EMERSON LAKE & PALMER

After finishing the Nice experience, Keith Emerson joins the great drummer Carl Palmer, the excellent singer and bassist Greg Lake, and founds Emerson, Lake & Palmer, a group that since the name highlights the three singularities of the artists who are part of it, and who there will be some three soloists playing together. Their first Lp, definitely one of the most important in the history of symphonic progressive rock, is qualitatively controversial, let's see why.

1) "The Barbarian". First instrumental song inspired by Bartok's Allegro Barbaric, it starts as a heavy metal piece, then Emerson gives vent to his virtuosity, and Palmer tends to overdoing, then comes a piece played by the piano more adhering to Bartok's original, then the heavy metal sound returns for the ending, that is too pompous. Beautiful reimagining, never monotonous, just a little repetitive and bombastic in some passages. Rating 7.5/8.

2) "Take A Pebble". Acoustic ballad written by Lake, with country inflections, where Lake sings up to 2'30''; then comes a long instrumental piece of very nice pastoral atmosphere, dictated by Lake's guitar; then at about 6'30' is Emerson's piano to lead, joined by Palmer's drums towards 8'30'. At that point the song becomes prolish and jazzy. Lake's voice returns at 11'20'' and restores balance. It's the best piece on the album, the one and only masterpiece. Rating 8.5.

3) "Knife-Edge". Hard-rock song, with a good aggressive beginning, quotes Janacek with the organ in the instrumental part. Repetetive in the ending. Good but not excellent. Rating 7+.

End of Side A.

Side B begins with a mini-suite in three movements: "The Three Fates", written by Emerson. A solemn beginning with the organ, then the piano arrives and the song improves; finally Palmer arrives, the song becomes jazzy and pedantic, too percussive and obsessively repetitive. It's a piece with some good ideas, especially in the middle, but overall it is not quite successful, the listening isn't very pleasent. Rating 6.5.

"Tank" is another instrumental track led by Emerson and Palmer, more unpredictable than the previous one but also more spoiled by the style exercises played by Palmer and Emerson: decidedly the weakest piece (euphemism) of the album, which with the last two tracks has dropped dramatically in quality after the promising start (the first two songs). Ratin 5+.

With "Lucky Man" fortunately Lake brings the music back to more relaxed atmospheres. Simple and linear piece, less beautiful than the second, progressive only in the arrangement. Emerson buns in the ending. Rating 7+.

Qualitatively, this Lp is a long way from the masterpiece: this album can keep up with the best of 1970 only for the first two pieces, then otherwise it's mediocre. Rating 7+ (average 7,08); Three poor stars. If there weren't the first two pieces, it would take two stars.