Jerusalem, a cover of an old British hymn with lyrics by William Blake that's sort of an unofficial British national anthem (kinda the UK equivalent of God Bless America). Truth be told, I'm not entirely sure what the point of this track is in this album's context. The band seemingly knew that to try and do anything 'creative' with such a well-known and revered number would lead to the British political establishment falling on their necks, and as such the arrangement is very conservative for ELP. This unfortunately isn't a good thing, as the regal and majestic nature of this performance involves a lack of novel keyboard parts or creative adjustment of tempos or, I dunno, interesting thematic overlays. Even Lake's voice isn't given much of a chance to shine here, buried as it is beneath the keyboards. However, I don't want to convey the idea that I dislike this track, because I don't - it's perfectly ok, and actually works in a sense (for me) if I think of it as the band warming up for the remainder of the set.
Besides, Toccata is next, and this is where the album truly begins its greatness. An adaptation of the 4th movement of the 1st Piano Concerto by an Argentine composer by the name of Alberto Ginastera, this may or may not be the best of ELP's classical adaptations, but aside from a couple of parts of Pictures, it's certainly their most creative. This is an incredible piece of modern-classical discord, driven forward in the first half by some of Emerson's best ever playing for the band (best defined not in terms of speed, but rather in aggression and well-made choices for keyboard types and sounds). Then Carl manages to do the unthinkable, to begin playing an ostensible drum solo but one that I didn't even conciously notice was a drum solo the first ten times I heard it, if only because it doesn't exist solely to draw attention to technique. No, this is a very deep, low-pitched solo, one that you feel more than you hear ... until, that is, he starts triggering all sorts of cool and nutty electronic swooping noises with his drumset, creating a disorienting wall of sound until Keith chimes back in with the main theme and we close it out. Now THAT's the sort of thing I'm talking about when I justify giving this album a 9.
The next two tracks are also excellent, and each represent the continuation of a niche that fans had come to expect on ELP albums. The first is the album's obligatory beautiful, excellent ballad, here called Still ... You Turn Me On. While it has one of the worst lines EVER (I'm sorry, but "every day a little sadder, a little madder, someone get me a ladder" is unforgivably bad), the lyrics are quite nice otherwise, and while the porno wah-wah guitar in the chorus is totally out of place, the melody is incredibly beautiful. Maybe songs like this weren't where the band wanted to go, as if they thought they had become too good for such pittance, but man, Lake was GOOD at writing these sorts of things. Ah well, c'est la vie (which isn't a good song, but that's for later). Closing out the album's "introductory set" is part three in the band's goofy keyboard ragtime series, the ever so hilarious Benny the Bouncer. The horrifying lyrics about Benny getting in a fight, getting his head chopped up and ending up as the bouncer at St. Peter's gate are delivered with aplomb in Greg's nastiest voice, and even though I didn't come around to Jeremy Bender and The Sheriff right away, this was an instantaneous success with me when I first heard it.
As good as the first four numbers are, though, the crux of this album's reputation lies not with them, but rather with the behemoth that occupies the remainder of the album. This is the Karn Evil 9 suite, taking up just short of half an hour and the entirety of the second side (as well as the last eight minutes or so of the first). It is divided into three parts (or "impressions," the pretentious boobs), with the first impression split over the two sides and the second half of this impression serving as one of the band's radio hits (unlikely as it may be). Both musically and lyrically, it is unbeLIEVably bombastic and overblown - I kinda get the feeling the band (particularly Emerson) aimed to create the most grandiose, important, epic piece of music the world had ever seen, but since they weren't the earthly incarnation of Apollo, God of Music, but instead 'just' a nicely talented trio, they of course fall very short. The lyric theme tries to be deep and scary (all about a future where the 'bad' things of today only exist as spectator attractions, and where machines rebel against their human masters in the end), but while sometimes they're amusing, other times the lyrics are just so stupid that I can't take them seriously without feeling extremely ashamed of myself. So yeah, it's kinda freakin' flawed.
But dagnabbit, this suite may be a failure on a certain level, but what an INCREDIBLY entertaining failure in several parts. I just can't help it, I am still passionately in love with the whole 1st impression, even as the better parts of my nature assail me for being such a dweeb. I love how it starts as this menacing tense epic prog anthem, with Lake not really singing anything neat melody-wise but still making it come alive, and then becomes a GREAT synth-led jam which in turn becomes a GREAT bombastic pop song. I love that incredible "epic" guitar line Lake plays at various intervals between verses. I love how the music stops when Lake sings the word "shocks." I love the break into "WELCOME BACK MY FRIENDS TO THE SHOW THAT NEVER ENDS" and how the song just keeps grooving on that melody and how these cool jams that exist only for the sake of having jams are so entertaining anyway. Pure dorky prog bliss for 13 or so minutes, that's what this is.
The suite starts to lose people a bit in the 2nd impression, a lengthy instrumental focused around (of course) Keith's keyboards, but I enjoy it just fine. There's no discernable structure to it, and it's probably overlong, but I can honestly say that the 'boredom sensors' within me don't begin reacting during its ramblings. It varies well in mood, texture and speed, so monotony is hardly a problem, and overall it's the closest that ELP have come (for me) to making a "sit back, relax, listen" piece. However, while the 2nd impression does me no harm, the 3rd impression has most definitely grown off me over the years, and while in some sense I get a bit of dorky pleasure from it, it's much harder for me to enjoy it than before. There's a decent sci-fi vibe running through the music, but it gets really difficult to enjoy them after the lyrics turn into "Star Trek: The Musical." Add in that the jamming here isn't anywhere near as enthralling as the jamming in impression the 1st, and you have a serious nine minute let down at the end of the album, one that unfortunately slightly spoils my impression of the whole. That said, though, the ending up-and-down synth arpeggio is pretty amusing, so that's at least something.
So there you have it, the prog album that simultaneously makes me want to praise and curse the entire genre. I apologize to worshippers of the album if I seemed overly mean throughout - I really do enjoy and respect a great deal of it, and a 9(12) is definitely nothing to sneeze at. But there's no question that I prefer the debut now, heh ...
Galvao (Danibabi@correionet.com.br)
(Jerusalem) - Milton, from Willian Blake and not a hymn as you thought.
It is even
credited in the sleeve, "Jerusalem: Lyrics by Blake Arrangement by
Emerson" or something like that.
(author's note): Actually, we are both correct here. According to
the expanded liner notes in the reissue, "Brain Salad Surgery opens
with ELP's take on Jerusalem, 'which is basically a hymn that everybody
sang in school and is played at the end of every Royal Albert Hall
Promenade concert in England,' notes Keith Emerson. With suitably
Anglo-centric, Christian mythic lyrics by poet William Blake, it had long
since become a revered British anthem second only to God Save The King."
Echo Albarn (whoneedsthisreality@hotmail.com)
The album cover, it should be noted, was done by H.R. Giger, Oscar-winning
designer (Alien, 1979). Yes, *that* Alien.
Lee Smith (LeeS@portlandoutdoor.com)
Just a quick note - the "Up and down synth arpeggio" is percussion Moog. I
have a bootleg which features Karn Evil 9 which finishes with Carl playing
a lot faster than the album.
Daniel and Corine Bosch (dcbosch@optusnet.com.au) (6/17/02)
This is their masterpiece. "Jerusalem" is an intriguing start, a
religious song sung by the same guy who wrote the lyrics to "The Only
Way"?!!? I like it, but it hardly prepares you for what's to come. Maybe
that's the point. "Toccata" is possibly their best classical adaptation,
it certainly impressed the original composer. Carl shines here. He is
normally an excellent technical drummer without the inventiveness of a
Bill Bruford but on "Toccata" he has possibly his finest hour."Still....
You Turn Me On" is one of Greg's best, and it is nice to hear the
keyboards integrated through one of his songs rather than just tacked on
at the end like normal. "Benny The Bouncer" is cheerful fluff. And "Karn
Evil 9"? Well, what to say, this still takes my breath away. "1st
Impression" is the best amalgamation of Keith and Greg's talents, as
writers and musicians, that ever there was, the most "group" piece ELP
ever did I feel. Greg's guitar soloing is revelatory - that guy could
play! "2nd Impression" is a typical Emerson instrumental piece, and that
suits me just fine! As much as the Hammond was his primary piece, I'm
always a sucker for Keith on piano (you may have noticed that by now in
my reviews!) and this piece has that by the barrelful. "3rd Impression"
is the weakest of the lot, but still a good piece. The sci-fi lyrics
don't really work, but the music is well played (as always) and Greg
sings the bad lyrics really well. 10 out of 10!
"Akis Katsman" (watta502@yahoo.gr) (2/11/04)
Wow! Excellent album! ELP's best, hands down! Well, I could live without
"Benny The Bouncer" (which sounds like Super Mario Brothers Nintendo
music) or the so-so ballad "Still... You Turn Me On", but the rest is
just AWESOME! The cover of "Jerusalem" is overlooked for some reason, but
I love it. The melody is great and Lake sounds like an ancient God (okay,
I'm stretching here). "Toccatta" is an instrumental I hated at the first
listen, but then I realised it's genius. Nobody plays the keyboard like
Keith Emerson! And what about Palmer's synth drums at the middle? Weird,
eh? Sure! After "Toccatta" we get the two songs mentioned above, which
are not bad, but they sound totally out of place on this album, and
then... Hooray! A prog rock suite! And what prog rock suite!!! "Karn Evil
9", the BEST composition of the trio, and it totally kicks ass! I like
all the three 'impressions', especially the first with the great grooves.
The second 'impression' is a GODLIKE piano solo from Emerson, from which
I don't want to remove or add even a single note. Then comes the third
impression, which many people seem to hate, but I love it. It has a
sci-fi style with the cold synths and the 'computerised' voices, that
remind me of... maybe Star Trek? Cool! Not a boring moment in the entire
suite and it was almost 30 minutes!!! Brain Salad Surgery gets an easy 10
from me.
Sales (Sales@HYPACK.com) (6/16/04)
Go listen to the DVD-AUDIO of Brain Salad Surgery
Best Regards,
Pedro Andino (pedroandino@msn.com) (07/19/07)
beautiful album. beautiful production. revolutionary stuff right
there. let me do this track by track. JERUSALEM. THE BRITISH NATIONAL
ANTHEM DONE BY THE 3 KINGS OF ROCK. TOCCATA. THE SONG IS AN
ADAPTATION OF THE PIANO CONCERTO AND DONE BY THE 3 KINGS OF ROCK.
BLAZING ORGAN SOLOS AND A DRUM MACHINE. YES AN ELECTRIC DRUM KIT THAT
GOES BOOM. THIS REMINDS ME OF THE OLD VIDEO GAME I USED TO PLAY AS A
KID BUT WITH A KEYBOARD BACKING IT UP. CRAZY STUFF. STILL YOU TURN ME
ON. CUTE BALLAD. THIS IS THE 3 KINGS OF ROCK AT IT'S MOST SOFT AND I
AM NOT TALKING ABOUT JOHN DENVER!. BENNY THE BOUNCER. COWBOY SONG
THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN... BLAZING SADDLES! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
HA HA HA!. FIRST IMPRESSION PART 1. WE BEGIN THE SECOND SIDE WITH AN
ORGAN WARMING UP THEN ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE AS THE SPEED OF THE
KEYBOARDS ZOOM AND THE MANIA THAT GOES AROUND. THEN CAME FIRST
IMPRESSION PART 2. WELCOME BACK MY FRIENDS TO THE SHOW THAT NEVER
ENDS. I WISH I WILL CREATE BRACE YOURSELF............ AN ANIME
MUSICAL! BASED UPON THIS ALBUM BUT WITHOUT THE STUPID TALKING AND
SHIT AND MAKE IT A BEAUTIFUL PICTURE. ANYWAY HERE COMES THE SECOND
IMPRESSION. IT IS LIKE THE MOVIE CHICAGO WITH ALL THE PIANO PARTS.
THEN CAME THE THIRD IMPRESSION. CALL THIS A ODD TRACK BUT IT REMINDS
ME OF STAR TREK OR PERHAPS THE ONE ANIME YOU HAVE NOT SEEN. GHOST IN
THE SHELL. THE THEME MAYBE A BIT STRANGE BUT THE JAM DOES NOT AFTER
THE JAM ENDS WE GET AN ODD DRUM MACHINE SPUTTERING WEIRD SOUNDS AND
STOPS!.
YOU MAY CURSE THE ENTIRE GENRE AS PRETENTIOUS BUT WHO GIVES A SHIT! I
GIVE THIS A 10 UNLIKE ASSHOLES LIKE BRAD WHO GAVE IT A FOUR I CHOP
HIS DICK OFF NOW!!!. ANYWAY I LIKE THE ALBUM MORE THAN YOU SO I HOP
THIS WILL GO DOWN ON YOUR PERMANENT RECORD AND LET THE OTHER
REVIEWERS DECIDE. THANK YOU.
Best song: Tarkus
Considered by many to be the very definition of excess, even
more so than the previous year's Yessongs, another triple live
album released after an ultra-pompous and ultra-good work of art. The
thing is, I very rarely see any complaints about the length of
Yessongs, but with this here album, it's always, "it's too long, I
can't sit through it, blah blah blah." Well, forget that. This is a great
live album, and I'm perfectly happy to have it in my collection.
For one thing, it's very, very short for a triple album, and is about half
an hour less than Yessongs. Hence, if you can sit through that, you
can sit through this. More than that, though, is that the song selection
is very, very strong. There's heavy emphasis on Brain Salad
Surgery, and little from Trilogy, so that works just fine for
me. We also get both of the epics, and both are longer than before, but
they're also improved, so I'm not about to complain. Tarkus has even more
energy than the original, and there are two aspects of the performance
that please me in particular. One is that at the end of Battlefield, Lake
throws in a few lines from one of my favorite King Crimson songs,
Epitaph, and that makes me feel good all over. The other is that
AquaTarkus is highly extended, and it rules. The synth tones are much less
annoying than before, and Emerson is absolutely on fire throughout. Get
this album, if for no other reason than this performance.
I'm not about to forget the rest, though. Their rendition of Hoedown here
absolutely blows the original away, with Keith playing his keys so quickly
that you'll think that they HAD to be pre-programmed (but of course
they're not). After that, we get Jerusalem, which is just as stately as
ever, and then a version of Tocatta that, as much as I love the BSS version, rips the original to
shreds. The level of energy is magnificent, and Palmer's synthesized drum
parts will jump you out of your seat even more than before. Great stuff,
this is.
From the debut, we get the terrific Take a Pebble, but it's not quite the
same as before. You see, where we would normally have the little
clap-along acoustic ditty, we get to be serenaded with lovely performances
of Still ... You Turn Me On and Lucky Man. You might miss the keys, but
I think it's nice to just have Greg's lovely voice wooing us for a while.
And after that, Keith gets a chance to go nuts on his pianos for twelve
minutes, before the Take a Pebble suite finally comes to a beautiful
close.
After Jeremy Bender/The Sheriff lighten things up a bit, we finally close
with 35 minutes of Karn Evil 9, and most of it is quite good. The main
change is that Carl's short drum solo from the original is substantially
lengthened, but strangely enough, I don't mind it. Actually, what the
heck, I'd say that I love it! I mean, his technique is impeccable, and his
occasional heavy emphasis on the cymbals provides an eerie sense of
variation to the usual *digga digga thump thump* or whatever. And finally, the last two impressions don't particularly improve upon the original, but they're no worse than before either.
A good album, this is. I used to penalize it a point because Emerson's piano improvisations last for twelve minutes, but dangit, his piano playing is so good and so colorful that the excessive length just can't bother me anymore. I'm also a little sad that Benny the Bouncer didn't make it on, but on the other hand, doing so would've made
BSS almost completely expendable, so it's understandable. In any case, get this if you're
new to the band and want a good overview of the glory days of ELP.
Robert Shave (beau@rshave.fsnet.co.uk)
Hi,
Just read your words on the ring about 'welcome back my friends..' by
ELP.
I agree with you whole heartedly except for one major thing...
the sound is APPALING.
I have never heard such a terrible mix,which was an extreme
dissappointment to me as I went to see this tour.
In fact I had 2nd row seats in Wembley Empire Pool (as it was then).
Anyway,just thought I'd let you know.
Otherwise they were and still are in my mind probably the best band that
ever was (except maybe for Yes)
R. Cat and Roxanne Conrad (rcatconrad@home.com) (10/27/01)
You may not be aware of this, but the "Welcome Back..." release uses
some of the very same performances recorded during the '74 Tulsa show
that King Bisquit recorded for FM radio! I had trouble believing this
myself, because the "Welcome Back..." recordings were so badly mic'd on
every version I've ever owned of this live tour (3 LP & 2 CD sets
respectively) that the two versions seemed irreconcilable. However, if
you compare specific nuances, like Greg's vocal inflections, crowd
noises and the occasional gaff or unique instrument variations which
certainly varied from show to show, you'll reach the same unavoidable
conclusion I did that both King Bisquit and the band's record company
were recording the performance that night. The most astounding aspect
of this is how superior King Bisquit's recording and engineering skills
were to those of the Atlantic/Cotillion/Manticore label! Karn Evil 9 may
be a rather pompous exercise, but it's one of the most majestic moving
pieces of all their repetoire which I listen to from the progressive
side of my collection (i.e., at least as strong as say, "Heart of the
Sunrise" from Yes). Over a good system the King Bisquit release is
almost audiophile quality, which unfortunately, is something I'm unable
to say about "Welcome Back My Friends...!" Oh well, perhaps I'm rather
pompous myself! ;^)
Daniel and Corine Bosch (dcbosch@optusnet.com.au) (6/17/02)
Yes, OK, a three album live album is indulgent (still, Chicago did a 4
album set in 1971!) but, hey, this is ELP!!! They are great live for the
most part. "Hoedown" is ruined, though, by the fact that Keith is just
showing off by going too darned fast and poor ol' Carl just can't keep
up! "Tarkus" is cool live, as is "Toccata". Me being me, I love Keith's
"Piano Improvisations" and "Karn Evil 9" is lively. 8 out of 10.
Simon Brigham (slb23@shaw.ca) (4/07/04)
ELP's "Welcome Back My Friends . . ." isn't bad, but Yessongs by Yes is
better (IMHO). The sound quality isn't the best, but the song
selection is generally good.
Best Tracks: "Hoedown", "Still You Turn Me On", "Lucky Man", "parts of
"Tar
- besides, you're not the first person to metion
mellotrons sepaearately from keyboards. On King
Crimson's first album, Ian McDonald is credited with
playing "keyboards and mellotron" I thought the
mellotron is, without doubt, a keyboard instrument,
and therefore needn't be mentioned sepearately.
- I never before thought of "The Three Fates" and
"Tank" as being one large piece, but as sepearate
tracks. I listened to the CD and realised that the
continuity and lack of space (which exists between
most tracks on CDs) would suggest such. The fact that
a CD is divided into distinct tracks
emphasises...anyway
- the clavinet on "Tank" has a fantastic sound!
A Mellotron is indeed a tape recorder. And both the Synthesizer and Hammond
organ are computers. And the piano and pipe organ are machines. Please.
Birth Of A Band - Isle Of Wight Festival - 2006 Eagle Vision
7 (10
*Emerson Lake And Palmer - 1970 Atlantic*
10 (13)
(On your system, I'd rate them: ELP-8, Tarkus-7 (maybe high
6),
Trilogy-10, PaaE-4, BSS-9, don't have any albums from
then on, I'm told
they're so-so, I might get them eventually but not before finishing off
the
Moodies' first 7)
Tarkus - 1971 Atlantic
8 (12)
Pictures At An Exhibition - Atlantic 1972
8 (11)
Trilogy - 1972 Atlantic
7 (10)
Brain Salad Surgery - 1973 Atlantic
9 (12)
Rik
Welcome Back My Friends to the Show That Never Ends - Ladies
and Gentleman Emerson Lake and Palmer - 1974 Atlantic
9 (12)