To the Power of Three

Three, 3 | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 11, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Geffen Gold Line Sp.
• ASIN: B000009RHT
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #110,937 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Japanese limited edition reissue of 1988 album, packaged ina miniature LP sleeve. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Underrated, April 3, 2007

By 

Justin Gaines (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: To the Power of Three (Audio CD)

Am I the only person who actually liked this album? There certainly aren't a lot of positive reviews here, but that seems to have more to do with people's expectations than anything else. I realize that the band included 2/3 of the celebrated progressive rock act Emerson, Lake and Palmer (Greg Lake is replaced here by former Hush vocalist Robert Berry), but expecting another ELP is just not realistic. I think a lot of that band's success came from the chemistry between the three key players. Removing one changes the whole dynamic. It's also a bit unrealistic to expect a serious progressive rock album in the late 80's. Hell, even Yes was more pop than prog at that point.

I think it helps to look at 3's 1988 debut album To the Power of Three like you would an Asia album. You know the players involved will have the technical chops to pull off progressive rock, but that making a good pop/rock album is the main focus. To that end, I think 3 passed with flying colors. To the Power of Three is a very solid effort, and is the kind of 80's pop-oriented rock album on par with what Asia and GTR were releasing at the time. It should surprise no one that this is a strong album musically. Keith Emerson's keyboard work really carries the album. Robert Berry gives a string vocal performance as well, with a warm and steady voice that is perfectly suited for this kind of music. The album ventures into prog territory at times, such as the three-part "Desde La Vida", and closing track "On My Way Home" sounds a lot like ELP, but for the most part it is a pop-oriented rock/AOR album, and a strong one at that.

Another reviewer recommended that only die-hard ELP fans buy this album. I have to disagree, and in turn recommend this to open-minded ELP fans, not to mention fans of Asia, GTR, and 80's pop/rock/AOR in general. The key is judging the album on its own merits rather than expecting something unrealistic.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, for what it is ... but it ain't ELP!, May 12, 2003

By 

Eric Scott (Bloomington, California USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: To the Power of Three (Audio CD)

Anybody expecting any sort of iteration of ELP from this album should just save their money. There are some glimpses of Emerson's prodigious abilities, but they're glimpses only, and Palmer's work lacks any real distinction here. However, I found most of the tunes quite catchy & memorable. The (brief) Hammond solo in "Lover to Lover" rocks, and some serious power is generated in the first few minutes of "Desde La Vida". But otherwise this is basically throwaway pop music with some occasional nice instrumental flourishes. If you expect anything more, you'll likely be disappointed.

I'll give the CD four stars, because I think the product is essentially what the artists intended it to be, and to that extent it's quite a successful work. And again, some of the songs are catchy, and some of the keyboard work stands out. But the stylistic differences between Berry and Emerson prevent the group from truly jelling. Had the CD been more successful, maybe further efforts would have been more unified. Oh, well.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Take it for what it is!, December 10, 2004

By 

Jon Solo (Charleston, SC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To the Power of Three (Audio CD)

This album, while not a Keith Emerson masterpiece, stands out as an incredible pop album! It has typical 80's production and sheen on the surface, but the songs cover nice ground compared to most of the "contemporaries" of that time period. In fact, were it not for Brian Wilson's first solo album being released, I would have called it THE best album of 1988.

If you want artistry, go buy Trilogy. If you want progressive, go buy Brain Salad Surgery. If you want to not have to think about it too much, and just enjoy yourself, by all means, buy THIS album.

And Emerson Lake and Powell makes a nice complement to this.