BRAIN SALAD SURGERY

Maybe this album is for some people a clear example of the "excesses" done by some Progressive Rock bands in the seventies. Albums like this maybe created the criticisms done by some people to this kind of music. Yes, this album has some excesses, and it really neeeds repeated listenings to have a better impression as a whole, but IMO, it is maybe ELP`s best album, their peak as a band.

"Jerusalem" sounds like a Religious anthem (I really don`t know if it is a Religious anthem), but I like very much this arrangement of this piece of music.

"Tocatta" is heavy in some places, noisy in some places (with the use of synthesizers), and with Palmer playing timpani and gongs.

"Still ... You Turn Me On" is a ballad with acoustic and electric guitars, and I also can hear that Lake even used a Wah-Wah pedal. It is a very good song that the band could not play it in the proper way in concert, as Lake only played it with his acoustic guitar.

"Benny the Bouncer" has some humour which balances the musical density of the next song:

"Karn Evil 9", which has several parts with different musical styles. Emerson sang lead vocals on the "First Impression (parts 1 & 2)", and his voice is very similar to Lake`s, and I could not believe that he was singing these parts when I read the credits on the cover. This "First Impression" is musically the most interesting part of this album, very Progressive, IMO. The "Second Impression" part is very influenced by Jazz. The "Third Impression" part is also progressive, but the rhythm has not many changes as in the "First Impression" parts. "Karn Evil 9" needs more repeated listenings to be appreciated better a s a whole piece of music, but in the end the listener (at least in my case) has the impression of a very good piece of music.

In conclusion, this album is not an easy listening for the first time, but, as I wrote before, repeated listenings are needed to discover how good it is.