EMERSON LAKE & PALMER

Much of this is bravado and huffing and puffing; the compositional quality is dubious in the extreme; yet this is an essential piece of our history, next to Crimson, probably the most important band of them all. Born from the ashes of The Nice more than Crimson (despite Greg Lake's input), this was Emerson putting keyboards on the map, pushing guitarists to one side as the lead instrument, perhaps taking the cue and clue from Clouds but making so much more of it than that band ever could.

The tragedy for me is that this could have been so much more, had the excellent writing of Lake been given the prominence it should have had. Perhaps that again is the flaw in progressive rock, the writing and the music have often two different agendas, audiences being audiences, the musicians tend to win, having the loudest voice and applause, but this isn't necessarily a victory, music is the loser.

I have mixed feelings about this album and indeed about the band. But one can't justifiably deny them their importance in history. Has to be five stars.