Top 5 favourite Emerson Lake And Palmer songs - Progressive Rock Music Forum

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Neo-Romantic View Drop Down

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Posted: February 05 2013 at 23:53

1. Tarkus

2. The Barbarian

3. Take a Pebble

4. Karn Evil 9

5. The Three Fates

zeqexes

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Posted: February 06 2013 at 00:36

Out of the songs of theirs that I know:

1. Tarkus

2. Jerusalem

3. Karn Evil 9

4. Pirates

5. Take A Pebble

DiamondDog View Drop Down

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Posted: February 08 2013 at 02:48

1. Tarkus

2. Pictures at an Exhibition

3. Take a Pebble

4. Fanfare for the Common Man

5. Jerusalem

The.Crimson.King View Drop Down

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Posted: April 01 2013 at 14:10

1) Karn Evil 9 (the entire suite)

2) Lucky Man

3) The Great Gates of Kiev

4) The Endless Enigma (the entire suite)

5) The Miracle

Mutiny in Jonestown : Progressive Rock Since 1987

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Posted: June 20 2013 at 08:44

Take A Pebble

Karn Evil 9

Tarkus

Fanfare for Common Man

Black Moon

AtomicCrimsonRush View Drop Down

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Posted: June 20 2013 at 08:45

Are there any good songs on Works Vol 2?

I cant find any really

my review:

So bad it was made into a live concert!!!!

Works 1 was an appalling egotistical trip at the lowest level - there were 2 great tracks Pirates and Fanfare for the common man. Thus deserved at least 2 stars. I want to request that prog archives include a no stars option just for this album.

Works 2 is not progressive, more offensive!

Works 2 is another of the less memorable efforts from these brilliant symphonic prog pioneers. Works 1 was saved by the aforementioned tracks. However this second effort is a cousin to the abomination that causes desolation ........... appalling and too mainstream for my prog tastes.

Certainly its not half as bad as the dreadful 'Love Beach', an album that should be flushed down the nearest sewer, however 'Works 2' has nothing of note to recommend it. The Father Christmas song is kitsch beyond belief. It sounds like the Goodies parody of Christmas. But not as funny, more infuriating. The film clip is not much better. I have programmed my remote control to fast forward past it everytime it comes to that spot on the DVD.

Brain Salad Surgery is OK - the B side to Fanfare single. Barrelhouse Shake-Down is awful! Maple Leaf Rag is forgettable. Close But Not Touching is OK, Honky Tonk Train Blues is as bad as it sounds and Show Me The Way To Go Home was sung better by the drunken sailors in Spielberg's 'Jaws'!

I didn't mind some of the tracks on side 2, that kind of grow on you like a fungus, but at the time of this writing, I can't recommend one track. They range from OK, passable, to slap-your-grandmother godawful!

If you want to hear brilliant ELP check out the awesome trilogy of albums Tarkus, Brain Salad Surgery and Trilogy. After listening to Works 2, it's difficult to imagine the same band was generating this dreadful material. Gone are the outstanding multi movement suites such as 'Karn Evil 9' and Tarkus, Lake's vocals sound tired, whimsical and sappy beyond belief. The virtuoso playing of the afore- mentioned 3 albums is sorely lacking, and it's all so safe and mainstream. What a mess.

For completists only, and then you will probably only play it once.

Neelus

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Posted: June 20 2013 at 09:05

1. Take a pebble
2. Trilogy
3. From the beginning
4. Tarkus
5. Tank

richardh

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Posted: June 20 2013 at 14:08

Works Vol 2 should never have been released as fully fledged album in its own right as it was really for fans and completionists and would have been better as bonus giveway to go with Works 2. Perhaps that was the original intention but the record co intervened?

I wouldn't be so so harsh on it though.

Lake's Christmas record is an absolute pleasure to me. Three verses - past ,present and future. The use of Prokoviev's 'Troika' theme was perfect.

Honky Tonk Train Blues. Love this and was a decent size hit at the time (1976). Also I think it has Jon Hiseman on drums but I've never been able to confirm that.

When The Apple Blossom Blooms - groovy!

So Far To Fall - naughty and nice jazzy track although Emerson's keyboards are mixed so ridiculously low its unreal.

Close But Not Touching - Carl Palmer and the Harry South Orchestra doing an alternative Sweeney theme tune maybe. I love this as well.

Brain Salad Surgery - probably the best track on the album and like When The Apple Blossom Blooms was from the BSS sessions

I think those are the tracks that rescue Works 2. The rest is okay to forgettable..

Edited by richardh - June 20 2013 at 14:12

VOTOMS

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Posted: June 20 2013 at 14:56

Hard to choose... They are awesome enough for a Top 5... I think I will make some rules for myself to make this easier: only one song per album , full suites, and I will not list Pictures because it's a live record.

1 - Tarkus

2 - Karn Evil 9

3 - Living Sin

4 - The Barbarian

5 - Paper Blood

Snow Dog

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Posted: June 20 2013 at 15:27

richardh wrote:

Works Vol 2 should never have been released as fully fledged album in its own right as it was really for fans and completionists and would have been better as bonus giveway to go with Works 2. Perhaps that was the original intention but the record co intervened?

I wouldn't be so so harsh on it though.

Lake's Christmas record is an absolute pleasure to me. Three verses - past ,present and future. The use of Prokoviev's 'Troika' theme was perfect.

Honky Tonk Train Blues. Love this and was a decent size hit at the time (1976). Also I think it has Jon Hiseman on drums but I've never been able to confirm that.

When The Apple Blossom Blooms - groovy!

So Far To Fall - naughty and nice jazzy track although Emerson's keyboards are mixed so ridiculously low its unreal.

Close But Not Touching - Carl Palmer and the Harry South Orchestra doing an alternative Sweeney theme tune maybe. I love this as well.

Brain Salad Surgery - probably the best track on the album and like When The Apple Blossom Blooms was from the BSS sessions

I think those are the tracks that rescue Works 2. The rest is okay to forgettable..

Fanfare was marked for release on vol2 but you are forgetting another BSS song, Tiger in the Spotlight. I actually totally disagree with the above review and abhor it.

dr wu23

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Posted: June 20 2013 at 19:26

Barbarian

Take a Pebble

Knife Edge

Endless Enigma

Tarkus

One does nothing yet nothing is left undone.
Haquin

richardh

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Posted: June 21 2013 at 01:02

Snow Dog wrote:

I wouldn't be so so harsh on it though.

Lake's Christmas record is an absolute pleasure to me. Three verses - past ,present and future. The use of Prokoviev's 'Troika' theme was perfect.

Honky Tonk Train Blues. Love this and was a decent size hit at the time (1976). Also I think it has Jon Hiseman on drums but I've never been able to confirm that.

When The Apple Blossom Blooms - groovy!

So Far To Fall - naughty and nice jazzy track although Emerson's keyboards are mixed so ridiculously low its unreal.

Close But Not Touching - Carl Palmer and the Harry South Orchestra doing an alternative Sweeney theme tune maybe. I love this as well.

Brain Salad Surgery - probably the best track on the album and like When The Apple Blossom Blooms was from the BSS sessions

I think those are the tracks that rescue Works 2. The rest is okay to forgettable..

Fanfare was marked for release on vol2 but you are forgetting another BSS song, Tiger in the Spotlight. I actually totally disagree with the above review and abhor it.

I didn't realise that Tiger In A Spotlight was from the BSS sessions.It wasn't on the NME giveaway. Not a great track though so I'm not surprised they hid it for so long.

ACR is perfectly entitled to his opinion although I think its dangerous to write off large chunks of music. Some of the solo music on Vol One is of a very high standard. I love Carl Palmer's side and the Piano Concerto is excellent to me although I know very little about classical music. Lake's songs are quite okay but I would have preferred a bit more variation in style. Wouldn't have done him any harm to through a heavier track or two in.

My ratings

Vol 1 - 3 stars(not enough prog)

Vol 2 would be 2 stars - one for the fans.

Edited by richardh - June 21 2013 at 01:19

richardh

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Posted: June 21 2013 at 01:10

VOTOMS wrote:

1 - Tarkus

2 - Karn Evil 9

3 - Living Sin

4 - The Barbarian

5 - Paper Blood

Living Sin and Paper Blood are interesting choices. You might not know but Paper Blood came originalyl from a short lived collaboration with Geoff Downes called 'Ride The Tiger' and was called Money Talks. You can find it on Lake's retrospective album 'From The Beginning'.

always thought Living Sin was ELP's attempt to be a bit edgy like The Doors. Partial success I think. Palmer lays down a nice groove and Lake reaches some low baritone register that is almost off the scale. Emerson rips up the organ as usual. I find it all a bit disjointed though Wink

Edited by richardh - June 21 2013 at 01:12

ExittheLemming View Drop Down

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Posted: June 21 2013 at 07:31

richardh wrote:

Snow Dog wrote:

I wouldn't be so so harsh on it though.

Lake's Christmas record is an absolute pleasure to me. Three verses - past ,present and future. The use of Prokoviev's 'Troika' theme was perfect.

Honky Tonk Train Blues. Love this and was a decent size hit at the time (1976). Also I think it has Jon Hiseman on drums but I've never been able to confirm that.

When The Apple Blossom Blooms - groovy!

So Far To Fall - naughty and nice jazzy track although Emerson's keyboards are mixed so ridiculously low its unreal.

Close But Not Touching - Carl Palmer and the Harry South Orchestra doing an alternative Sweeney theme tune maybe. I love this as well.

Brain Salad Surgery - probably the best track on the album and like When The Apple Blossom Blooms was from the BSS sessions

I think those are the tracks that rescue Works 2. The rest is okay to forgettable..

Fanfare was marked for release on vol2 but you are forgetting another BSS song, Tiger in the Spotlight. I actually totally disagree with the above review and abhor it.

I didn't realise that Tiger In A Spotlight was from the BSS sessions.It wasn't on the NME giveaway. Not a great track though so I'm not surprised they hid it for so long.

My ratings

Vol 1 - 3 stars(not enough prog)

Vol 2 would be 2 stars - one for the fans.

For me Works Volume 2 was a decent but uninspired 3 star compilation album. Let's remember it was used as a means to stem the flow of losses suffered by a band who were hemorrhaging huge amounts of cash during a crippling orchestral tour. There's very little on the record that is complete dross (although Close But Not Touching is perhaps the most unwittingly ironic track title of all time)
Bullfrog is brilliant (albeit it's Palmer, Aspery and Hodgkinson from Back Door)
The deflated version of I Believe in Father Christmas is far superior to the pompous and bloated orchestral single version in my book
Watching Over You is an excellent Greg Lake acoustic song (with some nifty harmonica and upright bass to boot)
So Far to Fall is brilliant, with very clever lyrics and an arrangement that rivals the very best of "Organ trio and big band" work produced by the late Jimmy Smith
I even enjoy Show me the way to Go Home, as ELP were probably the only Prog giant that had sufficient cojones to carry this off with their signature swagger

richardh

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Posted: June 22 2013 at 08:56

Show Me The Way To Go Home suited their personalities well I thought. I can't agree on I Believe In Father Christmas as such although I like both versions (and also the third version that was included on the box set). Atlantic probably panicked a bit as the musical landscape was fast changing and they needed to get their pound of flesh out of ELP before it was too late. It was a very unfortunate time for them as a band. It seems to me that the long term fall out of this period in terms of their reputation and standing was much greater than the relatively small financial amounts recouped from 3 sub standard albums ( Works 2, Love Beach and In Concert).

ExittheLemming View Drop Down

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Posted: June 22 2013 at 10:06

^ that's a valid point, as their artistic reputation was probably damaged irreparably from the battering they took post '77. This antipathy is supported by both the younger generation on PA and a music press the former profess to abhor?. I think even now, despite the legacy of a body of work as unimpeachable as the first 5 albums, ELP are still attracting flak for the sorts of music they were only guilty of producing for maybe 3 years out of a 24 year career? After the rather ordinary In Concert, what recoveries they made with the very respectable ELPowell record and Black Moon/Albert Hall offerings were completely undone by the debacle of In the Hot Seat. No-one judges Manchester Utd as being second rate just because they were in the 2nd tier of English Football for a short while in the mid 70's, so why is it thus for ELP? (Five Cup Final victories cannot be erased by one relegation)

richardh

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Posted: June 23 2013 at 02:20

^ I was disappointed with the ELPowell record (Mars aside) but otherwise I totally agree. ELP made some exceptional music at their best and deserve credit for that.

verslibre

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