IN THE HOT SEAT

I sooooo wanted to give this album one star. I listened all the way through this album, with Lake's voice sounding as pinched off as it did on Black Moon, Palmer acting as nothing more than a simplistic drum machine, and Emerson, the great Keith Emerson playing background keyboards on an album of simplistic AOR mixed with lame arena rock. Sure there are a few hints that it's actually Emerson playing, but they are very few, and very fleeting.

Even the well intentioned "Daddy Charity" (all proceeds from the song Daddy went to a fund to help the families of missing children - what did it raise? $5?) doesn't warrant raising the rating up.

So what is the saving grace? Yet another recording, with orchestra, of Mussorgsky's Pictures At An Exhibition. This one is not bad, mostly because of a fine orchestral arrangement. But it only raises it to the level of "collector's only". If you're not a huge ELP, or especially Pictures fan, run away fast from this album.