TRILOGY

I am rating myself at a level 3 as I begin this listen. I had this on LP years ago, so it's been a while since I have heard it straight through. I am very familiar with From the Beginning, Hoedown, and the title track. The others I am a bit rusty on. Of course, this is classic ELP, so I know its quality, but just how great is it? Let's see.

(The first 3 tracks comprise the Endless Enigma Suite)

Track 1 - The Endless Enigma, Pt. 1

We begin with a heartbeat, joined by high pitched synth sounds. Some low-end piano notes followed by bongos and other percussion sounds sporadically entering. Next, is an instrument that sounds bagpipe-like, then some schizoid keyboard playing. The band then locks into a groove that features Emerson's organ. Then we have a big organ part that ushers in the vocals at around 2:30. Lake's vocals begin softly, accompanied by the organ in a very hymn-like manner. Softer and louder sections alternate, with drums in the louder sections. At around 5:50, Lake plays a repeating bass note at a quick tempo and the band plays a brief, high-tempo section which creates a crescendo, followed by a brief pause and then a piano solo, which leads to?

Track 2 - Fugue

The piano continues playing lovely melodic lines until around 50 seconds, where he begins the "Fugue" (a baroque era format, similar to a round). Lake's bass joins in on the fugue. They continue as such while leading to?

Track 3 - The Endless Enigma, Pt. 2

Which begins with an emphatic rhythmic section, then church bells join. The organ brings us back to the hymn-like singing. Lake holds this final note ("Here?.") on a fairly high pitch (for him). Afterwards the song concludes with some quintessential Emerson flourishes and Palmer drumming.

Track 4 - From the Beginning

A folky acoustic number that became a staple of classic rock radio. It is in the vein of the earlier "Lucky Man" and the later "Still?You Turn Me On." Lake shows that he is not only a fine bassist/vocalist, but a wonderful 12-String acoustic player as well. The intro starts very much like Yes' Roundabout at the very beginning, but quickly diverges from that. There is also a bass and bongo part during the first verse. It sounds as though the guitar part was doubled on the second verse. There is a clean electric guitar solo that begins around 2:15. So far this has been very much a Greg Lake feature. Emerson finally joins at around 3:05 for a synth solo (a-la Lucky Man.)

Track 5 - The Sheriff

We start with a Palmer drum solo, joined by Emerson & Lake with a funky groove. The lyrics tell the tale of a Sheriff pursuing an outlaw named Big Kid Josie. There is an organ break at around the 2-minute mark. As the tale concludes, we have a bit of honky-tonk piano silliness.

Track 6 - Hoedown

Based on a piece by famous American composer Aaron Copland, who gave the band permission to record their arrangement, this is a quintessential example of ELP's musical prowess in an instrumental. Emerson takes the lead, playing Copeland's melodies on the Hammond, with Lake & Palmer providing a tight rhythm underneath. There are occasional synth parts that replicate the sound of fiddles from the original work. More synths come in and take over the sound for a bit at just before 3 minutes. The band plays a tight ending to close the track.

Track 7 - Trilogy

This is a contender for my favorite ELP track. The melodies in this are stunningly beautiful. Lake's voice is absolutely immaculate along with the dazzling piano parts played by Emerson. This opening section would not be out of place in a classical concert hall. At around 3 minutes, Emerson establishes a 5-8 rhythm, before switching to synths as Lake & Palmer join in on bass & drums. An extremely proggy instrumental break ensues, with Emerson featured on the synths. Next, Palmer gives us a tricky, fast, 6-8 drum part, accentuated by Lake's bass. Emerson keeps up the rhythm on the organ with twiddly synth parts on top. Lake returns with vocals in a variation of the opening melodies. We have another instrumental break with Emerson on synths with a more muted tone at first, followed by a more cutting sound. Another verse follows. Then we lead up to a big bluesy finishing riff. If I wanted to encapsulate the ELP sound in one track, this might be it (although Karn Evil 9, First Impression, Pt. 2, is off to the side shouting, "oh, really!").

Track 8 - Living Sin

Emerson starts off with a high tempo organ part. Lake joins on vocals in the lowest notes I've ever heard him sing. Meanwhile, Palmer is keeping a steady rock beat on the drums. Lake is practically screaming, sounding more like he did on King Crimson's 21st Century Schizoid Man, than what he normally does in ELP. There is a closing section that reminds me a bit of the instrumental bridge of Yes' Siberian Khatru to wrap up the song.

Track 9 - Abaddon's Bolero

A marching snare beat slowly fades in, joined by flute-like melodies on the organ. Some subtle bass notes start joining in at around 1:15. Emerson begins playing a synth melody at 1:55. We have a very slow and gradual crescendo in the music as we go along. Emerson harmonizes the melody at just before the 3-minute mark, while other keyboard backing parts are added. Every repetition of the melodic theme grows slightly louder with the addition of more parts. At around 5 minutes, a tuba-like tone enters. At 5:15, the melody of the traditional song "The Girl I Left Behind Me" can be heard on flute-like synth tones. By around 6 minutes in, I am getting the impression of the cavalry riding their horses to victory. At around 7 minutes, Emerson brings his favorite lead synth tone into the mix. The sound is becoming very dense. A rhythmic pattern played by the band closes out the piece.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

A very strong album, indeed. But it's not my favorite ELP album, even though it contains 3 of my favorite ELP tracks in From the Beginning, Hoedown & Trilogy. The rest of the album is good but doesn't connect with me as much as Brain Salad Surgery does. Still, though, there is a lot of prog juice to enjoy. I'll give it a 4.25 out of 5 stars.

Clicking 4, but really 4.25!