PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION

In my opinion, this album is an overlooked gem. Now the live title may give you the wrong impression, thinking this is just a live album with some good ELP tunes on it, right? Wrong! This album was recorded with material that ELP had not previously released. The music on here is fantastic, and all of the musicians are at the top of their game.

The album starts off with Promenade, a theme that will set up the entire show. Keith Emerson's keyboards are astounding, most notably in 'The Old Castle' and 'Blues Variation'. His ability to play and sound so well live just makes this album even better.

Greg Lake, being one of my favourite bassist/vocalists, is incredible. The bass sound is mammoth and plays with excellent precision in the 'Baba Yaga' pieces. His vocals come with such clarity and depth; witch makes him easily one of my favourite prog vocalists. Carl Palmer is also doing a fantastic job with his complex rhythms. He does a fantastic job and includes a small solo in 'Nutrocker'.

My favourite tracks include 'The Old Castle', 'The Great Gates of Kiev' and the encore 'Nutrocker', although all songs are put together very well and make this album very easy to get into and enjoy. I recommend this album to any ELP and prog fan in general, since the music is astounding and is one of their best albums, in my opinion.