THE VERY BEST OF EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER

There are several types who buy a "best of" ELP collection. A person who doesn't know prog from frog but just LOVES that weird sound at the end of "Lucky Man." A young person who wants a decent introduction to the creations of a classic band. And then there's people like me who owned a few of their albums back in the 70s, was never a huge fan but occasionally needs an ELP "fix" on the commute to or from work and sees this cd for just eight bucks at Best Buy and figures "why not?" Turns out it's not half bad, literally. In fact, there's only a few boners here in the ghastly "Pirates" and the self-indulgent "Toccata." The rest of it is top-notch. I personally liked the ballads because they were always a relief from the typical top 40 crud that crowded the airwaves around that time. Personally, these guys just got a little too dang noisy for my tastes and their albums were usually a case of too much of a good thing to my ears. But admire them, I did, and this collection of songs reminds me why. "Knife- edge," "Trilogy," "Karn Evil 9" and "Fanfare for the Common Man" are true standouts in prog history. And the aforementioned "Lucky Man" holds up well over the years as the song that brought the Moog to the masses. And, for the price, it's hard to beat.

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Posted Tuesday, April 11, 2006 | Review this album | Report (Review #74644)

This was the first exposure I had to Emerson, Lake, & Palmer beyond what I heard on the radio. It ultimately got me into the group, so I suppose this album is good for those uninitiated to progressive rock. That said, this is certainly not the best of this band by any means, but even though it may sucker some people who look for a couple of songs, it can be a great starter album for others. While not an ideal compilation, this release is a good place for someone new to Emerson, Lake, and Palmer to begin, as it has many favorites. The problem is that for the progressive rock fan, what is here is stuff heard on the radio all the time anyway. There is absolutely nothing from Tarkus, and what is from Brain Salad Surgery isn't particularly important. "Pirates" is a great addition to this collection, however, which is a song I always felt was underrated, even if it can be a tad corny. The climax of Pictures at an Exhibition is present, but as with any holistic release, excepts simply cannot do justice. For the right price, this is a great starting point, but it is likely full albums can be had at cheaper prices.

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Posted Thursday, June 4, 2009 | Review this album | Report (Review #219890)

A nice collection, but one would be much better off simply buying their first four studio albums. But it is nice to have a disc with both live and studio work on. C'est la Vie and The Hut of Baba Yaga are ELP at their best live, and to be thrown in with studio work is great. C'est la Vie is an ab ... (read more)

Report this review (#95160) | Posted by Shakespeare | Thursday, October 19, 2006 | Review Permanlink

I heard this cd originally because my brother bought it due to the fact that he liked the song "from the beginning" He primarily listened to the acoustic greg lake stuff and didnt pay as much attention to the true Prog Rock on it. When he left for the army and gave me all of his cds I started ... (read more)

Report this review (#81769) | Posted by endlessepic | Thursday, June 22, 2006 | Review Permanlink

Okay, I'm confused. The earlier "Best of Emerson, Lake & Palmer" has nine tracks, but "The Very Best of Emerson, Lake & Palmer" has thirteen. Now, I'm not a professional logician, but shouldn't "The Very Best" be a subset of "The Best"? That is, shouldn't it be a smaller group winnowed from th ... (read more)

Report this review (#14662) | Posted by bluetailfly | Monday, February 21, 2005 | Review Permanlink

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