Album title: Brain salad surgery
Artiste: Emerson, Lake and Palmer
Nationality: British
Year: 1973
Subgenre: None; pure Progressive Rock
Player(s): Keith Emerson (Keyboards), Greg Lake (Guitars, Vocals) Carl Palmer (Drums)
Familiarity: I know their whole discography unfortunately.
Favourite track(s): Karn Evil 9
Why? It's one of the great prog epics, even though I prefer Tarkus when it comes to ELP. It's an engrossing 20 odd minute epic that really showcases the abilities of Keith Emerson.
Least favourite track(s): “Benny the Bouncer” and "Jerusalem"
Why? Prog bands around this time were known for inserting humour now and again into their recordings and quite often they had a light throwaway song that usually came before some epic stuff. ELP have that in "Benny the Bouncer" the problem is that it's absolute ****. "Jerusalem" firstly I hate the hymn and the song displays from the word go just how pretentious the band are.
Any preconceptions prior to listening, whether good or bad? I knew the band were overblown and pretentious, and now will add very dated as well.
Factoids you'd like to share? One of the biggest selling prog bands of all time, which meant that millions of listeners must've really dug the band, which is amazing as they're hardly an accessible prog band.
End impression: Really couldn't sit through the album again, but could listen to Karn Evil 9, but then that's a contradiction by me as the song takes up most of the album!
Comments: I knew what was coming and it was nowhere as good as I remembered it, despite the fact I don't really like the band. The problem with ELP is quite simple. You put three of the best prog musicians of their generation together in one band and each one is an individual whose goal it seems to be to outdo the other two. What you end up with is a musical menagerie that reeks of prog excess, without ever really concentrating on what really matters and that is the songs. Personally I like each individual but not together as a band, as Greg Lake was good in King Crimson. Overall the album is an overblown epic that doesn't have the songs on its a-side. But in that great battle of the musicians Keith Emerson certainly takes it.
Rating: 3.5 and that's thanks to Karn Evil 9