Me and ELP 

Like them or hate them, ELP was a huge part of my musical journey. Playing their music brings back great memories of being penniless & free !

I was deeply moved by ELP on an emotional and intellectual level, but like you, I discovered the Mahavishnu Orchestra shortly after I bought my first ELP records. The MO reached me on an emotional and intellectual level as well, but they had "the funk" and that reached a visceral physical place that no other music could touch at the time. Coming back to ELP after a few years revitalized my love of the band for what they were when I no longer judged them for what they weren't.

I love E.L.P ! The band is simply one of the biggest acts in rock history ever .

If you have it, flaunt it. Emerson flaunted it.

My gateway drug to ELP in the mid 1970s was Trilogy. I loved it. I soon had all the albums and eventually I bought Love Beach. I did not hate love beach. I may have been the only one. I love the epic sci-fi Tarkus and Karnevil 9. I remember tripping to the 1974 triple live album. That album's version of Aqua Tarkus on side three was mind blowing. Around 1982 I started to lose interest. I started getting into the early 70s music of McCoy Tyner, Miles Davis and other esoteric jazz artists including some local San Francisco Bay Area bands that only had a local record deal and they may have been lucky to sell 100 albums or so. When we moved into the CD era, I bought Trilogy and the First Album. I was married and Take a Pebble and From the Begging were good tunes to woo the missus with. My job moved me to Southern California in 2005. I recall listening to Trilogy then and it didn't do it for me for some reason. Then Keith Emmerson took his life. I purchased the Live Album Welcome Back My Friends... on iTunes and suddenly I could not get enough of them. I found Tarkus at a garage sale on CD, I downloaded Brain Salad Surgery and Pictures at an exhibition and was listening to it constantly. We're back in the Bay Area now. I've since invested in a turntable. I had given most of my vinyl to my nephew in the early 2000s but I'm trying to rebuild the collection. I have found ELP's first five albums used, in relatively good condition for reasonable prices... almost 1970s prices. It's come full circle and I find myself once again not being able to get enough.

Trilogy is my favorite album (and song) by ELP. The whole album is breathtaking. ♥

Listening to Karn Evil 9 suite today is still a musical shock ! Harmonically incredible ...mixing baroque and Bartok

The first true prog-rock record was a 1968 release by Keith Emerson's first band, the Nice. It's called Ars Longa Vita Brevis (art is long, life is short). It includes an orchestral interpretation of J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, an extended piece by Sibelius and the Leonard Bernstein song America from the musical West Side Story. Give it a listen some time. I loved it at the time of its release, playing it every day for a year.

And i looove carl palmer current trio bands and their covers of ELP covers of little obscure classical pieces.

You don,t need to like ,m but then again you,ll miss all these beautiful highly original melodies! Just take a song like "take a pebble" there,s so much feeling in there, whether it,s the piano, acoustic guitar, the brushes or Greg,s voice and lyrics. It still today sounds just fabulous and unique, it,s folky classical and even somewhat jazzy.

Tarkus was my way into unusual time signatures when I was thirteen. Years later, I was playing and dancing to Balkan folk music and learning jazz rythmic concepts as a multi- woodwind player. I didn't hear Tarkus for forty years. I laughed when I heard it again as I realised how much I'd benefited from it.

The Crimson King in the court…Oh what a lucky man he was!

I think Carl Palmer's drumming on Luckyman is brilliant. Restrained, as he guides the song along. I marvel at it. Reminds me of Bakers wonderful drumming on Can't find my way Home.

I challenge anyone to start with all their first 5 albums and listen carefully to each. It’s been a long time for most people. I believe you will come out realizing they are incredible, and the best at their musicianship. Lake’s voice is amazing, Keith’s keyboards are unparalleled, Carl’s percussion is top also. Many bands have some good talent in each area, but for me Rush’s singer is an acquired taste. Same with Yes, and Genesis. Take the challenge and refresh your memories. It’s just my opinion of course.

You only have to listen to the Strangler's version of Walk on By, to understand how much influence prog had on them, ELP in particular.

I did that with love beach which panned but I enjoy it.

I think that what set Keith Emerson, Carl Palmer (and the Nice drummer Brian Davison) apart from their peers was that their 1st love was Jazz and they only started playing RnB to get regular paid work in the mid 60's with the likes of Gary Farr & the T Bones, Chris Farlowe and the Thunderbirds, The Mark Leeman Five and the VIPs. It's probably another rather broad strokes argument to place contemporaries like Jon Lord, Dave Greenslade, Graham Bond, Billy Ritchie, Rod Argent, Vincent Crane and Don Shin as having served their Prog apprenticeships via RnB. Just for clarity: ELP and the Nice are my two favourite Prog bands of all time.

What a great video. Bill Bruford is my favorite drummer and the first drummer I saw in ’95 with double trio Crim. But Keith Emerson is my favorite musician. In my view he invented 'Prog' as a composer, arranger and player. His work between ’68-’75 is highly experimental, visionary and absolute idiosyncratic. And puts him in place with the likes of Zappa, Davis, Hendrix as gamechangers in music. Great points about ELP as an pioneering and innovative band and players. Before ‘Prog’ became mainstream as a genre and Yes, Genesis and Pink Floyd became mainstream bands. By beginning of ‘71 ELP as a touring band already had ‘Tarkus’, Pictures etc in their set. With all the props and showcases. And by touring the globe madly and constantly evolving they made the minds ready for all things to come regarding ‘Prog’ - the good and the bad. Their live show especially lend very well to huge arena’s and stadiums because of the extreme dynamics between the players and their music. From a ‘Hoedown’ to a ‘Karn Evil’, from a ‘Pebble’ to a ‘Sheriff’ and everything in between. The entertainment factor made why millions of people came to the shows and bought the albums. And for the first seven years till ‘Works’ it was good fun. And that’s how I view ELP, as a great fun band! I highly recommend this book (elpbook.com) and this DVD (www.cherryred.co.uk/product/fanfare-for-the-uncommon-man-the-official-keith-emerson-tribute-concert-2cd-2dvd-edition) as essential awe-inspiring musthaves. I came to your channel through Sea of Tranquility and really enjoy your video’s. Very intriguing view about ‘Prog’ as an cultural form and English esthetic. From the Beatles to the Sex Pistols and beyond. I’m currently in the Miles Davis and Frank Zappa rabbit hole  Thanks!

My older brother bought their first album when it came out and I loved it. I still love it and for me, in retrospect, it is their finest moment. He took me to see them in 1971 at Greens Playhouse in Glasgow. They did two shows in one night and because I was 13 we went to the 'matinee'. They were brilliant. I couldn't believe how good Carl Palmer was on such a tiny kit. Nothing was left un hit!

An inside view of ELP, mainly P! Obviously, I grew up practicing along with Carl who I copied at the start of my interest in playing drums and then saw Carl aged 18 playing on Top Of The Pops with The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, miming to Fire and that was it. My own future was set! That video is here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-en1uwIzI3SE.html Late I was also watching ELP and Mahavishnu Orchestra live in concert Listen to each ELP album as they came out was a great period and actually playing Rondo with ELP on an Encore at The Odeon New St, Birmingham featuring a double drum solo at the request of Greg and Keith who came and watched me, aged 15, playing my Rogers Drum Kit set up in my bedroom at my parents house before the Odeon show. Carl was 20 when ELP formed and Carl was basically rocks version of Buddy Rich ~ in those days. I felt a surge of pride - ( or maybe ego!) - when Buddy Rich named Carl along with Steve Gadd and Harvey Mason as his favourite young drummers back in 1986 - Hear that Buddy Rich interview here. About 16 minutes in. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WD19S4FDiL8.html - and when Ringo was happy to say to Carl, when they met recording with their separate bands at an LA studio, that he had brought Carl’s Stainless Steel kit for himself and Zac to play on. Back in the day Carl’s popularity went from Buddy Rich to Ringo from The Beatles. I watched as Billy Cobham came along and his jazz/ soul/r&b groove turned heads as happened to you Andy. It happened to me too!! Back in the day it is hard to say what an impact Billy Cobham had when the 1st Mahavishnu Orchestra LP came out. Going back to P - At 72 Carl is still one of the hardest working drummers I know and he has never followed the drumming trends of each decade, Cobham, Gadd, Vinnie, Weckl etc. He follows what he has always liked and in a way that gives him his own pushing fast style like it or not. All the above views are completely biased!! Out of my respect for Carl!! Even though I play nothing like Carl or Nephew, Ian Palmer, I would not have a life long career playing drums, without big brothers influence and my Dad who also played semi pro and sang! Carl is also such a motivated person too, which I think is why the likes of Keith Emerson liked working with Carl!! For anyone who is interested here is an old 2006 RU-vid of a Carl, Ian and myself playing a family drum solo. This was full on no holds barred 3 way solo!! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KsJa1tphJcQ.html Also The update guitar version of Trilogy from 2022 I enjoy. Carl playing his own pushing way with Paul Bielatowicz - Guitar Simon Fitzpatrick - Bass ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zZwgpFX4uwQ.html Thanks for the informative videos, Andy. Respect! 😊

5:10 King Crimson were a huge influence on Genesis. (I’ve interviews from the time in which Phillips, Gabriel and especially Hackett say so. They use to rehearse with a poster of ITCOTCK an then Larks). And so were the Nice. In fact, “the Knife”… the title is in reference to the Nice.

I listen to jazz, funk and even a lot of classical and 20th century so called contemporary music. I agree with what you say about KC and Yes . Still…they turn me on (EL&P , I mean).

Regarding Carl Palmer as an drummer. I cite Bonham, Bruford, Porcaro, Collins, Copeland as some of my absolute favorites. But can you imagine Keith Emerson walking in saying to you as a 20 year youngish 'hey, what do you think of ideas like Tarkus, Pictures, Toccata, Karn Evil, Pirates etc?' It takes an huge amount of fearlessness to say yes let's do this no matter what. That's the thing I cherish about Carl Palmer. His versatility, creativity and enthusiasm to tackle Emerson's mad ambitious ideas. To put everything and every style into it. And subsequently eloborate your basic jazzkit with gongs, timps, drum synthesizers etc. He is absolute essential in people mind's to what a prog drummer is. Excessive kit, fast and super technical playing and soloing. Without Palmer no Peart, Portnoy etc. I still can listen to Barbarian, Pebble, Tarkus, Pictures, Enigma, Toccata, Karn Evil, Pirates, his Concerto for Percussion, his Welcome Back/Tank solo and being totally mesmerized and energised by it. It's the creativity factor I take from him as a drummer. My personal favorite Carl Palmer drumplaying is the Pirates Albert Hall version: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cYT9DOuxN7s.html Technical, symphonic and grooving(!) :)

For that hot minute when you were speaking the pretentiousness of ELP, I imagined Peter Gabriel (with his head inside a triangle) and Rick Wakeman with the Knights of the Round Table burst into your room. Both were wearing glorious flowing capes. 😅

Huge influence...personally from 71 to 73 they were state of the art...I really loved them and if people talked shit they were jealous....by the album works they were a fractured band..I wished they were mentioned more..just think young teenagers were totally in to them...boy have things 😔 changed...sad

Thank you for doing this I've been a fan since 1970 and before that the nice. ELP the musicians musicians whether you like them or not you cannot deny their virtuosity. Really second to none. Their musicianship competition would be more with the great Fusion bands like mahavishnu Orchestra and Return to Forever instead of rock groups.

Please indulge my little comment here regarding amazing amazing drumming moments. One. 5.15 into endless enigma pt1 the double kick!!!. And two. Mahavishnu lost trident LP. Song called I wonder. Double kick also sparingly couple of times. The less is more of the double kick. So powerful to me!

'From The Beginning' is a delightful song which I still like to hear from time to time because it's ELP at their most restrained for the entire song.

I love your take on punk having prog elements... I think you nailed it! And yes, ELP were pompous... one of the reasons I love them, they had no borders... Emerson was a hoot (think knives and B3s) and Palmer with the steel drum set. I was at the concert in Anaheim that became "Welcome back..." The Quad speakers swirling around the audience at the end of "Karn Evil 9" was awesomeness!!!

Emerson playing with Oscar Peterson is a little better than the video of Howe playing with Les Paul. Both are mesmerizing and relevant.

“The Barbarian”, a direct translation of a Bartok piece with added drumming and bass distortion, from the 1st album...holds up as being super heavy and exciting to me and I think is my favourite “rock band interpretation of a classical piece” I’ve ever heard

Music is so subjective, it's as infinitely varied as people themselves. Andy, I found your video on ELP fascinating & I can see where you're coming from. For me, I got into them in '77 when I heard "Fanfare" on the radio, it's ironic that in addition to say Blues variation from "Pictures" that they're probably the only ELP pieces that really groove. Looking at the classic ensemble stuff for me it's as if Keith is the conductor & the major part of the orchestra, Carl is the percussion section & Greg the double bass section & vocal soloist. Keith is the driving force both compositionally & instrumentally, when I listen to them it's like he's saying "Hang on to your hats guys it's gonna be a hell uv a ride". It's like a roller coaster ride, not everyone likes them, but for those who do, boy are they exhilarating! Cheers

Had a life long love of ELP, since I heard BSS and trilogy, they always added a fun song in amongst the progtastic work. They are not for everyone, but were ahead of their time imo. Fair video Andy.

I saw all of those bands that you mentioned live in the early 70s , and throughout the 70s . The most entertaining concerts in those days were put on by Jethro Tull and ELP . They had outrageous and exhilarating stage shows . Yes and Genesis also put on good shows back then , if not quite as entertaining . I've always been an ELP fan , and remain so to this day . Cheers !!

I had a similar issue with ELP but not in the past few years I’ve re-learned to love them. Yes they became pompous, but when they were good , they were amazing. Trilogy and Tarkus are my favorite albums but my favorite song is Take a Pebble. Both beautiful and intense.

I tend to agree with you. Emerson was beyond Yes and Wakeman both in composition and playing (knowing that Howe was the key to Yes" long form compositions).

I picked up the first album from ELP, and loved it. Then they did _"Tarkus",_ and the story behind the main song just lost me. I had friends who bought it and loved it, but I never bought it. Years later I bought _"Works volume 1",_ and loved some songs and wasn't so keen on others. But on the whole I liked the album. And then the next ELP I bought was _"Love Beach",_ and there they really completely lost me. I had plenty of other albums to listen to. Steven Wilson talks about the difference between "musicians" and "entertainers". I think that ELP started out as great musicians, and turned into entertainers. And I think that most entertainers lose their audience after awhile, because they don't connect with people at quite the same emotional level.

I like what I like! F@$K the critics! No one tells me what to listen to!

I tried 3 times this morning to write a comment to this video. It was highly interesting to watch you rmorph back into an ELP fan. Perhaps the new appreciation will remain just that. Its funny how your emotional state is affected by Yes and less so with ELP. I'm the opposite. I started to listen to Tales from Topographic Oceans but did not have the time. I believe this is an album someone used to play and my sense is that I liked it. So tomorrow I will make time to hear it in its entirety. Looking back, I can see how being exposed to ELP and then hearing the Mahavishnu Orchestra made it an easy leap for me. This video was just absolutely incredible to view. Your honesty and being straight with your fans can only be admired.

Elp and Zappa got me listening to classical music. Pictures of an exhibition for a starter. Later Tarkus and all of it. I don't listen to it every day, but glad I can play a cd of them, once in a while.

I am in my ELP “era” as the kids say so the algorithm suggested this video. Did I just hear that Greg Lake’s voice grates? Thee Gregory Lake? Even Keith Emerson called him the man with the golden voice.

ELP is one of those bands I really have to be in the right mood for, but when I am, I fall in love with them all over again. I still have a vivid memory of going into the Atari Company Store circa 1981, doing my regular search through the aisles of Warner (and Warner-related) records, and finding the 3-disc "Welcome Back My Friends..." in stock for a bit over $7US. In the four years I worked there, both my record collection and my musical tastes expanded dramatically. My bank account...not so much. One of my biggest regrets though was the one time they got in the 10-disc set of Keith Jarrett's Koln Concerts, I balked at the price (just under $30).

ELP over-the-top? never heard that before. ;-) Anyone remember the California Jam in 1974? Emerson's grand piano 'stunt'? ;-O

Punk and the Punk bands were not rejecting Prog, they were brought up and listened to the shite in the charts: ABBA, Brotherhood of Man, Disco (Grease, Saturday Night Fever etc.) any number of top 30 singles. Most Prog bands were album bands and very rarely, if ever had a single that entered the top 30. As for what defines Prog, the key division between Prog and Rock (heavy or otherwise), is the division between a band and music lead by keyboards or guitar. ELP are Hendrix without a guitar.

Excellent....!!! I loved them at the time, even saw them on Brain Salad Surgery tour... Can't listen to them now..apart from Trilogy...(like you!!)...I have the cds....but think it was "of it's time".....just hasn't aged as well as others....(to me!). Brilliant musicians, but to me the music has dated unlike a lot of others.....Gong, Camel, Focus.....who I can listen to anytime....

King Crimson was the orginal band to define Prog.Rock...this music came out of nowhere. They were the first. Then ELP followed from other bands.They were the biggest band to see in the 70's. A tour de force.Maybe to some there music may sound dated,but I would rather listen to them to any band musical today.They were virtuoso on there instruments. They brought to the stage a game on to the performance..theatrics. They had the criticism for being over the top.But look at Lady Gaga,Madonna their stage performance is an extravagant show.Long live ELP...ps yes they did songs like Bennie the bouncer..why maybe because they wanted to appease those who said they were over the top. When they were in the top of there popularity Johnny Carson asked who was he listened to in popular music. He did not hesitate ELP..he saw them multiple times.Carl Palmer took notice of Buddy Rich drumming.

I loved that ELP actually felt compelled to impress the hell out of you. I went through a short period in 1973 in which I liked KC and hated ELP... but that was a short period of time. I saw MO and agree that they were tremendous...but I od'd from overexposure. Fusion was great but bothered me a bit in that it seemed too formulaic. I think there was a time when lots of fusion bands sounded very similar, at least to me AT THAT TIME. But when you get distance, you realize how good they were. ELP, I think you pegged it well, never lost sight of the idea that they were entertainers as well as artists. That made them a bit low brow to some. I have also known people (like critic Charles Shaar Murray) to dislike Prog and ELP in particular, as bourgeoisie- artistic aspirations, which was also a pretense adopted by some U.S. critics. I am circling around to liking Mahavishnu Orchestra again, but (this is a small criticism), the original group's first two albums were amazing but sounded so much alike, only Jan Hammer changed a little with the use of the Mini-Moog. Then I heard Larry Coryell live and I just liked how Larry executed the idea better. And Magma made it more interesting (which is why I consider Magma fusion). And I heard a lot of MO in early Soft Machine, without the startling guitar work that Holdsworth brought later. The period between 1967 and 1977 was an embarrassment of riches--and a great many in the rock critical fraternity were incredibly stupid about what gifts they were getting. There was a political reaction against Prog and Fusion for not being pure. The critical community was pathetic.

So works is their ummagumma!!!

I remember reading in either NME or Melody Maker in the early 70’s, that viewed ELP, Yes and Genesis as “pomp rock”, probably where the inverted snobbery started.

Pretty sure I discovered ELP after the Blue Devils drum corps performed Karn Evil 9 in 1984. Very nice to hear your kind words about them. You are right, it might be time to start re-listening to ELP and appreciate them again.

Catching up late with this. Ozzy was spot on the first time: "Oh no, please, God elp me!" ELP were a cirkus act. "Worship!", they cried, "I'm proggy", and critics sharpened their teeth…

Nice one Andy, welcome back my friend to the paradox that never ends. Yesterday I watched the SoT Prog Seat chaps discussing Trick of the Tail and Peter Gabriel's Car. It made me realise that I had for a long time dimissed Genesis and Gabriel and positively disliked them; where I was reacting to something inside my head that actually was a negative construct of my own doing. I came to realise not that long ago that my prejudices towards them and other bands and artists was just plain stupid and thereafter I was able to enjoy them. I may not like everyhting they do but I dont get hung up on the things I dont care for like I used to. Sounds like you've maybe come to a similar position with ELP. Enjoy what you like of theirs and skip what you dont, as life is too short to do otherwise. And yes Mahavishnu probably are the greatest bunch of musicians, in whichever grouping they are in, well at least in the 70's.

Interesting vlog Andy. Thanks very. much indeed.

Wow a lot of different opinions. I've learned people talking about rock and roll is fairly subjective compared to when people graduate and learn about classical music. When you get into classical music you start to look at rock and roll a lot differently. Frankly, ELP does stand the test for me. Emerson's compositions are on a whole other level.

I love ELP and I love this video

I loved ELP heard the track Karn Evil 9 and was drawn in. I've always had them as a 50/50 band for me. 50% I love and the rest I struggled with or hated. Now as I've become an old git Ive massively opened my listening borders to all sorts of genres and bands but certainly haven't mellowed my tastes. I now find a lot of the ELP stuff hard work to listen to although I did go see Carl Palmers live show a month or so ago and it was excellent. His engagement with the audience, the banter and laughs and the inclusion of the two young guys on Guitar, Bass and Chapman Stick really did get me interested again and brought a whole new twist to the music. Plus they were so enthusiastic about it too. Really great to see youngsters so into it.

I paused and thought about it when you raised the question, what is it about ELP? I felt the same type of hesitation. My unconsidered, initial reason was: no guitar hero. Every great rock band needed one, I'm sure I felt in my subconscious brain. E is great, I know. But still...

It's hard to get your head around just how huge ELP were in the early seventies. They were one of the biggest bands in the world, (up there with Led Zeppelin) and they could put things like "Tocatta" on their albums. They deserve credit for that. My recollection is that they peaked with Brain Salad Surgery and it was downhill from there. For me, they're in a time capsule from then and I have no desire to go back and listen again. That said, I still happily listen to King Crimson, Yes, Genesis and bands like Camel. Despite their virtuosity and my appreciation of them as musicians, as time has gone by I don't feel any connection to ELP at all. I like how you basically talk yourself into giving them another chance in this video, maybe I will too, but I don't know.

Great thoughts! Thanks!

I first heard Keith’s Moog outdo of Lucky Man when in the sick room at school - blew my head off! Saw them late 1970 in London, then again in 1973 in Stoke. Are they perfect, no, but, when they get it right few can match them, viz Tarkus, Trilogy, Fanfare for the Common Man. They vie for my favourite with Pink Floyd, Yes, Gentle Giant, Jethro Tull, and King Crimson, and I can never pick one. 🎉

Actually, they did eventually go live on an island, hence Love Beach. :) But point taken. It was always about the music with these three. They were all obsessed with it. If you haven't already, check out the reactions/analysis of classical composer Doug Helvering. He has analyzed the scores for The Endless Enigma, Tarkus, and Keith's piano concerto and reacted to KE9, Jerusalem, Toccata, Still. . .You Turn Me On, and Benny the Bouncer on his RU-vid channel. He has also done PAAE and Trilogy on Patreon. Endless Enigma: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9FJm2Jgousw.html Tarkus: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_FMjCN6jEyY.html KE9: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-aqQzet8pYeM.html Jerusalem, Toccata, Still. . . & Benny: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1iJWBribOJo.html The piano concerto is due to be posted to RU-vid today. I'll post a link when it comes through. (It's already on Patreon.)

I partly learned to play drums listening to ELP. I know I listened to them millions of times, so that’s probably why I don’t listen to them anymore. Just grew out of it. If I come upon a song in my long playlist on my iPhone I tend to skip it rather quickly. Maybe it’s because of the incredible recording quality of now compared to the 70’s. In my teens, I wasn’t quite sophisticated enough to understand what was changing in the music world. I just liked what I liked. I had one friend who thought Zappa was so much better than ELP. But Carl Palmers drumming skills and techniques resonated with me more that Zappa’s at the time. But later in life I learned to appreciate Zappa for what he did. I also played guitar in “Coffee Houses” for money using some of Greg Lakes songs. Now I am a complete amateur compared to the amazing talent I see and hear these days.

Incredible! I really dig this video. Brilliant!

Trilogy is my favourite ELP album too, the only I still listen to regularly these days. I loved the band when I was 13, 14, 15 but after that I listened to them less and less . . . however these days I really enjoy Keith Emerson's piano compositions and playing. I now also appreciate him purely as a composer. Back in my teens drums was my main instrument and Carl Palmer was my hero but I kinda went off him. I do love Greg Lake's voice and songs though, there's a timeless quality about them.

Great video! I don’t think ELP were ”pretentious” since that word implies you pretend to be something that you’re not. ELP were just that good and clearly delivered the goods. If anything they were just very ambitious. It’s true they were ”pompous” at times, but that can be said of most heavy metal bands with big scene shows and a ”larger than life” attitude. Pink Floyd seldom get accused of being ”pretentious” although they are much more deserving of the epiteth. I love PF but they have a tendency where the presentation often outshines the quality (and quantity) of the actual song writing.

Thank you for some valid criticisms about one of my favorite bands. I am in awe of Emerson big time, but yes, he does lead us over the garden path, and makes me ache for a break thanks to Lake. I love Lake when he reminds me of Lennon, I love languorous ballads from him, but he had no real opportunity to break out of the same old predictable mold! (Since I love 80’s music, his solo albums were a pleasant surprise.) Keep up the great work on YT. I’m now a guitar hobbyist and like the input!

My favourite is their debut album. I find the rest patchy. The only one I bought back in the day was Works and I think I was as pretentious then at 17 as the title of the album suggests, and we know that Emerson so wanted to be taken seriously by the likes of Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein. Their albums are some of the best sounding of all the prog bands, the way they're mixed and produced, you feel like you're in the same room with them - just brilliant.

I have seen many reaction videos to ELP. Only one was negative, and that was done by a couple who didn't like the ELP Rondo video, more because it was largely improvised. Every other reaction video I have seen has been in awe of the band and what they could accomplish. That's another element of ELP that I loved...they would often take chances other bands wouldn't or couldn't. (I was a huge Nice fan before ELP formed and was saddened the Nice disbanded, btw)

Ah ELP. They were the best of prog, they were the worst of prog.

Carl Palmer gets crapped on quite a bit lately. If you watch their documentary "From the Beginning", you can see footage of rehearsal for the Brain Salad Surgery album of Keith more or less giving Carl Palmer the drums and percussion parts. His playing and parts were at least, very influenced by Emerson. I don't think that Brain Salad Surgery was more self indulgent than Tales from Topographic Ocean. Keith Emerson said "What many people call pretentious, I call ambitious". Many modern prog bands have copied Yes, Genesis,etc. No one has come close to sounding like ELP. Lyrics aside, Zappa and Coltrane was everything that people accuse ELP of. Dizzy Gillespie said that "I would rather be the world's worst innovator than the world's best imitator". For me that sums up ELP.

I admire your analysis. I've recently returned to loving ELP. I think punk was more a reaction to what Led Zepplin was, although I agree with your opinion re reaction to ELP. I grew up in Johannesburg so perhaps my musical journey was different to someone from Blighty. Their music is very English

As a (Drummer) I think Carl Palmer is probably underrated I don’t hear a lot of (Drummer) talking about call I’ve been I have seen a lot of his videos and when I was younger I listen to them and I think he’s really really good technical wise showmanship wise groove pocket he has all that I just want to say PeartDisicple481

ELP is a band I am hot and cold on. Can’t really listen to them CASUALLY. I will listen to the first 4-5 albums obsessively until I sort of overdose and have to put them away for months. Great band, brilliant musicians, enjoyed the video 👍

It's a bit like Zappa. There's so much goofing around that it's easy to forget just how good the music is. Their first four albums were a treat. And, unlike Uncle Frank, they are not accepted by cool people.

If only they'd done a quality recording of Pictures at an Exhibition

I think there has been a big re-evaluation of these bands in recent years. Back in the 80s, 90s and noughties you would be laughed at if you said you were a fan of prog. It was almost a shameful thing to own up to. Since then there seems to have been an acceptance and a blossoming love of things proggy. As ever tastes change over time and there's a reaction to the inanity and simplicity and downright boringness (?? Is that a word? It is now) of modern pop music. Some 10 or 15 years ago my neice and nephew would ask their dad to play Brain Salad Surgey as it was so much more interesting than what they were getting from the radio and their peers. My nephew wanted to listen to Led Zeppelin so I ripped copies for him which he loved. But also there will always be those music fans who wish to explore and discover where music comes from.

ELP were the first band I saw live (not quite as Back Door were the support act) - Brain Salad Surgery tour at the Empire Pool Wembley. Sort of fell out of love with them after I discovered the Mahavishnu Orchestra and the other fusion bands. IMHO 'Trilogy' and 'PAAE' are their best albums. 'The Endless Enigma' - great track. Again agree with most of what you said.

A Bit late to comment but i know exactly why he didnt mention ELP. While researching the list he got out his ELP albums and his gaze fell upon Love Beach he was so overawed with the magnificence of the cover that he felt unworthy to utter their name.

After thought: Thierry Eliez, who in September releases The Emerson Enigma, did an amazing hommage to Keith Emerson . The youtube link to pianist Thierry Eliez hommage ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jP1Ppob93dQ.html

I share a lot of your views on ELP. "Trilogy" is also my favourite album. And overall even after 40 years I still find the band very enchanting and fascinating. But I also always felt three significant flaws with ELP: 1) Their lyrics, while not being bad, were never very strong, 2) they never had a great chemistry together (compared with "The Nice" for example), and 3) I've always felt that while having created some amazing music within 10 years, they never really delivered the "perfect" album, in the sense of "Close To The Edge" or "Dark Side", etc. The material is there, but somewhat spread over 5 or 6 records. And that's maybe a subconcious reason, while ELP would slip one's mind while compiling a "Prog list". Also they only had 1 album with a really outstanding cover design. But I don't want to create the impression like I want to knock them around. It was an excellent band. And I would prefer "Love Beach" to anything "Asia" ever recorded any given day.

Its strange that your intro to this type of music is so connected to my own. I also sold all of my elp records. My reason was seeing them do the Tarkus tour twice at the City Hall in Newcastle March 71 and then at the Queens Theatre some months later. At 16 and hearing what seemed to me exactly the same gig. All the impov's seemed samey and the music was a straight copy. I think it may be because of these 2 gis that I got more involved with jazz, Zappa and all THAT entailed.

Hilarious!!! RU-vid is unforgiving!!!

I think the thing about ELP is their music did not age nearly as well as that of most of their Prog contemporaries. One reason for that could be their particular influences-often American jazz and classical composers from the mid 20th century-just aren’t in the DNA of all the other popular music that has come since ELP split. Also their approach to incorporating Classical music often bordered on kitsch-classical hits played loud and with a beat! More interesting were Yes’s attempts at making original rock music with the emotional and formal scope of a classical symphony. And those jokey honky tonk tunes were truly terrible! At the end of the day what probably makes them seem most dated is their complete inability to catch a groove….poor Greg and Carl had their hands full just trying to keep up with Keith!

Great stuff!

Palmer said "We pushed each other to be the best we could be." For all others, who could not reach that level, ELP were "pretentious".

Greg Lake said punk was violent, and ELP was just as violent, if not more. I mean, if throwing a Hammond around and stabbing it with knives and pulling it on top of yourself and playing upside down isn't violent, what is? Makes bashing a guitar look like child's play.

Andy I had a similar experience with ELP, loved them when I was young but lost interest. I believe you touched on the reason briefly, at least for me ELP had That virtuoso technique but not the depths of mystery that King Crimson had or the spirituality of Yes or Mahavishnu. Those are the things that draw you in deeper and keep you engaged even all these years later, it’s the depth of mystery and spirituality that is missing for me. Would love for you to do a video on shakti and remember shakti Thanks much love videos

ELP is that crazy ex we never forget. Gave us so much, hurt us so much, shaped our character and now we KNOW that if they broke up after their live 1974 album it would have been a perfect career. Their demise was inevitable, too talented for their own good. Even King Crimson called it quits in 74....Fripp knew better :) ELP didnt do that and paid the price. WORKS 2 was a great album actually (songwriting) , vol 1. was a breakup prophecy. Great video as usual!

The triple live album is great but I hate the elaborate cover taking the records out and putting them back in is a real pain.

I know I’m in a minority but I have the same mixed feelings about Led Zep. Maybe I heard them too much in the 70’s. Great band, great musicians but at the end of the day i’d prefer to listen to something else.

I have exactly the inverse reaction: I love ELP, but while I appreciate some of Yes' stuff, they come across to me as overwrought and a bit like a garage band too much in love with their own sound. I do like some Yes songs (lower case "s" there), but find it difficult to get through an entire Yes album. ELP, on the other hand, I find brilliant.

If you have done so, please describe the difference between Prog and Fusion. Thank you for these videos.

Another great video Andy Any chance doing a video about SAGA and maybe the underrated guitar player Alex lifeson? Thanks

ELP has a special, no, UNIQUE! place in my musical life. I still listen to them and love everything they've done, more or less. But I hear them streaming than more than I hear them on the CDs I have. I always loved ELP albums and still do, even though I don't really like some of what Emerson did in The Nice or a lot his cartoonish stuff (Benny the Bouncer, etc.) So, yeah I like and respect all of it. But for some reason I don't play it a lot. 😕

I too always have sort of an asterisk next to ELP's name in my head. I sense that your take is not completely dissimilar to mine. I want to think that bands like KC and Yes sort of tempered themselves by the strength of their compositional personalities. Even though Jon Anderson was undoubtedly "the skipper" the other band members were strong, virtuoso, ambitious and ego-driven enough to demand a forging of something greater than their individual selves but which was very much all of them. Same with KC. With ELP, fewer members and only two of them melodicists, I think the ambition of Emerson drove the "personality" of the band. Genius though he was, it wasn't, IMO, strong enough of a musical universe to keep me in once drawn by Lucky Man, Jerusalem or KarnEvil 9, not like a CTTE, Fragile, Larks Tongues, Starless or Lamb on Broadway, Supper's Ready, etc.. I think some might speculate that Greg Lake was too high in trait agreeableness, who knows. All due respect to the memory of Lake and Emerson.

Prog Rock is a thinking person's music

Who was this video about again? Seems I can’t quite remember…😉. But seriously folks, “Fragile” was probably my first prog album, but “Tarkus” was my second. I remember dropping the needle onto side 1 and not having a clue what was going on. Never heard anything like this before. Still my favorite ELP album. I do agree with some of the other comments about not ageing well. Of all the original prog bands I probably go back to ELP the least. Not exactly sure why. And they did seem to embrace the overblown-ness of it all. The $30,000 drum set. Lake’s $10,000 Persian on-stage rug. They seemed to revel in it…good for them. I still can’t explain “Love Beach” though…

I've got the first four studio albums in surround sound and I love them but after that they lost it. Unlike other progressive bands of the seventies they now sound dated, so because of that, I have to be in the mood. The music of that period 67 to 79 is definitely the best for music, inventive, searching, pushing things forward. Although I'm not stuck in the past, the same cannot be said of the current artists. It definitely started going wrong when video and mtv became the thing that sold music, Zappa was spot on about that.

Agree that trilogy rules .Interesting that they never really played any of that live... Agree with other comment them not focusing on groove (unlike gentle giant) makes it feels like something’s missing at times to me. Modernity is very beat/groove-centric Love the Tarkus suite.. it’s harmonically so dark!!! Fits the apocalyptic sci fi cover so well. Also, Keith’s squatting on his organ playing it backwards and stabbing knives into is (isle of wright festival) is some of my favourite showmanship live I’ve ever seen footage of...Most metal bands are boring live to watch by comparison They definitely deserve to be discussed, revisited etc... Great topic

Seek professional help, Andy. The near omission of ELP's name from your top 10 the other day was a near-disaster on the scale of the sinking of the Titanic that was barely averted. I am sure that any true professional would advise that you that the making this video was a good idea and a necessary catharsis to aid in your recovery. Also, do some hail Mary's and a couple of mea culpas and your ELP phobia should be cured.