Why Nobody Knows Who Emerson Lake & Palmer (ELP) is anymore. 

What bothers me most is that when conversations turn to the greatest drummers of all time, Carl Palmer rarely gets a mention. I believe he's at least close to the best percussionist ever.

They were epic, one of the most original sounds in history.

Great to hear a younger person touting the musical genius of ELP. This is a good video, Lucas, thanks for posting it. I first saw ELP on the Trilogy Tour in 1972, then Brain Salad Surgery tour, and many times after that. In 1977, I spent the day interviewing Carl on the Works Tour (after they dropped the orchestra) and then got to interview Carl again in 2016. These three men were incredible and you’re right- ELP deserves to be remembered and respected.

I am old enough, and a LUCKY MAN enough, to have seen ELP multiple times when I was a young duffer. And I can tell you that I STILL absolutely LOVE this band. It was so sad, to see Keith Emerson and Greg Lake disappear from this earth. These guys truly were GIANTS in Rock music. Fortunately we do indeed still have Carl Palmer. And, to HELL with what the critics thought of them. Their fans loved them, and many still do. I am truly pleased to see young people, like yourself, who still appreciate them. God bless ya laddie!!!

Saw them live in 74 or 75 touring the Brain Salad Surgery album. It took 3 days for my ears to stop ringing. What a show. What a show.

I'm 65 yrs old and love ELP, I recently turned my son on to them. They are now one of his favorites. I always thought they were under appreciated. Truly unique talents producing great music. I put them with Yes, Moody Blues, Rick Wakeman, Procol Harum as completely unique music for the day. They took people by surprise.

I've always loved ELP. My Mum loved "Fanfare For The Common Man", I was fortunate to have parents with good taste bringing music like this into our house. Greg Lake wrote some beautiful songs too, that one "I believe in Father Christmas", such wonderful lyrics and what an unforgettable arrangement with the hook and chorus. "In the Beginning" another classic, I love playing that one on my guitar. Yeah, thank you for reminding us all how great ELP were. May Keith Emerson and Greg Lake rest in peace.

I'm 66 years old and was in my late teens when I first heard ELP. At that time I thought they were the greatest band ever. I still believe that they are. Their music was one of a kind. Awesome, just awesome.

We should also note that after ELP, Palmer teamed up with fellow '70's Prog Rocker Steve Howe from Yes to form, ' Asia ', in 1982.

Hi Lucas, I will echo others in saying how refreshing it is to hear a child of the 90s speak out for ELP. As a Brit some 40 years your senior, I was fortunate to have seen The Nice in concert, and to have seen ELP's first 2 tours - they ran out of material at the end of the first tour, and resorted to playing King Crimson and Nice songs, plus an incredible version of 'Nutrocker'. Sad to see both Keith and Greg have now gone, but apparently Carl is planning to your a virtual ELP concert this year.

Yes ELP blew us away back then . As a grown adult in the 21 Century found out that Greg Lake wrote Lucky Man as a Kid . What can I say ? Some of us were just snubbed in life .

I saw them at the Omni in Atlanta back when the Brain Salad Surgery album came out, I've always thought that ELP was one of the greatest bands ever. When I saw Greg Lake playing and singing "Still You Turn Me On", I was awe struck. I believe this song and "From the Beginning" are nothing short of amazing. It's said that Greg wrote "Lucky Man" when he was 12 years old. I fell for Greg Lake when he made the "In the Court of the Crimson King" album. I'm pretty sure there are more fans than you would ever imagine, thank you for reminding people that they are missed and still loved by millions. Oh, and don't forget Greg's Christmas song "I believe in Father Christmas" will make sure that Greg Lake lives forever, because it gets air play every Christmas. I will remember Greg Lake until my last breath, amazing person. RIP Greg.

ELP was and is still my favorite group, there really was nothing else like them. Incredibly he's right, no one plays their music anymore, and they were the best.

I owned ELP’s 8 track tape of Brain Salad Surgery as a 70’s teenager. I think what attracted me to their music was their futuristic style which emphasized keyboard synthesizer and haunting vocals. You could tell that these guys were highly trained and talented musicians and used music as their art form. They were brilliant.

Born in '55. Graduated HS in '73. I LOVE ELP!!! They even wrote one of my favorite Christmas songs, 'Father Christmas'. Fantastic, thoughtful music!

Good to hear you discovered ELP and their ENIGMATIC MUSIC. ELP is for Complex and Deep thinkers so welcome to the club. Seen them live 5 times since 73 and I met Dr.Robert Moog who gave Keith the minimoog on lucky man, Lucky Man was the first song to feature a synth and it blew the world away. Im 64 and been a fan my whole life. ELP wasnt in the Rock Hall of Fame because they are Classical based,,,,crazy though. A big shout out to all the other ELP fans out there, we are an elite club.

Boy was I a “Lucky Man” when my friend brought the first ELP album over Xmas break 1971. The next morning I bought both ELP and Tarkus. These albums were the promise of Rock and Roll -- what it should have become. Both should be regarded as landmarks. Keep up the good work.

This was a very well-researched and presented musical history lesson! I grew up listening to ELP. so I really appreciate the work you put into preparing and performing this video. Keep them coming!

I enjoyed ELP's music starting with the first album and in 1974 foundmyself working as a mike and cable wrangler for a sound company hired to provide for concerts in Virginia, New York and Ohio. Musical genius aside, their chemistry on stage and their collegiality with the monitor and front of house mixers was refreshing and professional despite reports of huge egos. I worked a season of concerts in Ohio in the mid-nineties and worked on rigging two shows with ELP and Jethro Tull...again, ELP were the most humble and gracious performers to work with...Intense in performance, but wholly down to earth before, afterward, and backstage.

They had lots of incredible tracks. Take a Pebble, Still you turn ne on, C' est LA Vie, Fanfare for a Common Man, Trilogy and the ones you mentioned. So many more too.

I don't think people truly understand how insanely talented every member was as musicians. Being able to recreate, note for not, the entirety of Pictures at an Exhibition with non orchestra instruments is absolutely ridiculous. Keith Emerson is widely regarded as one of the best keyboardists of all time, as well as Carl Palmer for drummers and percussionists. I can only think that they weren't as famous as the beatles or zeppelin or the doors because the world wasn't ready to hear the complex arrangements. Like, the beatles, the who, and the doors were basically pop rock, while zeppelin was more hard rock/blues, but none were remotely complex. My dad got me into ELP and Palmer has GREATLY influenced my drumming, and i'm still flabbergasted at how he was able to play Trilogy at that speed. 32nd single strokes on the hi-hat for about two minutes, and then the mayhem for the remainder of the song. Just fantastic and will never be replicated again.

You've loved ELP for a very long time. Pretty cool how big of an impact it had on your musical journey

ELP - still today one of my favorite bands! I grew up with their music.

I was born in 62, and it was my all time favorite band growing up. Brain Salad Surgery and Tarkus are phoenoms. I am glad the younger generations are appreciating them.

I was born in 55 and caught ELP right on the chin, so to speak, right when my West Cooast experience and taste were perfectly prepared for the incredible musicianship, composition, and performance they showed in every note, chord, and fill. I was a Lucky Man indeed.

As a 59 year old piano player that loved ELP when they came out, I have to hand it to you. You nailed it. They were amazing and as we all said, they sold out! We didn’t like the watered down sell out. We loved the first stuff. You’re insightful, especially for not being there.

Our family loved music and my Dad loved classical music but embraced The Beatles when they came along taking me to buy their singles. But when I discovered ELP had formed and played Pictures album my Dad embraced them saying" These guys can play some great classical" The greatest concert that I ever saw was their stint at Empire Pool Wembley in 1974. I was fortunate enough to see their last ever concert at the High Voltage Festival in 2010. I can offer no better praise for them that they changed the music landscape as much as the Beatles did. The two greatest bands ever. As for the Critics what do they know! Keep up the good work Lucas.

I, too, enjoy a young person discover, recognize and appreciate the Genius of Emerson, Lake and Palmer. I’m seeing more young people doing this on RU-vid- it’s great to watch them truly enjoy their exploration into the 60’s , 70’s 80’s. I was born in the 50’s

As a teenager of the late 70s and early 80s, this prog rock band was one of my main stays to be able to do standby position to my most classical musical leaning parents parents. So to be honest for me, Emerson Lake and Palmer was somewhat of a gateway drug to some of the more avant-garde.

Big ELP fan here, having seen them six times. Agree with your appraisal that they faded when they went toward more popish sounds. One of the other reasons they were big back in the 70’s was the quality of their live performances. It’s one thing to hear great musicianship on a record but another to see them pull that off live. In addition, they went for some showmanship, best exemplified by Emerson’s antics with his keyboards (dragging them across the stage, jumping on them, playing from behind, stabbing the keys with daggers, etc.). There’s not a lot of videos of their performances on RU-vid, but there are some and worth checking out if you are curious.

I saw them in concert in ‘77 and they were better live than on their studio LP’s! Lucas, you’re reassuring to me that great music will continue to be appreciated by future generations after the musicians are gone… ELP was as great as you’ve ever heard, and then some! RIP Keith and Greg, Godspeed Carl!

Thank you for bringing them back into the music conversations. I perform 2 ELP tunes on acoustic, and people recognize them, but mostly older. It's great to see a young musician appreciate them. They were a phenomenal band. Their " time signatures " playing live were ridiculous. Prog rock brilliant musicians.

It was "sofisticated" music for people who were musicians and understood music and what ELP was trying to do, creating something complex. Cest La Vie! Such is life, and a good example of one of their songs. The Tripple Live album was their best. I have two copies, one open, one still sealed.

I saw them live many times, as they were my husband's favorite band. They were great!

First time I saw ELP was when they reunited as Emerson, Lake & Powell in New Orleans (incredible band). Afterwards they reunited with Carl Palmer and I saw them sandwiched between Deep Purple & Dream Theatre (great show around 1999 in L.A.) and co-headline with Jethro Tull (so-so show in San Francisco). Their one big hit “Lucky Man” wasn’t really indicative to what they were all about. It was also hard for the general populace to rock out to classical unless they saw them live. They were a LIVE phenomenon but when you don’t have songs in regular rotation people tend to forget. Thanks for this video. It’s inspiring to see youngsters “find it and get it”.

Thank you Lucas! I’ve loved ELP since the 70s, not only for their off-the-charts musicianship and amazing songs, but also that they had so much passion that came across on record and in concert. You’re right, critics always hated them, and when they tried to go Pop with the Love Beach album, it was a total disaster, and then even the fans (including me) turned on them. But I will always love the earlier albums, and there are lots of great performances on RU-vid to discover. I’m now re-acquiring those albums on vinyl and enjoying re-creating the “sit in a room and just listen to the music” experience again, a long lost art after decades of earbuds and listening on the go. Cheers!

Brain Salad Surgery is my favorite album of all-time. What a refreshing video to stumble across, a 30ish young man with the appreciation this band deserves. ELP spans the template of my life. Thank you.

I WAS there when ELP started releasing albums and I ADORED them. For the most part. Some of the jazz/classical stuff went over my head (I was young). But holy heck, Greg's voice was astounding, Keith's keyboard was magic, and Carl's drumming was unmatched, and I forget how much Peter Sinfield wrote but c'mon, the lyrics were psychedelic sometimes beyond comprehension, "We've got thrills and shocks, supersonic fighting c*cks?" What else sounded like THAT? And yes, Briain Salad Surgery was their magnum opus, but there was SO much more ...

I´m a prof. musician, firstly a classical pianist and secondly a keyboardist. As such I always valued ELP and especially Keith Emerson a lot. His abilities in improvising - especially with The Nice - is still unmatched. Furthermore he was THE pioneer in bringing the synthesizer into a band. He wasn´t really a great classical pianist, but he composed prog stuff like Tarkus that was and still is the pinnacle of prog. So why are they forgotten? I guess the first reason is that young folks listen to classical music less and less. That was different in the 70s and that´s an important factor as classical music is an important part of ELP: Another reason: Folks don´t like ambitious music anymore where they have to listen to. They want music where they can dance to. And they can´t imagine a band without an electric guitar. Rhythm became the main element of rock , not harmonies and melodies and improvisations are totally out of fashion. Same goes for instrumental pieces and ELP had a lot of them. So, all in all it´s a queston of musical education and being open to music and willing to really listen to it.

Thank you for your truthful and informative comments of one favorite Rock bands of all times. Saw them perform at the Mar y Sol Rock Fest in Puerto Rico back in 1972.

I was lucky enough to see them twice. Jaw dropping shows in large arenas back in the 70's. I agree with your assessment and Tarkus is what I listen to the most. Lake was a underrated bass player and I don't know why. Maybe his voice overshadowed his guitar chops since it was so good. Well done.

Greg Lake had an amazing voice. Warm, expressive, operatic, a rare baritone among all the tenor screamers in Rock bands. He unfortunately had a penchant for kitsch, so many of his ballads are a little saccharine. After ELP, he recorded a self titled kick ass rock album with the help of Gary Moore that had some absolute bangers on it.

I saw ELP at Isle of Wight 1970. Blown away. That apparently was their second gig. Been a fan for the past 50 years. Thank you!

I was there from the very start.....I was 15 in 1970 and ELP...King Crimson...and Genesis were everything to me...I saw all of these bands by the end of 1970, along with Led Zepplin at that time. I was a drummer and Carl Palmer along with Steve Gadd, Lenny White and Phil Collins were God's to me......and, yes ELP never got the attention the others got. I do miss them....!!!! Mostly, though Greg Lake is missed the most....He may have had the best rock voice out of all the bands...It's sad to think he's gone....

The video is mostly very well researched but Carl's tenure with the Crazy World was at best fleeting and it was with Atomic Rooster that his burgeoning talent was picked up on the Prog radar. For me the flaws that led to the demise of ELP were manifest from the outset i.e. the debut album has three tracks which are clearly not group material (the Three Fates, Tank and Lucky Man) Fast forward 7 years to Works Volume 1 where you have three solo sides of a double vinyl album dedicated to each member to appease three voracious egos. I adore ELP and they are my favourite Prog Rock band by some distance but they represent all that is wonderful and truly regrettable about a whole genre. With regards your description of their staying power to remaining popular being unsuccessful, EVERY 1st Gen Prog band in the late 70's was trying to write shorter and more accessible radio friendly songs. (see Genesis who were brilliant at this) Love it or loathe it, Punk and New Wave had changed the entire musical landscape by '77 and the Prog audience had simply dispersed and were listening to other types of music. For ELP's lineage to make any sense, you need to check out Emerson's prior band the Nice first and then explore ELP's discography.

The fact that Emerson, Lake & Palmer were as popular as they were (in their heyday in the 70's) is truly remarkable. (and just to be clear, I am a ‘foam at the mouth’ lifelong ELP fan) Think of it this way; how many people drink beer, versus how many people drink fine Cognac ? Bands such as Led Zeppelin made music that is comparable to beer (and I am not tossing shade here, I love Zep !) The music of ELP however, is on an entirely different plane of existence, it is the Cognac of rock music. Most rock music is guitar based, and rhythm and blues based. The music of ELP was keyboard centric, and based on European classical music. You just can’t get much more distance between two extremes, as regular rock music vs the music of ELP. I personally believe that ELP were a once in a lifetime (history?) phenomenon. Their combination of virtuoso level talent and technical ability, their stunningly unique music and their interpretations of classical music, combined with their (way) over the top live performances, made ELP a force of nature. They were also noteworthy for the many pioneering breakthroughs they contributed to popular music as well. ELP fans are a rare breed, we are the Cognac lovers. We might be sorely outnumbered by the beer drinkers, but we will NEVER give up what we truly believe is the best damn band to ever walk the Earth. For those of us who had the ridiculous good fortune to see ELP live, we shall always count our blessings. And of course, we have all of the video and audio recordings of our heroes as well. LONG LIVE ELP !!!

ELP came along during my last year of high school. I bought that album and every album after that. They are still my favorite band of all time.

...when I think of ELP, and how they kinda got forgotten a bit, I always feel, that they are so genius... they are still ahead of the time, and they will be dug out again in the future and praised... I predict that the Hall of Fame will eventually catch up with them... I was introduced to them in 1973 (being 17 then), purchasing their live-triple album 'Welcome back my friends...' and it still is an absolute pearl in my collection of music... (to me it covers most of their remarkable stuff, except for 'Pictures at an Exhibition') but it needs your full and utter attention, when listening, to really appreciate the brilliance and depth of their works... good on you, Lucas, finding them and promoting them - I'm so happy to see the younger generation discovering them...

I have been a fan of ELP since a friend introduced me to them in 1973. I have owned recording of their albums on vinyl, cassette, c ds and 8-tracks. I have three of their albums on vinyl still. The absolute best band in history. I know that cause I've lived a lot of history. You are correct my young friend- ELP rules. You don't find a lot of true musicians like these 3 guys were.

One of my favorite bands of all time. Their music was widely divergent from most of what else was happening musically, so I never understood why they got all the hate they did. It's almost like the critics wanted less variety in music. You can't judge bands with widely divergent styles with the same yardstick.

I have seen ELP in concert 4 times. The first concert I ever went too was when the toured in support of Brain Salad Surgery. Saw them at the Philadelphia Spectrum. What a performance they put on!

Good Show!!!! I certainly hope you join the ELP appreciation Site, I'm the american reviewer, Please come on board, you belong in our family. Lucas you are our people. I'm blessed to grow up in the era of being able, through many many blissful actions and was able to see them 22 times. It was 22 times in my life that I was blown away and knew it was the best band ever no matter what anybody thought. So come join answer the damned questions and Welcome Back My friend To the Show That Never Ends!!!!!

To me, Lucas the best album that ELP put out is “Pictures at an Exibition” from Ravel/ Mussorgsky. I found out about this wonderful piece of music because of them back in the ‘70s. Just for you to know I’m seventy something and I still have all those vinyl records…

ELP is in the wheel house of my youthful era of music. LOVED them then and love them still. I have recommended ELP songs to a number of the folks here on you tube who make "reaction videos" to music. You are exactly right about the how and why ELP is all but completely unknown. I feel the same way about The Alan Parsons Project. Of course Pink Floyd is wildly popular today but another band that seems to relatively unknown today is Steely Dan. Only older people like myself know much about these bands.

The first professional band I saw, aged 15, was The Nice in 1968, which was quite an introduction to a live performance of non-pop music. That was at the Redcar Jazz Club in the north east of England. In the early 1970’s I saw ELP in Newcastle, about 1973, also in England. Keith Emerson was quite a showman, but also a superb keyboard player.

As soon as I saw 'ELP' I thought of Lucky Man! In the 1970s, me and my friends from a factory town in the UK Midlands used to go to the Welsh coast every weekend, and we listened to ELP at full blast on the 8-Track during the drive there. We were generally in a somewhat enhanced state of mind. Lucky Man was always my favourite. Still gets me misty-eyed.

Hey Lucas, lovely to see how passionate you are about ELP & the resurgence in interest among your generation. I was a teenager in the 70's so I can remember what it felt like. As we know these guys were virtuosos & highly adventurous prog pioneers. Keith singlehandedly pioneered the modular Moog synth live & played the Hammond like no one else before or since. Like Yes & Genesis, their output in the first 4 years of the 70's was immense, but their intensity literally burnt them out. By the end of the Brain Salad Surgery tour (my favorite ELP album as well) they were spent. 3 years later when they re-charged IMO they did a fabulous job with Works vol 1 & the tour but their best days as a dynamic trio had passed. The commercial pressures of the 80's/90's affected most surviving prog bands. With the changing musical landscape & with the exception of Love Beach which is largely unrepresentative of their talents that they were forced to do I think they did a fine job with Emerson, Lake & Powell & Black Moon & the accompanying tours but that was about it. Personally I am so grateful for their musical career, I don't think it could have been any different. Best of luck with yours.

Outstanding description of the life and times of ELP. I’m old enough to have seen them in concert twice and I still have the original LP’s. A very well put together band with a spellbinding performance.

I saw both the Brain Salad Surgery and the Works tours!! I still listen to the 3 record live Welcome Back!! Great studio music but thier live music is perfection.

My dear friend I grew up with this music along with the likes of Yes. Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Jimi Hendrix ect..ect. Emerson Lake and Palmer in the early seventies is the sort of music I remember going back to my early childhood. My elder brothers and sisters had those L.Ps , ELP self titled,Tarkus, Pictures at an Exhibition (my favourite), Trilogy and Brain Salad Surgery. All of them in my view absolute masterpieces and like you I think they deserve higher praise and recognition.

I feel very fortunate that I got to see them live at Madison Square Garden in the 70s. I agree they are a underrated band.

Emerson lake and palmer are the greatest band ever keith emerson is the best rock musician ever hammond b3 grand piano moog synthesizer rock jazz classical blues saloon ethnic blues folk ribbon controller hammond l100 spinning piano playing bach unorthodox composer Greg lake great singer lyricist bass acoustic guitar electric guitar song writer producer carl palmer greatest drummer of all time

Born in 2002 I wish more people recognized the greatness of ELP. Great video!!!

So nice to hear someone young appreciate what these 3 guys did. Seeing ELP live was where it was at. They were the first to have Quadraphonic sound in an indoor arena. If you were sober going into the arena, you were high coming out.. "Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends We're so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside There behind a glass stands a real blade of grass Be careful as you pass. Move along, move along Come inside, the show's about to start! Guaranteed to blow your head apart Rest assured you'll get your money's worth Greatest show in Heaven, Hell or Earth! You've got to see the show. It's a dynamo! You've got to see the show. It's rock and roll! Oh ~Karn Evil 9.

Appreciate your video! Don't dismiss them completely as they did sell 48 million records. But the main issues were self-inflicted. Keith and Greg locked horns many times as they disagreed on the direction of the music as Keith wanted to keep expanding the "out there" music while Greg tried to reign him in to come up with more commercial friendly songs. Keith got upset that Greg was doing all the production work but supposedly Keith wasn't stepping up to help. Then there was the "orchestra tour" that pretty much bankrupted them. All that aside, all their music is in constant rotation on my electronic devices but being "experienced" 🙄 I have the LP's, the cassettes, did have the 8-tracks, the CDs and DVDs! I saw them in Fort Worth in '77 and in Dallas on the "Black Moon" tour so I will always have that memory. I recommend Greg Lake's "Lucky Man" book that was published after his passing. Well worth the read.

Seeing them live was one of the most memorable performances I ever witnessed. Just as good live as on the albums. One of the very few bands that you can listen to their albums in full. Each one was formidable in their own right but together they were magical. Hopefully this video will motivate younger people to search out their music.

Nice to hear you're listening to great music.Absolutly loved the killer jams these guys got into live.Keith Emerson used to tweak things in the back of his Hammond and just make it scream..I remember reading an article in the Toronto Star back in the 70's talking about how they couldn't identify some of the electronic gadgets Keith Emerson was playing the night before.I always looked forward to the next album they were going to put out ,when I was in highschool back in the 70's.Thanks so much for remembering one of rocks most legendary bands!! band!

They were a fantastic band and wrote some excellent, very complex, music that my (slightly autistic) mind seems to be very comfortable with. Its what happens when very talented and creative people are free to chose what they do. Thanks for helping to keep their memory alive.

I remember at school ELP,Yes,Genesis,etc constantly talked about.Then punk came and after about six weeks no one spoke of them.Must have been a huge blow to them.

Nice video. ELP doesn't get their due much anymore, which is unfortunate.

I was lucky enough to see ELP several times in the 70's and 80's. I want to say 1070 at Madison Square Garden, which was mostly Keith Emerson and his piano doing most of the first album...no complaints there. It made a huge impression on me and I studied classical piano. Last time I saw Keith Emerson was in a club in the San Francisco bay area in the mid 80's. Any time to see Keith was appreciated but the shows by that time were lower budget affairs. 1974 in New Jersey somewhere, was the welcome back my friends tour and I was impressed that someone could play keyboards for 3 hours, that fast and not pass out. Saw the 40th anniversary concert on TV and one could see Keith's hands visibly shaking. So very sad to know that he is no longer around. I don't think that he could conceive of how many people, like me, were hurt by his demise. He must have been in such pain, from many sources. Tears flow as I write this. There was only one Keith Emerson.

I was fortunate enough to be aboard the first Moody Blues Cruise in 2013. Greg Lake was one of the guest artists, and he put on an incredible show. I would have loved to see him perform again, but unfortunately it was not to be. Carl Palmer played on the 2014 cruise, and gave a drum clinic which was eagerly attended by Gordy Marshall, one of the Moody Blues' drummers.

Yeah, have noticed that even on the "best prog ever" lists, ELP has started dropping positions the last couple years, when previously they almost always had an album or two in the top 10. Don't know if it's because Emerson and Lake passed or what, but I also expect the number of hardcore, older ELP fans are dropping in numbers too. And so it goes.

There are a variety of ways in which I’d try to describe them to a new listener, but for a fair portion of their songs, I’ve always thought “person in medieval times returns from LSD trip with beautiful new sounds.” And then you have their deeply moving folksy acoustic ballads. And their theatrical scores that seem out of an emotionally-moving film of years gone... all of which, in my opinion, still can fall under a medieval LSD trip. Man, what an incredible group.

My mom got into rock music in the 1970s. She took me to see ELP in 1978 in Philadelphia. I was 12 years old. I played piano as a kid through adulthood. I've played their tunes using sheet music. I spent so much time gazing at the cover of Brain Salad Surgery... I also loved Pictures at an Exhibition.

Thanks Lucas - you get it. Saw them live in the 70's and been my favorite band as well since then. Was fortunate to see Keith and Greg play together again in 2012, what a time warp. Also got to the LA Keith Emerson tribute concert in 2016 - an amazing collection of players covering ELP. Get the CD / DVD. Also check out Rachel Flowers, who knew Keith and plays like she is possessed by him.

My first exposure to prog in 1972 in 8th grade...Their first album was such a monumental album to hit the airwaves and Phonographs...We were just starting to understand Stereo sound...I became and remain a drummer because of Carl and Tank...

In the early 90s I was in a chat room in IRC and some dude had a handle of “Emerson”. So naturally I asked him where was Lake and Palmer, and he answered “huh?” It totally went over his head even after I explained the reference. I didn’t understand how he could not know the band.

You're right, and it is sad that the band won't be remembered because they were so awesome! Back in the day I bought their first album solely because I liked "Lucky Man". I hated the album at first because the music was complex and seemed too weird, but it grew on me big time. I became a huge fan and bought all their albums after that.

I really didn’t know them well until I got to see them live on a multi-band bill when they reunited in the 90s. It remains one of the most important shows I’ve ever seen. Good for you spreading the word, kid 👍

The critics hated them when they were progressive. Prog was crushed by punk, and everyone went pop to survive. Their pop was never even pure pop. The fact is, they could and did do anything and everything. Even in the loathed Love Beach, they have a long, gorgeous piece called Memoirs of an Officer and a Gentleman that was totally unsuitable for radio play.

Just FYI I met Greg Lake in Los Angeles a long time ago & he was incredibly nice guy. Carl Palmer diff story but he eventually calmed down after telling me he 'didn't fkin play on this ASIA album"{ So I turned the LP over and showed him "DRUMS-CARL PALMER"{ he then said "Oh fuck" lol RIP Greg & Keith.

thank you Lucas--i grew up with ELP. i need to take a step back and listen again for the first time. brilliant musicians!

Both I and my wife will always remember ELP. Keith Emerson, keyboards/synth; Greg Lake, guitars & vocals; Carl Palmer, drums & percussion Fantastic musicians everyone should have the pleasure to hear. Tarkus rules.

This was really interesting. Would love to see more of these videos!

Well done. I’ll never understand how they haven’t made it to the RRHF.

Ah, to be a young person again and to be able to discover all of this music for the first time...

When I heard my first ELP song, I wondered, "How many people are in this group?" I thought maybe a half dozen? The answer stunned me.

Yes an awesome band like no other

By the way, in his book "Lucky Man" Greg Lake says that when Emerson said to him that they either get an orchestra to play with them or ELP was Over, he felt bad, since it meant to him to loose the power that came with the trío (kinda like Rush or Red era King Crimson) and honestly it shows, since Works, even though it has some high lights, its very weak and Works II is almost unlistenable for me.

Excellent explanation, Lucas. ELP were huge in the 70's but their music should be also listened to today.

Way back in 74 I was at ELP's 1st stop for a concert in Atlanta, GA at the Omni. They had the 1st and to the best of my knowledge the only quadraphonic PA system ever used (and used quite effetely). They also had this huge MOOG synthesizer along with a octave plus drum set and at the back was a huge screen with the art work from the Brain Salad Surgery album cover..... it was absolutely amazing and mind blowing concert. Sooooo much talent on that stage. I'll still have a Great Britain deep vinyl pressing of that album. It broke my heart when the 2 passed away..... every year I always play Greg's song "I believe in Father Christmas".

I kind of rediscovered EL&P about a year or two ago. Fantastic musicians and yes their later albums aren't as good as the earlier ones.

I never got into their studio albums, but for some reason I got their three disc live album released in 1974, I guess I wanted a sampling of all their stuff without buying all their albums, turns out although the recording quality is not superb but perfectly acceptable, I still really enjoy playing these albums, the music has passed the test of time, and I would recommend checking out this live album, if you can even get it, seems like nothing is selling anymore so nothing is available, at least on CD or LP.

I was born in 1985 and I've known about Emerson lake and Palmer since the mid-90s! Lucky man is pretty much my dad's favorite song by them, so I was asked to find the song and at the time he didn't really know what it was called he couldn't remember etc and I ended up finding it, because it's what I do!

ELP are one of the best band of the 70's we all should help their immense Music to be rediscovered.

I saw them at the Isle Of Wight Festival 1970, I believe it was their debut gig. I bought their first five album's. They definitely got a lot of young people to appreciate classical music more. Unfortunately they sound rather dated to me now, whereas interestingly, the Beatles never do, especially the post mop top stuff.

“The Barbarian” is probably the only time I’ve heard a rock cover of a classical piece (Bartok’s Allegro Barbaro) that sounded better than the original. My favorite ELP composition has to be Karn Evil 9, followed by Tarkus. And I really dug the 3rd movement of Emerson’s Piano Concerto, even if Mrs. Arbel would call it a Copland/Herrmann/Bernstein pastiche.

Thanks for the memories. I am a child of the 70s and your posting here prompted me to return to ELP and I was surprised how well my memory kicked in on so many pieces and I followed them just as when I was a youngster. I remember once when my dad was driving me somewhere and Lucky Man was playing, he thought the synthesizer break at the end was a siren so he slowed down and started to pull over.

I'm from South Africa and when I was a teenager (in the '70s), I had several of their LPs. Lucky Man was my favorite song! Thanks for the great video.