TRILOGY

I think earlier I referred to this album as ELP's "best work." Yeah, I lied. Anyway, there are some good parts in this album, but like most ELP releases, it collapses under the weight of it's own pompousness. "The Endless Enigma" has some pretty good vocals from Greg Lake, but the histrionics at the end really kill the whole song. "From The Beginning" is another Lake showcase ballad. "The Sheriff" and "Living Sin" are just typical goofy filler ELP tracks. But, I must say, ELP's rendition of "Hoedown" isn't too bad. "Trilogy" is probably the best song on the album. For a band that's so cheesy, the first half of the song isn't too bad for a ballad. The lyrics are weird, but what really saves it is Emerson's piano work. He shows more restraint and instead just showing off and it works quite nicely. The breakdown in the middle of the song is pretty sweet, but I can't stand the ending- it sounds like something that would be on a travel agency commercial. The last song on the album, "Abbaddon's Bolero" has a nice build up, but really just is pure filler. It would have been better if it was just more than one big crescendo and actually went somewhere. If you are a fan of ELP, go ahead and buy this.

Standout songs: "Trilogy"