TRILOGY

The trio's fourth album, not so bombastic as some of their outings, but more lyrical and atmospheric. The Endless Enigma/Fugue/Endless Enigma suite captures this brilliantly and contains same superb piano and Hammond organ playing by Emerson.

From the Beginning is a great Lake ballad. The Sheriff is one of those quirky humorous songs the band did so well, this is a good example, again with great Hammond organ. Emerson's interpretation of Hoedown, from Aaron Copeland's Ballet Rodeo, is brilliantly done capturing the spirit of the event. The title track is the second epic of the album and has some different moods and textures throughout. Aladdon's Bolero is a take on Ravel's version (although Emerson denied this) starting simply and building the orchestration to epic proportions, but ultimately it lacks originality.

This album is half a star down on their best work, making it 4.5 stars, but it's still excellent.