Pictures at and Exhibition (ELP) Rating
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Polls
Forum Description: Create polls on topics related to progressive music
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=63192
Printed Date: April 17 2024 at 18:25
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Topic: Pictures at and Exhibition (ELP) Rating
Posted By: TealFoxes
Subject: Pictures at and Exhibition (ELP) Rating
Date Posted: November 28 2009 at 18:22
| I think that Pictures might just be the album i'd introduce someone to if they had no clue who ELP were; i think it's their best material with the Tarkus epic being a very close second. I think combining Emerson's keyboard sounds with sections of Lake playing acoustic & singing fantastic lyrics shows the side of ELP that honestly doesn't come up in most of the first four studio albums. I'm just curious who else might think this live album showcases the band at their best. I think it's definitely their most progressive material & fullest of imagery. |
Replies:
Posted By: Epignosis
Date Posted: November 28 2009 at 18:27
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Your poll choices are strange...I'm not sure how to vote. I'd say it's better than everything except Tarkus and Brain Salad Surgery. ------------- https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays" rel="nofollow - https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays |
Posted By: TealFoxes
Date Posted: November 28 2009 at 18:41
| I'm going by PA's ratings of the studio albums & their greatness; I think it's common that most put Trilogy as the worst of the four. |
Posted By: Epignosis
Date Posted: November 28 2009 at 18:43
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For me: 1. Tarkus 2. Brain Salad Surgery 3. Pictures at an Exhibition 4. Trilogy 5. Emerson, Lake and Palmer I don't know where that puts me, but I loathe the debut. ------------- https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays" rel="nofollow - https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays |
Posted By: The Quiet One
Date Posted: November 28 2009 at 19:11
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My list would go: #1 Trilogy #2 Tarkus #3 ELP #4 BSS #5 Pictures My vote goes to 'one of their worst', though for me it's their worst. |
Posted By: progkidjoel
Date Posted: November 28 2009 at 19:27
Great poll  I don't think its their best, so I said its at least better than works. For me, 1. BSS 2. Tarkus 3. Trilogy 4. ELP ------------- 
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Posted By: ghost_of_morphy
Date Posted: November 28 2009 at 20:32
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It's fourth for me, behind BSS, Trilogy, and Tarkus, (but well ahead of the debut.) ------------- 
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Posted By: manofmystery
Date Posted: November 28 2009 at 21:14
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1. Tarkus
2. BSS
3. PaaE
4. ELP
5. Trilogy -------------  Time always wins. |
Posted By: J-Man
Date Posted: November 28 2009 at 21:24
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1. Tarkus 2. Brain Salad Surgery 3. Trilogy 4. Pictures At An Exposition 5. Emerson, Lake, and Palmer -------------  Check out my YouTube channel! http://www.youtube.com/user/demiseoftime" rel="nofollow - http://www.youtube.com/user/demiseoftime |
Posted By: The Whistler
Date Posted: November 28 2009 at 21:54
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An odd collection of options indeed. While not as good as BSS, but better than the debut, I'd put it alongside Tarkus I suppose.
------------- "There seem to be quite a large percentage of young American boys out there tonight. A long way from home, eh? Well so are we... Gotta stick together." -I. Anderson |
Posted By: LiquidEternity
Date Posted: November 28 2009 at 22:33
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In the same league as Karn Evil 9 and Tarkus, which is to say... not that spectacular.
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Posted By: snobb
Date Posted: November 29 2009 at 02:29
| Better than the Works - voted. |
Posted By: questionsneverknown
Date Posted: November 29 2009 at 02:38
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I always want to like the album more than I do. Personally I have to give some credit to Pictures since it introduced me as a teenager to Mussorgsky. (One of those interesting blessings of 1970s symphonic prog was its ability to give rock kids a classical education.) There are great moments on Pictures, The Sage being one of them, but of the early albums it's probably the one I listen to with the least regularity. So, far, far better than Works (and the unmentionable Lusty Sand album
 ), but probably not better than the four studio albums. |
Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: November 29 2009 at 04:52
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None of the descriptions matches my opinion of mailto:P@aE - P@aE ., but "Better than Works" comes closest.
As most ELP-albums before Works, I would give this album a 4-star rating. Only BSS would get a 5 and Tarkus a 3 because most tracks on side 2 are just mediocre.
My ranking of these albums:
1. Brain Salad Surgery
2. Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3. Pictures at an Exhibition
4. Trilogy
5. Tarkus
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Posted By: JD
Date Posted: November 29 2009 at 06:54
Say WHAT ??? Put the crack pipe down and listen again. Trilogy, along with Tarkus and BSS is their best work. I will never understand how anyone doesn't get that. P@aX may be a nice live showcase of the band but it doesn't make it into the top three IMHO. I'd even put the studio version from the box set above the live version overall. My only disappointment with that version being that they left out the blues variation from the end of side one live album one the studio version (even though it was out of context it still rocked). ------------- Thank you for supporting independently produced music |
TealFoxes wrote:Posted By: JD
Date Posted: November 29 2009 at 06:56
Now this is I could get on board with. Although I'd be hesitant to say it's their worst unless you stopped at the Works albums. ------------- Thank you for supporting independently produced music |
Posted By: clarke2001
Date Posted: November 29 2009 at 10:52
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I don't know. I don't know how to rate it. I like it a lot, but I was never certain where to put it. That's the reason I never reviewed it. Now, my favourite ELP albums are: 1) Tarkus 2) Trilogy 3) ELP 4) Brain Salad Surgery I gave 5 stars to all of these; Pictures is certainly not better than Trilogy, perhaps it's better than the debut, and most likely it is better than BSS. But then again, I feel Pictures should get around 4 stars. Weird. Perhaps I should re-evaulate everything. But I'm driven with emotions and taste more than with common sense, I consider ELP (the band) a monstrosity of greatness. ------------- |
Posted By: MovingPictures07
Date Posted: November 29 2009 at 10:56
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I honestly think it's ELP's best work if you take it as a full album, BSS being a very close second.
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Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: November 29 2009 at 11:35
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I think Mussorgsky's original piano version reigns supreme. Ravel's orchestration of that is damn fine. I enjoy ELP's reinvention, too.
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Posted By: crimhead
Date Posted: November 29 2009 at 12:19
| It's in the top 5 for ELP. |
Posted By: himtroy
Date Posted: November 29 2009 at 14:07
| Okay, my tastes in ELPness are clearly very different from a lot of you judging by the answers in the poll. I think Pictures is their best, along with their first album. I also don't like BSS very much at all, I think it's just cheesy as hell. |
Posted By: Roj
Date Posted: November 30 2009 at 03:02
Ok, I'll play too  .
1. BSS (by some distance)
2. ELP
3. Pics
4. Trilogy
5. Tarkus
So my vote is other - none of the options. All the top 5 have equally brilliant moments, it's just that Trilogy and Tarkus have real weak moments. For me, the top 3 are very consistent. Pics is a great album and I prefer the ELP version to Mussorgsky/Ravel.
 Phillistine  . |
Posted By: mohaveman
Date Posted: November 30 2009 at 14:58
| Low vote. Never hit it with me. |
Posted By: SgtPepper67
Date Posted: November 30 2009 at 18:50
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None of those options! It's not as good as BSS, Trilogy or Tarkus, maybe in the same league as the debut. I can't compare it with Works, I like that album a lot but it's very different than the previous albums. -------------  In the end the love you take is equal to the love you made... |
Posted By: mohaveman
Date Posted: December 09 2009 at 12:41
| I would rate it about 5-6 best |
Posted By: ten years after
Date Posted: December 10 2009 at 04:01
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My ratings for the ELP classics are:
1/ Trilogy (by some distance)
2/ Pictures at an Exhibition
3/ ELP
4/ Tarkus
5/ Brain Salad Surgery
It surprises me that some people don't like Trilogy. IMO it is one of the greatest of prog albums.
I wish they had chosen something a bit more interesting than Nutrocker as the encore for Pictures but otherwise it is a totally magnificent work and one of the best live albums of all.
I agree with the earlier post which described BSS as cheesy. With the exception of Toccata, i felt they were working to a formula, albeit their own exceptional formula.
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