EMERSON LAKE & PALMER

Taking modern classical music as their main source of inspiration and adding elements and nuances of their own, Emerson, Lake & Palmer debut with a solid album, with the trio's surnames as title, backed by their previous successful experiences (Greg Lake's participation as singer and bassist in the fundamental "In the Court of the Crimson King" by King Crimson in 1969 is very notorious).

Virtuosos almost on the verge of a nervous breakdown, it is, however, the brilliant multi-keyboardist Keith Emerson the main protagonist of most of the pieces, both in the adaptations of classical music (the instrumental and over- saturated "The Barbarian" and the demanding "Knife-Edge"), as well as in those of their own label (the extensive and restful "Take a Pebble", surely on the podium of the best of the album), or the also instrumental and jazzy "The Three Fates" and "Tank", in both cases with the impeccable percussion of the remarkable Carl Palmer.

The mole of the album was exposed when Lake, with his grave and serene tone of voice, describes an unfortunate story in the imperishable and beautiful ballad "Lucky Man". Created by the singer and bassist in his early teens and included at the last minute on the album, it unexpectedly became for EL&P one of their most representative songs, and the moog at the end of the song, an Emerson improvisation that remained as is after only one take, in one of the most celebrated passages of their discography.

Emerson, Lake &Palmer developed their own particular style until becoming one of the great icons of the genre without any transitional albums, placing themselves at the top of the progressive Olympus with their 1970 album of the same name, something that they would confirm with their later works.

Excellent

4/4.5 stars