Customer Reviews

Emerson Lake & Powell

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

In the nearly 10 odd years that I have been an ardent ELP fan, I just cannot forgive myself for the times I passed on this truly magnificent 1986 album by Keith, Greg, and the late Cozy Powell. Now that I have become addicted to this CD, I truly have learned the trite, yet hallowed adage "don't judge a book by its cover" as it pertains to Mr. Powell's name on the front jacket.

From start to finish, this album's repertoire was refreshing ear candy to myself! "Learning to Fly", "Love Blind", and "Lay Down Your Guns" go to the greatest extreme in highlighting Emerson's prolific keyboard/synthesizer genius and Lake's dynamic vocal range, taking them to new ethereal dimensions. Powell does a commendable percussion job that helped fill Carl Palmer's absence due to his working on Asia's "Astra" of the same year. Being ELP's only album for the 1980's, its overall style sounds like a heterogenous blend of their vivacious 70's prog-rock melodies and their more commercialized 90's sound, so you can indulge to the best of both of these eras.

Do pick this CD up for yourself, and to all you ELP fans, don't erect the same brick wall that I did. It really is one of the best musical experiences you could take in!!!

This is a fantastic ELP album, chronically underrated by fans of the band. And while this 1986 release features a streamlined sound characteristic of the 80s, it also boasts a complex and satisfying progressive feel.

First, this is only two-thirds of the original Emerson Lake & Palmer, in that drummer Cozy Powell sits in for Carl Palmer (who was wasting time in Asia). But this effort reunited Keith Emerson and Greg Lake, the musical principals of ELP, and it brings back the sense of melody, group cohesion and sense of purpose that had been missing since 1973's "Brain Salad Surgery."

"The Score" opens the album powerfully, continuing lyrically and musically where Brain Salad Surgery's "Karn Evil 9" left off (Welcome Back My Friends, to the Show That Never Ends...). Next up is "Learning How to Fly," which is pleasant prog-pop, 80s style.

The terrific single "Touch and Go" is both proggy and catchy at the same time, featuring majestic keyboards and intricate bass. "Step Aside" is whimsical and jazzy, and recalls some of the best short pieces from ELP's early albums. "Mars - Bringer of War" is a satisfying reading of one of the coolest classical compositions of all time, from Gustav Holst's "The Planets."

Finally, this is the last album on which Greg Lake had a great voice. Somehow between this album and 1992's "Black Moon,' Lake's voice became deeper, huskier, and unpleasant.

There are only two reason why this album is sometimes bashed. First, it was released in the 80s. Some prog heads just don't believe that any good progressive music was released in the 80s, but the fact is this is probably the most proggy album of the decade from any of the 70s giants like ELP, Genesis or Yes.

Second, Carl Palmer isn't on the album. It's true that Carl's inventiveness and precision are missed, but Cozy Powell brings in power and swing that are nearly as satisfying.

So again, this album is highly recommended.

(I can't comment on the two bonus tracks. Obviously the cover of "Loco-motion" is unlikely to be a great addition to the band's ouevre, and I'm not familiar with the other track.)

The arguable masterpiece"Owner of a Lonely Heart" was a breakthrough success for Yes, as well as MTV. As the flegling network struggled for an identity (now hopelessly lost), the success of Yes' single forced them to take an interest in helping to reinvent progressive rock groups of the '70's. For example, although I wish that I would have been cognizant anough to see Genesis with Peter Gabriel as its frontman, early memories of Genesis' video to "ABACAB" were my introduction to the group.

ELPo were welcomed into this group of reinvented prog-rockers with open arms. I still have memories of Keith Emerson telling me that he wanted his "MTV".

Regardless of its potential accessibility, the slightly repetitive "Touch and Go" unfortunately ended up being no "Owner of a Lonely Heart". However, those of us that were paying attention (okay, us band geeks) were genuinely moved by its thematic power and intellectual aggression. We got turned on by the fact that people could play their instuments with some degree of virtuosity and still, well, rock.

And herein lies the strength of ELPo. Lake sings with great passsion, Powell tastefully pushes the whole thing forward with his "tree trunk" sticks, but most importantly, Emerson fully embraces the 80' s keyboard soundscape with electrifying effect. "The Score" is, quite possibly, one of the best prog-rock songs that the 80's had to offer (Kayliegh notwithsatnding), especially seguing into "Learning to Fly " and "The Miracle". As with any ELP (no matter what P you might be referencing), there are a few low-energy moments. "Lay Down Your Guns" and " Love Blind" might not be "Karn Evil 9", but the version of "Mars, the Bringer of War" found is the most sucessful transcription ELP in any incarnation ever did. In fact, this version led me to a greater understanding of ithe original.

The Lowdown: According to Quentin Tarantino, one must be an "Elvis Person" or a "Beatles Person". In prog-rock circles, I like to think that this equates to being either a "Wakeman Person" or an "Emerson Person". Generally speaking, I tend to be a Wakeman man. However, to be brutally honest, Emerson's work on ELPo shows Wakeman what he should have been doing during the 80's. I am so thankful for this recording for its role in introdoucing me to ELP's larger repitoire. At the very least, it makes "Love Beach" look like a Frankenstein Pez dispenser: outdated and very silly.

This album was one of my first introductions to the music of ELP in the late 1980's. Between this album and the Best of ELP I immediatly became a new fan of this classic ground breaking band.

Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and new drummer Cozy Powell charge ahead with this comeback album from 1986. The essence of this 70's band is still intact as they update their sound for the 80's. The opening track The Score is an exciting tune rallying their return.

The Miracle is a darker song and harkens back to some of their earliest songs. Touch And Go was a hit song for them and is a great rock tune. Another highlight of this album is the thunderous version of Gustov Holst's Mars, The Bringer of War.

Keith Emerson once again show his flair and his wonderful keyboard playing. Greg Lake's vocals sound as good as ever and his lyrics are among his best. Cozy Powell, taking over Carl Palmer's seat, really shows off his drumming skills. Powell, formally of Rainbow and Black Sabbath fits in well with Keith and Greg and shows a nice touch on the jazzy song Step Aside. Lay Down Your Guns is a rather touching anti-war song

Emerson, Lake & Powell is a great comeback album and shows another side to the legacy of the band that is ELP.

This is truly a musical masterpiece and one of my favorite albums from the 1980`s. It is strong music for the times. Emerson and Lake never lived down the criticism for slecting Cozy Powell as drummer to hold up the `p' initial. I approached this album with strong trepidation myself,but after hearing it, I can honestly say these three took the time to craft a strong album. It balances epic progressive rock pieces with shorter pop/rock tunes and there is nothing wrong with that.
Keith Emerson updates his keyboard technology rather nicely for the 80`s and his orchestrations add weighty dimension to tracks such as The Score( a scorching anthem heralding their return), and `The Miracle'( a track loaded with sci-fi epic fantasy imagery). His arranging of `Mars; Bringer of War is nothing short of astonishing. It`s epic, bombastic, over the top, but could you expect anything less from ELP? And if you want to hear Emerson`s jazz piano playing, check out `Step Aside'.
Greg Lake`s voice is still in fine form and and `The Miracle is his best performance on the album vocally. Once you hear this man sing,it`s hard to listen to another male vocalist. His tone is clear and reasonant.
Cozy Powell may not be Carl Palmer but he`s a heavy hitter. His heavy handed style added a weightiness to ELP that they never had before. It`s not surprising since he has played with Black Sabbath and Rainbow. This album is definitely harder hitting than all of the ELPalmer albums put together. Obviously, the committment to this band was quite serious and all three were concerned about putting out the best product. They weren`t just `cashing in'.
Nearly 20 years later, an overlooked gem

As we well know, Emerson and Lake decided to reunite sans Carl Palmer, who had contractual obligations with Asia, a vastly inferior band. Many ELP junkies do not really care for this album, but I digress strongly. I think it's as good as anything they put out. There's not one bad song on this entire album. The Touch and Go single is really good. It sounds like ELP, but still sounds modern enough and new. Cozy Powell acquits himself quite well with Emerson and Lake. Powell is not Palmer, but he doesn't pretend to be. He has a more heavy metal style to his drumming, but he was one of the best, most solid British drummers out there, doing time in Rainbow and Dio, among other projects. Considering this album was made in the 80's, when progressive rock was officially (at least in the eyes of critics) a "dinosaur", it's cool that ELP started with a 9 minute track (The Score), and ended with an adaptation of Holst's Mars, the Bringer of War. Despite having a record company that would have liked them to be blatantly commercial, their intelligence shone through anyway. This albums is very good, vastly superior to Emerson and Palmer's album 3, the follow up to this sans Greg Lake (replaced by Robert Berry). Excellent stuff....

Growing up on rock music from the late 60's on, the only exposure I had to ELP prior to becoming a musician was the softer ballads like 'Lucky Man' and 'Still, You Turn Me On'. When I took up the guitar my musical horizons expanded and ELP became one of my very favorite groups. So it was a very nice surprise in 1986 when they reformed with Cozy Powell to create this album. While not quite living up to their masterpieces of the early 70's, this album is still very strong and features the incredible virtuosity of Keith Emerson, even if the sound is more "digital", rather than the raw Moog-and-Hammond sound of albums past.

The best thing I can say about this album is about the final track Mars, The God of War. Listen to Holst's original, played by a symphony orchestra, then listen to this. Keith Emerson actually improves on the original, and this track to me showcases why Emerson may in fact be the greatest musician who ever lived.

Love this record .. Keith Emerson shows why he is one of the best in the world, his keyboards are masterful ... Good strong drum sound, solid production, though Greg's voice is too effects-laden. The delay on his voice works on "The Score", that is a power song ... Greg sings awesome on this album; I for one like to hear a guy with a deep voice belt it out, which he does in "The Score" and "Miracle" ... I think they EQ'd his voice, a bit, but anyway a strong peformance (unlike his earlier live showing fronting Asia, in 12/1983 at the Japan Budokan concert). It's almost as though by 1985 he sorta knew how his Budokan Asia showing was taken, by the Asia fans, and here he's like ""Hey that wasn't me - I can SING - just like on ELP Works 1 & 2, and on my '81 solo record. Have a listen"". Cozy Powell does a great job here in Carl Palmer's stead ... Someone on here said this record doesn't touch their early '70s output creatively ... I'd have to say they were living in the early 70s, still, when this came out in 1986. That's a nonsensical comment. Anyway I'm sure it was a nice slice of feel good-ism for Greg, in particular ... as Asia's previous single, "Go" never quite caught on, and ELPowell had a charting hit with "Touch and Go". {Is it as strong of a song as "Go"? Nowhere close, and it's not even an original song, musically ... nevertheless} ..... For me this easily competes with Yes 90125, on the progressive/rock/pop level, though the Yes record was the bigger record. "Vacant Possession", which wasn't on the original release - is a great track with a good lyric and some nice acoustic guitar in it, underneath the keyboards. The instrumental version of "Locomotion" is beyond ridiculous and unnecessary. But those of you who are dismissive of "Vacant Possession", because it's an add-on bonus track, I'd give it a second listen. ELPowell - 1 record, and that was it. If you have it love it, if ya haven't heard it grab it. I don't think Greg could belt out the high G in "The Score" consistently, today (since in the 2006 live DVD I have he sings "Touch and Go" like 4 keys down) ... but he could in '86, and the disc sounds great cranked on my Infinity car system!
Though a remastered version would be nice.

ELPowell features a band that is really only 2/3 ELP. Drummer Carl Palmer was off with ASIA when this album was made, but thunderous drummer Cozy Powell sat in with positive effects. This album is worth purchasing if you like ELP because the old ELP sound is definitely present. While Powell is no Carl Palmer, that is no insult as few drummers are (Stewart Copeland is the only one close in my view). And Powell does a great job, along with the great vocals from Greg Lake and the untouchable keyboards of Keith Emerson. Furthermore, there was at least one classic hit on this album- "Touch & Go."

I agree wholeheartedly that ELPowell is a 5 star winner...a superb album and one of Emerson and Lake's best collaborations. HOWEVER, to say that Carl Palmer is "overrated" and that he "can't keep time" is absurd. As a drummer myself, I have always been astounded at Palmer's abilities. I can easily play Cozy Powell's best work (which I enjoy), but I cannot come close to playing Palmer's best work and have yet to see a drummer who could. Yes, he 'keeps time' - but not in the 4/4, thud-thud style. Palmer keeps time in a manner which reminds me of Keith Moon - he kind of has an internal metronome which guides him as his hands and feet go 100 miles an hour.

By the way, if you can't comprehend Palmer's "time keeping" on the ELP records, then listen to his work with Asia. That's pretty straightfoward drumming with little of the flash he exhibited with ELP. Ever hear "Heat of the Moment" or "Only Time Will Tell"? Surely you can figure out the timing on those.