TRILOGY

Probably the best ELP album since Tarkus to our days. But unlike Tarkus, each track is equally wonderful:

Endless Enigma Pt.1, Fugue and Endless Enigma Pt.2 are the perfect introduction to the album, they show Keith's incredible ability in both synths and acoustic piano, Carl's skills at his best on percussions and Greg's wonderful voice and bass with some reminiscense of what he did with King Crimson + some weird philosophical lyrics (in the vein of Crimson's I Talk to the Wind) on Endless Enigma.

From The Begining is Lake's typical ballad (and my favorite one) with really decent lyrics and the keyboards at the end are appropriate (unlike the moog solo in Lucky Man). Followed by the humorous track, The Sheriff (probably the best of its kind) led by Emerson with a Honky Tonk piano.

Then we have Hoedown, an arrangement of Rodeo by Aaron Copland that reminds me alot what Emerson did with The Nice, full with energy and shows Keith and Carl at their best (a direct descendant of Rondo and Pictures at an Exhibition).

Trilogy (the longest track of almost 9 minutes) is a display of Greg's voice and of Keith's ability to play a ballad followed by a very energetic display of their capability as a group full of synths and spectacular drums with a solid bass foundation.... this is, in my opinion, the most tasteful love song ever written by ELP.

Living Sin is a track in the vein of Knife Edge in which Lake alternates his regular vocals with some growls singing some more strange lyrics about sins and twisted stuff, its good but not a highlight.

Abbadon's Bolero its a magnificent piece (an adaptation from Ravel...sort of a military march) that closes the album in a beautiful way.

This is a very underrated album but its a masterpiece of prog and music in general with no weak tracks (even the ballad is strong and somewhat complex) and really cohesive.

Tarkus, for some reason, is closer to my heart but this one has just as much quality and I like it better than the second side of Tarkus (which I also enjoy).

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