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BRAIN SALAD SURGERYEmerson Lake & PalmerSymphonic Prog4.18 | 2187 ratings |
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Raff
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Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator |
One thing is quite certain: ou can love this album to death or loathe it with every
fiber of your being, but you can't really ignore it. From the gorgeusly disturbing
gatefold sleeve, displaying a masterpiece of Gothic artwork by Swiss cult artist R.H.
Giger (of "Alien" fame), down to the unabashed self-indulgence of its musical
content, "Brain Salad Surgery" is a compendium of everything progressive rock is all
about, the good, the bad and the ugly. It is loud, metallic, and harsh, undeniably
bombastic, though it can also be melodic and soothing - a true rollercoaster ride of
an album, swinging from the beautiful, English choirboy vocals of "Jerusalem" (with
wonderful lyrics courtesy of one Mr William Blake) to the all-out progressive orgy
that is "Karn Evil 9". <
BSS is not an easy listen, despite the presence of the obligatory Greg Lake ballad,
the much-maligned (especially in a lyrical sense) but moving and vocally
stunning "Still...You Turn Me On", which offers some much-needed respite from the
relentless bludgeoning of Keith Emerson's keyboards and Carl Palmer's percussion in
the preceeding "Toccata". The piano-driven "Benny the Bouncer", instead, is
undeniably the only weak link in the record, good for a few laughs but nothing more.
However, silly and pointless as it may sound, it prepares the listener for the album's
pièce de resistance, the 30-minute-plus "Karn Evil 9", one of prog rock's defining
moments (for better and for worse). A weird sci-fi tale of man versus technology, it
contains more than a stab at political and religious institutions, especially in the
famed "1st Impression - Part 2", better known as "Welcome Back My Friends to the
Show that Never Ends". Emerson and Palmer have a field day on this epic tour de
force, creating all sorts of eerie, dissonant sounds, on which Lake stamps his
presence by singing in a more assertive, even aggressive way than his usual,
elegant delivery. <
As with all ELP albums (with the possible exception of their debut), this one is not
perfect either, containing as it does both priceless gems and disposable filler. So,
why 5 stars? Because it's one of the absolute highpoints of its genre, and no one
can say to know prog rock without having ever listened to it at least once. Call it
pompous, overblown and outdated, it's still a hell of a record, one many
contemporary bands can only dream of producing. Nowadays, no one would
probably have the nerve...
Raff |
5/5 |
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