The official ELP disscussion thread

For the record, before I say any of this, let me state: i DO own and enjoy ELP albums. I have their S/T, Pictures at an exhibition, tarkus, trilogy and BSS.

That said, even though I always enjoy them, I do rank them below the other great bands. I would rank them below Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Van Der Graaf Generator....and maybe a few others.

Now, that's not really an insult to ELP so much as a compliment to all the others. But really, being ranked below those bands is not so bad, because they're all so amazing.

Anyway, my real point here is that a lot of people say they dislike ELP because of the pomp and bloatedness. Quite a few have already said so in this thread. I don't really think that's the case, for me. I love pomp. I will repeatedly listen to Journey To The Centre Of The Earth, for example.

For me, it's just their sound. Too heavily based on Emersons various keys, for one thing. Not enough guitar, in general, for another. Another problem is Greg Lake. He's a fantastic singer, technically, but sometimes I find him to be a boring vocalist, even though he can hit every note every time.

So what does it come down to? Great composition, great instrumental skills, average overall "sound". That's just me, but I have friends who feel the same way.

Ultimately, it's this issue of "sound" that stops them from being an immortal band, and ensures they always remain as a "damn good" band in my opinion.  

Brain Salad is sheer inspiration.. that said, I wouldn't really call ELP tight, particularly compared to other prog bands, but that was part of the fun

Re the 'The Royal Philarmonic orchestra plays ELP', there was a covers album featuring Glenn Hughes. I cannot remember the title and have never heard the album, but I would expect it to be really good (I do not think it was orchestral).

Thank  heavens you're still here threefates - I thought you had left us!

Do you know if there is avilable a record like: "The Royal Philarmonic orchestra plays ELP"? (Invented title)

himtroy wrote: By time they got to Brain Salad Surgerey I feel that they had lost the tightness that they originally had.

I love Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, and definitely consider them one of my favorite bands. But come on...Brain Salad Surgerey?  I think the S/T, Tarkus, Trilogy, and Pictures are all so much better.  By time they got to Brain Salad Surgerey I feel that they had lost the tightness that they originally had.  It's like Yes...they became way too self indulgent and just started doing things just for the sake of showing that they are capable.

I was watching the Pictures At An Exhibition DVD yesterday thinking to myself,"Yeah,Keith.Play that muhfuggin' Moog!!".

The top three bands were!

Jake Kobrin wrote: crimson87 wrote: febus wrote:   big, loud, bombastic and overblown.     That's the way I like my prog.When you put these 4 words together magic happens.   What the heck is wrong with those people?? Seems they had too much prog metal exposure.   Hah! Have you heard Ayreon??? It's all four of those... and I don't really like it.