Emerson, Lake & Palmer — alternately known by the acronym ELP — were an English symphonic-rock trio that released three studio albums and a classical concert set between 1970 and 1972 on Island (UK) and Cotillion (US). Their 1971 release Tarkus contains a seven-part title suite that catalyzed the epic side-long format. In 1973, the […]
Tarkus is the second studio album by the English symphonic-rock trio Emerson, Lake & Palmer, released on June 4, 1971, on Island (UK) and Cotillion (US). Tarkus presents their first long-form suite, comprised of seven linked sections that span side one. On side two, they offer six shorter pieces with separate moods and forms. Keith […]
Emerson, Lake & Palmer is the debut album by the English symphonic-rock trio of the same name, released on November 20, 1970, on the Island and Atlantic labels. The album brought together three established players: Nice keyboardist Keith Emerson, King Crimson bassist–singer Greg Lake, and Atomic Rooster drummer Carl Palmer. They recorded the album shortly […]
Brain Salad Surgery is the fourth studio album by English symphonic-rock trio Emerson, Lake & Palmer, released on December 7, 1973, on Manticore. The album maximizes their studio across a subdivided album body. Side one places four distinct pieces—a hymn arrangement, a modernist concerto adaptation, a Greg Lake ballad, and a comic piano song—before the […]
Trilogy is the third studio album by English symphonic-rock trio Emerson, Lake & Palmer, released on June 23, 1972, on Island and Atlantic. Trilogy tightens their studio language through denser overdubs and cleaner sectional joints. Side one begins with “The Endless Enigma,” a three-part epic followed by the atmospheric Lake ballad “From the Beginning,” an […]
What did each of these albums bring to the table in rock’s transformation from Beat through psychedelia and the subsequent emergence of suite-driven symphonic progressive (Genesis, ELP, Yes) and orchestral pop (ELO, Alan Parsons Project, Klaatu). The period from 1966 to 1968 was a pivotal moment in rock history, as the “Beat” era of three-minute […]
Greg Lake (1947–2016) was an English bassist, guitarist, singer, and songwriter, best known as the original frontman of King Crimson and for his partnership with keyboardist Keith Emerson and drummer Carl Palmer in the super-trio Emerson Lake & Palmer. As a solo artist, he cut the 1975 single “I Believe in Father Christmas,” a yuletide […]
What’s the likelihood that a 16-year-old freshly delving into old music and styles would confuse/mix post-hippie 1971 fashion and 1981 new romantic fashion and lump the music of ELP, Gary Numan, Atomic Rooster, and Spandau Ballet into one category, thinking the organ on “Tank” sounds just like the synth on “Cars”? Part I. The Great […]
