Why no love for ELP?

And about Howe, I hadn't read before about him actually jamming with ELP. What I had read is that the idea of ELP was always a keyboard led trio, and they didn't want a guitar in the band... but that if Emerson ever wanted a guitar player with the band, that would have been Howe. So, how could it have worked? Howe in ELP and Fripp in Yes? That would have meant no more King Crimson... at least not in the 70's. However, of course I'm perfectly fine with the way things came out... that's the music we all got to know... and most of us got to love.

We were jilted on Love Beach

You're right, Emerson and Lake (starting with his work in KC) were all about doing music based on the European traditions (classical composers, avant-garde, theatre, etc.) rather than the US rhythm and blues-based tradition like most of traditional rock.  That's one of the things that earned them the hatred of the established music press---"Hey, get out of our sandbox!  You can't play like that!"

No kidding---seems like Hendrix and Emerson would've both fought for the spotlight and tried to take the lead.  If they'd ever got to the point where they traded leads and pushed one another, though...Watch out!  They were both experimenters with a lot of flair.

I don't dispute their contributions to the genre - in fact I think they're one of the most defining bands of their era. Also one of the most influential in that respect. 

ELP at their best were unbeatable - as a teenager I took pride in the fact they did not have a guitarist.  By the time I got into them they were on hiatus (1975) and when they re-emerged with 'Works Vol. 1' the musical landscape had changed and everyone started to hate them - except me.  However, the group side still rates among their finest works, in my opinion. 

Rick Robson wrote: This is intriguing, to say the least. No wonder for me that the majority of the prog lovers from here and from any other prog forum (generation after generation) keep up with a preference for some of the guitar based prog rock bands over any keyboard centered prog band....

The law firm of Emerson, Lake & Palmer got me a $250,000 settlement for my motorcycle accident.

Well I do like a couple of their tunes, but the major turn off for me is the way the music often seems like it gets in a fight with itself. There are so many of these 'battle' segments contained in ELP that I just lose my interest very quickly.
I have often had people say something to the effect of 'wow man, I guess they're too prog for you then', and maybe they are. It just doesn't make sense that I'm hugely into avant and other such strange styles of music, where things get quite out-there and 'prog':-P
I love 3 of their songs though: Tarkus, Still you turn me on and two thirds of Trilogy....

As to why people prefer Genesis over ELP? See my opening statement. To me personally Genesis' music flows a lot more elegantly and doesn't overcomplicate the music unnecessarily.

Toaster Mantis wrote: ELP were generally more inconsistent than the other big names in the British progressive rock movement of their day... most of their classic albums mix some very powerful and ambitious songs with overtly goofy songs (e. g. Benny the Bouncer) that either haven't aged very well, don't translate culturally to audiences outside the UK or just sound out of place on otherwise quite serious albums.

That's my problem with ELP above all else is their inconsistency. The only album I enjoy from beginning to end is Trilogy, although that does have the Sheriff...

I don't find them as thoughtful as other big prog bands of the time. They were all about showmanship and that does have its place and it works well, but the music just doesn't touch me as much as that of say Genesis.