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| Emerson Lake and Palmer - Trilogy |
 Released: 1972/198? / 1996 Label: Atlantic Records / Rhino Records Cat. No.: 19123-2 / 72226 Total Time: 42:25 | |
Reviewed by: Stephanie Sollow, June 2003 Emerson Lake And Palmer released two albums in 1972, the live Pictures At An Exhibition and Trilogy, their follow up to 1971's Tarkus. This album yielded the band another hit in "From The Beginning," the nearly obligatory "Greg Lake acoustic ballad" (nearly" because Tarkus didn't feature one), which I'll honestly tell you I didn't realize was ELP until I bought this CD some years ago. It is warm and light, and actually a very nice track and one I have always liked, even down to the chirping/singing bird-like Moog noodlings from Emerson. Trilogy reached number 5 on Billboard's charts, the highest position the band had reached to that point and yet it is of the albums before and after that the average prog rock fan knows (average as in not a diehard ELP fan). From reports I've read in various places, ELP carefully planned out this album... though I have a few quibble or two with their choices, as you'll see. The album opens with "The Endless Enigma (Part One)" which begins in a cinematic way, perfect for a sci-fi horror film – if someone said it was the score for War Of The Worlds or some other 50's feature, I'd not doubt it. A mix of atmospheric keys and scrabbling piano – it's an intro style that recurs in fashion a decade later or so in "Black Moon" Within short order, we get more typical ELP with Emerson briefly playing an "exotic instrument [that Emerson bought] from an Arab merchant while visiting in Tunisia" (according to the ELP website) called a zourka, adding rumbling piano to Lake's equally rumbling bass, and Palmer's sparse percussion. It is a piece that foreshadows what the band would do on Brain Salad Surgery. When the piece kicks in proper, it is a keyboard and drum dominated mix, yielding control only to Greg Lake's vocals. Emerson's beautiful piano solo "Fugue" provides a mostly calm and relaxing interlude before "The Endless Enigma (Part Two)" begins. It does, at times, seem hurried. Trumpeting synths herald the start of "Part Two." It's Palmer's drums that kick off "The Sheriff," a wild west-themed ditty with percolating organ from Emerson. I'd set this song beside their own "Jeremy Bender" and Billy Joel's "The Ballad Of Billy The Kid." The piece ends with a ragtime/Scott Joplin inspired piano riff from Emerson. This is followed by a spirited rendition of Aaron Copeland's "Hoedown." Emerson gives his Hammond organ its usual workout over Palmer's snappy drumming, the former getting quite violent at times. Lake's bass is in the mix, but often seems buried a bit in the mix (this is the original Atlantic CD release I've reviewing, so it may have suffered from the same sonic problems the debut did). It's an interesting contrast to follow this high energy piece with the initially low key and mellow "Trilogy" which has Lake sounding a bit like Paul McCartney. Oh, but the band get to muscular churning soon enough, Lake and Palmer jamming behind the high-pitched keyboard excursions of Emerson. Just as you think that the rhythm needs to break before outlives its welcome, it does… and become all the more dynamic for it, as Palmer's percussive attack breaks away from Lake's throbbing bass. With its "it's over, we must move on" theme, it is the opposite of the earlier "From The Beginning," where the theme there was "we belong together." The weakest track here is "Living Sin" (which, if you wanted to lay out a concept, could be how we get from "From The Beginning" to "Trilogy"), mainly due to Lake uncomfortable vocal delivery, as his voice is not suited to being "deep throat." Not their finest moment, though musically it's okay, featuring a nice bit of percussion from Palmer. The album ends with Emerson's martial "Abaddon's Bolero," which, though uncredited on the album sleeve, is said to be based on Ravel's "Bolero." The subtle, trilling flute-like keys and hypnotic percussion that grows louder by small degrees, indicating the distant armies are approaching, reminds me of Camel's later "The Homecoming" (Nude). Lake's bass sounds more like a tuba or a bassoon. While a characteristic of progressive rock is extended arrangements… this stretches that perhaps a minute or so too far. With the "Endless Enigma" suite, "From The Beginning" and "Hoedown," being the album's highlights, what results is very good ELP release. There's cool factor in the outro to "The Sheriff" in terms of Emerson's playing, but, it provides the right lead in to "Hoedown," which would otherwise be too great a contrast with "From…" "Living Sin" could easily have been left off without hurting the album at all. Rating: 3.75/5 More about Trilogy: Track Listing: The Endless Enigma (Part One) (6:37) / Fugue (1:57) / The Endless Enigma (Part Two) (2:00) / From The Beginning (4:14) / The Sheriff (3:22) / Hoedown (taken from Rodeo (3:48) / Trilogy (8:54) / Living Sin (3:11) / Abaddon's Bolero (8:13) Musicians: Contact: Website: www.emersonlakepalmer.com Discography
Videography (VID/DVD)
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