The first four ELP studio albums
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Topic: The first four ELP studio albums
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Subject: The first four ELP studio albums
Date Posted: February 17 2017 at 18:04
| Which of the first four ELP albums is your favorite? |
Replies:
Posted By: progmatic
Date Posted: February 17 2017 at 18:58
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The first one, followed by Trilogy. ------------- PROGMATIC |
Posted By: Manuel
Date Posted: February 17 2017 at 20:01
| Tarkus. A tie between the first one and Trilogy for second place. I did not like Brain Salad Surgery very much. |
Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: February 17 2017 at 20:11
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The debut, I can enjoy it from beginning to end. Tarkus & Trilogy have stellar stuff but also quite a bit that annoys me. With BSS they had lost me. |
Posted By: Magnum Vaeltaja
Date Posted: February 17 2017 at 20:15
That about sums up my thoughts on these albums. ------------- when i was a kid a doller was worth ten dollers - now a doller couldnt even buy you fifty cents |
Lewian wrote:Posted By: omphaloskepsis
Date Posted: February 17 2017 at 20:32
| If you had included 5, I would have voted for Works 1. |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: February 17 2017 at 21:23
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Tarkus followed closely by BSS. Never got Trilogy's popularity. ------------- "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy |
Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: February 18 2017 at 00:30
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the debut, than Pictures (may as well consider it a studio album, IMHO) Tarkus is only worthy for the sidelong tt Trolligy  is a hit & missand BSS is a total bore |
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: February 18 2017 at 01:06
   ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: February 18 2017 at 01:11
For me...Trilogy, followed by the first one  ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: Guldbamsen
Date Posted: February 18 2017 at 04:34
|
Tarkus hands down. It is the only piece of music spanning over 3 min ELP ever produced that keeps my attention all the way through. One of the most important, influential and horrendous sounding prog bands of all time. ------------- “The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” - Douglas Adams |
Posted By: Flight123
Date Posted: February 18 2017 at 05:09
| These albums are amongst the finest in prog, and more widely in late 20th century music. I also agree with an earlier poster that I would have been tempted to vote for Works Vol. 1 as well. The best of the best? I go back to the first album I heard with that stunning title track: 'Tarkus'. I love the other side as well, even Keith's wacked out piano solo in 'Are You Ready Eddy?' |
Posted By: micky
Date Posted: February 18 2017 at 05:27
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favorite? the debut hands down. Side 1 is considered by some, including myself to be among the best album side in ALL prog. Barbarian, Take a Pebble, Knife Edge. CHECKMATE man. Side 2 was no slouch either. Best of the Lake ballads, and perhaps the only 'ballads' you can break a wrist air drumming to. Palmer ruled on that... however... thankfully the OP didn't ask for best album. For that is a hands down choice, Trilogy, but that is why it is my least favorite of the 4. The very things that made it best, restrait, evenness, and subtleness... are what I DON't want in my ELP. However for what it was worth though... it was their best 'classic' album. ------------- The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip |
Posted By: dwill123
Date Posted: February 18 2017 at 06:34
| Tarkus |
Posted By: Upbeat Tango Monday
Date Posted: February 18 2017 at 06:48
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Brain Salad Surgery is the pinnacle of ELP's career. BSS > Tarkus > Debut > Trilogy ------------- Two random guys agreed to shake hands. Just Because. They felt like it, you know. It was an agreement of sorts...a random agreement. |
Posted By: micky
Date Posted: February 18 2017 at 06:52
|
In terms of personal choices. the debut, Tarkus, BSS, Trilogy. IN terms of how I see them objectively... Trilogy, Tarkus, the debut, BSS. BSS would have been higher on both, but for having the most ghastly of all the Lake ballads, and pulling a APoLK on the title track and ruining a otherwise brilliant track by not shortening it. That last impression, though it doesn't suck as badly or induce blood flowing from the ears as the last half of APoLK did, still finishes flat from its absolutely killer first impressions. ------------- The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip |
Posted By: TeleStrat
Date Posted: February 18 2017 at 07:10
| Normally I would not have voted but since "I don't care for ELP" was an option... |
Posted By: O666
Date Posted: February 18 2017 at 07:57
| I "LOVE" them all. |
Posted By: Modrigue
Date Posted: February 18 2017 at 08:08
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Tarkus, then Trilogy, then ELP, then BSS for me ------------- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqf2srRfppHAslEmHBn8QP6d_eoanh0eW" rel="nofollow - My compositions |
Posted By: digdug
Date Posted: February 18 2017 at 10:10
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all are awesome but I have to go with the debut ------------- Prog On! |
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: February 18 2017 at 10:12
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ELP's awesome. Everything up through BSS should be in every prog lover's collection. "Karn Evil 9" was so ahead of its time... ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
Posted By: Wanorak
Date Posted: February 18 2017 at 14:28
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BSS, their masterpiece imo. ------------- A GREAT YEAR FOR PROG!!! |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: February 18 2017 at 16:32
I thought about including it but I felt I also would have had to include the triple live album WBMFTTSTNEL&G which I have never heard. I wanted to keep it as simple as possisble.
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Posted By: DeadSouls
Date Posted: February 18 2017 at 17:50
| Debut followed by Tarkus. |
Posted By: mechanicalflattery
Date Posted: February 18 2017 at 17:56
| The debut is the only one that's consistently tolerable, win by default |
Posted By: Tapfret
Date Posted: February 19 2017 at 03:19
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Like them all but the debut is the best. ------------- https://www.last.fm/user/Tapfret" rel="nofollow">  https://bandcamp.com/tapfret" rel="nofollow - Bandcamp |
Posted By: JD
Date Posted: February 19 2017 at 12:32
|
My fav band of all time (I'm sure I've expressed that...oh, about a million times here) but over the years I've come to the understand that Trilogy is really my favourite of favourites. Debut at #2, Tarkus at #3, BSS at #4. While I like the music of BSS better than Tarkus, I was always a little disappointment at the production. I find it lacks the guts and raw sound that the first three had and I always felt that was an important part of the ELP experience. ------------- Thank you for supporting independently produced music |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: February 19 2017 at 13:34
| I voted for the debut. After that the most consistent is probably Trilogy. I actually really like BSS but what brings it down for me is that that parts of it are just too repetitive. The first part just repeats the "welcome back my friends thing" to many times. It would be ok if it wasn't repeated again in the second movement(the part you hear on the radio). It's just like how many times do they have to beat that to death? I get it the friends are welcomed back to the never ending show. Unfortunately for ELP the show ended a long time ago well before the recent passing of two of it's main ingredients. A great band nonetheless. |
Posted By: dr prog
Date Posted: February 19 2017 at 19:30
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They got weaker by the album ------------- All I like is prog related bands beginning late 60's/early 70's. Their music from 1968 - 83 has the composition and sound which will never be beaten. Perfect blend of jazz, classical, folk and rock. |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: February 19 2017 at 19:51
I would say that was especially true after BSS. The first four are all pretty top notch imo. As someone said earlier, the title track to tarkus is the best on the album. However, I wouldn't say the rest of the album is crap. There are certainly some good moments such as "infinite space."
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Posted By: hellogoodbye
Date Posted: February 20 2017 at 01:26
| First one and Tarkus. No more. |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: February 20 2017 at 01:54
|
BSS was their peak imo. Very smart choice to open up with Jerusalem containing lyrics that illustrate the album's motif really well (technology taking over) . Toccata is almost my favourite track in prog (I have to give that to Gates Of Delirium) and then you have that typical ELP light and dark contract with Still ..You Turn Me On. Dodgy lyric aside its still a lovely melody and production. Then we have 2 minutes of 'space' which acts as a sort of interlude ( ok not strictly true) before the sci fi epic theatre of KE9 . Now I have to admit this works better on the live album and I take into consideration the thin production but the amazing ensemble playing of all three is still something to behold. The others are all 4 star efforts with parts that I really don't care for. The debut does though lay out their 'agenda' and does have that nice grainy feel to it. Tarkus in its studio form kinda bores me a little nowadays compared to the kick ass live version. Trilogy is extremely well rounded and probably has Lake's best lyrics but maybe lacks the fluency they achieved with BSS.
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Posted By: Thatfabulousalien
Date Posted: February 20 2017 at 02:28
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Despite my extreme love for contemporary classical music and virtuoso prog, they where never a band I got much out of ------------- Classical music isn't dead, it's more alive than it's ever been. It's just not on MTV. https://www.soundcloud.com/user-322914325 |
Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: February 20 2017 at 05:48
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No-Brainer Salad Surgery. ------------- 
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Posted By: frankbostick
Date Posted: February 20 2017 at 08:54
ELP  Tarkus -Trilogy +BSS 
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Posted By: BunBun
Date Posted: February 20 2017 at 09:10
| Trilogy |
Posted By: Dopeydoc
Date Posted: February 20 2017 at 15:57
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ELP Tarkus Trilogy BSS 
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Posted By: doompaul
Date Posted: February 20 2017 at 16:24
| I'm a pretty big fan of Tarkus. |
Posted By: Ivan_Melgar_M
Date Posted: February 20 2017 at 19:58
------------- 
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Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: February 20 2017 at 20:54
My favourite from ther is Pictures, actually. And I too consider it a studio album, since it was never really released as a studio piece. Just as Journey to the Centre of the Eart, by Wakeman, is as a studio album for me for the same reason. Well, I do know Wakeman just released a studio version of that album, and ELP did some studio stuff for Pictures as a bonus of their last album, but those seem more like nostalgia releases of an already stablished and known piece of music than the real original studio release. |
Posted By: miamiscot
Date Posted: February 21 2017 at 08:21
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Emerson, Lake & Palmer 8/10 Tarkus 8.5/10 Trilogy 9/10 Brain Salad Surgery 10/10 All four are amazing!!! But BSS is my favorite.
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Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: February 21 2017 at 14:54
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ELP BSS Trilogy Tarkus ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: Michael P. Dawson
Date Posted: February 21 2017 at 15:49
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Brain Salad Surgery is my #1, with Tarkus trailing by an armadillo's hair. ------------- Buy this thing! https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/MichaelPDawson" rel="nofollow - https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/MichaelPDawson |
Posted By: memowakeman
Date Posted: February 21 2017 at 16:56
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Trilogy ------------- Follow me on twitter @memowakeman |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: February 22 2017 at 01:21
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Before I became a fully prog nut I heard Toccata and it blew me away. Shame to lose Emerson and Lake last year. :( ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: February 23 2017 at 20:44
| Wow. Is anyone else surprised that Trilogy surpassed the first album? |
Posted By: Barbu
Date Posted: February 24 2017 at 08:50
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Trilogy ------------- |
Posted By: Frenetic Zetetic
Date Posted: April 01 2018 at 02:26
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Trilogy is the only one I can put on anymore. ------------- "I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021 |
Posted By: Squonk19
Date Posted: April 01 2018 at 02:56
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Trilogy > Tarkus > Brain Salad Surgery > ELP (all very close though - tomorrow they might swap around again) ------------- “Living in their pools, they soon forget about the sea.” |
Posted By: I prophesy disaster
Date Posted: April 01 2018 at 03:44
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Both Tarkus and Brain Salad Surgery are among my favourite albums. I love them both about equally so it's difficult to choose between them. However, I seem to be playing Tarkus more often at this time, so that gets my vote. But I do have a preference for Karn Evil 9 over Tarkus (track). ------------- No, I know how to behave in the restaurant now, I don't tear at the meat with my hands. If I've become a man of the world somehow, that's not necessarily to say I'm a worldly man. |
Posted By: hellogoodbye
Date Posted: April 01 2018 at 03:47
| Between one and two for me. Tarkus today. |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: April 01 2018 at 04:22
Perhaps not totally. It has the best lyrics of the 4 albums and it has a nice balance of all the 3 very talented guys. I also think its more 'arty'. Pity they couldn't replicate it in live shows , so many technical issues and Lake's voice dropped very quickly after that album. The first album is quite fractured although I love Barbarian,Take a Pebble and Lucky Man the rest is either very dated or underpowered imo. Half a great album but then ELP were a bit like that.
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Posted By: Mortte
Date Posted: April 01 2018 at 06:57
| First album. |
Posted By: micky
Date Posted: April 01 2018 at 07:02
not surprised either.. as I've often said.. suppose I did early on in the thread. It is the easiest to digest of all the essential albums. Doesn't have the high points the other albums have, but doesn't have the low points. A very consistent album.. I consider it the best of the 4.. but it is also my least favorite of them for just that reason. It is too consistent... I love ELP for the high points but even for the low points (with notable exception of Still You Turn Me On haha). ------------- The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: April 01 2018 at 10:58
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The debut album for me....a most remarkable beginning. I was happy to see that Lake didn't abandon Crimson to do some crappy work. But the first 4 are all very good , and as always comes down to personal taste. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |