EMERSON LAKE & PALMER

I wasn't quite as wowed by ELP's debut album as I thought I was going to be, seeing as how it is so highly regarded here at PA. The only other ELP album I (currently) have is Brain Salad Surgery. When I first purchased Brain Salad Surgery it was love at first listen. It knocked my socks off and set up sky high expectations. Brain Salad Surgery is aggressive and challenging, but importantly it is a focused effort. When I listen to the self titled album by comparison, I get the distinct impression that ELP are kinda just noodling around; which isn't necessarily a bad thing when you consider this is their first album and how else are they supposed to find their feet. It just doesn't always make for the most entertaining listening experience unfortunately. They seize on bits and pieces that are really entertaining and sort of scattered about the album.

So what is there to like about this album? For starters, I'd have to say probably Greg Lake's vocals. The only bit of trouble is that he doesn't sing quite enough for my liking. You honestly cannot speak ill of the calibre of the musicianship which ELP possesses everything has that nice perfectionist feel too it even though musically it has a jam session quality to it. The two strongest tracks on the album are, in my opinion, Knife Edge and the impossible to hate Lucky Man. Both are solid from start to finish.

This album is for people who like jazz influence and a more improvisational style or are totally taken by the ELP sound. 2 for 5.