The official ELP disscussion thread

I've been keeping an eye on this thread, so I figured it's time I put my two cents in.

I think Tarkus is their greatest album, and I am not a huge fan.

Well, I won't be writing a review because I'm rubbish at them, but I agree Brain Salad Surgery is a brilliant album.  I also really like Pictures At An Exhibition.

I'm sorry, Toccata and Karn Eval 2 are not even comparitively weak tracks. They demonstrate ELP's abilty to experiment throughout the album without failing. Abaddon's Bolero is not nonsense at all. As an adaptation of Ravel's Bolero, it is difficult to play because it has two beats - one on top of the other. Remember, this was recorded by three musicians before the wholesale use of computers. Pictures at an Exhibition was improved in the early nineteen-nineties, but not released in its entirety. Frustratingly, In the Hot Seat had a shortened version. Does anyone have Greg Lake's home or email address, it's about time I complained directly!         

I just noticed there's two sample tracks in the archives from Tarkus, wonder why that is?

To me, their debut, "EL&P" is at least twice as good as any other of their other albums. And beware, I think "Works, vol. 2" is perhaps their second best.

Slartibartfast wrote: crimson87 wrote: Do you know if there is avilable a record like: "The Royal Philarmonic orchestra plays ELP"? (Invented title) I know Queen and Pink Floyd had their songs covered by an orchestra. I've got a few of those orchestra covers prog band albums.  Seem like there is no point for that when it comes to ELP.

lildabaduye wrote: Is this thread forum still active?  It should be.  ELP were great and made major contributions, despite bombst and inconsistencies.

sam81292 wrote: ISome of my friends (who call themselves ''Grungers'', but really just listen to bands like Green Day and Creed) shunned them away from the first notes that they heared from them. claiming that they were not even close to a rock band, but some keyboard pop crap.

Ha ha ha I think that very argument was first expressed a little over 30 years ago.  Nice to know nothing changes.

Thought I'd chime in here, just read the first five pages and I'm honestly somewhat amazed at how polarizing ELP was. 

Apparently I'm in the minority in that I like both Genesis and ELP, I would personally put them at 1 and 2 respectively on a list of 'my favorite bands f the 70's'.

I became a keyboard player based on both Banks and Emerson which, now that I think about it, is just about as opposite as two players could get.  I see how one could consider Genesis and specifically Mr. Banks cold and aloof.  I saw Genesis three times and I believe Tony Banks nodded his head a couple of times during the We Can't Dance tour.

Emerson on the other hand amazed me with his antics.  I saw him twice (Three and Emerson, Lake and Powell), and he inspired me to get one of the remote keyboards.

I'm happy to see that they've made it to the top 100 with two of their albums at least, I agree with the supporters that they should be higher than the mid fifties, but still, that's an improvement over when the thread had started. 

My thoughts on why they're underrated echo some of the others in this thread.  In the scope of rock music over the years, there have been, most likely, more guitar players than any other instrumentalists.  Guitar players are usually competing with one and other for bands, jobs and such.  The last thing that they'd want is more competition from a keyboard player.  A keyboard fronted rock band would just plain alienate many of the guitarists who had already been trying to get people to pay attention to them.

I still prefer Genesis, but ELP is a great band and Keith Emerson was one of the greatest keyboard players in rock music history.

Is this thread forum still active?  It should be.  ELP were great and made major contributions, despite bombst and inconsistencies.