Customer Reviews

Pictures At An Exhibition

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Whether you like them or not, you've got to at least give Emerson Lake & Palmer credit for having the balls to pull off something like PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION. The original "Pictures at an Exhibition" by Modest Mussorgsky is one of music's most highly-regarded piano showpieces; likewise, the arrangement by Maurice Ravel is hailed as one of the premier orchestral works of all time. And ELP, a band both renowned and reviled for their savagely bombastic jazz-inflected improvisations and self-conscious pomposity, decided to give it a whirl. You can almost hear the critics screaming. But I've learned to tune out the screaming and just listen to the music - when you're a Paul McCartney fan, as I am, that's par for the course. And also par for the course is finding that, while sometimes the critics have a point, more often than not they have no clue what they're talking about.

Strangely enough, I'd say in this case the critics got more right than they usually do in such situations. They called ELP's adaptation loud, noisy, pompous, pretentious, self-important, self-indulgent, and sacrilegious. And it's all of those things, with a heaping helping of grandiloquence on the side and silliness to taste. But that's precisely the point. Moments such as Keith Emerson's Hammond playing Mussorgsky's instantly recognizable "Promenade" backed by Carl Palmer's doomsday drumming; diverging from "The Old Castle" into some angular "Blues Variations"; and Greg Lake shouting lines like "There's no ending to my life/No beginning to my death/Death is life!" over "The Great Gates of Kiev", exist pretty much just for the sake of hearing something so absurd. And yet somehow ELP make their twisted rearrangements work as ELP and not just ELP playing Mussorgsky, sounding very much like themselves while still allowing you to hear the originals underneath. The playing is stellar throughout, of course, though as usual Emerson steals the show with his mind-bending keyboard soloing.

And just to make sure we realize that they realize how ridiculous this all is, PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION concludes with the awfully-titled "Nutrocker", a supremely silly cover of a supremely silly arrangement of the "March" from Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker". Now there's an example of the prog spirit if I ever heard one.

I can't disagree more with the reviewer below regarding the insertion of ELP's own pictures into this gallery. Wanna get rid of "Nutrocker" while we're at it? I've never heard a fan upbraid this band for not sticking with Mussorgsky to the exclusion of "The Sage," "The Curse of Baba Yaga," or the "Blues Variation." Greg's vocals here are what's really special (before he started losing his voice and giving out bombastic rocker yells). The lyrics at the end of "Kiev"? You might say they're classic art-rock from the 1970s; in any case they have never gotten in the way for me. In addition, the tastefully chosen words throughout the record heighten the crucial air of mystery for a modern audience. "Death is life" acknowledges the then-unknown immortalization of Victor Hartmann through his paintings: his name is still around today as a result of Mussorgsky's musical tribute (upon seeing a Hartmann exhibition in Russia). And Mussorgsky's name itself is now further known through the work of the band. Back to "The Sage": although it wasn't a part of the original suite...well, I'll be blasphemous and say it might as well have been. The point is it feels as if it belongs, and it seems that would be no easy feat for a young guy to accomplish. The misty mood, the plaintive delivery set up "The Old Castle" beautifully. Meanwhile, "Curse" totally rocks and flows seamlessly as the logical, evil extension of the witch's ride of "Hut." Okay, now I can thank you for allowing me to say this is one great album, already legendary and fabled on its own. Art is death is life and amen. And the remaster sounds warm and alive as well.

could this really work -- a Hendrixian B-3 power-trio playing classical? Could Mussorgsky really be mixed with Jimmy Smith licks and sci-fi movie-soundtrack synth?

You'd better believe it could, and here's the evidence -- 33 minutes of continuous performance. ELP's high energy pushes Mussorgsky's material with such unbridled enthusiasm we can't help but be pushed along. Yes, at times it can get a bit silly -- that's part of the charm; ELP never intended to be taken seriously. If you can't have fun here, where can you have it?

I probably enjoy it more now than I did so long ago as a teen. PICTURES hasn't aged at all, still full of the youthful vigor that went into making it. So good it doesn't need bonus tracks ;-)

ELP would go onto have much more success playing Fanfare for the Common Man, but right at the start of their career they were already proving that 3 men could do what was supposed to be done by an 80-piece orchestra. And it's not just that they could do it well - they did it brilliantly. Somehow they rehearsed and put together this sprawling suite soon after forming - it was recorded (live) long before Tarkus, but the record company refused to release an album that was a classical music suite on a pop label. Only after the huge success to Tarkus did they agree to it, and to this day it is only the only album-length classical piece that has reached the heights of pop charts.

Equally disturbing to its sad release history is the fact that the artist put a picture on the cover called `Promenade' - but that's an entry hall, not a painting. What were they thinking? All this ridiculousness aside, Pictures is a mind blowing album that holds up flawlessly after all these years. Lake is at his best singing The Sage, a ballad equal to his later, brilliant, acoustic works (Still You Turn Me On, Cest La Vie, etc.) and his lyrics are just effusive and evocative (and, of course, strange - you know this is prog, right?). The way that the suite weaves through lingering acoustic work, the arresting fanfare of the promenade sections, and the insane, deranged electronica of Emerson is radically original and truly enthralling. It leaves this album as a peerless expression of what music can achieve when it stretches far beyond itself.

Three men are not supposed to be on a stage doing anything like this - it's insane. But the thing about insanity is that it works on a logic all of its own - and in this case at least, the result is beauty. Inspirational beauty.

This album is a total anomaly in music. Yes, it is by Mussorgsky, but it is also by ELP. It's not really a prog epic (or super-epic) because it is a classical music suite, but it is unthinkable that any classical music fan would claim ownership of it. I mean, come on - it has lyrics and overdriven synthesiser effects. Pictures stands on its own as an art rock masterpiece, and it came out a time when attempting such a thing was truly innovative, unthinkable and rebellious. Something happened between 69 and 72 - an effusive explosion of technology and talent that we look back at and call prog. It was, at that time, truly avant-garde - in the most sublime sense, in fact. And it could be that the raw virtuosity and evocation of those works (Schizoid Man, Close to the Edge, Tarkus, Supper's Ready etc.) will never be matched and can never be exceeded - rather music will just move through new vistas and to different loci of creativity.

But one thing is certain: The music lives on, and is still easily available for all to cherish. And that's great, because the closing movement of this suite - The Great Gates of Kiev - is just spellbinding. Here I am trying to write some review, but words can't describe it - and religion just can't do justice to the spiritual evocation of a song like that.

Prog-rock supertrio ELP didn't just turn long-deceased Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky's music into rock,they turned him into a rock star.Before this came out,most people were only aware of the classical composer's music in the form of his "Night On Bald Mountain" via Disney's "Fantasia".Most people had never heard of the "Pictures At An Exhibition" suite until ELP's version and 'yes,found their way into a deeper interest in and appreciation for classical forms through this experience.What matters now is how well ELP's interpretation holds up 35 years later.This Shout! reissue,like Emerson, Lake & Palmer,Tarkus and Trilogy,is a major improvment sound quality-wise over the weak Atlantic,Victory and Rhino versions.At a reasonable price,no ELP or prog-rock fan should hesitate to upgrade with this remastered jewel.

This was actually one of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer's early performances, and it was released because of the fans' demand for it (it debuted between Tarkus and Trilogy). Many purists were outraged by this reinterpretation of Mussorgsky's masterpiece, but having heard this version, a classical guitar version, and a traditional, orchestral version, I am not offended. I think this version is amazing, better than the take on the In Concert/Works Live album, and the studio version that appeared on The Return of the Manticore box set and In the Hot Seat (same version, just released on 2 seperate albums). And considering this was one of ELP's first performances, it's even more remarkable. Some of Emerson's distortion can get annoying (especially during The Great Gates of Kiev), but most of his playing is exemplary, Lake's voice is magnificent (a far cry from the shambles it became later), and Palmer's drumming is, well, f***ing amazing as usual. Some have complained about the audacity of some of the songwriting credits (for example, the passage The Old Castle is credited as Mussorgsky/Emerson), but it still doesn't detract from the music. I like Lake's solo contribution here, The Sage, even though I love the later studio version (with a beautiful classical guitar passage and a choir). The album ends with a fun number, a take on Nutrocker, which is actually a lot of fun. There's video of this performance, and all 3 of the boys seem to be really enjoying themselves. If you're a fan of prog rock and/or ELP, you really need to buy this one, but do yourself a favor. Buy an authentic orchestral version as well. I think it will enhance your enjoyment of this.

If you love the Ravel version of Pictures and you love the 70's prog rock ideom - you might well like to consider this truly great version by ELP. Great Gates of Kiev is made even more soaring by Greg Lake's vocals and Emerson's majestic keyboard work. All through the piece the powerhouse percussion of Palmer's drumming more than just makes up for the small size of the band. Sit back and enjoy a wonderful performance! Oh - by the way - it was recorded live!

I grew up with the ELP icon on my canvas binder in 1975 Catholic School in NJ. I love this band, they just did stuff no one else could touch. Saw Pictures at an Exhibition live in NJ back in the 90's and it still made me want for more. Great musicians step over the line and leave us wondering. Put on the old koss head phones and listen again!

I'd say for the most part, if you like the classic sound and style of Emerson, Lake and Palmer (with the angelic vocal melodies and interesting keyboard playing and drum work) this is a pretty good album. However, it's a mellow album for the most part, and lacks some of the more intense moments of the band that can be found on the debut and Tarkus albums (which are masterpieces). It can drag at times, and it adds up to a bit of a mixed bag of an album in my opinion.

While the classical influences are nice, and the way the music sounds like it's being played live in front of a classical-loving audience is interesting for a rock band (and influential, I believe) the actual music is just very good, but not as pleasing to me personally compared to the debut album and Tarkus.

Although my CD collection is now heavily skewed in favour of classical music, there is still room for this version of Pictures... after all, it led to my love of classical music as I went on to hear the Ravel orchestrated version of Mussorgsky's piano composition performed by Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic and thence started my classical addiction.
Since then then I've acquired Tomita's moog realization and Ashkennazy playing the original piano composition. However, I have to say that ELP's version is the most exciting and interesting of the arrangements and I just love Keith's jazz/blues improvisations and can live with the extraneous vocals that cause some so much pain.