Reviews (page 3 of 8)
I like Emerson, Lake & Palmer. I have listened to a few of their albums, and regularly return to some of their tracks. This was my first time hearing Pictures At An Exhibition. "Nut Rocker" and the "Promenade" tracks are the only tracks that felt familiar to me. I settled in quickly hearing Greg Lake's vocals in the Promendade tracks. "The Old Castle" had the mix of keyboards and drums that you would expect from ELP. As "The Old Castle" shifted into "Blues Variation", Keith Emerson was up to full power. For a live album, the production was clean and easy to listen to. There weren't any stand-out tracks for me, but this album feels more consistent than some of ELP's studio records (e.g. Tarkus). I am doing a little extra rounding up, but I could come back to this record on a different day.
I think i would like prog rock a lot better when I'm stoned. that being said, this was fantastically entertaining. I would love to catch a concert film. It's a shame prog doesn't get the same draw it used to.
-Very Emerson, Lake & Palmer-y type jams -All quite fun, although "The Sage" was a bit of a dip -Not really as strong as "Brain Salad Surgery." Had a harder time following the musical motifs and lyrics were pretty sparse -Still overall solid rock and keyboard jamming
I knew the original piano/orchestral versions before listening to this, but I think this is a nice adaptation overall. It's not so common to have a good crossover of classical music and rock. They do overdo the synths a little sometimes though
Favourite track(s): The Sage Wonder how I would rate this if I was more familiar with the original composition. This is just cool. Even though it makes use of the prominent themes, which even I am familiar with, it does not feel classical at all. More like a Pink Floyd record. Makes you wonder what music the composers of earlier centuries would have made, had they had more freedom in picking a style. Or maybe I just don't understand classical music genres enough. Still, cool guitars, cool e-piano and cool lyrics. Certainly takes you on a journey.
4.3 - I hated "Tarkus" but, surprisingly, I loved this. Prog rock tends to feel bookish and sterile, it's all time signature changes, noodling basslines and bloated synth sounds. Most of these bands sound like self-important pedants. But with this record we hear the energetic interplay between band and audience, and it sounds like such riotous fun! These live performances also showcase the band's virtuosity - they nail every complex phrase masterfully. Standout: "The Sage."
I like that they went all in on this project, you have to commit to something this ridiculous.
Cool prog album a lot/a little to much Roland e-piano but still a interesting and nice listen.
What a batshit album. Who asked for prog rock Mussorgsky? Absolutely nobody, but there were some pretty ripping moments in Baba Yaga nonetheless.
A classical reimagining that sounds like a trip
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
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.
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.
What a unique album. A classical suite reinterpreted and extended by a prog rock band. Fantastic sounding live album
Música clásica tocada como rock progresivo con teclados. Curioso. Un 4.
Speciaal album inderdaad. Maar de gekheidjes met het orgel vielen mij wel eens in de smaak
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.
What an interesting concept, to adapt a Russian composer's suite to a rock context. The pipe organ really adds something dramatic and unexpected.
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.
Now, Keith Emerson is a God. 4.25
I don't think this has aged as well as some other ELP records, but it's still pretty good.
Good. I appreciate the effort of re-creating symphonic piece.
totally wasn't expecting this...solid album with a really cool sound
A fun idea with an equally fun execution. Gotta love those classical/rock fusions.
lots of fun, high energy
I like it was a good listen
Memories
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.
ARE YOU READY FOR MORE MUSIC?? *CROWD CHEERS AND THEY PLAY SOME NUTCRACKER SONG*
Really enjoyed the spacey weirdness of this.
Ruhiger Kirchenrock oder wie nennt man das? Auf jeden Fall schaurig schön.
Trippy AF
Relaxing. Kinda spaced the mid section.
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.
ELP kannte ich auch nur namentlich. Dies ist ein großes Album. Gute 4 Sterne.
Haven't listened to all of the source material. But interesting arrangement. 7/10
Not a big prof fan
Svak 3
Was more interesting than I anticipated. Not quite my cup of tea but there's good here to appreciate.
Fine listening. Didn't hate it or love it. Good diversity in sound and mixing in of lyrical parts with the pure instrumentals. The fact that I listened to this a few months ago and couldn't remember my opinion on it reinforces that it's nothing particularly memorable.
I feel like this needs a bit more concerted attention than I gave to properly review. But I'm American so I'll throw a 3 at it anyway.
We played Pictures in band in high school. I've had an affinity for it ever since. I like this version of it. ELP kept the spirit of it and much of the music, but added their own twists to it. Some of those worked better than others. Overall an enjoyable listen.
A lack of consistency is what this album suffers from for me. ELP studio albums already suffer from this a bit, but I find it even worse on Pictures At An Exhibition. There’s no doubt they are a brilliant band and they made a ton of actually great pieces. For every nice song on here, particularily at the end, there’s some needless and directionless soundscapes being made, which kind of sound grating with the harsh organ to boot. I still do like it, it represents the more chaotic and eclectic side of Prog Rock well. Emerson, Lake & Palmer didn’t always take themselves too seriously and as a bit of goofing around it works better than as some percieved fine art masterpiece.
This was different than anything I’ve heard before. I wasn’t sure about it at first, but it kinda grew on me. I especially liked Nutrocker! Might be fun to revisit in the future
Jazzzzzy
Another day, another live album where it sounds like a bunch of Brits having the best jam sesh of their lives. 5/10
Promenade 3.2 The Gnome 3.3 Promenade 3 The Sage 3.4 The Old Castle 3.3 Blues Variation 3.4 Promenade 3 The Hut of Baba Yaga 3.1 The Curse of Baba Yaga 3.4 The Hut of Baba Yaga 3.2 The Great Gates of Kiev 3.7 Nut Rocker 3.5 Score: 3.291666667
I'm always a bit weary of when Pop and Rock acts appropriate classical pieces into their music, they almost never make justice to the source material. I don't remember if I ever heard the original Mussorgsky piece, although I know his other famous one Night on Bald Mountain. Emerson, Lake, and Palmer do an alright job here but you can clearly tell which parts were not o the original. At least they kept the vocals to a minimum.
Not that terrible but I wish it was all organ blues instead of weird proto rock that sounds like a rob reiner parody
Quite experimental
It was kind of fun
nice to have a live album, the nutcracker at the end was weird
then the writer returned to prog hell. yet they added some classical music to it. it’s just so pretentious. and i’m saying it as somebody who listens to classical music. 3/5.
Yes. This deserves the full municipal inquest. Pictures at an Exhibition is an album that has to be met on its own terms, partly because normal terms appear to have been suspended. It is not enough to say that Emerson, Lake & Palmer adapt Mussorgsky for a rock trio. That makes the project sound faintly reasonable. What they actually do is take a nineteenth-century Russian piano suite, place it inside Newcastle City Hall, attach it to a pipe organ and a bank of synthesisers, and then proceed as though this were the obvious next step in Western civilisation. The first thing to say is that they can play. There is no point pretending otherwise. Whatever else this record is, it is not lazy, incompetent or cynical. Three young men walked on stage in 1971 and attempted something wildly ambitious in front of a live audience. The stamina, precision and nerve are impressive. At several points the only honest response is: well done. The second thing to say is that it is extremely funny. Not always intentionally, but not cruelly either. The comedy comes from disproportion. Everything is huge. Every gesture is treated as significant. Every available keyboard seems to be approached as a moral obligation. The synthesiser does not merely enter the arrangement; it appears to set off from Gateshead and head for Sunderland under its own power. There is a fine line between ambition and vandalism, and ELP spend much of the album sprinting along it in capes. The instrumental excess is often the most enjoyable part. Keith Emerson’s keyboard work is ridiculous, but it is ridiculous in an entertaining way. It has energy, daring and spectacle. The pipe organ moments feel less like accompaniment than civic requisition. At times the record seems less like a concert than an incident report involving regional electricity supply. The difficulty, for me, arrives when the grandeur asks to be taken emotionally rather than theatrically. Greg Lake has a fine voice, but the lyrical and vocal interventions push the album towards a kind of sixth-form transcendence. The upward glissandos, the abstract declarations, the earnest reaching towards meaning - all of it starts to feel like proto-power-ballad territory. At moments it sounds less like Mussorgsky transformed than Mussorgsky interrupted by someone who has had important thoughts. That is the central tension of the record. As spectacle, it works. As musicianship, it impresses. As emotional communication, it often leaves me oddly unmoved. I understood the ambition. I respected the achievement. I was never bored. But I was rarely touched. The record kept generating awe-adjacent effects without quite producing awe. Part of the problem is historical distance. The lovely Mrs C, who knew this music in its natural habitat, said that it sounded genuinely revolutionary at the time. I believe that completely. In 1971, these sounds must have felt startling: rock music expanded into something architectural, electronic, theatrical and enormous. The difficulty is that sounds age. The synthesisers that sounded revolutionary in 1971 now sound like a 1978 BBC-2 programme about concrete. That is not really ELP’s fault. Time has shifted the meaning of the technology. What once signified the future now evokes beige suits, explanatory diagrams, unfinished bridges and a calm voiceover about the benefits of pre-stressed materials. The white heat of technological revolution has somehow ended up in Northern Lincolnshire. And yet that datedness is part of the album’s charm. It captures a moment when rock music still believed it could annex high culture, occupy the concert hall, borrow the pipe organ and return with the spoils. There is something almost touching about that level of confidence. Then comes Nutrocker, and the whole thing relaxes. After all the architecture, symbolism, prophecy, witches, uplift and keyboard warfare, ELP suddenly remember that music can be fun. It is smartarse fun, certainly, but fun all the same. They stop bowing before the classical tradition and bop the king on the head with an inflated pig’s bladder. It is probably the most human moment on the record. So the verdict is not dismissal. This is too capable, too committed and too entertaining to dismiss. But neither is it love. I admire it more than I feel it, and I laugh at it more than I am moved by it. Three stars feels right. A remarkable performance. A fascinating artefact. A frequently hilarious act of progsurdity. But also a record that proves musicianship, ambition and majesty are not quite the same thing as emotional force.
They were outstanding musicians but, even though I'm a big prog fan, the music in this album does not capture me at all.
fun! i love live albums.
Whoever called this video game boss music was spot on.
A true concept album that is a bit too out there for me. There are some great guitar hammond organ solos that verge between Yes and The Grateful Dead with a more fantastical edge. Highlights: "The Old Castle" and "Blues Variation"
6 / 10
It wasn't bad, just really experimental for a rock album. Also ending with the Nutcracker suite was a choice.
Fun album, I like the classical riffs mixed with prog rock, seems a bit too gimmicky to me like a lot of prog rock
hmm
What an interesting album. I never EVER would have listened to this if it hadn't popped up in this list. Having never heard the source material, I have nothing to judge it against. It's not bad by any stretch of the term, but it isn't conventional music. I'd say it's definitely earned its spot on this list but it's a one and done. I will say the final "encore" song "Nutrocker" was a blast to listen to. The whole time I was expecting Boston to show up because the keyboardist has such a similar sound. Seeing Greg Lake show back up for some wonderful vocals and guitar (I got served King Crimson a couple weeks ago) was a pleasant surprise. I think some of these albums are here specifically so you will explore more of the artists discography. I did so after listening to this album and I'm absolutely adding ELP to my listening rotation. This album is a 6/10 but the band is definitely more than just this album.
not their best album, it was a bit self indulgent and the moog sounds really dated. Carl Palmer is a brilliant drummer though
Blind album, I know the artist by name. I was intrigued throughout, but not enough to actually feel the music per se. It was just there and it was alright. 3.
Music as art.
Cool concept and cool cover album
Nutrocker - Live At Newcastle City Hall, 1971
2,5
Interesting. I liked one of the middle Baba Yagas best - Curse, I think. Can't say I'm likely to play it in full again.
Very enjoyable background
This made so much more sense when I read the wikipedia pages after listening to it in the car. I listened to "Tarkus" previously, so I was expecting something along those lines. My listening experience went thus: "These melodies sound so familiar but I know I have definitely never listened to a live ELP album - where is this going? - oh here's a rocker - this sounds like a shreds video - wait this theme again? - i wad expecting noodly jams, but this seems excessive - big ending - wait no, goofy Nutcracker ending?!?" And then, research, I had to know what the fuck i just listened to. These precious nerds recorded a live prog rock cover album of a classical piece, "Pictures at an Exhibition" by Mussorgsky - ohhhhhhhhh! The orchestral version is better (I listened to it afterward) but good for these lads! Bump to three for the sheer audacity!
Not at all what I expected. Super weird and proggy with a lot of parts that go on too long. Based on some Classical piano thing I think. A prog rendition. Honestly not mad at it though, solid 3
first song made me feel like i was in hcc honestly kinda grew on me, liked the mix of sounds/instruments 3.5 vibe
Sounded good, nothing that blew me away.
Metnaðarfullt, og á köflum mjög skemmtilegt, en einnig hressilega yfirdrifið og stundum um of. Fæ mig ekki til að henda fjarka á þetta, en þarna eru mjög góðir sprettir.
Solid effort, I appreciate the try but it's just not what it wants to be. Not a fan of classical and certainly not a fan of classical through the 70s electronica filter - while I hoped I could become a fan, they simply missed it and the ball went out of play.
I performed this orchestra suite with my high school marching band so it was wild to hear the “Hut of Baba Yaga” again and think of chicken feat while listening to prog rock.
the songs start and i'm like wow this is pretty good but then idk what but it gets boring after a while fav song: Blues Variation
3.2 2x surprising and fun listen
OMG the first Greep!
No es mi estilo. Las canciones obviamente están excelenteme ejecutadas, pero no resonó conmigo en este momento. Le daré otra oportunidad más adelante.
*Could only get the live album* It’s like if you took the classical work and the made someone do an In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida to it. And also told someone else to rail on a synthesizer like a maniac. It’s a fun interpretation. Not something to listen to again, but not unpleasant.
This was interesting. It started out sounding like a church and ended like an alternate universe musical. Strange but not unpleasant.
Definitely unique and different. I didn't find anything to strongly dislike, but it was a bit tiring to listen to after a while, especially with some of the "unique" songs
A funny little reinterpretation of Mussorgsky by ELP. A bit more than a novelty, it doesn't quite hold up as as interesting as it would have when released.
This was weirder than I was anticipating. I mean sure, interesting- but didn't do it for me.
Don’t know how to make heads or tails of this one tbh. Great playing. I appreciate the original classical piece. Just bizarre in concept and execution
Woa
Generally, I really like ELP, but this album gave me neck pains with the different styles just butted against each other. All the styles were great, but this album needed a lot more editing. 3.5/5
Okay this one was really intriguing. It's a live album which can be tough for a first listen, but I can hear how so many other bands were influenced by this. The music is really beautiful and baroque. Too many things going on for someone like me to have words for.
Honestly pretty cool stuff but not all for me. I really enjoyed the more cohesive and familiar sounding instrumental sections. Some was definitely on the too experimental side of things but a few were great jazzy songs. More so the gurgling sections and songs felt off and unlistenable for myself but I can appreciate the art and get the appeal that this genre has.
huh
Quite interesting interpretation of Mussorgsky suite, but a lot of Hammond and Moog, just overwhelming, like “can we get even more prog-rocky than we already are”
Not my favorite album of theirs but it was a good time
I like prog but this falls short for me. Good ideas but I’d rather to so many other prog records.
The orchestral arrangement of Pictures At An Exhibition is one of my favorite pieces of music ever, so I was excited about listening to this. It’s definitely different and certainly a strange choice for a prog rock band, but I had fun with it. I didn’t really care for the added vocals, though. Overall, I’m leaning high 3 here.
There is no doubt that they are great musicians. And they do something really special. However, it's not my favourite kind of music.
This is something I'd never put on, despite liking some of ELP's other stuff, but mostly because I already love Mussorgsky's original. I really like some parts, I really don't like other parts.
Cool enough, guys be jamming
I like prog but I don't like masturbatory prog. ELP is that type of prog. Too much synth! Having said that, this is also quite an interest experiment on reimagining a classical piece into rock, jazz and psychedelia. Points for daring to make something different.
While I'm in no way qualified to fully enjoy it, I did still enjoy this album and even more so after researching just enough to see the layers even if don't grasp the significance.
Not the best version of prog rock, pretty hard to stand at times
Not bad. Felt like it went by quick but I don’t remember much of it. 3/5
70’s Rock ⭐️The Great Gates Of Kiev
Experimenteel en wel aardig...
interesting sounds but not something im gonna listen to again
I imagine this as a live performance of the score to a movie about robots and zombies.
Impressive musicianship executing a wild concept. It definitely grew on me.
This was quite novel and exciting when it came out in 1971. I played Pictures in a wind ensemble at about the time of this album's release, so I was excited to hear this progressive rock treatment of the piece. It didn't really hold much interest for me at the time, although their musical prowess was undeniable. I saw them once. Their performance was bombastic and not to my liking. It just seems dated and a bit ridiculous now. Too bad. Amazing musicians who could have made more of an impression if they hadn't gone in this direction. But, who am I?
It’s fine, but it’s very of its time - and The Curse of Baba Yaga does devolve into Ross Geller’s “The Geller Sound”.
I enjoy ELP, but they’re one of those bands that seem to have been an also-ran in the prog scene. Maybe that’s too harsh, because I think they have some great stuff; but listening to this at least I just wasn’t blown away. That’s ok I suppose, I mean they can’t all be zingers. And it’s alright to make constantly good albums that are enjoyable enough in the moment. So I’ll say this is a good example of them being a really good also-ran.
Extra star for only being £2.49 when initially issued.
Really proggy live record - I think for a band I don’t know well I’d have preferred the studio versions. Anyway it was fine, the nutcracker at the end was corny.
Not great and a bit dull. Understand the influence of the band but not really for me.
I know this one is going to be a tough sell for most people. I liked it well enough, although I don't think it's their best work by any means. I don't think this album should have been on this list, it's a live album so that's already strike one. But it doesn't really provide anything that you couldn't get on another better album. I like the whole concept of approaching classical music with contemporary instruments and sounds and I suppose that's why this was included. I don't think I'll listen to this one again, maybe down the road sometime. 3/5
This was much more fun and enjoyable to listen to than so many of these supposedly genius albums which are, in fact, nothing but droning drivel.
Fine music, very long and involved.
Ambitious idea, but I don't really think Mussorgsky's compositions were improved in any way, nor was this rendition particularly interesting. The original compositions they interpolate into the album are much more inspired. The whole thing kind of feels like a gimmick on which ELP went all-in. Interesting that several rock critics absolutely despised this piece, although it seems to be appreciated by fans and prog rock afficionados. There are definitely some really nice keyboard lines in here, and I don't think it's that grating or pretentious. Perfectly adequate music.
Other ELP albums are way better
Episkt å å klassiskt å proggigt med lite tidig synt
Jahaja, vet inte riktigt vad jag lyssnade på precis men det var ganska bra ibland men var också lite skönt när det var slut. KUL avslutning! Svag trea.
Lite sjukt att dom tar den här plattan från Emerson, Lake & Palmer eller?! Men ah, det mycket trevligt. Älskar hur dom låter. Emerson är ju också stört bra, vilket hjälper till.
Artsy and rockish.
There were some parts I really liked and some I really disliked, so I’ll take the average, although I couldn’t bring myself to listen to it a second time; to frenetic and shrill for me.
-was expecting a lot from this because i loved Tarkus. this definitely was not Tarkus and kind of underwhelmed me, sounded like a lot of fucking around on keyboards which i know is their specialty but not done nearly as well here -still kinda appreciated some elements. the keyboard fuckery was cool at least -Favorites: The Sage, The Great Gates Of Kiev
Annoyingly listenable given it's clear wankery
Its interesting, electronic piano noodling. I like some of it, but it grates my nerves because it's a bit too experimental for me D:
Super weird and generally challenging to listen to. Is it fun weird, genius weird, or just “hey look at me I’m being weird” weird? Maybe a little of all three.
This has some of the worst excesses of prog rock on it, especially in some of the first few tracks, but I actually overall enjoyed this...? I am a bit of a sucker for prog-rock anyway, but I found the concept of this as an adaption really interesting, and Nut Rocker ends it on a high. Like I get why some people hate this, but I will gladly listen to it again!
This is one for the “I’m glad this exists but probably won’t listen to it again” file
Emerson Lake & Palmer were the most pretentious prog rock group, for better or for worse. I don't mind them, but any criticizers of prog rock could just point to ELP and go "god aren't they smarmy and pretentious", and no one could disagree. Anyways. Not a bad album. Synth covers of old classical music sounds good, and it mostly is. But it just kinda exists.
Not bad, but I agree with another user, does sound like "boss music" at times. 2.5/5
Litt kaos, men mye kult
Well, instrumentals.
I admired it more than I liked it but it was interesting!
I found it more fun to read about the album than I did to listen to it. Like, it’s a cool concept to revisit a classical Russian composer as a prog rock band, and must have been really fun to record as the band, and to experience as a fan at the time. The live recording aspect of it was distracting for me though, and it might have hit better as a studio recording. The synth was a fun add to a classical cover, but at times ended up reminding me of video game music (clearly not their fault and a matter of future developments of course). But overall happy to have experienced the album, and I feel slightly more pretentious for it! Win win
I respect it, it's interesting, it's funny (probably not intentionally), it's annoying in parts. I'm glad it exists.
This was pretty good for a live album. ELP's performance is great, the music's recorded well and the album captures the feeling of a live show well. I really enjoyed Keith Emerson's keyboard playing in particular. Overall, the album's nothing mind-blowing, but it's good, nonetheless. 3.5/5, but closer to a 3 than a 4.
Very fun for an instrumental but won’t be back
De final boss van progrock, zo voelt dit een beetje. Heel bizar album en eigenlijk onmogelijk om hier een favoriet nummer uit te halen. Onprogrocks duurt het album wel relatief kort; ik denk dat je er met een ruim half uur doorheen bent, maar het voelt soms als jazz, soms als rock, maar ik heb ook zeker wat dikke synths voorbij horen komen! Wel een groot stuk eigenpijperij dit hoor, het is denk ik het meest pretentieuze album dat ik tot nu toe heb gehoord. Bij elk stukje muziek hoor je wel dat ze zichzelf ook heel erg interessant vinden. Het is soms interessant, maar er zijn ook best wel wat stukken waarvan ik denk; is dit muzikaal goed? Nee, maar het is wel heel erg muzikaal. Dus ja; het is knap wat ze doen, maar het zorgt gewoon niet per se voor hele mooie muziek en zeker niet voor een album dat ik vaker wil luisteren. Wel vond ik het interessant om een keer te horen, ik kende deze artiesten niet en je hoort dat hier ontzettend veel over is nagedacht. Ik denk dat ik hierna ff Roxy Dekker of Yves Berendse aanzet om weg te komen van het elitaire muzikale stuk dat ik net heb gehoord. FAVO: The old castle
Far out
rather dates album these days. the studio version is better
Some bits were good, a lot of it was just loud, all of it was nerdy af. Liked the general vibe, but it when they start jamming it’s very much separate people mercilessly wailing on their instruments w v little cohesion
Some good and some less so.
I like their music but I’m not a big fan of the albums. Good recording and good variety of stuff represented here though.
I have to be in the mood for prog rock, not sure today was the day for it. Definitely talented musicians and all that, but just not my thing all the time.
Why can’t you just create a prog tag, and I think ELP definitely had better albums than this
My first prog album in what seems like ages. I've owned a copy of this record for years but never put it on the turntable. Let's see what we've got here..... Interesting. It's all over the place, isn't it? Big church organ; prog fiddling and futzing; crazy synth sound effects; a cappella singing; a classical guitar arrangement with vocals; a blues exploration; and on and on. It's a bit of a kitchen sink, this. I did enjoy this record overall. Until. "The Nut Rocker." Good God. You'd think from the explosion of adulation after "The Gates of Kiev" that the audience had just seen Jesus Christ himself descend from heaven. I mean- they LOVED this show. Then one of the ELP's says "You want some more music!?!?!" and they all scream and holler for more. **And the band's response is to play the single lamest song in the history of rock and roll music.** It's just unbearably terrible. "WE'LL DIE IF WE DON'T HEAR MORE ELP!!!!" - "Ok! here you go!" -> *AURAL ABORTION* It's also incredibly funny to think of this huge audience of Geordie's being SO KEEN to see this artsy-fartsy prog band play CLASSICAL MUSIC. What a moment in time this was. THREE STARS
Never liked ELP - and this album isn't helping. 2.5/5
Live prog rock stuff. 3/5
Not bad. I think ELP pulls too much from classical music in their songs for my taste, but overall a decent album. 3/5
Pretty fun album, and I liked it, although in hindsight I can't really recall any details. I'd listen to it again, but it also wasn't super engaging. 3/5
Has it's moments, but also a bit ridiculous and pretentious.
Interesting Live Album. I cannot say I typically love Live Albums outside of Peter Frampton but this was fun. I have heard a few of their songs before. Very jam bandish.
interesting collection of instrumental songs
Wow, this was a bit of a challenge. Remember my rule is not to Google anything about an album before reviewing. What I knew about ELP is Fanfare for the Common Man, that they are generally considered prog as hell, and that critics don't often put them near these lists. This is obviously a live album in 1971, from Newcastle, and contains a number (if not all?) of classical covers or at least elements from classical pieces. It's not all as bombastic as you'd think though, parts are quite slow and tender and Greg Lake has always had a sweet voice (see 'I Believe in Father Christmas'). The vocals don't start until Track 3 though. There are some very strange noises at times and musical wizardry but it mostly sounds pretty grand actually. I had a Rush album yesterday and this is better. I was only disappointed that 'The Gnome' wasn't their spin on the Piper at the Gates of Dawn classic. This is definitely not for everybody and with the excess they drift into (and I think they'd get more grander throughout the decade) you can see why a lot of bands started to copy MC5 or the Stooges instead (what 16 year old kids can play this in their garage?)
Not my favorite ELP, but fun.
"Nutrocker" was honestly pretty great. Favorite track: Nutrocker
A circle jerk of pretentious prog rock. Not bad
Funky stuff. Cool titles Favorite track: Nutrocker
#768. Weird mostly, but still impressive in a way. Probably not something I'd listen to a second time though. 3/5: acceptable.
This is an album by Emerson, Lake & Palmer that mixes original material with a classical composition called Pictures At An Exhibition. Which is quite cool. Another thing that is cool is they did all these songs in one swoop; no breaks. When I get sick, for some reason I just lose interest in listen to music, which is the complete opposite when I'm not sick. So when I fell ill was around the time I heard their previous album (Tarkus,) and maybe thought because I was sick that I didn't like it because of that. But I figured it out, I just don't think I can do with the overzealous amounts of artiness, and I understand even more why punk music sought to get rid of it. Highlight Song/s: The Gnome
161125 14:28 2.5
music to play runescape to. i mean this politely
fun!
Fine to listen to. Nothing I'd seek out. 2.5
Favorite Track: Nutrocker
Fine I guess. Sort of videogame-y, mostly instrumental. Not sure prog-rock is my jam. The concept of a music adaptation of an art exhibit is interesting though.
While I like some prog rock, I'm mostly partial to his sister psychedelia. Some progressive rock is a bit too much like free jazz, in that it's not as much music as it is theory and getting weird with it in practice. Since this is a rock adaptation of a classical piece composed some hundred years before, it's somewhat different to your "regular" prog rock record, also being a live recording, but the prog vibe is strong on this one none the less.
Id listen again truth be told, but there’s definitely better in the genre
Pretty uneven, I just as often find the synth tones grating as I do neat. It's at its best during the adaptations with fuzzy bass lines and gliding synth passages.
I had a better time than I originally expected. Some hidden jams.
Cool experimental stuff and nice for a live album not excellent though
Was alright, don’t think I’d listen to again
I don't know. I don't know what Progressive Rock is. I'm gathering that it's Weird. Sage was strong. I liked him singing, he had a nice voice like all the YouTube comments said. The Interludes and Gnome were some bullshit tbh. I think "The Old Castle" into "Blues Variation" will be my model for Progressive Rock. I definitely rocked with parts of it, "Kiev" I took note of. And "Nutrocker" wasn't bad. Hey, you know what, good job Emerson and Lake & Palmer. This felt like I imagine the 70s were supposed to if you were in the headbands and tassels camp. Free spirits. Philosophical wanderers. You know. Druggies.
Entertaining but not something I'll come back to
I can’t give it more than a 3 as I never intend to listen to it again, but I enjoyed it!
aha ich kenn das stuck?? schön. ahaa jetz prog version devoo. ich kenn sie eher als softies. nöd so al prog dudes. aber das isch fun gad. kennt mer öpis anders vom mussorgsky? jö sie hend text gschriebe. haha und funny synths. yoo 1971?? wasch da füren synth? aha moog wa susch. aber cool. the sage mega schöne gitishit. so hanis mer vorgstellt. aso halt folky. blues variation mega orgeltime (of wie n achtarmiger ein reinorgeln fame). macht no spass. de bass isch meega präsent. nomol promenade mit meh schlagzüg. isch alles instrumental? ha sie als singendi im chopf. huere fun hend die das gmacht. the curse of baby yaga isch rechti kakophonie haha. aha sie singed. the great gates of kiev isch en weeeirde titel?? nutrocker huere fun haha. au blöd aber huere fun. ha etz aber nüt vo dem mega wow gfunde und wirds glaub au nüme lose. guets 3.
ohh funnyyy, nimmtmi wunder wie das wird joo funny tön bis jz aber nanig megaaa mini konfitüre ui chli ahstrengend gad mitem tüdele the sage isch easy herzig! sie liebed ihri piepsigrüsch DUDÄDOO POSTAUTOOO es isch echli much und chli vill "random" sache aber es macht trz na spass, au wenn ich jz nöd megaa "aktiv" lose hahahaha de nutrocker isch ja ultra funny d lüt GÖND AB nöd mega mis aber isch na cool gsi
Decent but not really for me. I appreciate the musicality.
Pleasant and forgettable. ★★★
Very good, quite a pivot to have the last one be so jaunty but it was all enjoyable. Best were: The Old Castle The Hut of Baba Yaga, Pt. 1
Good music I was in the wrong mood for.
I didn't save any specific songs but I can't rate a 2/5. She's gotta be a 3/5.
Not horrible.
Peut on qualifier de "psychedelique" ? C'est curieux le leitmotiv tres chrétien qui revient entre chaque morceaux. Sinon y'a du bon et du moins bon. Je pense pas que j'y retournerai mais j'aurais bien aimé faire ce live
Je sens comme une influence de la messe sur moi, parce que l’orgue je trouve ça terriblement beau. Bon après y’en avait un peu trop
Another reviewer likened this to video game boss music and I have to agree. Otherwise pretty weird. Not sure I would listen to this voluntarily ever again...unless I'm trying to beat a Final Fantasy boss.
Kind of interesting, but also kind of unbearable. I can't imagine paying money to listen to this live.
Classic Prog Rock album that I'm sure everyone participating will enjoy. /s 3.5/5
As a once of listen it was ok, musically interesting enough, just not a go to for me.
I've heard this album once before and I still feel conflicted about it. I feel I should like it more than I do.
This is a good album if you enjoy progressive rock played live.
As a fan of the Mussorgsky tune, I was happy to hear the opening theme on a pipe organ and then referenced throughout the album. 'Blues Variation' is my favorite track of the album so far - just a real heavy jam. Of the prog-focused songs, 'The Curse of Baba Yaga' is my favorite. It's still got a groove that (mostly) doesn't get overshadowed by the virtuosity. The closer 'Nut Rocker' was kind of cheesy to me, and not a great closer in my opinion. However, I admit that I was born after this time, so the combination of rock and classical music isn't novel to me, especially with bigger pieces like the Nutcracker, which had already been reimagined in a new genre at that point (Duke's jazz version). Maybe it was a bigger deal to the audience when it premiered - at the time may have been ground breaking.
Some sort of classical/prog crossover. Bit weird. Not sure why the crowd goes so bananas
Kilka naprawdę fajnych zabaw muzyką, podobają mi się muzyczne trawersacje. Ma to w sobie lekkość i finezję. Podoba mi się też jako koncept. Mocne 6.5/10, obniżam, bo jednak, pomimo podziwu nad pomysłem i wykonaniem, to nadal wolałabym słuchać oryginalnych kompozycji.
My wife didn’t like the theremin but I thought it was okay
meh seems like the kind of thing late 60s/early 70s crowds would lose their minds for
I could listen to one hour of blues variation. Now it was the only highlight for me on this album. ELP all are great musicians, but it's all a bit too classical for me.
Soy un pésimo oyente de música clásica. Escucho poco, pero aparte escucho mal. Puedo decir "me gusta la Eroica de Beethoven o el Requiem de Mozart", pero no puedo decir "ah, qué interesante los arreglos de Karajan o Barenboim en esta interpretación de Beethoven. Hace que se me caiga el monóculo de la emoción". No tengo ese bagaje cultural. Digo esto porque, por esa misma razón, siento que no puedo apreciar Pictures at an Exhibition como corresponde. Esta es la única versión de esta obra que conozco. ¿Puedo disfrutar (o aborrecer) los arreglos que ELP hizo sin conocer ninguna otra versión? Me parece que no. Solo puedo considerar este disco en sí mismo o en comparación con el resto de la discografía de ELP. Entonces, ¿Me gusta o no me gusta? Más o menos. De los discos que valen la pena de ELP me parece el menos interesante. Es un disco que, me da la impresión, fue producido por una cuestión de ego: "Somos tan capos que podemos interpretar, ya no una composición como Mars o Bourée, sino que interpretamos una obra entera. Y lo hacemos en vivo porque somos así de capos". Parecen ostentar eso. Y, al mismo tiempo, hay partes de la obra que son muy bellas como la acústica The Sage y otras que muestran un virtuosismo excelente como la más rockera The Hut of Baba Yaga (me mata ese bajo), mi canción favorita del disco o la épica The Great Gates of Kiev. Creo que estas tres son las grandes canciones del disco, no sé si hay dudas al respecto, pero este disco solo tiene cinco canciones que superan los tres minutos, y las tres mencionadas son tres de ellas. También tenemos a The Gnome, que me parece un tema en el que ellos solo quieren mostrar lo virtuosos que son (es la primera canción del álbum, luego de Promenade, un tema pequeño de menos de 2 minutos que presenta el leit motive de Pictures at an Exhibition (repetido en el tema 3 y también en The Great Gates of Kiev) y el Cascanueces, que cierra el álbum y parece ser una especie de coda o bonustrack, ya que obviamente no fue compuesto por Mussorgsky y tiene un tono distinto al resto dle disco Le pongo un tres porque me sentiría medio hijo de puta poniéndole un dos a un disco que muestra tanto talento como éste. Pero sé que es un disco que no voy a volver a escuchar en años. Todo bien, pero si tengo ganas de escuchar a ELP casi con seguridad que voy a elegir a otro disco.
3.4/there's something interesting here but overall just way too much going on
This is the kind of thing that people are talking about when they call prog rock pretentious. Some impressive musicianship but very much up it’s own ass.
Ok I guess? Background noise for me
"There was a cult of cleverness: you had bands like Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Yes, with their interminable concept albums, which were the antithesis of everything I liked about music" (Bernard Summer)
Pretentious, quirky
The intro sounds like a Simon and Garfunkel concert but this is definitely a keyboard heavy prog-rock band once they’ve hit their stride. The live show is shockingly well-recorded.
Very cool
Very interesting instrumental, heavy organ and synth tones, not much in the way vocals or particularly catchy tunes. What a great idea to adapt this piece in what I'd call a prog rock style. It really adds a lot of textures you'd never get out of an orchestra, but in its own way it's quite rich.
I remember it from our choir master playing it as we streamed out from chapel - didn't realise it was Mussorgsky. Interesting, but again, prog rock isn't really for me. Obviously, from the cheers at the beginning of this album, it's the shit for some, but it doesn't push my buttons. Who knows... by the end of this exposure to prog rock, it may end up converting me...
I really enjoyed this album. It's kind of psychedelic, with some nice organ riffs that you don't really get these days. It's a live album so you can hear the crowd reacting to the music which is pretty cool. I could see myself putting this on when a chill mood arises. It's really easy to listen to and I found myself nodding along.
Pipe organ, flamenco, classical prog rock Nutcracker
lowkey feels like a video game soundtrack.. don't appreciate it being live also don't appreciate the volume changes, can't hear shit one sec and then bursting my eardrums the next x
Music for stinky teenage boys
Early morning vibes, definitely not what I expected going into it. But I found it oddly familiar, unsure if any of the old Russian piano work was used in video games growing up but I like the sound scale
Cool album, curse of Baba yaga is my favourite.
Kinda cool at times and probably pretty influential for the time, but idk...
Very calm, this is the first album I listen by them; orchestral pieces sound great and the psychedelic mix makes it unique. It sound is very polished and every part has its place. Wouldn't say I loved it, but I would need to listen to it several times to get it more.
An assortment of electronic piano and eclectic songs, with some very trippy and short, others melódic and poetic.
ELP has never been one of my favorites of the prog rock genre. Their excesses often outweighed their truly great works, and I found myself feeling like I was simply listening to someone’s organ-laden sonic masturbation (no pun intended). This album does not do much to change that for me. I think they are hugely talented musicians, and I see why they deserve a place in this collection, but I would have chosen Brain Salad Surgery to stand as the most consistent album from their catalog. On a different day I would probably rate this differently - I definitely move in and out of love with prog rock in general, so maybe this is just a rough patch in our relationship
These guys knew what drones would sound like before drones were invented, as shown at the start of the song The Old Castle. Either that, or someone was having dental work done and they decided to record it... Someone said this album sounds like the Catholic Church being invaded by aliens, and that's accurate Favorite songs: Blues Variation, "Promenade, Pt. 2", Nutrocker, "The Hut of Baby Yaga, Pts. 1 & 2", The Curse of Baby Yaga, The Great Gates of Kiev Least favorite songs: The Gnome, The Old Castle 3/5
Thought this one was nice even though I am not much of a (non-heavy) artsy prog man. Lots of pretty instrumental parts so might be nice for bed time.
Didnt really catch me besides ghe video game type beat on the last song
I think this was fine? I somehow don't remember it at all. Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 3/5
Noise music is 100% Not My Thing; however, I could see this album spinning at Kitty Cat Klub and so it gets some points for nostalgia’s sake.
I was between a 2 and a 3 for this and then got to the last track, which I loved!
I'll give ELP credit for adapting a piano/orchestral suite from 100 plus years ago into something that was moderately interesting and didn't suck entirely.
Well - it was a bit of fun really, proggy cover of classical music. Interesting enough to earn a spot on the list. Fanfare for the common man is better than this entire album though.
Liked it more than I thought. Took a bit but it finally pulled me in.
I like both Pictures at an Exhibition and ELP and I would have probably enjoyed hearing this live for the first time, along with the visuals of the band, but as an album it's just ok.
Very odd. Interesting and a solid live album, but only one stand out track for me. Nut rocker was extremely fun, whereas the rest was just kinda interesting and different.
Got to give them an A for making a rock song using pipe organ. Overall was an ok album but it’s a prog rock so hard to get too excited about it since it just seems to try too hard.
C’était une expérience que je n’aurais sûrement pas tentée par moi-même. Respect pour la virtuosité et l’établissement d’un univers
Interesting album. Standout song: Promenade
I want to like it. The technical skill is great. I wish they had chosen conventional instruments or synth instruments. Having mostly classic rock sounds with one screaming synth doesn’t work for me.
I was a little disappointed this was a live album. I'm not very familiar with the band, so was hoping to hear the songs as originally recorded. I probably would have enjoyed this even more, were I way more into long organ solos.
As much as love prog, this is one of the worst prog rock albums I've heard. This is probably what all prog sounds to people who don't like it. It's so disjointed and unbalanced, and at times, it feels like it actively tries to avoid any kind of rhythm. There are parts where barely anything happens, and there are super enjoyable melodic parts where all the instruments play at the same time. It feels less chaotic and more so just straight up random. That being said, there’s enough good parts here for me to call this record fine. Keith Emerson is still an incredible keyboardist, and the better parts of this album (Blues Variation, The Curse of Baba Yaga) are energetic and epic and feel great. There was potential here, but there's just too much filler. There's a medley included in the deluxe edition, and I feel it's the best way to experience this album (as long as you don't mind the not-so-great recording quality). It's actually great as it cuts down on the fluff and leaves the best part, of which there's enough here for a 15-minute song.
Unlike anything I've ever listened too.
Interesting... A prog-rock take on a classical Mussorgsky piece. Certainly fits with the quirkiness of ELP -- also probably explains why some of the songs sound so familiar. The Gnome is a fine opener in earnest. In terms of "structure" it feels pretty sloppy, but the instrumentation is certainly tight -- especially the interplay between drum and bass. The Sage is solid -- kind of reminds me of King Crimson's Moonchild in a way. Blues Variation is a standout on which the organ shines bright -- kind of an open free-form ripper. The whole Baba Yaga saga was nice -- especially the "Curse" section. Could have done without Nutrocker at the end -- sort of killed the mood IMO -- but otherwise this was an enjoyable enough prog rock adventure. Quick and interesting with plenty of bass and organ. Can't complain though I won't be back super quick. For me this straddles a high 3 and a low 4. Going on the lower end here.
Something about live organ music or synth just seems a bit much. The opening track made me feel like I was at Sunday church service as a kid, thankfully the drums kicked in, but it got weird. There is something delightfully goofy in this whole thing that makes me not dislike it, like The Sage and its laser synth effects that sound like the intro to a VHS based fantasy board game from the 80's. The whole thing seems campy and fun, I think if I were there, it wouldve been more enjoyable. As it stands, its a live album with some varied performances and some silly sounding organ settings, but I'd urge you to listen once, if only for the experience.
Fine and cool idea. But overall it’s a Live album and those almost always suck and the synth was grating. Still kudos for trying something different!
Pretty unique prog rock type of album, definitely had fun with it
I think i was pretty neutral on this
Points for musicianship but overall not for me.
Two ELP albums in about a week. Odd. This is an interesting concept - taking a classical piano suite and putting it to prog rock beats (mostly Moog/keyboards, drums, guitar but also some cool organ). And throwing in some additional pieces. Their fans absolutely ate it up. I think it would've been cool to see live - just as cool as seeing your favorite studio album played cover to cover. I'm not going ga-ga over it though. Glad to have heard it and know it exists for showing off my music knowledge. But I'm not going to be playing it over and over or anytime I'm looking for something to put on.
i bet this would've whipped absolute ass if i had been there. it was funny and a cool idea, but i think some of the zip and energy was lost in the recording.
Nothing special.
Enjoyed it more than I thought. Various moments of toe tapping. But I still left with the impression that I like the ELP sound, but not the songs or vocals.
My Dad probably loves this. Some songs I did quite like but I often struggle with instrumentals.
Insanly high level quality musicians all of them the drummer Carl Palmer steals the show in the live track. Mindblowing. The album is very repetitive the same song over and over with different variations but too repetitive. I get that its progreessive but it was just too much of the same.
I actually didn't enjoy this but the concept is bonkers enough that I'm giving it a 3. Also, haway tha toon.
PLEASE LISTEN TO ME PLAY THE ORGAN IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE ORGAN THEN FUCK YOU drummer was a fucking monster though which redeems this SLIGHTLY
Thought I was imagining things by hearing King Crimson—I guess Greg Lake was busy diring those years. This is no Court of the Crimson King though, I'm afraid to report, though it's interesting enough to not be a total dud (in fact it's sounds like fun soundtrack at times).
An intriguing attempt at an electronic interpretation of a classical work. Earns a star for its inventiveness, but if I’m honest, I far preferred listening to the classical Ravel arrangement.
It's not Brain Salad Surgery. I don't like this, but it was not grating.
This is something I would have LOVED to witness live. The Mussorgsky piece is nostalgic for me as a band nerd - my closest band friend played this shit out of the trumpet part prepping for college auditions It’s hilarious that they even attempted this and I respect the hell out of the effort. There are some gorgeous moments all over the recording. I liked the 1-1 repros from the OG piece and I LOVED some of the interpolations like the blues jam on The Old Castle. This album is a good example of why I love this exercise, and Im happy to know this exists, but why the hell is this on the list? Of course I will never listen to this again until I share it with my band nerds again one day
Incredibly cheesy but honestly pretty fun. It sounds like video game music, which I guess inevitably happens when you combine synth with classical music but I enjoyed it. I get why the general vibe at the time was negative in America but also if I was at this show in 1971 I'd've lost my damn mind.
I liked it. Live albums can be very hit or miss. This one is mostly hit.
If someone asked my head what prog sounded like, I think this album is pretty much what it would come up with. Too much pissing around on keyboards, obligatory spacey noises, some funky moments of clarity, and general other nonsense and theatrics. It’s fantastically mental, in both good and bad ways. Nutrocker can do one though, what a stupid bit to stick on the end, ruined the general vibe of the rest of it.
Favorite Track: The Sage
The Blues Variation song was pretty nice but the rest were a bit meh. Nothing too exciting, but I guess this is a pretty old album, so it must've hit differently back then.
It was ok..
Prog nonsense
It's like I went to 70s Prog Rock Church, but they didn't announce which rock hymns we were singing, and I was completely lost flipping through the hymnal that I found in the pew in front of me. This was odd, unexpected, and barely enjoyable.
The sage was amazing the rest would be better if I was trippin
listened walking with j by the river, nice to have another live album, proggy and odd and fun and pretentious in a good way
yeah instruments yeah
Equal parts amazing and awful. I love that they came up with this insane concept and saw it through. I would love to time travel back to see this performed live all while tripping hard on some good 70s acid.
Emerson does some pretty crazy stuff on the Organ and Synth. The band does work fairly well together here to make put on a funky, prog set. I’ll have to check out more of their stuff. The live aspect of the album took me out of it a bit. 3 stars
Great voice when there actually was vocals. Songs feel like they are all fillers and no real substance to them
this one flew by
Great musicians playing great music... needlessly. The ambition to play Mussorgsky as a power trio or supergroup is self-explanatory, isn't it? If you can play it - and they can - why wouldn't you? It's in part to show off and, in part, to meet the challenges that music offers the player and, in part, it's funny to do so. Pretension played to puncture pretension. The question is probably: what does it add? The timbre of certain of the synths is squonky and unpleasant. The three-piece often lacks the clarity and separation of the symphonic forces, degrading into mush. The concluding Nut Rocker demonstrates more of Keith Emerson's organ dexterity than the wide I-V chording required to replace the strings in the Mussorgsky. Is either instance a better display of his ability than Knife-Edge? Carl Palmer is also very frequently at a loss. Orchestral music generally has an implicit rather than explicit beat, so what's a drummer to do? Repeated snare snaps on every beat as in Promenade Pt. 3. It's not his fault, what else is there to do? But we all do things live to keep the performance interesting for ourselves. And the fact it exists is interesting and entertaining enough. They're having so much fun it would be a pretence on my part not to have fun either. 2.5 This was a terrible idea well executed. I quite enjoyed it and I thought it was funny too - although at times it is genuinely difficult to gauge how intentional is the humour. It was also funny because we got a punk rock record yesterday. I half hope we get another punk rock record next. 3/5
Most of it was lovely and largely instrumental, but the Old Castle was a little too screechy and electronic for me, and ended very abruptly; I did not like that song. The rest was fun.
This is just a 2 hour long jam session....
A lot of it sounds like the soundtrack of Castlevania - which is not an insult. I enjoyed it at times, but a bit of a drag sometimes
3.5
Interesting artefact - of its time I guess. Didn't mind listening to it, but won't bother going back to it.
Real strange. Don't really like prog, but this was at least interesting to listen to despite being a little boring
Kuvittelin että livemeininki häiritsisi enemmän, mutta täähän oli kunnon hammondikaahailua. Jes! Ei kyllä aivan neloseen riitä. 3/5
Kiinnostava yhdistelmä klassista ja progea, mutta ehkä hieman kompastuu matkalla toteutukseen. 3/5
The hold that obscure British rock has on this list....cool organ but why is it on here?
At one point in my life ELP was my favorite band. This, however is not one of my favorite albums of theirs. Unfortunately the sound quality is pretty bad, the vocals get lost, and the music just doesn't sound very good. Not sure why this album made the list but Brain Salad Surgery didn't. It does demonstrate Keith Emerson's keyboard skill and his classical training.
I thought this was just ok. Talented musicians for sure but I didn’t really connect with it. The Nutcraker song was a cool novelty classical blues fusion.
Its ambitious. Very interesting history and I learned a bit about russian composition digging into it. There are some nice touches, and it's not often that its obvious that its live, these boys could play. That said, I'm not sure how often I'm gonna repeat the experience.
it was weird-like a weird orchestra/music thing...
mah!
Like other progressive albums, I’m having a hard time deciding where it falls on the spectrum between corny and a fun experiment. There’s enough room in the world for an album like this to exist, and I’m glad I listened, but I’ll still take the original orchestral composition any day. Favorites: The Sage, Promenade (all versions)
Good background jam music while cleaning.
A fun mix of a lot of sounds, must have been a great experience at the concert.
I was skeptical of a 1971 live album. The Gnome is pretty cool with some Steven Wilson and Primus vibes. The Sage is pretty cool too with some classical guitar. The synth lead songs named Promenade throughout are decent. The Curse of Baba Yaga is pretty cool in the second half. A bit strangely ends on a rendition of The Nutcracker although it was recorded in March. I'd be upset to go to a show and the band only played 38 minutes. Decent prog album, don't think it's worth revisiting.
It was interesting.
Really had no idea what this was going to be, the 70s really had some prog rock experimental albums. It's nice background music, and I don't dislike it. It's a bit jazzy, and a bit funky, even if the keyboard/jazz organ/whatever that instrument is can be a little grating.
Not for me I guess? I had no idea this is what ELP was. Lol Nutrocker.
2.5
INTERESTING
It is weird yes, it also made me laugh a couple of times. The 70's juxtaposed with classical music is jarring but it made me think. Classical music is considered far separated from modern pop music, as if the two don't and never should interact. I guess it just leads to weirdness like this.
First time listening to a classical-fusion rock album I guess, and it's quite good. Probably have to listen to the original version that they covered, but for now this gets a 3.5. Fav tracks: The Gnome
Lots of fun musical moments, but not a lot of substance.
first listen good but inconsistent and the organ was a bit too hot and also some of those early 70s detuned synth patches need to die in a fire
If the name of this album is familiar, it’s probably because this is a Prog Rock reimagining of the iconic classical piece of the same name, “Pictures At An Exhibition” by Modest Mussorgsky. Progressive rock supergroup Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, recorded a live performance of their take on the piece. To my admittance, I think it’s an interesting concept. This album wasn’t boring, despite its flaws, and it definetly has its high points. The musicianship is great and you can tell they’re having fun. This album flows really nicely as well, the segues and transitions are amazing. The *Promenade* parts were nice interludes in-between the bigger songs and suites. Even if the last side of the album didn’t have them, it was still fine without them. However, despite the good stuff this album brings, as with some Prog Rock it can feel pretentious at times. It takes the album down a bit for me. There were parts I didn’t really enjoy, *The Gnome* and *The Old Castle,*and parts that I really enjoyed, *The Baba Yaga Suite and The Great Gates of Kiev.* The encore of *Nutrocker* was a fun take on The Nutcracker as well. In all, while this album isn’t perfect, it still makes for a nice and interesting listen. I’d recommend it if you’re interested!