THE BEST OF EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER

I know this will make no sense to most of you, but I'll go ahead and admit it: I've whittled down my ELP collection to this compilation and the first album. I've been collecting progressive rock albums since the genre debuted in the late sixties, I sat in the front row for the Tarkus tour, and I now have hundreds and hundreds of progressive rock vinyl albums, compact discs, and even cassettes. So why do I feel that I need just those two ELP cd's? Well, as time goes by, I've grown weary of what I call "noodling", meaning endless soloing or showing off. Also, nowadays I like progressive rock that isn't overtly classical. I recently got that 3-cd Nice Immediate label collection, and I just can't get into anything beyond the early psychedelic stuff. No wonder I only own the first Rick Wakeman solo album. It's ironic, since 99 people out of 100 are going to assume that, as a progressive rock fan, I'm going to put ELP at the top of my list. Yeah, they're great, but they're way down on my list...

ELP - Great Compilation

I cant do a long review of this album, i dont want to bore you and of course, i wont do a review song by song, because this is a compilation, song by song only in studio albums, here i just have to mention them.

I started saying that this is a great compilation, it really is, i dont like so much "The Best" albums, but this is cool, because it has really some of the best ELP´s songs ever created, and it is a cross between all their studio albums .

Chronologically: Knife Edge and the classic Lucky man from their first Self- Titled album, both good songs remid me of the beggin of thi great band. Tarkus, that great epic, from their second album , its so great because it is not a "excerp2 track, it is the complete Tarkus!!, great!. From my favorite album Trilogy, here we can listen to these songs, Trilogy which is awesome, Hoedown and starting this compilation From the Beggining. From Brain Salad surgery here we can find Jerusalem, Still .. you Turn me On and Karn Evil 9 (1st impression part 2). C´est la Vie and fanfare to the Common man from Works 1, Honky Tonk Train Blues from Works 2. Luckily from Love Beach neither song ( crying). From their 1992 release, Black Moon, here we can listen to the self titled song, good song by the way. And the las song of this album was a new song, new release, I Believe in father Christmas.

So after all, if you dont know ELP, this compilation could be great for you, maybe if you are a fan, you obviously prefer studio albums (like me), but this "The best Of" is really good, so i recommend it and i will give it 4 stars.

Over 70 minutes of pure and great ELP sound!

Amongst the plethora of ELP compilations I would rate this as the best one.If ever a band recyled its back catologue ad nauseum it was ELP.What you need is a single CD with Tarkus and Fanfare For The Common Man(single edit not the long drawn out album version).You need the best Greg Lake songs (From The Beginning,Lucky Man and Still You Turn Me On plus the hit Christmas song).You need the spine tingling 'Welcome Back My Friends To The Show That Never Ends' refrain that Al Freeman used famously on his rock show in the seventies.You don't need Toccata or Pirates,tracks that I love being an ELP fan but inappropriate for a compilation..so they are not here and that is good! If you want to explore ELP farther then collect all their albums up to Works Volume One.If not then this one does very nicely thankyou!

This is the best ELP compilation I ever saw or heard. It really includes most of their essential work in a single CD, which I thought it was an impossible task. But here are all their major singles, like the stunning version of Jerusalem (well, does Greg Lake sings!) but not only their most popular songs, it does include some stuff that would not be found in other best of, like the complete Tarkus Suite and the entire 8:35 minute Trilogy title track. All three band members were virtuosos and had a lot to show. This CD does them justice.

Unlike a lot of this kind of albums, it does give a very good overview of one of prog´s most influential and important bands ever. But - let´s face it - they also did a lot of noodling and self indulgent material too. Fortunatly nothing like that is here (although some hints can be found, which is also good to show them how they were really). If you want to have their best work in a single CD, this is the one to buy. Also serves as an excellent introduction to the band if you want to further look into their cathalog. Maybe the only weak spot is the inclusion of the latter day Black Moon. The rest of the stuff is pure gold. I really liked the inclusion of the rare single I Believe In Father Christmas.The overall sound is also crystal clear, one of the best remastering I´ve heard.

I wish all compilations were so well done and respectful to the artists! 4,5 stars.

Before getting this I had never heard a note from this trio. Not even one song on classic rock radio. To this day the only ELP song I have ever heard on the radio is "From The Beginning". I was pleasantly surprised when I first listened to this, mainly for the album version of "Tarkus" which blew me away. While it's nice to have the album version of that song, we also get edited versions of "Karn Evil 9" and "Fanfare For The Common Man". Even the comeback single "Black Moon" is an edit. The Christmas song "I Believe In Father Christmas" is included here also.

Another bonus here is an unedited "Trilogy". "C'est La Vie" and "Honky Tonk Train Blues" seem out of place and are hardly amongst the trio's best songs. It's good to have "Knife Edge" here as well. I found out later that the albums were the way to go. But still, it would have been nice to have "The Barbarian" and "Endless Enigma" here. The three ballad's "Lucky Man", "From The Beginning" and "Still...You Turn Me On" seem to be on every ELP compilation.

A good introduction to ELP. The tracklist is similar to any compilation which has the album version of "Tarkus" on it. But with most prog acts, it's better to get the main studio albums. Or even a live album. 3 stars.

From the beginning...

This compilation was my first exposure to ELP. As a young, aspiring progger, I went for the greatest hits of the "greats," scrambling for Yes box sets, Genesis collections, Frank Zappa greatest hits, and this ELP "best of" album. As an exposure, I fell in love. From the gentle melodies of "From the Beginning" (an ELP favorite of mine to this day), the sweeping grandeur of "Trilogy," or the massive perfection of "Tarkus" (which I originally thought was a Jordan Rudess composition when he released his Road Home album, silly me), this entire album is a truly great display of this band's greatest accomplishments. Comprised of both classic and modern tracks, it's a nice eclectic blend of their styles, with Black Moon switching up the track listing a bit. Overall, this is a very good compilation, but I believe it is better to own the studio albums, which have a broader collection of songs.

However, this album is certainly a fantastic introduction to the classic and essential classic prog trio. Although not essential, it is a good compilation. 3+ stars.