EMERSON LAKE & PALMER

ELP's debut album is one of the most influential in prog history. In contrast to Crimson's "In the Court of the Crimson King," it features some of the greatest sheer instrumentalism and tenacity of all time. With all three members, Keith Emerson (Keys), Greg Lake (Guitar, Bass, Vocals), and Carl Palmer (Drums) coming from classic prog bands themselves, they formed the first true prog supergroup.

"The Barbarian" starts the album with the very Emersonian organ and distorted guitars from Lake paired with constant drum rolls and fills from Palmer. About halfway through the song, Keith goes into an extended piano section that goes back into the main riff to end the song in a dramatic fashion. "Take a Pebble" is the first song on the album to reveal Greg Lake's beautiful voice and also the longest, clocking in at over 12:00 minutes. The song comes into a few jazzy swing sections with intricate brushes on the drums from Palmer and enters into a very long acoustic section. The song is not bad, but feels a little too long and gets repetitive.

"Knife-Edge" is one of my favorite songs on the album if not my favorite. Greg Lakes' bass work coupled with the doom metal vocals creates a unique atmosphere that seamlessly shifts from dark sections to upbeat organ licks from Emerson. Although not the longest song on the album, "The Three Fates" is the true epic of the album. With 3 movements, (Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos) based on the ancient Greek myth of the three fates, the song spans countless sections in only 7 minutes which is quite short for prog. It begins with one of the most iconic organ openings in prog and includes some of the best piano work in the entire genre. As much as I would have loved to see the other bandmates featured more in the song the last 2 minutes make up for it with Palmer and Lake joining Emerson in on the action. Wonderful track and another highlight on the album.

"Tank" is a very interesting song with Emerson on Clavichord and Moog. It includes a 4-minute drum solo from Palmer. As much as I love the instrumentalism on the album this has to be my least favorite song on the album because it feels never ending and structureless. The closer "Lucky Man" is an acoustic guitar ballad from Lake, very different from the rest of the album. It was also one of the band's biggest hits. I love this song despite it not featuring Emerson as much, and it has a very nice guitar solo from Lake as well.

This album is so amazing, and I feel like it could have easily been 5 stars if the band had featured Lake more and cut down some of the instrumental sections. Emerson proves his sheer versatility on this album and would only improve it on their sophomore album. An absolute landmark of prog, recommended for everyone.