EMERSON LAKE & PALMER

Clearly ELP is still in its infancy here; their debut is full of much bombast but lots of filler. "The Barbarian" and "Knife-Edge" -- both being great examples of ELP's souped-up-classical style -- are the highlights of the first side. Look out for live versions of the later -- Emerson peppers his solos pleasingly with lots of fleeting classical references. In these two, ELP are making a direct statement of intent; the pieces are short and to the point and, thus, work well. On the second side, "Tank" has some really memorable moments -- the beginning and end constitute the archetypal ELP synth driven instrumental extravaganza -- but it is a pity the song is really just a frame for an overly-long and unnecessary drum solo. And then there are the two "epics" of the album. The better of them is "Take a Pebble", with a haunting main theme based on a chord progression Lake supposedly picked up back in his Crimson days. But the piece does not deserve its 12 minutes; Lake's guitar solo is particularly boring and irksome, and its up to Emo to save the day with his nimble piano work before an unnecessarily long restatement of the main theme. "The Three Fates" opens with a brilliant organ line, but quickly becomes boring. The 'piano trio' (which is just a solo piano unfolding over two layers of really simple and repetitive piano lines) stretches out far too long. And what of "Lucky Man" ? Very simple in structure and arrangement, a straightforward lyric, and a memorable melody. The best of Lake's ballads and perhaps, for all its quaint folksiness, the best track on the album. Emo's synthesiser solo at the end is timeless and revolutionary, and introduced so many new listeners to the instrument's untapped power. This album's place in rock history is enshrined for that reason alone. But because it's the first does not make it the best. Listen to Tarkus or especially Trilogy first.