TRILOGY

have spent some time looking at the reviews of this album. It's incredible that it has been rated from 2 to 5 starts and nobody seems to have written anything wrong about it. This has been my first EL&P album so this is probably the reason why I'm going for 4. The only other EL&P album that gave me the same feelings is their debut. Let's go to the songs: "The Endless Enigma Part1/Fugue/Endless Part2 are for me the same track. It starts with a low volume keyboard sound that's full of tension enhanced by the drum and the piano at the end of each keyboard sequence until it reaches the real opening. Lake's voice is impressive and the song flows well until the piano section (the fugue), followed by the reprise and the crescendo coda. "From the beginning" is the best possible following to the first track(s). It starts slowly but this time with guitar instead of keyboards. It's a classical Lake's song with an excellent ending keyboard section. I think every dilectant guitarist has played it in the 70s. "The Sheriff" is the pop moment in the album. Excellent vocals and keyboard with a contry- western-saloon piano as closure. "Hoedown"is one of the many Aaron Copland's pieces that appear in the EL&P discography, even if less famous than "Fanfare for the common man". The B-side of the Vynil edition contains just 3 tracks. They are more close to the EL&P standards. "Trilogy", the title track, would be the longest if we don't consider The endless enigma, fugue and part 2 as a single track. It's more melodic, again sung by Lake and has a complex structure mainly supported by the piano. There's not much Palmer here until the piano solo increases the rhythm and is finally replaced by the complete lineup (moog, bass and drums) on a 5/4 tempo. The keyboard riff reminds to "Tank" from the previous album, then the track changes again and Lake can sing its second part, totally different from the first. There's much more Palmer now. The main theme doesn't change anymore until the bluesy coda. "Living sin"is rock! One of the hardest tracks ever composed by the trio. Lake sings on very bass tones then his singing turns several times from high to bass. The rhythm is unusual and there is room for some Palemer's short solos. I feel it's closer to the Nice. It's only a few too short for my tatste. I think it could have been improved more. "Abaddon's bolero" doesn't add anything to this album or to the concept of Bolero. Not bad, enjoyable enough, with its crescendo, but probably the less essential track of the album. A good closure, anyway. What about the rating? Is it a masterpiece? Probably not, but I think it's very representative of EL&P music, more than any following album and just a little more commercial and less experimantal respect to their debut. 4 stars for me.