EMERSON LAKE & PALMER

The musicians are of course no debutants but having each a notable background (The Nice, King Crimson, Atomic Rooster, Arthur Brown). Expectations were high when this super group was formed and they were even able to exceeded them. A masterful record from first note to last.

THE BARBARIAN: a cover version of Bartok's Allegro barbaro for solo piano and a very heavy entry for such an artful album. When listening to it a thought sprang to my mind: maybe ELP are the unknown founder of art metal - just listen to the hefty ending of the piece. Who needs Black Sabbath when you can have stuff like this one. (5/5)

TAKE A PEBBLE: the beautiful mellow counterpart to the barbarian. Beautifully executed by everybody, 12 minutes long, never getting boring. The vocal melody is superb as is Emerson on piano. (5/5)

KNIFE EDGE: takes up the mood of The Barbarian. Very heavy again, and again a cover version of a piece by a classical composer (Janacek), with lyrics from Lake. Still a concert favourite today. (5/5)

THE THREE FATES: highlights Emerson once more. Certainly the most awkward (or should I say demanding) piece on the album: Organ solo, piano solo, piano trio. Here Emerson makes no compromise to the average pop/rock consumer. But once you acquired the taste for the organ solo, you'll find The Three Fates up to par with the rest of the album. The secret, rewarding highlight, I daresay. (5/5)

TANK: a drum solo with keyboard accompaniment. The keyboard sound I find strange and a bit unpleasant (reminds me of the keyboard stuff Zappa & The Mothers did on Uncle Meat and Burnt Weeny Sandwich). Then comes the drum solo proper - and Palmer blows me away. One of the most melodic drum solos I've ever heard. So great! (4/5).

LUCKY MAN: yes, I know, no-one knows this song ;-). But did you recognise that almost all of it is a duet between Lake and Palmer (immensely beautiful drumming!) until Emerson comes in at the very end? It took me years to realize that it's just voice guitar and drums most of the time. Here the masters show us what they can do with a simple pop tune. (5/5)

5 stars, simply stated. You'll bereave yourself if you avoid this album.

Share this EMERSON LAKE & PALMER review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to strayfromatlantis
• Report this review (#169602)
• Buy EMERSON LAKE & PALMER music online with PA partners
• Show all EMERSON LAKE & PALMER MP3/Stream
• Go to EMERSON LAKE & PALMER page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Emerson Lake & Palmer page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for EMERSON LAKE & PALMER related discussions