The Cavern
Rock & Words
EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER
"Clear the battlefield and let me see
All the profit from our victory.
You talk of freedom, starving children fall.
Are you deaf when you hear the season's call?"
"C"
Main Decade: 70’s
Main Eras:
Progressive (1968-???)
Key Members:
Greg Lake: Vocals, Bass, Guitar
Keith Emerson: Keyboards
Carl Palmer: Drums
Key Songs:
Lucky Man, Tarkus, From The Beginning, The Barbarian, Knife Edge, Take A Pebble, Tocatta, The Gnome Jeremy Bender, The Sage, Trilogy, Bitches Crystal, Stillo You Turn Me On, Touch And Go, Fanfare For The Common Man
Emerson, Lake and Palmer, ELP for short, is one of the most difficult prog bands to get into. You generally either love them or hate them. Well, you don't hate them; I don't think they ever really inspire that feeling. You just couldn't care less. You completely ignore them, and that's it. And generally, you've at least heard them mentioned in passing, you've probably heard one or two of their most emblematic songs, you know they were one of the most virtuosic progressive rock bands, and you're not interested in anything more. You don't delve too deeply.
The thing is, ELP's music is among the most complex on the first listen. ELP must be the very definition of progressive rock. Enormous suites, kilometer-long solos, virtuosity scattered left and right, more solos, incredibly complex structures, even more solos, and a heavy influence of classical music. Did I mention the solos? ELP takes to the extreme what the other founding prog bands started. And on the first listen, they're incredibly difficult. If you don't survive the first album, it's very unlikely you'll give them another chance, and you're left with the feeling of, "They're good, but, meh!" But if you give them another chance, they might hook you, and you might find, at least on their early albums, those fascinating arrangements and brilliant structures, with incredible instrumental performances that would later become a benchmark and lay the groundwork for other bands like Rush, Dream Theater, or even Muse.
True, ELP is perhaps the most pretentious, pompous, complicated, and humorless prog band in the entire universe and beyond. The least "friendly" band for flesh-and-blood fans, so to speak, but they are masters of musical structures and do things that leave music scholars perplexed. And let me clarify that I am far from that; I'm referring to those who actually know about composition, solfège, structures, etc. ELP are, in a way, at odds with form; they don't care if their songs are radio-friendly and catchy, but they bet everything on the incredibly complex way in which these three geniuses combine their talents. I think only King Crimson is comparable in terms of complexity and arrangements, but they were always more musicians, and generally had a bit more melodic sense, although they could also be much more experimental. But when you find your way with ELP, when the veil of that fascinating universe is lifted, this trio takes on a gigantic dimension, and you can lose yourself for hours in Tarkus or Trilogy and detect that complex aesthetic that lies at the heart of their intricate notes.
ELP was one of the founding bands, the one that entered the scene later. Their debut was in 1970, but by then Genesis, King Crimson, Yes, and especially Pink Floyd, had already released one, two, or more albums. The point is that ELP isn't just a progressive band; they are THE first progressive supergroup. All three members had been playing in various prog or art rock bands for some time, so they weren't newcomers. Keyboardist Keith Emerson and bassist/vocalist Greg Lake met at the Fillmore West in San Francisco. Emerson played in The Nice, and Lake was the vocalist/bassist for King Crimson. They hit it off, impressed each other, and realized they shared a vision of what they wanted in a band, something their current projects lacked. Although they continued with their respective bands for a while, they began to develop the idea of forming a trio with keyboards, bass, and drums. The first person who came to mind was Mitch Mitchell, who had just been dropped from Jimi Hendrix's backing band when The Experience disbanded. However, the enthusiasm for having this "super drummer" quickly faded when he arrived with bodyguards and an ego bigger than Hendrix's... The drums were filled by Carl Palmer, who played with Atomic Rooster. Their debut was at a gig in Plymouth on August 23, 1970. There are rumors—and they are just rumors—that Hendrix learned about this supergroup from Mitch. At the time, he was fed up with his backing bands not being up to par, and since he didn't like singing at all, he wanted to focus 100% on getting the most out of his guitar playing. It's believed that he contacted ELP and offered to form a super-SUPERgroup together, which would obviously be called HELP. On September 18, 1970, Hendrix was found dead, and the rumor remained just that. Can you even imagine what HELP would have been like?
Even so, the trio is more than enough to create an impressive wall of sound. Sometimes it's incredible that just three guys can put on such a sonic display. Lake rarely plays guitar, but this instrument, usually the cornerstone of rock, isn't missed. Keith Emerson is the most prominent, the most virtuosic, and the one who carries the sonic construction and arrangements that drive the songs. He's the most renowned of the trio, but naturally, he's the one who stands out the most, carrying the melodic part and the dominant voice of the instrumentation. Greg Lake is one of the best prog vocalists. The first two albums he recorded with Crimson are, in my opinion, unsurpassed in this regard, and he contributes a great deal here as well, although, given the nature of the music, there are relatively few moments when he sings, as he focuses on the bass… which, by the way, is monumental. Lake is another virtuoso of the four strings, incredibly fast and executing complex and daring figures, without ever losing sync with the rhythm section he creates with Palmer. Carl Palmer, for his part, is another monster on the drums, cold, mathematical; even when he improvises, it seems as if he has studied every single snare hit to perfection. He's a machine, but he's also a perfectionist who gives tremendous power to his two bandmates. A school of his own.
ELP began their rise at the Isle of Wight Festival in August 1970, where, even without a studio album, they captivated audiences and left everyone speechless. That concert was later released on LP. Their official debut came a little later, in October, with their self-titled album, which featured individual pieces from each member, showcasing their respective instruments, along with formidable combinations of classical music. "Lucky Man," an accessible acoustic ballad, was a smash hit on both sides of the Atlantic, and the supergroup's debut was quite well-received for a prog band. The movement itself was gaining considerable momentum around this time. In March 1971, they released another live album, Pictures of an Exhibition, which was a reinterpretation of pieces by the Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky (does anyone notice any influence on Muse?). It was an unprecedented event for a rock band to record an entire album reinterpreting classical music. And the album also received an unexpectedly positive reception from both fans and critics.
Shortly after, they released their second proper studio album, the legendary Tarkus, which is one of the best albums in history. A concept album that tackles war and religion, incredibly challenging, but with an unprecedented display of virtuosity, combining epic songs and suites, unusual time signatures within a single track, powerful rockers, and the most impressive solos from all three members.
In 1972, they maintained the high standard with Trilogy, more accessible than Tarkus, with shorter but equally incredible and elaborate songs, as well as meticulous production and orchestration. Trilogy was another commercial success, spearheaded by "From The Beginning," which, along with "Lucky Man," is perhaps ELP's most well-known song. In 1973, they released Brain Salad Surgery, still a good album, but one where they began to lose their way and become more convoluted and pretentious. On this album, Carl Palmer revolutionized the genre by being the first to record with an electronic drum machine. The tour for this album was documented on the live album Welcome Back My Friends to the Show That Never Ends. By this point, ELP was undoubtedly the most powerful prog band on the planet. However, they ended up exhausted and took a long three-year break before returning to the studio.
They would never return to the same level. Only God knows what happened during those three years. Although they continued to release consistent albums, that majestic yet fresh aura would never reach its peak. They released Works in 1977 and Works II that same year, where they sounded more commercial and lacked inspiration. The Works tour was a huge disappointment, and they ended up losing more than three million dollars, which caused internal conflicts, with each member blaming the other for the failure. The band was fractured, but they still had a contract for one more album, so in 1978 they released the miserable *Love Beach*. Punk dominated in England, and its main target was groups like ELP, whose records and t-shirts the Sex Pistols burned at their concerts. In 1978, prog entered a deadly decline, not only for ELP, but for all the other bands. They officially broke up in 1979.
Well, by 1985 the group reunited. Carl Palmer had formed Asia and declined to return. So they invited Cozy Powell, who had been the drummer for Rainbow. Thus, the group conveniently continued to be called ELP, haha. With the album *Emerson, Lake & Powell*, they had relative success with the single "Touch & Go," which is more pop, but I quite like it. By '86, tensions between Lake and Emerson once again led to the group's demise, canceling remaining tour dates. And they've reunited and split up countless times since then. With an intermittent career, they would still release Black Moon in 1992 and In The Hot Seat in '94, both of which were rather poor.
Without a doubt, their best years were in the 70s. Their early albums are, as I said, the very definition of Prog. They can be pretentious, pompous, universalist, and overly focused on instrumental passages and classical influences, but the way they do it on their early albums is impressive, and if they hook you, you can be captivated by their music for at least a couple of months. I say this from experience. Like most bands, after their return in the 80s, they became a dinosaur of a group, but in their prime, they created some of the most glorious moments in rock. Furthermore, of all the Prog bands, I think they are one of the most influential, even today. They remain a band with a small but dedicated fanbase, but are acclaimed by other musicians and critics. A Progressive legend, who went on to make mammoth albums. Literally, Emerson's synthesizer always sounded to me like the roar of a mastodon crushing everything in its path.
By Corvan
Feb/13/2012
