We continue our look back at the music of 50 years ago…..
Prog-rock might have been at it’s peak in 1972 when the trio of Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and Carl Palmer released their fourth LP. “Trilogy”.
It’s a gem with goodness abounding. If “shiny” were a sound…this would be it. The keyboard prowess of Emerson glistens and gleams, and Lake’s acoustic guitar delivers the beautiful “From The Beginning” which took the group into the Top 40.
Carl Palmer’s percussion throughout achieves a synergy with Emerson that was rarely matched by the band.
Other highlights include their adapation of Aaron Copeland’s “Hoedown”….
Copeland gave the group permission to adapt it…
Producer Eddy Offord makes this sound great using lots of overdubs and and layered arrangements. Songs like “The Endless Enigma” the title track and especially Abaddon’s Bolero were difficult to re-produce in concert….but sounded great on this record.
Is it too styled? Too sterile? Maybe…but I like the perfectness of the playing…even if it had to get some help from studio wizardry. If you are a bit leery of listening to so-called “Prog -Rock”…this is a good place to get your toes wet.
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