THE ESSENTIAL EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER

I will agree with the title of this to a degree, but not everything here is essential ELP. Furthermore, who hasn't heard these tracks? You would have to be a newcomer to the group to not have these tracks. They are available on the more recent compilations but for completists the compilation has at least some great tracks and a nice booklet.

From the debut we have The Barbarian, Take A Pebble, and Knife-Edge. The full version of Tarkus is here in all it's bombastic glory, along with Bitches Crystal. And the Trilogy album is more represented than usual on comps by Hoedown, Trilogy, The Endless Enigma, Part One, Fugue, and The Endless Enigma, Part Two, that are often omitted from compilations.

From quintessential ELP classic Brain Salad Surgery the additions of Jerusalem, Toccata, Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression - Parts 1 and 2 just about sum up the best of the album. Jeremy Bender / The Sheriff (Medley) is interesting and better to hear these as a medley.

I Believe In Father Christmas, C'est La Vie and Honky Tonk Train Blues could have been left out without troubling me, but overall the best ELP material is here from the Works albums. Unfortunately it is only the edited version of Fanfare For The Common Man.

Love Beach is represented by it's one good track as usual, Canario. It is always great to hear the wonderful Peter Gunn Theme and the more recent Black Moon and Paper Blood are terrific tracks.

This one is strictly for newcomers to the band and perhaps they would be better off with the unedited tracks on The Ultimate Collection.

Despite the title this is good but not essential.

This compilation is where I started with ELP, progressive rock's ultimate supergroup. The two discs on this album are basically more or less of what you'd expect from an "essentials" compilation: it spans the bands entire career and compiles the band's best material. It does that well, in my opinion. After hearing all the music on this album, I decided to try a few of their full albums. I'm not really much of ELP fan after all, but this is a great introduction to the band and I think everything that is essential from this band is definitely present within these two discs, except Picture At an Exhibition.

Great for introductory purposes.

There is as many "best of ELP" compilations now as blood thirsty midges on a hot summer day.

The best thing I can say about them is that they entice curious souls and those with a passing interest to check out this band. At worst, they only serves to improve the balance sheet of an industry which has shot themselves in the foot during the last ten years.

The Essential Emerson, Lake & Palmer contains some of the best songs and pieces Emerson, Lake & Palmer has ever done. I guess most of us would agree that these two and a half hours on these altogether two CDs is great music. The cover and the packaging is also great. This is a nice double CD to have in anyone's collection. Would I play these CDs again ? No chance ! I prefer their first live and studio albums.

But for curious cats, this is a good start off point (or a good end) to the exploration of Emerson, Lake & Palmer's music. That is the purpose of The Essential Emerson, Lake & Palmer compilation.

3 stars