EMERSON, LAKE & POWELL: EMERSON, LAKE & POWELL

Here we find the step between Love Beach and Black Moon. If you hadn't heard the origimal ELP albums, you might think this album had more merit than it actually does. The songs are so-so. The Score is over nine minutes long, and although it has some passable, but not fantastic keyboard work by Emerson, it's pretty much a forgettable song. Touch And Go, the single from the album, has a listenable hook, but I wouldn't call it prog. It sounds more like arena rock to me.

Really, the only song I like a lot on this album is their version of Mars, The Bringer Of War from Gustav Holst's The Planets. It's not bad, but it seems an obvious choice for Emerson to want to cover. Nowhere near as obscure as Janacek or Ginastera.

2.5 stars.