“Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends.” Famously uttered by bassist-guitarist Greg Lake, those words encapsulate the theatricality, thrills, breadth, and fascination surrounding Brain Salad Surgery — Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s fourth studio album. Originally released in late 1973, it finds the trio taking front-to-back control of its situation and incorporating several studio firsts. The platinum-certified effort also stands as one of the greatest prog-rock feats in history. Its cohesive blend of musicianship, songwriting, and production set a standard that, decades later, remains revered amid fans and critics alike.
Mastered at Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab’s California studio, the reissue label’s numbered-edition hybrid SACD of Brain Salad Surgery presents…
Tag Archive: Emerson Lake & Palmer
When Emerson, Lake & Palmer conceived the idea of releasing a live album at the end of the ‘70’s it was intended to be, in true prog rock style, a grandiose double LP type affair. However, the band’s dissolution in 1979 meant that Atlantic Records slimmed down the band’s original vision into a single set under the moniker In Concert. When reissued in 1993, that album was restored in all its double disc glory with much of the omitted music included. Titled Works Live, it was more in tune with what the band envisioned, and that vision has finally been realised with this updated version from BMG. Refreshed with upscaled packaging and liner notes, along with a crisper sound, this issue elevates Works Live to its rightful place as a key release in the ELP canon.
There’s a reason Greg Lake deemed Trilogy “such an accurate record” when looking back at it decades later. Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s third studio album teems with exacting arrangements, copious overdubs, and multi-hued colors that showcase the band’s willingness to experiment and desire to put everything in its proper place without becoming too self-serious. Expanding by distilling the ferocious power of its debut and epic leanings of the preceding Tarkus into a more accessible whole, Trilogy stands as the most representative example of the ensemble’s trademark styles.
Mastered at MoFi’s California studio and housed in a mini-LP-type gatefold sleeve, Mobile Fidelity’s numbered-edition hybrid SACD of Trilogy presents the gold-certified effort in audiophile sound.