Customer Reviews

The Best Of Emerson Lake & Palmer

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

At Allmusic.com I read an essay in which the author explained how embarassed he was to buy Emerson Lake & Palmer's greatest hits at his local Best Buy. I went to Best Buy to look for the same CD. It was no where to be found there! They had about fifty of 50 Cent's Get Rich Or Die Trying soundtracks but no ELP CD's. So I went to Barnes and Nobles' book store and I found one copy. Immediately people gave me the, "you must be from Mars", treatment. "A 19 year old buying Prog-rock or any 'old' music cannot be normal" I even got a nasty comment from the cashier when I paid for the disc. But when I got to my car I just popped the CD into the player, turned Karn-Evil 9 up to full blast, and I forgot about the whole ordeal.

Moral:
Don't be embarassed to like the old musicians that have inspired and influenced the world even though they stopped making music long ago. Feel more embarassed when you buy 50 Cent, Jessica Simpson or Good Charlotte because not only are these 'artists' horrible but they will not influence anybody and will be completely forgotten within ten years from now.

Rolling Stone Magazine and other popular critics are embarassed to admit they once liked Prog-Rock so to make themselves seem cool and 'hip' they give 50 Cent rave reviews and shun older, far more serious artists. All 50 Cent does is talk and program a computer to make video game like music. Keith Emerson is a genius who was the Jimi Hendrix of the keyboard. Carl Palmer was a fantastic drummer and Greg Lake was a major influence with his sophisticated song-writing and guitar playing. They were a horribly underrated group who did not recieve the credit they deserved. I guess because they didn't stand on their album covers half naked like 50 Cent does.

So if you just want to listen to noise that makes you seem cool (because thats what all the over kids listen to) then buy your overrated 50 Cent and modern day CDs! If you want to listen to real art then buy artists like ELP, Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Aretha Franklin, Pink Floyd,...the list goes on and on.

A few years ago, I had never heard of ELP. But after listening to this compilation, I have grown to become one of ELP's greatest fans. It sounds cheesy, but it's true. This Best of... album combines everything that ELP was all about: Greg Lake's ballads, Keith Emerson's progressive themes, classical re-workings and Carl Palmer's God-like playing ability. The first time listening to this, I was swept away by the sound that these three musicians were able to create during the musical-industry-equivalent of the Dark Ages. The profound and unheard of use of the synthesizer at this early stage of progressive music sparked such creativity that cannot be expressed within the 1000 word-count limit. After being an avid ELP fan for the past few years, I still feel that this is the album that led me to the path of progressive rock, which I still feel has always been under appreciated. This album is a must-buy for anyone who is interested in listening to good and innovative music.

An excellent sampling of tracks from this quintessential progressive rock act of the 70's. This CD is geared to those curious enough to sample music from this incredible trio, and/or for those who are wanting a representation of the band's most accessible selections for their music collection. Emerson, Lake & Palmer at their best were always a musical symbiosis of the classical adaptation offerings and majestically-influenced keyboard wizardry of Keith Emerson, along with the more straight-forward, highly accessible romantic balladry of guitarist/vocalist Greg Lake, balanced by the technical prowess of percussionist Carl Palmer. Emerson's stylings take a bit of a back seat to Lake's on this collection. Nonetheless, "Trilogy," "Fanfare for the Common Man," "Hoedown," and the 20-minute epic suite, "Tarkus," represent some of the keyboardists' finest works. Lake ballads such as "Lucky Man," "Still...You Turn Me On," "From the Beginning," and "C'est La Vie," kept ELP on album-oriented FM radio throughout most of the decade. One listen to "Jerusalem," "Karn Evil 9," and 1992's "Black Moon," should be enough to convince anyone of the sheer power, majesty and brilliance that is Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

Emerson Lake & Palmer's material defies reduction to a single disc, but if a single disc you must have, this is the one to get. The old Atlantic best of released in 1979 only included about 45 minutes worth of material because it had to fit on an LP, and "The Very Best of Emerson, Lake & Palmer" is anything but, wasting time with "Pirates" and "Peter Gunn" and a live version of "C'est la Vie" (why a live version?).

If you're going to give running time over to a long epic, then it really should be "Tarkus," their defining piece from their second album, and this collection does so. Karn Evil 9 isn't really necessary beyond 1st impression part 2 ("Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends...") and indeed wears thin when played in its entirety.

You might say that "The Barbarian" from the debut deserves inclusion, and it probably does. You could object that there's nothing from "Pictures at an Exhibition," but with limited space, it's better to defer to a wholly original work like "Tarkus." You might point out there are two or three tracks off "Black Moon" that are stronger than the title track, and you'd be right. You could express disappointment that yet again nothing from the Emerson Lake & Powell album has been included. You might say that "Canario" from "Love Beach" isn't so bad. Personally, I find their honky tonk crap irritating and wouldn't have included "Honky Tonk Train Blues."

But despite all that, this compilation achieves in a single disc both goals a good compilation must achieve. It must include the best known songs, and it must be representative. Considering that Rhino managed to include tracks representing all their different sounds while still covering their greatest hits, this is as perfect a compilation as you could ask.

Those who want to scratch the surface a bit more might try the two-disc Atlantic compilation (now out of print), the import "Ultimate Collection," or the "Return of the Manticore" box set. But really, if you're going to buy the box set or more of the endless series of available compilations, you may as well spend your money on the first four studio albums. They're cheap and they're far stronger than anything else ELP ever released.

Thanks to Rhino Records we got a gem of release here, The Best Of Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

This CD collects 14 amazing works by this super group. This is the ideal CD to buy if you are not into spending the $$$ on the
entire rereleased CD catalog or the boxset. I mean all the gems are here! Who could ask for more? "From The beginning,"
"Lucky Man," the 20:39 version of "Tarkus" and more! The original single versions of "I Believe In Father Christmas," "Black
Moon" & "Fanfare For The Common Man" are the rarities featured. Again I say, who could ask for more on a Best Of ELP
CD? The sonics are impeccable! This CD clocks in at 76:48, and every cent is worth it!

The only thing I knew when I bought this album was that there was a really good keyboardist in the band. Boy was I right! Now, I'm a fan and this album impresses me every time I listen to it. Keith Emerson is the keyboardist, and man is he great! His playing is really what this band is about, but that's fine with me. Once you get into this, though, you'll discover the excellent drum work of Carl Palmer and the extremely talented Greg Lake, who plays bass, guitar AND sings! In fact, this is one of the best bands I've heard. "Still...You Turn Me On" is a very funky song and my first favorite here. "Fanfare For the Common Man" is next, a great rendition of Aaron Copeland's piece with great bass and percussion. "Tarkus" is over twenty minutes long, a showcase mostly for Keith, and is great all the way through. Every section is different and impressive in its' own way. "Karn Evil 9 (1st impression part 2)" is another strange song that takes us through the sideshow atractions at a circus. Unusual lyrics abound and there is some pretty furious drumming in this one, too. "Hoedown" is another Copeland cover and sounds great. Very upbeat and fast. Reminds me of an old Becel margarine ad, where they played the original in the background (I think it was Becel anyway) "Trilogy" is weird. It starts off as a touching softer number and then turns into this mutant, keyboard-fest halfway through. Both parts are very good, but sound strange when they are morphed together. "Honky Tonk Train Blues" is a guaranteed toe-tapper. One of the catchiest songs on the album. In fact, it's one of the catchiest songs I have, period! "Lucky Man" is the big hit here. A nice, heartfelt number indeed. I love this album. It is certainly unusual, but it is very impressive and I give it my highest recommendation.

This is my introduction to ELP upon a reccomendation from a friend. I was quite pleased to say the least with the harmonic rythms of the tracks and the energy of the band! Being of a younger generation, I wish that I could have seen ELP perform live as I'm sure they would have put on a fantastic show. Tarkus, From the Beginning, and Luck Man are my favorites and closely follow my tastes with bands such as Jefferson Airplane, Moody Blues, and The Byrds. I would reccomend this as a gateway into into ELP and hope you enjoy this remarkable band enough to explore their works further. Also in these times of consumer confidence, I can say that this rates 4 stars out of 5 for musical value given the price.

I've been reading the reviews for this ELP disc (and others) and I must say that I am thrilled that other Amazon customers, including young people, are proudly proclaiming their love and respect for this much-maligned band. I'm 35 and have found much to love about ELP since around the age of 12 or 13. I'm not strictly a prog guy, either...I appreciate everything from Beck to the Pixies to Scott Walker, Lee Hazlewood, Bob Wills, Black Sabbath, Pere Ubu, and lots in between. 50 Cent? You won't find the number "50" or the word "Cent" in my house.

Good music is simply good music. Tracks like "Karn Evil 9" and "Knife Edge" still sound, for lack of a better word, wicked. Plus, any "greatest hits" package that finds room for a 20-minute blowout like "Tarkus" is simply knickers with me.

I bought this CD for Carl Palmer to autograph when I saw him with Asia again in April (he signed the 1982 Asia CD instead). Since I have grown to love prog over the past several years, I thought maybe I'll play this. You get "Fanfare for the Common Man", "Jerusalem", and "Lucky Man". Lacking are "From the Beginning", "Knife Edge", and "Pictures at an Exhibition" due to lack of space, though they appear on later, superior compilations anyway. I'm just starting to like ELP, and if you are as well, this is the way to go. This time, I will slowly add the studio and live albums, instead of just getting them all at once.
This particular release is long out-of-print, as they've changed labels a few times, recently to Shout! Factory in North America. My copy is an early West German import for US release.

ESSENTIAL ALBUM!!! If you aren't an ELP fan then this is the disc for you. It has all the hits: "Lucky Man", "From the Beginning", "Still...You Turn Me On" & "C'est La Vie". This has two more singles which barely scraped the charts (but still good songs): "I Believe in Father Christmas" & "Black Moon". This disc also contains some of their very best album tracks" "Tarkus", "Knife Edge" & "Trilogy". The only real improvement I would make would be to eliminate "Honky Tonk Train Blues" (which is really a very indicative choice of what they did) & replace it with the live version of "Peter Gunn". That would make this the perfect ELP compilation album. But, don't be confused; this is one band you should really get by the studio album.