TRILOGY

It's almost unbelievable but true: this excellent album tends to get a bit overlooked because it has to compete with other monster albums by the same band (the debut album, Tarkus, Pictures at an Exhibition, Brain Salad Surgery). If this had been recorded by any - ANY - other band, it would have been recognised as the masterpiece it really is.

THE ENDLESS ENIGMA (incl. FUGUE) is IMHO the quintessential track of ELP. If you want to know what they were about, just listen to this piece. Perfect. (5/5)

FROM THE BEGINNING is a nice slow song, mostly acoustic, till Emerson comes in. Very tasteful, built like Lucky Man but has a totally different, cosmic feel to it. (4.5/5)

THE SHERIFF belongs to the Jeremy Bender, Are you ready Eddie, and Benny the Bouncer series of awkward barrelhouse-like stuff. But this time the track is so strong that it is no nuisance. (4/5)

HOEDOWN was written by classical composer Aaron Copland. A killer instrumental, opener of many ELP shows. This rocks! (5/5)

TRILOGY consists of a short part with vocals and a lengthy, hefty instrumental part. Obviously, this piece was the blueprint of Dream Theater's song Metropolis Pt.1 and probably even King Crimson's song Starless. (4/5)

LIVING SIN: a devilish little prog tune with a snarling (!) Greg Lake. A must hear. (5/5)

ABBADON'S BOLERO comes - as the title suggests - straight from hell and reaches its climax within 8 minutes. Not instantly likeable, this one requires a good deal of spins - but then it's great (4/5).

Good tunes, good playing, good singing - but the most wondrous aspect about this album is the way this collection of songs and instrumentals grow together to really be an album. The whole thing is more than the sum of its parts. 5 stars for one of the truely great recordings in the history of prog.

Favourite songs: The Endless Enigma, Hoedown, Trilogy, Living Sin.