TRILOGY

They could have followed up the release of the tasteless "light entertainment" of PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION with pretty much anything, and it would have come as something of a breath of fresh air. This is, of course, another "half-and-half" album like TARKUS. But unlike that album, they've interleaved the good and the bad, forcing you to listen from beginning to end. Is it any wonder I listen to this a lot less than TARKUS?

Let's get the bad out of the way first. "The Sheriff" isn't as bad as some of their, "oh look! We have a sense of humour, too!" songs, but it's still dispensable. "Rodeo" is just more throwaway classical kitsch and the less said about the attempt at sounding menacing on "Living Sin", the better.

High points are easily the album's opening and closing tracks. The three-part "Endless Enigma" houses some of Emerson's most stunning organ playing, and also features a lovely fugal solo piano part in the middle. "Abaddon's Bolero" is a work of striking intensity, building slowly from beginning to end, and emphasizing Emerson's synthesizer work in a memorable way.

The rest of the album is just fairly average. "From The Beginning" was a pleasant Lake folkie guitar tune with philosophical lyrics, and was the band's biggest hit single (in the US, anyway). That leaves the title track, which is rather "Tarkus"-lite; some interesting moments, but not as good as what preceded it.

It's far from their worst album, but all the same, TRILOGY is a bit of a mess. Something like a tossed salad with some ingredients you love and others you can't stand. A cautious recommendation, but get it after you already have some of their better material.