ALBUM REVIEW: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery

    I have been skeptical of Emerson, Lake & Palmer for a while now. Since I first suffered through Tarkus many a moon ago, I had passed my judgement then and there, seeing them as the embodiment of progressive rocks' most overindulgent, self-masturbatory traits, and although I thought Pictures at an Exhibition was better, it certainly didn't shake that image from me. Times change and pass, however, and with time I learned that there was more under the frosting than I initially suspected—Trilogy was, undoubtedly, a very good album, and one that helped me to show some respect to a trio that I felt hadn't yet to earn it. It gave me a newfound appreciation for Greg Lake's lyricism and Keith Emerson's own composition and performance style, and for the first time I saw a hint of what may be.. greatness? I come before you now,  writing about Brain Salad Surgery, fully willing to say one thing—I was wrong. I was wrong about ELP. Brain Salad Surgery is remarkably consistent, proficiently performed, interesting throughout, and easily stands as the best studio album from the trio yet. It's the group's high watermark as a recording act, and none of their other albums manage to fuse classical and rock music as effective as this one here.

     If Trilogy proved to me that, yes, ELP are capable of writing quality material instead of leeching off of other composers, than Brain Salad Surgery shows them becoming their own quality composers and arrangers, even as they do lean on older works. This leaning on older work is really only seen in the first two songs, however, particularly in Keith Emerson's foreboding and wild interpretation of Alberto Ginastera's first piano concerto's fourth movement, named "Toccata" on this release. This performance is undoubtedly the high watermark of Keith Emerson's work as a keyboardist, particularly as the song devolves into feral synths and sirens towards the conclusion, icing the listener and infusing a forward-thinking element into their music. This moment on the album also contains the highlight of Carl Palmer's time on the album, given his own percussion movement that's evocative and tense and brilliant all at once. The resulting end product is a versatile and captivating rendition of Ginastera's piece, so much so that it was even praised by the composer himself. Then there is, of course, the group's rendition of "Jerusalem" which opens the album, standing as one of their shortest moments on the album (it's of three songs that clocks in at under three minutes). For those familiar with Pictures at an Exhibition, one will find many similarities between the sound of that album and this performance of "Jerusalem", however I'd argue that this one showcases a far more expressive ELP, even if the same indulgence remains. There is something to hail in this rendition and its awe-inspiring heights, and it makes for a surprisingly effective start for the album.

    But of course, the group need no longer latch onto work of old to create great material. Greg Lake's "Still... You Turn Me On" is a surprisingly folky moment, distinguished by a surprisingly effective hook and mysterious rising and falling instrumentation. If anything had potential to be some sort of hit off of this album, I would wager that Lake's creation is the closest thing to that. Immediately following is the surprisingly humorous "Benny the Bouncer", which shows Emerson's fondness for ragtime on full display, not dissimilar from "The Sheriff" on Trilogy the album prior. I've always liked when ELP leans on ragtime and music hall influence, so this was a moment that I immediately had some appreciation for, and it helps that Emerson sells it so incredibly well—he may be able to do the classical work no problem, but I want to hear this man play a whole album of ragtime music. All of these moments, however, don't compare to the album's climax in the three-movement, half-hour long epic that is "Karn Evil 9". While I'm not one for bold statements, I'm willing to take the risk just this one time: "Karn Evil 9" is Emerson, Lake & Palmer's absolute greatest accomplishment. It's a blend of progressive rock, electronic music, and classical music done with such confidence and cleanliness that it aspires to the very greatness that it's runtime demands. If you had told me that the group that made the sluggish "Tarkus" was capable of such grandiose works that were executed so flawlessly back when I first heard said song, I would think you were fibbing.

    I am no longer a non-believer, however. If Brain Salad Surgery has given me nothing else at all, it has given me a newfound respect and appreciation for the work of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and I am not afraid to admit when I have been wrong about a group. In that respect, ELP have made a fool of me—what an album! It's bold, immaculately performed and arranged, produced with such proficiency and reaching its ambitions with seemingly little effort. I should expect nothing less from the year of progressive rock's dominance, and yet even in that respect, Brain Salad Surgery manages to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the many great contemporary albums before and after it. In every way, it's a masterful work, and undoubtedly the best thing from the group yet. My esteem for ELP has risen almost five-fold from one album alone—I believe congratulations are in order.

RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯

Listen to Brain Salad Surgery.