EMERSON LAKE & PALMER

I must confess that I was never a big fan of ELP. Too much keyboards noodling and too little guitar, I guess. However, I cannot deny their importance for rock in general and the prog world in particular. They were truly grounbreakers that merged classical, rock and jazz into a very new kind of sound that defined the 70´s. There were groups that worked those styles before (among them Keith Emerson´s own band prior to ELP, The Nice), but not in such scale of talent and style. Emerson was right when he finished The Nice and looked for the right line up to fit his ideas. So while he and drummer Carl Palmer were technical and trained,. bassist, guitarrist and vocalist Greg Lake (from King Crimson) balanced the sound with nice acoustic songs and warm vocals. This chemistry remains unsurpassed.

I heard their debut album many years ago and I bought it again a few weeks ago. And I was astonished by how good it was. I mean, I didn´t exactly turned into a hardcore fan of them, but it is clear to anyone that their first work was a milestone in rock music when it was released in 1970. They impressed many with their instrumental virtuosity, but they also came with great songs to match, even for radio play. Several of ELP´s more celebrated stuff was introduced here: Take a Pebble, Knife Edge, Tank, Lucky Man. Besides we have other fine epics like the opener The Barbarian and the surprisingly varied suite The Three Fates (I loved the caribbean rhythms included on one of the parts, with a great percussion work done by Palmer). The CD is incredibly well balanced and nothing is really overdone here (like it surely would in years to come). Such an achievement for such young band.

It had a good production for the time and the new remasterd edition made it quite perfect.

Like King Crimson´s debut, ELP defined the coming of age of an era with its first release, a great promise that was totally fulfilled (all the future excesses included). This CD is not only a great record. It is, along Yes Close to The Edge, Genesis Foxtrot and the aforementioned Crinson´s first, the quintessential work of a new time in music, no less. A classic, essential masterpiece fo progressive rock. Five stars with honours.