Emerson, Lake, and Palmer albums poll

wow did we really already run out of bands to poll?

― dougie instructor (jjjusten), Thursday, 25 August 2011 19:30 (seven years ago) Permalink

I'll never get tired of hyping Love Beach.

― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 25 August 2011 19:42 (seven years ago) Permalink

Bless you.

S/T for me.

― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 25 August 2011 19:43 (seven years ago) Permalink

I picked BSS but I think "Welcome Back" is really the ultimate ELP album in many ways. Surprised so many people complained about it given that Yessongs is even longer.

― frogbs, Thursday, 25 August 2011 20:00 (seven years ago) Permalink

heart says 'love beach,' brain says the mussorgsky thing

― reggie (qualmsley), Thursday, 25 August 2011 20:12 (seven years ago) Permalink

Loved these guys '70-'74, sold most of the albums in a big prog purge later in the decade. I have a vinyl copy of Welcome Back on my shelf that I will in all likelihood never play again in my lifetime. Would probably vote for the debut.

― Hey T-Paw, mow my lawn! (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 25 August 2011 20:16 (seven years ago) Permalink

Went for "Brain Salad Surgery". Because of "Karn Evil 3".

― Hongroe (Geir Hongro), Thursday, 25 August 2011 21:21 (seven years ago) Permalink

"Love Beach" does actually contain one really great half side (the suite), which is much more than most critics are willing to give it. But it's still far from their best.

― Hongroe (Geir Hongro), Thursday, 25 August 2011 21:22 (seven years ago) Permalink

I'll argue that the title track was the predecessor to "Limelight", it really does sound like it to my ears

The only thing I can say about Love Beach is that it's really not half as horrible as you're led to believe, Keith is mostly restrained, the lyrics are cringe-worthy but most of the playing is tasteful. It's better than Works Vol. 1 or any of their 90's stuff.

― frogbs, Thursday, 25 August 2011 21:24 (seven years ago) Permalink

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

― System, Wednesday, 31 August 2011 23:01 (seven years ago) Permalink

Smallest total vote, potentially?

― Mark G, Wednesday, 31 August 2011 23:04 (seven years ago) Permalink

Trilogy. It might be a bit more spotty than Brain Salad Surgery but it has stronger material

― that's cute, but it's WRONG (CaptainLorax), Wednesday, 31 August 2011 23:08 (seven years ago) Permalink

Trilogy is def my second favorite. While the debut lacks what the later records have in sheer entertainment value, it carries over the best of Crimson's lyricism and the showoff-y playing hasn't pushed aside the songs entirely yet. Plus, "Knife-Edge" is killer.

― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 31 August 2011 23:13 (seven years ago) Permalink

X-Post: Actually I consider Brain Salad Surgery to be the patchy one, with little of value besides "Karn Evil". But "Karn Evil" takes up half an hour anyway, which makes it my obvious pick nevertheless. I feel that there is a bigger number of stronger tracks on "Trilogy" though, including "From The Beginning" which is their best ever non-prog track.

― Hongroe (Geir Hongro), Thursday, 1 September 2011 11:34 (seven years ago) Permalink

http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/oval-72-tarkus.jpg

― mark s, Thursday, 1 September 2011 12:17 (seven years ago) Permalink

I used to like to air-synthesize to "Lucky Man" back in grade 5.

― clemenza, Thursday, 1 September 2011 12:41 (seven years ago) Permalink

Although they were arguably the most popular band of the whole prog rock movement (or 2nd to Yes?)

This is interesting. They seem pretty close, which I never realized, actually:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerson,_Lake_%26_Palmer_discography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes_discography

I have to assume you're not counting Pink Floyd or Queen as prog bands, though.:P

― EveningStar (Sund4r), Thursday, 1 September 2011 13:33 (seven years ago) Permalink

I only have Tarkus, which I don't think I've ever made it all the way through. I enjoy hearing them on the radio well enough. Anything in particular I really need to check out if I really like Yes/Genesis/Crimson/Tull?

― EveningStar (Sund4r), Thursday, 1 September 2011 14:04 (seven years ago) Permalink

Tarkus and BSS are really good.

― You're a notch, I'm a legend (Bill Magill), Thursday, 1 September 2011 14:19 (seven years ago) Permalink

mark s (markus) otm

― http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i_qxQztHRI (Princess TamTam), Thursday, 1 September 2011 14:48 (seven years ago) Permalink

greg lake is the actual most irritating singer in the history of rock (and all other music), mind you

― mark s, Thursday, 1 September 2011 14:57 (seven years ago) Permalink

^^^ this has never been polled, afaict. Lake irritates me occasionally, but he wouldn't even make my top (bottom?) ten.

― Hey T-Paw, mow my lawn! (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 1 September 2011 16:27 (seven years ago) Permalink

Started by frogbs

― buzza, Thursday, 1 September 2011 17:20 (seven years ago) Permalink

http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l9ul9zN2Tf1qdmmiqo1_500.gif

i basically just post this whenever i have an opportunity, sorry

― In the long run, we will all be cyberpunks (Z S), Thursday, 1 September 2011 17:22 (seven years ago) Permalink

I only have Tarkus, which I don't think I've ever made it all the way through. I enjoy hearing them on the radio well enough. Anything in particular I really need to check out if I really like Yes/Genesis/Crimson/Tull?

― EveningStar (Sund4r)

The best thing about Trilogy (what I'd check out) is "The Endless Enigma (Part One)" and the title track

― that's cute, but it's WRONG (CaptainLorax), Thursday, 1 September 2011 18:48 (seven years ago) Permalink

I voted for Trilogy, but I like everything up through the two volumes of Works. I wrote about these guys for the Voice in 2008, when Shout! Factory reissued their catalog, and then again this year when they put out Live at Nassau Coliseum '78.

― that's not funny. (unperson), Thursday, 1 September 2011 19:10 (seven years ago) Permalink

Those reviews are pretty inspiring!

― EveningStar (Sund4r), Thursday, 1 September 2011 20:44 (seven years ago) Permalink

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

― System, Thursday, 1 September 2011 23:01 (seven years ago) Permalink

there might have been things i've missed, but don't be unkind

― reggie (qualmsley), Friday, 2 September 2011 00:36 (seven years ago) Permalink

Regarding ELP's popularity compared to other prog bands, I think they were very huge back then, but it may seem that Yes and Genesis (and King Crimson, but they were partly different and more avant garde, at times slightly closer to krautrock and as such more accepted by people usually not into prog) are more respected in retrospect today, while ELP feel very much of their time.

― Hongroe (Geir Hongro), Friday, 2 September 2011 01:23 (seven years ago) Permalink

Watching a video of Asia recently, I was surprised that Carl Palmer was not such a heavy drummer. He has a lot of finesse, I think.

― timellison, Friday, 2 September 2011 01:28 (seven years ago) Permalink

(Haha, fron unperson's first piece linked above: "surprisingly jazzy drums.")

― timellison, Friday, 2 September 2011 01:32 (seven years ago) Permalink

Actually, the most surprising thing about the results is that their usually most critically acclaimed album ("Tarkus") got only 1 vote.

― Hongroe (Geir Hongro), Friday, 2 September 2011 17:30 (seven years ago) Permalink

'tarkus' is pretty hard to get through

― reggie (qualmsley), Friday, 2 September 2011 17:33 (seven years ago) Permalink

In what world is Tarkus ELP's "most critically acclaimed album"?

― Naive Teen Idol, Friday, 2 September 2011 20:31 (seven years ago) Permalink

MY WORLD

but i didn't vote for it -- lake is a terrible singer and can fuck off

― mark s, Friday, 2 September 2011 23:54 (seven years ago) Permalink

In what world is Tarkus ELP's "most critically acclaimed album"?

In the world of the critics:
http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/Current/Emerson%20Lake%20&%20Palmer.htm

― Hongroe (Geir Hongro), Saturday, 3 September 2011 00:22 (seven years ago) Permalink

Where it comes in third?

― timellison, Saturday, 3 September 2011 00:33 (seven years ago) Permalink

Oh, never mind - I get it. (Lower numbers equal higher rank.)

― timellison, Saturday, 3 September 2011 00:33 (seven years ago) Permalink

Apologies for my ignorance, but what is "acclaimedmusic.net"?

― Naive Teen Idol, Saturday, 3 September 2011 03:42 (seven years ago) Permalink

hmmm, so if I did a "best ELP albums past 1974", Love Beach wins in a landslide?

― frogbs, Tuesday, 27 September 2011 15:38 (seven years ago) Permalink

Would Cozy Powell have been invited to the 1986 gig had his last name not started with "P"?

― Lee626, Wednesday, 28 September 2011 04:56 (seven years ago) Permalink

Olatunji was told not to bother.

― Mark G, Wednesday, 28 September 2011 11:29 (seven years ago) Permalink

Do you think Phil Collins got an invite, or did "Emerson, Lake, and Phil" sound too weird?

― frogbs, Wednesday, 28 September 2011 13:38 (seven years ago) Permalink

Did the Love Beach voters go with that one because of the 'Taste Of My Love' lyrics?

Ohhh, you look so hungry woman
how come you strayed in here with your eyes so bright
on this long hot night.
Could it be for a taste of my love
Down on your knees with your face to the wall
Saying please please please.

My friend said I should call
well I do feel lonely woman
And to tell the truth , I could use some company
to come closer to me.
Help yourself to a taste of my love.

Call up room service, order peaches and cream
I like my desert first - if you know what I mean.
Yeah, taste it , taste it, taste it
Around the maze of pleasure to the gates of pain,
you're driving me insane.

Take all you need from the taste of my love
I want to love you like nobody ever loved you
Get on my stallion and we'll ride.
I want to hold you and enfold you beyond reason
I want to dynamite your mind with love tonight.
Go down gently with your face to the east
The sun may be rising but we haven't finished the beast.

Ohhh, you still look hungry woman
I'm glad your came in here with your eyes so bright,
on this long hot night
You need love - I need love, here it comes , the taste of my love.

I'm gonna love you like nobody ever loved you
climb on my rocket and we'll fly.
Over the moon past the sun till we find
the gates of heaven open wide for lovers
I'm gonna love you like nobody ever loved you
climb on my rocket and we'll fly.

― Bryan, Thursday, 29 September 2011 05:55 (seven years ago) Permalink

god, every line of that is so beautiful

― frogbs, Tuesday, 1 November 2011 22:10 (seven years ago) Permalink

I just heard an album called "Keith Emerson Band featuring Marc Bonilla" and it's actually quite close to classic ELP - there's a 30-minute suite that's kinda like "Tarkus" (not quite as good, but very listenable), a Ginastara cover, a goofball ragtime tune, and a more metal take on the s/t's "Barbarian" as a bonus track. Emerson actually sounds quite good - he can't quite play at the same tempos but what he does works. I think ditching Lake for this one is probably the best thing that he could've done. I'd say it's the best ELP thing post 74, but it kinda wins that by default doesn't it?

― frogbs, Friday, 14 March 2014 14:24 (five years ago) Permalink

i picked up "Tarkus" from a used record bin at Fantasyland Records yesterday for $5. i have always wondered about this album due to the odd cover art. it's pretty good but it suffers from the playing-lots-of-notes trap prog bands often fall into (sometimes never escaping) that i never cared for. i always tune out for these parts of long keyboard solos and everybody doing syncopated noodling of just lots of notes going up and down in a way that is impressive to serious music school-style Musicians. Zappa suffers from this, the Grateful Dead too. herein lies the dinosaur bloat.

i guess i've never band a fan of Math Rock though I can appreciate it as a form. i prefer a Soft Machine-style prog approach that is more based on economy and short repetitive themes. but i digress there is still a lot of cool synth rock and minimalist psychedelia and slow proto metal. Lake is a great singer! best when they let him sing over a riff and leave out the Math Rock. till prefer their first album but "Tarkus" is pretty nice!

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 5 August 2017 21:12 (one year ago) Permalink

ugh the first half of side 2 is pretty bad. really not liking the lyrics for the whole objectivist bit. ELP is trying hard to sound really profound but its all very hollow. its like a much less enjoyably musical The Wall. "Bitches Crystal" was trash. the last song here is kinda cool and sounds a little more like the first album.

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 5 August 2017 21:40 (one year ago) Permalink

wait that wasnt the last song. the last song is kinda like if Roxy Music did a Jerry Lee Lewis song and its pretty cool.

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 5 August 2017 21:43 (one year ago) Permalink

suffers from the playing-lots-of-notes trap prog bands often fall into

^ This comment has single-handedly convinced me you haven't heard many prog albums?

― more Allegro-like (Turrican), Saturday, 5 August 2017 22:19 (one year ago) Permalink

usually very few notes

― sleepingbag, Saturday, 5 August 2017 22:46 (one year ago) Permalink

xpost i prob-ably haven't.

i concede all prog album mastery of knowledge to thee Turrican

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 5 August 2017 23:07 (one year ago) Permalink

for whatever reason I've started collecting ELP live recordings. there are a lot of nice ones out there! also confirms something I've suspected for a while, that Emerson's piano playing took a notable hit sometime around Works which explains why their stuff got so midtempo around then. cuz I'm listening to the '74 CalJam set (recorded 'round the same time as Welcome Back My Friends...) and he's just on fire. of course, Lake's voice never quite sounded the same either.

most pleasant surprises so far: the Emerson, Lake, and Powell live album (unimaginatively named "Live in Concert" or whatever), and one by the band 3 (Emerson, Berry, and Palmer) who turned out to be a lot of fun live even though the studio album sucked. Emerson sounds like he got some of his mojo back in the mid-80s, but man, those 90's recordings.....brutal

― frogbs, Wednesday, 5 December 2018 20:11 (five months ago) Permalink

the deterioration of emerson's playing abilities prompting his suicide is one of the saddest tragedies in rock history. it's almost poetic justice the haters might say for a supreme showoff

― reggie (qualmsley), Wednesday, 5 December 2018 20:27 (five months ago) Permalink

yea there was definitely something sad about that 2010 show (ELP's last!) during which it sounded like he was wearing mittens. then of course you had Lake, who looked like he'd put on a solid 100 lbs, unable to hit any of the original notes anymore. Palmer, on the other hand, seemingly hasn't lost a step since '72. Crazy. Anyway if you look up later videos of Keith (circa say, 2015) you can really see how he retooled his playing - his left hand is still good, but his right is stiff and you can see him struggle a lot. he's got to make this awkward claw shape which I've never seen another piano player do. even sadder since apparently a lot of it had to do with a botched surgery he got for it back in the 90's.

― frogbs, Wednesday, 5 December 2018 20:58 (five months ago) Permalink

Xp
It was the bullying that prompted his suicide. You neglected to mention that step. There’s an interview about there where a significant other explains it that way.

― ヽ(_　_ヽ)彡　ᴵ'ᵐ ᵒᵏᵃʸ_(･＿．)/　 (FlopsyDuck), Wednesday, 5 December 2018 21:56 (five months ago) Permalink

*about = out

― ヽ(_　_ヽ)彡　ᴵ'ᵐ ᵒᵏᵃʸ_(･＿．)/　 (FlopsyDuck), Wednesday, 5 December 2018 21:57 (five months ago) Permalink

There's a Live in Puerto Rico recording ( official ) out there, a '70s festival date I think? , that's so great. Really brilliant.

― An Uphill Battle For Legumes (Capitaine Jay Vee), Wednesday, 5 December 2018 22:46 (five months ago) Permalink

xp I think Robert Berry mentioned the same thing, that for someone who was massively successful and a living legend he was deeply affected by criticism. He claims that 3 broke up because Emerson had gotten too many nasty letters from fans.

― frogbs, Thursday, 6 December 2018 15:20 (five months ago) Permalink

I hate ELP with a burning passion. It's a combination of the total waste of talent plus the smugness plus the dated sound - rock organ hasn't aged well - plus Greg Lake. Carl Palmer was a terrific drummer who drummed his little heart out but it was all a waste because the rest of the group couldn't support him with good music. If ELP's albums were remixed so that the organ, guitar, and vocals were erased their music would be improved immensely. I could listen to Carl Palmer going rat-a-tat by himself.

It's Greg Lake that I dislike the most. I loath him. Keith Emerson couldn't write a good melody to save his life but at least he could play very quickly. Greg Lake had the bland voice of a primary school teacher playing at being a rock singer. The lyrics he had to deliver were uniformly awful but he didn't have to sing them, he could have just made squalking noises. I would still hate him but slightly less.

Pink Floyd progressed musically and Roger Waters was passionate about something; ELP were musically conservative, almost regressive for a prog band and they had no personal demons and nothing to say. Unlike Yes they didn't have a knack for soaring melodies and they weren't interested in engaging the listener's emotions. Their music was all about spectacle, but even on that level they had a very limited bag of tricks.

It's not as if their music was particularly complicated, either - it was just very fast and precise. I'm not a huge fan of Frank Zappa but occasionally he hit the spot, and his music generally had a groove. Something like "Peaches en Regalia" is musically clever and only six minutes long, "Watermelon in Easter Hay" demonstrated range. When I think of ELP I think of three stiff white driving instructors / estate agents who happen to be very good at playing instruments.

God I hate them so. Just the thought of the edge of one of their record sleeves - the brown card, the smell of old records - just the thought of vinyl albums pushes me to the edge of rage. The thought of boiling an egg with a blowtorch angers me. Heavens above my fuel is beaming. Also, yes, they're one of those bands like Bread or Uriah Heep or Steeleye Span that is locked permanently into a bygone era and will never, ever, not in a million years, not ever be fashionable ever again, not even if they're sampled by Death Grips, which they probably won't be because they didn't have a groove and it's just diddly-diddly organs all the time.

Also the stock market isn't doing well and my stocks and shares ISA is being hammered, and although I thought I was being clever with Deutsche Bank the fact is that I was nowhere near the bottom. How can a bunch of Germans fuck up running a bank? I don't care if they break the law! Can't the German government just agree not to ask too many questions? The debut album, that's the answer.

― Ashley Pomeroy, Thursday, 6 December 2018 22:14 (five months ago) Permalink

Being fashionable has got to be one of my lowest priorities in life.

― ヽ(_　_ヽ)彡 ᴵ'ᵐ ᵒᵏᵃʸ_(･＿ ．)/ (FlopsyDuck), Thursday, 6 December 2018 22:46 (five months ago) Permalink

I thought Ashley's post was c&p'd from ILM of yore, well done

― Scam jam, thank you ma’am (Sparkle Motion), Thursday, 6 December 2018 22:51 (five months ago) Permalink

they had no personal demons

Um Keith Emerson committed suicide and Greg Lake had a drink problem.

Steeleye Span

First 3 or 4 albums are some of the best folk-rock records ever.

Other than these I'm with you.

― GG Allin: The Musical (Matt #2), Friday, 7 December 2018 00:02 (five months ago) Permalink

Also, yes, they're one of those bands like Bread or Uriah Heep or Steeleye Span that is locked permanently into a bygone era and will never, ever, not in a million years, not ever be fashionable ever again,

Even though I agree that ELP are irredemably terrible you are so wrong about Bread and Steeleye Span that it invalidates everything else you said.

― Monica Kindle (Tom D.), Friday, 7 December 2018 00:24 (five months ago) Permalink

Don't sleep on the Heep either.

― GG Allin: The Musical (Matt #2), Friday, 7 December 2018 00:44 (five months ago) Permalink

The last four Uriah Heep albums have all been great. Totally unfashionable, sure, but great.

― grawlix (unperson), Friday, 7 December 2018 00:48 (five months ago) Permalink

Heep is still putting out albums?

― Scam jam, thank you ma’am (Sparkle Motion), Friday, 7 December 2018 00:49 (five months ago) Permalink

They reunited in the early 2000s and have been recording and touring steadily. They're gonna be opening for Judas Priest in North America in early 2019.

― grawlix (unperson), Friday, 7 December 2018 00:52 (five months ago) Permalink

Has this become a thing where we go into threads just to say we don’t like the music act said thread is about? If so, I have a lot of catching up to do.

― ヽ(_　_ヽ)彡 ᴵ'ᵐ ᵒᵏᵃʸ_(･＿ ．)/ (FlopsyDuck), Friday, 7 December 2018 01:14 (five months ago) Permalink

lol Karl's Love Beach gif upthread just sent me into a sorely needed 5 min fit of laughter

― constitutional crises they fly at u face (will), Friday, 7 December 2018 01:19 (five months ago) Permalink

LOL Gilliamesque.

― Monica Kindle (Tom D.), Friday, 7 December 2018 01:21 (five months ago) Permalink

obviously I disagree with everything in Ashley's post but it is interesting to see a hater direct their ire towards Greg Lake. he's an odd figure in the prog scene; responsible for a lot of ELP's commercial success, but also sort of a ghost...there are looooong stretches on ELP albums where you kinda forget he's even there. and nothing he wrote was even remotely proggy..."Take a Pebble", maybe? not his famous ballads, nothing on Works, certainly nothing in that short-lived solo career he did - when he's on stage holding down the bass line to "Rondo" for 15 minutes you can practically see the bored look on his face, wishing he was chainsmoking outside.

hence why the Emerson/Berry/Palmer group was kind of interesting to me, if you listen to the live recording there's a real loose and fun atmosphere to it that ELP proper never had. like when your group of friends get together, but the whiny dude who takes everything personally and always leaves in a huff can't make it. it's also interesting because Emerson sounds awesome on it - there are sections where it sounds like he's practically up to his peak. the tempos are faster than those '77-'78 recordings. so clearly something happened to him in the following years.

― frogbs, Friday, 7 December 2018 14:54 (five months ago) Permalink

greg lake sings my favorite king crimson songs. free pass forever after. carl palmer drums on my favorite ASIA song. free pass forever. keith emerson is as great as alex lifeson, geddy lee, rick wakeman, jim hendrix, mary timony, any freaky virtuoso out there. RIP!

something i love about ELP (along with van der graaf generator) is their inspiring and curating the 'rock progresive italiano' scene. manticore records is maybe the best artist vanity label

http://www.esotericrecordings.com/manticore.html

― reggie (qualmsley), Friday, 7 December 2018 16:10 (five months ago) Permalink