Pictures At An Exhibition

It's a live album of a keyboard-driven progressive rock band covering a 150 year old Russian romantic composer, and it sounds like video game boss music.

2/17/22 “What do you think it would sound like if aliens invaded the Catholic Church?” This is how I picture the idea for this album came about. Not my vibe at all, could not take it seriously, but they get partial credit for playing the whole thing live and making it a continuous piece. Favorite song: Nut Rocker

This fun rock opera makes up for all the crap I’ve sat through in this challenge. It has elements of classical music, metal, punk, blues and 60s funky keyboard jazz. Even if it is perhaps slightly pretentious and overambitious, it doesn't get boring for the duration, and what's wrong with being slightly pretentious and overambitious when you're obviously having a great time doing it? I literally burst out laughing at the start of Blues Variation because it was such a completely unexpected gear change. This is exactly the kind of stuff I started the challenge to hear.

Incoherent, pretentious, noodling.... this really isn’t for me. Why play 1 note when you can play 27!

I'm a sucker for prog rock, I love this reimagining of classical songs. Will def revisit this one many times

I hated - and I really do mean HATED - so much of this. Yet it avoids a one star review because it was also really interesting, intriguing, impressive and even enjoyable in parts. A bizarre album

I haven't heard this for over 40 years. It's still awful

Cet album démarrait sur les chapeaux de roue, une excellente musicalité se dégageait de ce dernier, mais un bruit désagréable se faisait de plus en présent au fil des pistes. En effet, tapis dans l'ombre du studio, je devinais une silhouette familière, se rapprochant pas à pas du micro d'enregistrement: cette silhouette, c'etait celle de Manzarek. De quelques sons etouffés sur les premières pistes, il finit peu à peu par devenir omniprésent, jusqu'à ejecter les pauvres Emerson Lake et Palmer du studio pour monopoliser les débats avec son immonde orgue. Un comportement absolument scandaleux qui je l'espère sera sanctionné par Robert Dimery au plus vite.

I like Prog Rock but this is pretty gratuitous. I groaned when I saw it was LIVE too and was amazed the Geordies let them out alive at the end! Only joking and there's some good musicianship in parts but other parts it's like they're making it up as they go along. I gave it another go and it does grow on you (like what I won't say!) I need to listen to the classical piece it's based on I guess.....

Absolute garbage and I mean garbage - prog nonsense with piles of shitty organ, barely audible vocals, no songs worth a toss

Good lord in heaven. This was… something. It reminded me of that scene in friends where Ross plays his “soundscapes” on the keyboard. Some of this was almost passable to listen to but a good portion was absolutely atrocious with heavy doses of sounds that could only be the band’s interpretation of what a UFO sounds like.

Fascinating album enjoyed every minute

Nice!

A wild album. Classical music flowing into rock, that suddenly opens up with extraterrestrial funk at times. But the construction of the album itself truly is solid.

Now this is more like it! I will always have a soft spot for the "Promenade" theme thanks to The New Statesman (hilarious, if you don't know it), the Madeleine of my staying up late on a Sunday school-night. Shameless overblown and pretentious prog indulgence gets the approval of this old B'Stard. And "Nutrocker", perfect from conception to execution; as someone observes in the reviews, how did they make it out of Newcastle alive?!

Malgré les nombreuses réprimandes adressées à Robert au sujet de l'inclusion de l'album The Doors dans ce classement, album qui, dois-je le rappeler, fut souillé des doigts de l'organiste Manzarek, notre cher éditeur semble encore une fois n'en faire qu'à sa tête avec l'ajout de l'album qui nous intéresse aujourd'hui. Pictures At An Exhibition est en effet lui aussi gangrené par un orgue, celui de Keith Emerson. Vous l'aurez compris, la liste des personæ non gratæ de ce générateur accueille un nouveau membre en la personne dudit Emerson.

Very Meta making music inspired by music inspired by art. But mostly it just made me want to listen to Mussorgsky. They really love those synthesis.

Solid 3. Interesting interpretation, damn they're virtuosos, I'm glad I listened, and I'd put this on a 1001 list... but for this piece, one of the best ever, I'd rather just listen to Mussorgsky by a true symphony orchestra.

sounds like what me and my mates used to do in music in 6th form, piss about making noise on instruments. weirdly it's not truly awful and again the final fantasy factor gives it a minor improvement over the 1 it was destined for

Long loved this since I got on vinyl back whenever!

This might be one of the easiest 5s to give. Narrative, unique sounds, and excellent performances, ALL ON A LIVE ALBUM. Concise Beast.

ELP are probably my favourite progressive rock band. However, I don't generally like live albums, so I always overlooked this one. I mean, it epitomises everything bad people say about prog... it's overblown, pretentious, self-indulgent... I mean, it's a rock band playing adaptations of of Mussorgsky. C'mon. But in spite of all that, it's a fucking barrelling, irresistible rock show that is fun as hell. I particularly love the organ work, and the fast, choppy bits which sound like proto-math rock. On top of that, it's a live album that actually sounds good and offers something different from their studio records. My only complaint is that some of the slower/quieter parts don't work so well - but they do reflect the source material and they give the album balance. So it's 4.5*, but I'm happy rounding it to 5*.

I really like this! Hadn't heard it before.

Wonderful stuff.

Wild love album. Very cool take on some classical classics. There's not nearly enough organ in today's music.

Amazing discovery for me. Mixture between synth and classical.

sonzao tri, progressivo e tal, tocam muito

Here we have another Prog Rock trio, this one much different than yesterday's (Rush). ELP, along with early Genesis and Yes, are my three favorite Prog Rock bands. Keith Emerson has been mentioned as one of the best, if not the most technically accomplished keyboard player in rock history. This live album, of course with no overdubs or retakes, is a great example of the talent, creativity, and imagination of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. The trio plays a tight adaptation of a classical piece by Mussorgski. The pipe organ, multiple synths, acoustic guitar, bass, and drums all contribute to this impressive work.

This was absolutely bizarre, but I couldn't help but love it. It was just a lot of fun from beginning to end, and I found myself dancing along to some of the more energetic songs. It's absolutely amazing what ELP were doing with synthesizers over 50 years ago! I think this is a timeless album that I'll surely come back to at some point. I have to say though, that Promenade motif is going to bug me. Where the hell have I heard it before? Favourite: The Old Castle

Hardest five I've given in ages!!!! Hell yeah dude!!! hell yeah!!!

Amazing. It's a live record. It's as metal as you can be without distorted guitars. Favorite part: the gnome.

What an amazing recording of an amazing live performance! After listening to this the first time I put on Pictures at an Exhibition by the Vienna Philharmonic (itself a re-arrangement of the source piano version by Mussorgsky). I really loved both and it made this work all the more impressive. By the time I had done all this listening and reading about Pictures At An Exhibition I was completely enthralled. It takes a certain kind of hubris to do something like this. It’s impressive when it pays off. This is a wildly ambitious endeavor that created something really interesting and unique. I’m fairly certain I would never have known about this had it not appeared here. Bravo!

Thats it, this is the BEST album i have ever listened to so far (I know i will change my mind someday) BUT SERIOUSLY!!!! Fuck y'all who hate this you just dont understand! This is a really great rock opera! I just wish this album was more popular and appreciated!

Progressive rock, my beloved. Is it for everyone? So long as you leave your expectations of “modesty” and “relatability” at the door. ELP remains one of my favourite progressive rock acts, though in my opinion Pictures at an Exhibition may be one of their weaker records. But that’s not to say it’s bad. ELP takes the classical mainstay “Pictures at an Exhibition” and re-arranges it for a rock trio. Some purists may be appalled by this, but for those who have never heard a progressive rock record outside of Pink Floyd or 70s Genesis, this is a great record to start on. And after you finish, look to ELP’s album “Trilogy”, which is probably their most cohesive record, and not weakened by a side-long suite (Unlike the B-sides of Rush’s “2112” and ELP’s “Tarkus”.)

so, so proggy a flawless, phenomenal record 10/10

Très solide, du prog de fou a l'état pur. Liven plus ayoye. 5

Incredible live album, makes me miss live music for the sake of watching artists at the peak of performance, feels like it's becoming more of a marketing vehicle now. I had never heard this band but plan to listen much more!

orgaanista musiikkia. massive sound... mieletöntä instrumentointia genrehyppimistä ja kaikki kuulostaa niin hyvältä.. Incoherent, pretentious, noodling, kolmen adjektiivin quota täytetty, tarkennusta? ei saatana ole tulossa.. sanotaan vaan...jotain... järisyttävä yleisön tuomio taas britpop faneilta... lampaat (three different ones) vai oliko siat heh... attack of the clones... protestivitosta tähän väliin ei muuta mahdollisuutta MIKÄ VITTU ON TÄÄ PRETENTIOUS SANA JOTA KÄYTETÄÄN VITUN USEIN NOISSA ARVOSTELUISSA??? HÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄH NYT JÄI AIVOIHIN LUKKOON JOKU TERMI TAAS POIS SIELTÄ POIS HUS!! the gnome

Ge Wel Dig!

мечтательно и вау

From the first song, this album demanded my attention. Mussorgsky? Synths? Influential rock musicians? What is this? This is the first album on this list that I think was truly new to me; I have never heard anything like this before. I listen to most of these albums while working. Not this one, this is a spectacle in itself. The music is less so distracting from the work as the work is distracting from the music. My mind is blown.

Nice one, really like the instrumentation

Such a cool classic/rock blend! Nutcracker rock is such classic, great album.

Good

Funky, trippy, just plain fun!

Emerson, Lake, Palmer (nods sympathetically), thanks for coming in. I'm afraid this is an intervention.

Epic

Fantastic

This made me wonder how tastes change, and whether such a super nerdy call to play air organ could ever be hip again. I had fun with this, though it felt like the volume knob had been possessed by malign spirits at times. Fried keyboard blasts particularly pleased me.

Well that was silly.

🤷🏻‍♂️ Yeah, not for me. I know this was a event where they were essentially performing some one else’s music, but it really just seemed like like a lot of random electric twitching for extended portions. Started to focus a bit near the end, I liked the portion about the Baba Yaga, the nutcracker portion was interesting.

Prog rock at its toughest; classical work reimagined w lots of virtuosity and bravura. You need some guts to keep it from the beginning to the end

Jesus

Sometimes this album reminds of what it sounds like inside a music store. Sometimes relatively quiet, sometimes a lot of sounds, in your face drums next to what sometimes sounds like someone testing each of the many settings on the synthesizer. Occasional strains of familiar melodies. When the musicians are playing together, abrupt stops and starts and stylistic changes on a dime. The only throughline here is that the every musician uses every moment to beseech you to appreciate their chops. In fairness to them, I can hear the desperate psychology behind this music because I have been more generous than most in dedicating my youth to a similar cause. Another take: the difference between ELP and the Allman Brothers explains the difference between UK and USA. Thirdly: Where is the ELO-ELP supergroup? Finally: I'm razzing them, but any band that has an album titled Brain Salad Surgery deserves some respect.

Not fun at all. Weird and boring.

All instrumental prog rock. Just the worst part of the Pink Floyd records. Pass.

Overblown, bloated, overproduced rubbish

Psychedelic.Folk.Rock.

So prog that it should come with a warning. The only thing wrong with Pictures At An Exhibition is that Lake doesn’t sing more than he does. Speaking of which… I would like to start a petition for Greg Lake to sing on every album on this list from here on out. Cool? Great!

Complete insanity.

LOVED IT!💖💖💖

I don’t really know why but i loved listing to that Album it’s weird but somehow perfect. The sound is extremely off and that makes it even better

NO ONE beats the skins like Carl Palmer ....

Incredible album! I really need to listen to more of their music!

Come back to this

One of my favorite live albums

Very cool sounds. I like the amount of instrumentals and the tone. Interested in more.

This is one of those albums I had already heard before it came up through this generator. I already had a lot of respect for this album, mainly from the perspective of it being an early innovative progressive rock piece with heavy use of early synthesizers. Now that I’m looking deeper into it and learning that it’s really a progressive rock adaptation of a well-known classical suite, I have even more respect for their attempt to bridge classical music and early experimental progressive rock. It was a highly innovative endeavor for its time.

Complete and utter wizardry, I cannot even begin to imagine what it would have been like in that crowd experiencing this live!

Haven't heard this in a long time. Bought the studio album when it released originally because I was really into this band at the time. For a live recording it wasn't bad. Some criticise it for being pretentious, to the modern ear maybe it is, but progressive rock was innovative and exploratory. ELP were very different, there was nothing around like them. Emerson's keyboards and moog synthesiser sounds were set apart. This is a band that you either got or didn't and I got them, or at least I had an appreciation for the music they produced.

Haven't listened to all of the source material. But interesting arrangement. 7/10

ELP kannte ich auch nur namentlich. Dies ist ein großes Album. Gute 4 Sterne.

I've loved ELP since I was a teenager. Yes, I know they are over the top pretentious art rock, but dammit they were also really, really good. Keith Emerson was to keyboards like Jimi Hendrix to guitars. Lake and Palmer are amazing in their own way also. I've owned this album on vinyl for many years but to be honest it's one of the ELP albums I've listened to the least. Not sure why that is because it's very good. 4 stars.

Relaxing. Kinda spaced the mid section.

Trippy AF

Ruhiger Kirchenrock oder wie nennt man das? Auf jeden Fall schaurig schön.

Really enjoyed the spacey weirdness of this.

ARE YOU READY FOR MORE MUSIC?? *CROWD CHEERS AND THEY PLAY SOME NUTCRACKER SONG*

This is a weird album. Definitely not what I was expecting when I selected "Metal and Hard Rock" as the only genre for this list. It's pretty enjoyable though. Very good as background music to work too as well, which is something I've been lacking. Overall, good album.

Memories

I like it was a good listen

lots of fun, high energy

A fun idea with an equally fun execution. Gotta love those classical/rock fusions.

totally wasn't expecting this...solid album with a really cool sound

Good. I appreciate the effort of re-creating symphonic piece.

I don't think this has aged as well as some other ELP records, but it's still pretty good.

Now, Keith Emerson is a God. 4.25

The sheer audacity has to be admired. Is anyone trying to pull off this sort of highbrow goof in rock and roll land anymore? Would any major label dare greenlight it? It succeeds quite well as a prog rock album on its own merits as well, and has enough humor and high spirits to mostly dodge an indictment of tremendous pretentiousness. Mostly.

What an interesting concept, to adapt a Russian composer's suite to a rock context. The pipe organ really adds something dramatic and unexpected.

ELP were crazy and fantastically original. They got famous as a folk rock band; slow acoustic songs like Lucky Man and From the Beginning are their most well known tunes. But anyone who ACTUALLY knows ELP knows they epitomized keyboard-driven prog rock. Keith Emerson was the most skilled keyboardist of the 20th century. Easily. It's easy to arrive at this opinion after listening to ELP's first 4 studio albums, which showcase much better keyboard/piano work than this even this album does. I don't even listen to Pictures at an Exhibition all that much. What an insane mind he must have had to compose ELP's discography. And Carl Palmer was a MONSTER of a drummer. Crazy dexterity. I find that prog drummers (Bill Bruford, Phil Collins, Neil Peart) tend to be way more impressive than the traditionally chosen greatest rock drummers of all time. Plus ELP almost singlehandedly inspired the majority of 90s videogame music. Listen to Tarkus or the Karn Evil 9 suite if you don't believe me. If I had a nickel for every turn-based RPG battle theme that sounded like ELP... I can definitely understand why not everyone would enjoy this album. It's weird. But I dig it. Not nearly as good as Brain Salad Surgery though. I REALLY wish Pictures at an Exhibition WASN'T on this list, and that Brain Salad Surgery was instead. I don't love this one as much, so I was unsure whether to put 4 or 5. And because I was unsure I decided to put it as a 4/5 for now.

Speciaal album inderdaad. Maar de gekheidjes met het orgel vielen mij wel eens in de smaak

Música clásica tocada como rock progresivo con teclados. Curioso. Un 4.

What a unique album. A classical suite reinterpreted and extended by a prog rock band. Fantastic sounding live album

Not sure what to think! This is so top class in its avant garde approach to prog rock and jazz fusion. I am very impressed, but hard to judge it against the conventional albums on the list.

I got this record at a yard sale 20 years ago along with about 20 other 70’s LP’s, and honestly don’t think I’ve ever listened to it before today. ELP never did it for me they way that Yes’ classic records and King Crimson’s 73-75 period does. Those bands tended merge classical and rock more interestingly to me, where ELP tilts toward classical much more. This album is no exception: a live, rock interpretation of Mussorgsky’s Pictures At An Exhibiton. Having no familiarity with the original piece or extensive knowledge of classical music, this review isn’t going to be the most balanced. As an experimental rock record, it’s mostly enjoyable, with all three members of ELP playing extremely well. Emerson is clearly the main attraction of the band: a veritable keyboard wizard, even if he didn’t wear a cape, like his contemporary in Yes, Rick Wakeman. As such, his moog synthesizer is often loudest in the mix, sometimes overpowering the rest of the band and occasionally sounding as if parts had been overdubbed after the fact, in an effort to bridge the movements. Lake and Palmer provide a solid foundation for his soloing, even when they are also going off on their own solos. ELP, say what you will about them, were an extremely tight band on this record. Of the other ELP records I’ve listened to (Tarkus and Trilogy) Pictures at an Exhibition was the most enjoyable. Maybe it’s because it was a live record that captured the band’s energy better than their studio work or maybe because Pictures leans into ELP’s classical side rather than rock.

Prog rock is better than expected. While the genre doesn't have many catchy bangers, it doesn't have the awfully boring songs. Pictures At An Exhibition is a live album by Emerson, Lake & Palmer. The musicianship is insane. This is a great experience to listen to all the way through. There is no way I would listen to each song individually, but together it is awesome! For some reason, the longer songs are worse than the shorter songs Best Songs: The Old Castle, Nutrocker Worst Songs: Curse of Baba Yaga

A classical reimagining that sounds like a trip

What a batshit album. Who asked for prog rock Mussorgsky? Absolutely nobody, but there were some pretty ripping moments in Baba Yaga nonetheless.

Cool prog album a lot/a little to much Roland e-piano but still a interesting and nice listen.

I like that they went all in on this project, you have to commit to something this ridiculous.