EMERSON, LAKE & POWELL: EMERSON, LAKE & POWELL

Seven years after "Love beach", a quite nice record, ELP returned with a better one called "Emerson, Lake & Powell". Wherefore? Well, no the drummer's name was Cozy Powell and not Carl Palmer. Perhaps they hade looked for a drummer with precisely the same initials. The differencies in drumming style could be heard. I think this one drums more like a rock drummer than Palmer do. In the middle of the eighties, 1985 the record came and I guess it already was released on the CD format. The cover isn't so progressive, but quite distinct with three faces like cubes in black, yellow and red.

The albums contains of seven songs. It starts with power in "The Score" a typical fanfare song of ELP with arena statements and a fast wonderful song of Lake(8/10). "Learning to fly" then is a nice little rock song with good isntrumentation but not splendid(6/10). "The miracle" later is a symphonic piece with great vocals and imagination(7/10). "Touch and go" is lovely, one of my favourites on this record. It is a poppy marching tune with good fanfares(8/10). Then come two less intriguing songs: "Love Blind"(5/10) and "Step Aside"(5/10) which could be considered a bit jazzy but not so brave. "Lay down your guns" though makes me happy again, a catchy tune indeed(6/10) and "Mars, Bringer of War" goes in old footsteps with an agressive modernisation of Gustav Holst's classical piece(8/10).

This is actually a record I think many prog lovers will enjoy, it doesn't sound like music from the eighties, it's more like they're playing the music they allways have played. Some songs do not get me as much as others but the whole result is positive. I will give Emerson, Lake and Powell three strong stars today! Best tracks: Touch and go, The score, Mars, Bringer of War!