Emerson, Lake & Palmer Album: “Trilogy [UK Bonus Track]”

There two things I always remember about this album is that every time the beginning of "From the Beginning" played on the radio it sounded so much like the beginning of "Roundabout" by Yes, and that the end of "Living Sin" was used as the theme music for one of the local television news shows in Albuquerque. "Trilogy" was the third album from Emerson, Lake & Palmer, the British Progressive (nee Classical) Rock group and it is certainly interesting in retrospect to consider those first three albums as a set. On their self-entitled debut album, ELP offered a balance between tracks featuring synthesizer overkill by keyboard virtuoso Keith Emerson and the melodic compositions of guitarist Greg Lake, wherein Emerson turned in his organ for a piano. Their second album, "Tarkus," went in the first direction, with the Tarkus Suite representing their best effort along those lines. "Trilogy," represents the other direction of ELP, one which I personally favor.

The two parts of "The Endless Enigma" are bridged by a "Fugue," that shows ELP's interest in pursuing classical musical forms, as does the final track, "Abaddon's Bolero." "The Sheriff" is one of those cute ditties the group tended to indulge in a bit too much, while "Hoedown" from Aaron Copeland's "Rodeo" is one of their better direct adaptations of a classical work. "Trilogy" and "From the Beginning" highlight the instrumentality of the group in a clearer, cleaner style. All in all, the high points on "Trilogy" are not as strong as on their debut album, but this certainly got ELP back on track for my money. The live version of "Hoedown" included is a minor addition to this remastered import version of the album.