BRAIN SALAD SURGERY

This, of course, is the trio's most ambitious album. With its louder (the loudest of the group, some would say) volume, its dense electronic sounding that is so infectious, and most of all its three-movement solid and elegance composition "Karn Evil 9", this album is a luxurious showcase where Keith Emerson stretched his powerful keyboard attack out beyond one can imagine at the time.

Emerson had the support of The Great Dr. Moog himself who provided him with an improved synthesizer well-suited for this effort. Throughout the album, especially from "Karn Evil 9" piece, one can capture so many great moments in which Emerson treated his keyboards as if he was Jimi Hendrix with his guitar -- he delivered a flamboyance, jaw-dropping keyboards playing.

Beside "Karn Evil 9", the other songs are also among the best of band's work. The opener, the band's arrangement of Sir Charles Hubert Parry musical setting of William Blake's "Jerusalem", is a killer tone setter. Reverent, yet rocking. The follow-up "Toccata", a smart reinterpretation of the Argentinean Alberto Ginastera's serious work, extends the musical enjoyment the listeners can get. Greg Lake's ballad "Still... You Turn Me On" add the experience with a beautiful melody and (again) arrangement.

To save the lame part for the last: yes, there's one more song that is -- you may say -- basically a throwaway, "Benny the Bouncer". But the three songs mentioned above are mighty enough to, say, ignore its presence.