What ever happened to E.L.P.?

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   I am not a big fan of ELP but they do have a bunch of strong songs scattered across their 70s albums. I think what holds them back for me and the top 100 list is their bad filler/joke songs. With the exception of their debut all of their albums have several (or a whole LP side for Tarkus) short messy tracks that get on my nerves. When I read reviews of their albums these tracks often get criticism and cause people to lower their rating to 3 or 4 stars. Their debut album does not have this filler which is why it's my favourite from ELP and I'm not surprised it's the only top 100 album.

Basically they could have very high ranking albums but quality control lets them down. If their debut album contained Tarkus then I am confident that would be a top 20 album on the rankings, as the quality is there when they got serious. 

Edited by LakeGlade12 - 11 hours 18 minutes ago at 03:52

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LakeGlade12 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: September 29 2013 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 180	Post Options Post Reply Quote LakeGlade12 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 11 hours 20 minutes ago at 03:50
	I am not a big fan of ELP but they do have a bunch of strong songs scattered across their 70s albums. I think what holds them back for me and the top 100 list is their bad filler/joke songs. With the exception of their debut all of their albums have several (or a whole LP side for Tarkus) short messy tracks that get on my nerves. When I read reviews of their albums these tracks often get criticism and cause people to lower their rating to 3 or 4 stars. Their debut album does not have this filler which is why it's my favourite from ELP and I'm not surprised it's the only top 100 album. Basically they could have very high ranking albums but quality control lets them down. If their debut album contained Tarkus then I am confident that would be a top 20 album on the rankings, as the quality is there when they got serious. Edited by LakeGlade12 - 11 hours 18 minutes ago at 03:52

kirk782 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: September 06 2024 Location: India Status: Offline Points: 189	Post Options Post Reply Quote kirk782 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 11 hours 30 minutes ago at 03:40
	Their debut album was quite good. And the side long suite of Tarkus was excellent too [the side 2 was a collection of shorter songs, I remember, some of which were decent as well]. 'Works Vol 1' had it's high points as well. What I found average was their adaptation of the Mudgorsky's [I am sure I am spelling his name wrong ] classical suite. I found their adaptations of songs like 'Karn Evil 9' on the live LP to be superior than the equivalent album versions. However, come the 80s and the band deteriorated in quality. However, even if I judge personally on a per capita basis of "number of great songs that I liked vis a vis total output", they lie far ahead of Genesis, for me, whose Phil Collins era my ears can't tolerate for no reason. 'Jethro Tull' had the brilliant Aqualung and the decent 'Thick As a Brick' but their early albums don't gel well with me.

Rick1 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: April 14 2020 Location: Loughborough UK Status: Offline Points: 2919	Post Options Post Reply Quote Rick1 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 12 hours 37 minutes ago at 02:33
	ELP were once the biggest band in the world and they were incredibly talented. As a teenager, I got into them while they were on hiatus in the mid-70s and then they returned with Works Vol. 1. I thought the group side was fantastic and stood up well against their previous albums. ELP weren't afraid to mix up musical styles which messed with the heads of the prog purists and then they became targets of the high priests of punk. Admittedly, Works Vol. 2 wasn't an album as such (I wished they had done more stuff like 'Bullfrog', which sounded like Shamal era Gong to me!) and despite the post-modern irony of the cover (lost on 'serious' prog fans), 'Love Beach' sounded jaded although it has some good moments. I was lucky enough to see their last ever gig in London in 2010 which was a huge reminder of how great they were. The year after, in the same slot, I saw Dream Theatre (I left early...what a load of crap)

Atavachron Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: September 30 2006 Location: Pearland Status: Offline Points: 65592	Post Options Post Reply Quote Atavachron Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 13 hours 4 minutes ago at 02:06
	I don't know--- New generations come up, new styles become favored. For me, Tarkus is possibly the greatest album ever recorded, but it's never been as popular as it should be. Good question though.
	"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy

fuxi Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: March 08 2006 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 2471	Post Options Post Reply Quote fuxi Report Post Thanks(1) Quote Reply Posted: 14 hours 29 minutes ago at 00:41
	Forgive me if this question has been asked before, but how come Emerson, Lake and Palmer barely even make the Prog Archives Top 100 these days? (Their debut album is at No. 93, and as far as I can tell, that's it.) Oh, I must admit I never thought they were as convincing as Yes, Genesis, Jethro Tull or other 1970s contemporaries... But to see them surpassed by the likes of Camel, Renaissance and Focus... For someone who grew up in the 1970s that feels very strange. Have classics such as TRILOGY and BRAIN SALADE SURGERY fallen out of favour? I'd like to hear your ideas.