Emerson, Lake & Palmer Album: “Emerson, Lake & Palmer [Remastered]”

A clear and solid Jap remastering of this milestone CD brings it to life with a rich engaging sound. One of their best albums, and one of the best 70s albums period - big, bold, beautiful and beefy.

Emerson, Lake, and Palmer are my favorite prog rock band, and this is arguably their most balanced album as a band. On most of their albums, Emerson and Palmer dominated the proceedings, while Lake diddled on his bass guitar, usually playing a simple riff or two while Keith and Carl ripped their instruments a new one. Lake only really shined during the ballads, and probably resented Emerson and Palmer (Emerson especially) for their domination of the band. This album strikes a beautiful balance between all three. The opener, The Barbarian, opens with a killer guitar riff (yes, guitar), then breaks into a blistering version of Bartok's Allegro Barbaro (even though Emerson, Lake, and Palmer are credited with the song). The second song, Take a Pebble, is Greg Lake's most underrated ballad, and it's a damn shame, because it is one of his best songs, and one of ELP's best songs. It's an epic Greg Lake song running 12 1/2 minutes (usually the epic were courtesy of Emerson), and it boasts some great lyrics and amazing beautiful piano work by Emerson. Knife Edge has some great bass playing by Greg, which blends it beautifully with Emerson and Palmer. The Three Fates is mostly Emerson, until the final segment, when they all join in. Tank is a great Palmer drum workout, with excellent keyboard work from Keith and another great bass line from Greg, and Lucky Man closes it. It's Greg's signature song, and it's really all him. The synthesizer solo at the end was an add on. Greg wanted to give Keith something to do on the song, so Keith improvised the solo. ELP would get bigger and better with longer tracks (Tarkus, Karn Evil 9), but here they share more of the music. I'm not saying this is their best album (that's the triple live one), but it's certainly as good as anything they ever put out...

As the author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent" and a former radio disc-jockey, I am often asked to write and or discuss various recordings from the 60's and 70's.

Rockerusa2002 (Thank you) should be credited for setting the record straight about the ELP remasters shifting from label to label isn't about greed. If people are aware of the history of the group they are totally understanding of the endless pursuit Keith, Greg, and Carl had for the perfect sound in the studio and live environments. One of many examples was Emerson's displeasure with the inability to recreate the studio sound of "Abaddon's Bolero" on the Trilogy tour.

The debut record from ELP was a stunning achievement. From the opening notes of the "Barbarian" sending shockwave's through your system to the final verse of "Lucky Man" it is one of the finest initial recordings from any band.

Could Emerson equal or surpass the ground breaking sounds of the Nice? Would Carl Palmer be able to excel the same way as he did on the first Atomic Rooster LP? Could Greg Lake justify leaving King Crimson?

The musical diversity and brilliance of the six tracks answered every question with a resounding "YES." "The Barbarian" with the down and dirty sound reaches for your lungs and places an everlasting choke hold.

"Take A Pebble" is one of the finest vocals every witnessed. Lake's voice is in perfect harmony with Emerson's piano. The lyrics are majestic and the composition brings all things to an immediate stop. Your ears fixated on the wizardry never believing what they have heard but ready for a second listen the moment the masterpiece ceases.

"Knife-Edge" brings to the forefront Greg's bass with intense musical direction. Numerous live tours would see this in the set list for obvious reasons.

"The Three Fates/Lachesis/Atropos" Emerson's piano style of mixing classical style compositions with progressive rocks freedom of expression has kept a legion of fans salivating on every note.

"Tank" lets Carl do his thing but that doesn't mean the band is taking a rest. Listen to the well constructed musical passes that only enhance Carl's ability to be complex and tasty. Many drummers know their theory but leave you as bored as a rainy summer day. Palmer can be adventurous in a ballad or a rocker.

"Lucky Man" would give ELP entry into the singles charts and become one of the most recognizable tunes from its era. Don't sweep this under the "Commercial Rug." The acoustic guitar that Lake beautifies each time out resonates with brilliance and the words are some of the best ever penned.

Any ELP fan would agree from the first release through Brain Salad Surgery you couldn't go wrong. Many will add Works 1 and Works 2 (They should) in their collections as well. If you use this album as a starting point, you'll love the journey in the proper sequences. If you decide to skip around that's fine too. Either way the legacy will be there for the listening.

Enjoy the music and be well,

Craig Fenton

Author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent"