Reviews (page 4 of 8)
Great instrumental performances from all and Carl Palmer has earned a spot on my list of favorite drummers. The only familiar piece was their version of The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky, but it’s probably my least favorite track. It might be better not to think of it as classical music because then it’s solid prog.
Great musicians and some banging parts, but it took me a while to get into it. Pretty impressive for a live record. Great band, but didn’t speak to me much.
A decent album, 3 stars. The piano is fun and I wish i knew what that ode-to-joy soundalike is about. I listened to the music that came from the album for a good half hour afterwards.
That was an... Experience. I didn't wholly love it, but it wasn't too terrible. 'The Sage' was my fave pick.
It was great and I was shocked how many songs I actually recognized.
Wasn't really expecting much considering I'm not really a progrock fan. This was actually ok. The acoustic parts i even liked. Favourite track was "The Sage". After reading about it and seeing it's a cover of 19th century classical piece it was actually kind of fun. Still, i'm not a fan of the endless solos, or some of the organ sounds. Weak 3.
Agree with John, decent background jazz tracks.
What a chaotic listen. I enjoyed it for the variety, but wouldn't necessarily put it into regular rotation.
Kind of reminds me of Edgar Winter Group
For me this was a weird album. It was like synthesized church music with a side of light psychedelia. I know without knowing a single thing about Emerson, Lake, and Palmer that this is, or hella feels, like early techno, electronica. I am not going to mess with that or with the fact this came out in the early 70's. They did put it out there and my hat is off to them for that. Thank you actually ELP. My problem is my own. I never quite settled into the groove or could get on board with the actual album. It was live and the crowd was going nuts and I was like, more power to you as I was still picturing the inside of a church with some bewildered parishioners thinking "wow, this is... unusual..."
This is not my cup of tea but I recognize talent.
Bg music interesting, also live
Kolejny album, który chciałbym lubić bardziej, niż to ma miejsce. Wcześniej słyszałem o nich jako o muzycznej super-grupie, plus kojarzyło mi się jakoś nostalgicznie. Do tego dochodzi kwestia wykorzystania Musogorskiego i, co ważniejsze, Czajkowskiego do stworzenia rockowego albumu. W czystej teorii powinno mnie to kupić z miejsca. Ale oni graja rocka tak, jakby grali jazz. Mnóstwo hałasu, nakładających się dźwięków, ciężko mi się w tym odnaleźć. Plus organy to nie moja bajka. A sam Dziadek do orzechów w wersji rockowej był dosyć meh. Doceniam ich pracę, ale nie odnalazłem się w tym. Plus strasznie krótkie to było, urwało się nagle po zaledwie pół godziny. Spodziewałem się trochę więcej.
You can't make an omlette without cracking few eggs but omlette with shells in it is still pretty wierd. This is a nature of experimental albums. Still glad that I've heard it.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer, znani z łączenia rocka progresywnego z muzyką klasyczną, na "Pictures at an Exhibition" podjęli się ambitnego zadania: reinterpretacji słynnej suity Modesta Musorgskiego w rockowej formie. Efekt jest odważny, ale niepozbawiony wad, które sprawiają, że album pozostawia mieszane uczucia. Największym atutem tego dzieła jest jego koncepcyjna śmiałość. ELP włożyli wiele serca w przekształcenie muzyki klasycznej w ekscentryczny, progresywny spektakl. Utwory takie jak "Promenade" czy "The Great Gates of Kiev" doskonale pokazują ich umiejętności instrumentalne i zdolność do tworzenia podniosłej atmosfery. Niestety, momentami album wydaje się być bardziej technicznym popisem niż emocjonalnym doświadczeniem. Jednym z problemów jest przesadna teatralność niektórych sekcji, która zamiast dodawać dramatyzmu, sprawia wrażenie ciężkości i pompatyczności. Fragmenty takie jak "The Curse of Baba Yaga" brzmią imponująco, ale brakuje im równowagi między techniką a emocjonalnym wyrazem. Pod względem produkcji album ma swój urok, ale rejestrowanie koncertowego występu powoduje, że brzmienie jest surowe i nierówne. To dodaje autentyczności, ale odbiera pewną spójność, którą można by osiągnąć w studio. "Pictures at an Exhibition" to przykład albumu, który jest bardziej interesujący w swojej koncepcji niż w realizacji. Choć zasługuje na uznanie za innowacyjność i mistrzostwo wykonawcze, brak mu emocjonalnej głębi, która sprawiłaby, że byłby prawdziwie niezapomniany. To album dla fanów ELP i progresywnego rocka, ale dla innych słuchaczy może być bardziej imponującym eksperymentem niż czymś, do czego chce się wracać.
Wild!
Love ELP. This is probably my least favorite album of theirs. Interesting concept but they have much better music.
Stundtals låter det som musike är hämtad ur en italiensk giallo eller crime.
Hey get the pitchforks, I thought classical music wasn't allowed here! There are some goosebump moments, and a couple painful synth solos that detracted from my overall enjoyment of this adaptation. Closing the concert with the Nutcracker feels like a troll move, but the audience seems pretty into it HL: “The Sage”, “The Great Gates of Kiev” November 29, 2024
Generally I am a prog enjoyer but this was a bit much.
.. I always liked ELP - based upon their amazing musical abilities. Few artists of that time were so technically and classically trained that is almost a waste of their talent to do Prog Rock. ELP has a lot of love them or leave them fan base. I'm closer to love due to respect. Saying that, this album just doesn't equal their studio work,
Dope
Its an okay album. I've tried several times to listen to Emerson, Lake and Palmer but it's just not for me but I can see why people like them.
This was interesting and I'm going to listen to more of their stuff, but I can't believe this is their best album.
I told Jess this was a modern interpretation of Pictures at the Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky and she was interested to listen. After 5 minutes she was getting noticeable agitated and asked me to turn it off. I don’t understand why they chose to put in the live version? I got into it mostly although there were some annoying parts.
I reviewed ELP’s Tarkus a while ago, and I thought it was fine. A lot of prog rock is pretty hit or miss with me, and I expect that I’ll probably think this album is fine as well. However, I really haven’t cared much for a lot of the live albums on this list, so a live prog rock album is a pretty big gamble with my tastes. I guess it’s time to jump in! As I expected, I thought this album was fine. It was pleasant to listen to, but with the exception of the “Promenade” pieces, “The Great Gates of Kiev,” and “Nut Rocker,” I didn’t find anything particularly noteworthy about this album. I like listening to synthesizers and keyboards, and Carl Palmer is a really great drummer, but to me, this album didn’t really live up to the ambitious vision the band had. As I listened to most of it, I just thought to myself “okay, that’s some nice synth and organ playing,” but that was about all that I felt. For a live album, it didn’t feel like there was a ton of energy from the music itself, with the exception of “Nut Rocker.” As for “The Great Gates of Kiev,” I liked that it felt more like a ballad, and it felt like it had quite a bit of emotion to it. Other than though, this album was just a showcase for some pretty talented musicians. A lot of flash without much substance.
The concept sounded preposterously pretentious when I read it, and the first few notes confirmed my fears. But then it was actually alright. I mean you kind of have to applaud the ambition shown here. That said, Deezer gave me a deluxe edition, which adds a historically important second live recording of the same songs. And I wasn't really keen on going through the whole thing twice in a row. So does that make a 2 or a 3? 2 seems a bit mean-sprited. But not being keen on a second listen isn't really material for a 3...
A solid live output that didn't quiet catch my ear.
I don't think I'd choose this over an orchestra (or a solo pianist) playing Mussorgsky. However, I always appreciate how much goes into reimagining classical like this. It was fascinating seeing how they changed up pieces I've heard for years. I'd say this definitely deserves a place on this list.
very interesting album
Listenable. Good background music.
Organ-driven rock
Over ambitious? A little. Pretentious? Arguably yes. Good album? It's decent. It's prog rock at its best or maybe at its worst. It depends if you like prog or not I suppose. A noodling wankfest which goes off in the random of directions quick as a flash, which is fine if that's your thing. I will admit that it's an interesting album to sit through. It's intriguing and the guitar playing is impressive, and actually, all things considered, is quite enjoyable at times. I guess it would be more enjoyable if you were familiar with the classical piece it was adapted from. It's an album that will pop up randomly in a year or two and I'll remember how weird it was but also how surprisingly decent it was and will happily listen to the whole thing - although I'm glad it's only half an hour long.
OK, I appreciate the creativity of ELP and sometimes even enjoy it, but a lot of the time, their songs just feel like they don't always age well and last for aeons. They do show talent, but I have to be really in the mood for ELP. They feel like the epitome of oddly time signatured, jazzy, arty prog rock. Arty and jazzy are rarely my favourites. I will say though that for an old live album, the quality sounds pretty good. The Sage was my favourite for just being chill and not making me feel like I was being attacked by an erratic keyboard player.
Another ELP album when so many great bands remain uncovered. The only thing worse than an over rated band like ELP is a live album of said over rated band. After a while you just get tired of that Organ, can they vary the sound just a little? Whenever they did they had Bonafide hits, when they didn’t it was just niche music.
I don’t really get ELP.
Pretty cool, I especially vibed with the second track (“The Gnome”) but I don’t think I totally get what is going on with this band and album and performance…
prog goes free (?) Always liked ELP (altho i think Asia sucks!!) but Greg Lake is just undeniably the goat for his one year in King Crimson... I'm sure there will be more of their non-live albums on the list which i look forward to!
why is it that the first thing we tried to do with the Moog synthesizer was make it play classical music? instead of creating a space age future, for a good 10 years we were just doing nothing but redoing classical works. no disrespect to ELP (or Wendy Carlos, or Tomita, or all the people who did this), who are definitely talented and respect the classical works to a fault, but every time i hear one of these pieces, i think of some concert pianist doubled over in his study, head in his hands as the techno-farts play what he's spent his whole life training to do. it's the most beautiful and forward-thinking thing he, a man living in 1972, has ever heard listen, i'm a dork -- a cornball. i plan to learn to code at some point so i can make a video game. i have considered buying a red DEVO cone at one point in my life. i semi-regularly used Cohost before it got shut down for being designed specifically to not make any money. when they find the lost pilot episode for the shortlived 80's Japanese virtual band Pink Crows, i'll be right there on the Lost Media Wiki to gawk at it. i've attended multiple furry conventions. when i say that covering Modest Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" with your keyboard-based prog band is too dorky for me to enjoy, understand what your modern median human person's reaction to this would be if you played it for them. i am shocked that many people cheered after Nutrocker.
this was completely average and I don't remember a damn thing
Enjoyable 3.5
3 stars for being weirdos, how is this a big famous album what the fuck
A few songs are really interesting, but even with my head down at work I found the rest of the album to be largely boring.
3.5/5
Progressive and rock-ish to a masturbatory level. Cool to hear so much Moog and Hammond B3. Bold and pretentious, the perfect fodder for a rock opera parody like Spinal Tap. I enjoyed this, for what it is and I'll probs never listen to it again, thanks.
excellent zone out music
Weird. But I appreciate the 38 min run time.
Random noises
3.75
ELP does their usual prog rock schtick, but occasionally intersperse Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" to show that they're cultured or something. I still hold that ELP is one of the weaker bands amongst the popular prog rock acts of the '70s, and while this certainly isn't bad by any stretch of music on this list, it's not all that good either. Often times during the runtime I found myself wanting to either listen to the actual Pictures at an Exhibition or some other prog rock band: Yes or Genisis or Camel would be better than this. Is Camel even on the list?
Over-long, overly dramatic, over-indulgent and over the top, are just some of the words with the word "over" in it to describe this epic live album from ELP. A rock adaptation of a piano suite by Modest Mussorgsky is anything, but modest in their progressive rock presentation . I really don't care about the subject or the lyrical content for that matter, but I'll admit the musicianship and performance is incredible. To perform this complete piece live in front of an audience is a feat in itself and if you're into this type of thing, it's near flawless and enormously overwhelming. There are some nice sequences and interesting musical choices, but overall it's too much to handle all at once (I listened twice to make sure) and you have to be a hardcore Prog fan to fully appreciate this journey.
some good songs in here but overall nothing super notable
I like the organ but the rest is a bit meh for me
Not usually a prog fan, but that was pretty rad
Prog rock with organ sounds. My cup of tea: 2/5 Deserves to be on this list: 4/5
I'm of a couple minds about this. First off I hate Pictures At An Exhibition from the time I played it in concert band. But I love classical music in general, and prog rock covers of classical music sounds like a great idea. But I don't like live albums. Haven't listened to ELP before. Overall ok. Curious to listen to a different ELP album though.
I guess it is september and that is why we are getting halloween music ok it is not so halloweeny as it goes on the blues variation is good
Again, not something outstanding, but a nice sound! Some songs reminded me a bit of Deep Purple but more chill
Likes the occasional organ, interesting instrumental parts and solos. Not super memorable
Nowadays (maybe because of the last 900+ new albums in my life), I have mixed feelings about prog rock. This one was nice to listen to, but I still don't know if I can say that I LIKE it.
I enjoyed the start of this with a more traditional classic piece and then followed up with the more modern interpretations of the rest. I dug it
Very cool
Pretty standard prog rock, didn't really do anything to impress me but wasn't bad in the same sense
ELP always a treat, I have this album and do enjoy it, but not sure I always knew it was a live album. That docks it a little bit for me, but I really enjoy the concept, and there's some great music on here as you'd expect. Fun to revisit this one. Favorite tracks: The Gnome, The Sage, The Old Castle. Album art: Well, it's certainly pictures at an exhibition. A few blank canvases hanging in ornate frames on a nice wooden wall. Continues onto the back of the album as well. I've always dug this one. 3.5/5
I enjoyed this more than I would expect to enjoy this type of music. I also really don't enjoy live albums most of the time, but this one was different, you forget it's live until you hear the crowd again. Very fun!
I liked this more than I thought I would after reading the description. Though I'm a weirdo who likes video games soundtracks. This must have been very cool at the time.
I didn't care for Tarkus but this was decent. I enjoyed the pipe organ and Moog synthesizer sounds, and the Nutcracker-inspired "Nutrocker" was fun, too. Maybe more of a 3.5.
Too weird for me, to be honest. Can’t say I enjoyed myself, but I didn’t get bored so there’s that.
Wasn’t what I was expecting, but I jammed. Simpsons: Yes
Bloody mad album.
Ratings: 5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background Brings me back to high school concert band. Pictures at an Exhibition was one of the more enjoyable pieces I remember playing. I knew the EL&P version existed but had never listened to it until now. Interesting, but I don't know that I'd ever come back to it.
ELP… clearly a bushel of talent. Yet there songs either sound spliced together, or written for some theatrical accompaniment. Big sounds, some great notes of jazz, mixed with some spaced out stoner vibes. Reminds me of my brother growing up, and not in a good way.
6/10
Emerson, Lake & Palmer is one of those groups I rarely see brought up nowadays. As much as this trio were pioneers of the early 70s progressive sound, they really aren’t all that popular. They have their die hard fans, but they aren’t held to the same acclaim as many of the other more famous bands. I’ve never heard a ELP song before. And I’ve never really had the desire to dive into their music. With this being a live album, I figured I would need to have some service level knowledge to enjoy this. But none of these songs are from an actual stupid recording of theirs. This is the trio’s symphonic prog rendition of a piano suite of the same name, created by Russian Romantic composer Модест Мусоргский [Modest Mussorgsky]. Now I want to preface this by saying that my intention for this review is not to break down the careers of these three men, and attempt to make the argument as to why they aren’t good. All three of them are undoubtedly masters in their respective fields, and deserve the fame they have received. Albums and ideas like this are what progressive rock is all about. But I’m not a huge fan. What this ends up devolving into most of the time just sounds like the musicians noodling about to me. There is very little direction and actual purpose to the sections. It comes off as if they were frantically trying to cram as many unique ideas as they could into a performance that doesn’t even last 40 minutes. But those unique ideas really do nothing for me. At least in the first half. Blues Variation is decent, and is the first notable song. And I enjoy The Curse of Baba Yaga, and the two parts of The Hut of Baba Yaga that come before and after it. But the rest falls totally flat. It’s a great example of how overly excessive the genre can be. Keith Emerson might be a fantastic keyboardist, but I’m not interested in hearing him fly across four keyboards at the same time. Just because you have a group of people who are talented enough to execute an idea, doesn’t necessarily mean they should execute that idea. It’s a lesson many progressive rock bands did not learn. Rating: 5/10
they really made a symphonic prog rock cover of a Russian suite from 1874, and all the music on it sounds like SNES music (it came out in 1971 pre-dating the SNES by like almost two decades). Truly a one of a kind of a kind experience that I'll probably not want to experience if I'm being entirely honest. Cool album though. The synths sound really dated and silly, but in my opinion it makes this record more charming. I'm not going to get much replay value out of this for me unfortunately.
Experimental classical is probably the best way to describe this? It was fun, but ultimately not something I would actively come back to.
I love ELP… except for the synth noodling. Everything else is fantastic but once those high pitched bleeps and squeals start the dog in my brain starts to freak. Unfortunately, synth is 1/3 of their makeup, and this was no exception.
'this is the kind of shit we should be doing, complicated shit' - Superhans But really a touch too much what an old band mate of mine would call 'wanking off' 2.5
I was prepared to like it from the first few tracks but it didnt fully deliver
man, prog rock rules so hard
Cool proto prog sound. Odd to think it’s live cause there’s hardly any crowd noise
I like the idea of making an adaptation (of Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky), but in the end it does not show any emotion or urgence. It is just a very clever prove of concept.
Day188 - obviously very musically talented and mozart probably would love them but does ever song have to have a synthesizer solo? extra star for the album concept
Rock adaption of some parts with additional parts.
Well that was interesting! I can see why it’s controversial because at times it does seem like they are just screwing around with the synthesizer, but when they really get going and jamming it’s not bad
Sounds like it would’ve been fun to be there
It’s all about the synthesizer. This is a good live album if you like synth, don’t listen if ya don’t like synth. Best number is the final song on the album; Nutrocker (which was used as the Boston Bruin’s theme song for couple of decades.) Pictures At an Exhibition had a strong finish which brought it up to a (2.6*s)
This album was oddly intriguing and I can't say I'd ever hear it if not for the list so there's that, it could be the soundtrack on a video game for all I know. It contains moments of decent artistry before it goes back to sounding like they're just making it up as they go along. It's a lot of guys on synths doing interpretations of what a UFO sounds like. It was a fun listen and no doubt even better live but it's a bit too much "noodling" and not really my style to ever revisit.
I can imagine seeing this live at the time would have been a hell of a ride. Pretty cool progressive rock project that I'm sure made a splash. There's some great organ and synch work all throughout the album that definitely scratches an itch. I don't know anything about the original piano suite but the ELP adaptation seems like a pretty cool project. I have to agree that this is one of 1001 albums I had to listen to before I die. Another good selection even if its something I never go out of my way for again. 2.82 stars
Very of its time 1970s and at its worst a bit silly but at its best reminiscent of Wendy Carlos clockwork orange soundtrack. Some very daft and uncool space sound effects but an interesting idea
OK, wasn't expecting classic but pleasant enough
You know, I hated this at first but then I started pretending I was listening to video game boss music and it got a lot better.
Is there anything that screams 70’s prog excess more than a prog rock adaptation of a classical piece inspired by an exhibition of a dead painters art. This may well be the absolute embodiment of why the genre became hugely uncool and died. It’s not that it’s bad it’s just getting so high on the smell of its own farts that you can almost taste it now. I bet the audience in Newcastle still have folk asking “who dropped one” when they walk into a room the stench is so great.
As a child, I thought ELP was the be all and end all of popular music. It was for me a way to separate myself from the Osmonds, Tom Jones, Lobo, and Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep. The brilliant songs out there suffered from guilt by association (hey I was barely 12). Prog excess wasn't a term anyone knew (let alone experienced). Our parents listened to the same radio station we and everyone else did. Promenade, on the other hand, was a road away from such--normalcy. And no one I knew wanted to be "normal," or "uncool," or what the older kids would have called square. These were the days "Go Away Little Girl" was a top ten hit of the year. If I'm sounding a little defensive, well, I'm just trying to argue for a little leeway for folks who were out there on their own and for those who, like me, tried to support them.
I've put off listening to this LP long enough. Never been an ELP fan. Let's see how it goes. Very dramatic (of course). Excellent musicians. Nice vocals. But I just wasn't into them at the time and am not into them now. Q: Was this the first R&R / Pop record to employ the MOOG synthesizer? NO! Looked it up and, very weirdly, it was the Monkees! I'm giving this ⭐⭐⭐ because, while I don't hate it and will never listen to it again, it served as a solid base for future prog albums. ________________________________ 🎧 LPs reviewed: 55 🎧 LPs left to review: 946 🎧 LPs I found great/relevant enough to be mandatory listens (5): 12 🎧 LPs I *might* include in my own list (4): 17 🎧 LPs I will certainly *not* include in mine (1-2): 15
I’m developing a worrying interest in prog rock. This is quite something, and you probably had to be there, but I actually kinda liked it.
As prog rock as it gets. Thanks for pushing the envelope.
I enjoy a bit of ELP from time to time.
Interesting
Interesting enough from a cultural edification perspective. It has some exciting moments, but my first listen it didn't really pull me in fully.
Some cool futuristic sounds, mixed with a bit of dad rock. I don’t hate it.
This is a level of "commit to the bit" that I had previously thought unattainable by mere mortals. Did I enjoy it? No. Was it an unforgettable experience? My brain is still in knots. 3 stars.
Ik durf te wedden dat deze zaal harder naar wiet rook dan de woning boven mijn eerste huurwoning ooit. En daar woonden liefhebbers kan ik je vertellen. Hier zijn een stel stoners enorm aan het experimenteren en het stoner publiek stond waarschijnlijk met open mond en half dichte, rode ogen te kijken. Dit klinkt als het vleesgeworden fenomeen waarbij je stoned danwel dronken denkt dat je de meest geniale ingeving ooit hebt en dat je deze dan opschrijft omdat je dit vaker hebt meegemaakt en je vergeet altijd wat de ingeving precies is. Een dag later lees je nuchter wat je hebt opgeschreven en het blijkt totaal kansloos te zijn. In the heat of the moment klonk dit waarschijnlijk virtuoos, maar als je er nuchter naar luistert heb je af en toe toch ook wel het gevoel dat ze maar wat liepen te pielen eigenlijk. Tussen de 2 en 3. Ik ga omhoog afronden omdat ik het wel grappig vind. Het is een beetje debiel en dat maakt het wel een leuke ervaring. Voor een keer.
3.5/5
I played several songs from the orchestral version of Pictures At An Exhibition with my high school band, so this album was nostalgic for me. It was interesting how the album started fairly close to the original source material and then seemed to deviate farther and farther into "rock" as it progressed. Also "Nutrocker" is an absolute Christmas bop and I think it should be on way more Christmas playlists.
Riesco a capire dalle canzoni che sono di qualità per il loro genere folk, ma a me questo tipo di musica proprio non dà niente purtroppo, non mi piace. Alla fine riconosco che è un album fatto bene. Secondo ascolto: musicalmente mi piace di più, la canzone "the sage" mi piace e sono rimasta sorpresa dai pezzi dopo, che non sono folk come dicevo prima, ma sono interessanti. Anche "the great gates of Kiev" mi piace. Mi piace la sua/loro voce.
This was a fun live performance, just like I'd suspect most prog rock performances to be. Really impressive instrument playing all around.
I love ELP, but to add this album on this list is just dumb. It's far behind on the list of their best works imo.
Of all the ELP available, Pictures At An Exhibition was chosen for a reason I don't understand. It's kind of a "proghead only" door to open. I enjoyed it as a fan, but can't see why it's here.
Loved this album when it came out but now, not so much. It's gotten a bit tired
- emerson, lake & palmer sounds like a law firm
Bit weird. Bit intriguing. Bit boring. Bit good. 2 stars would be too harsh. 53/100
I can certainly see this not being to everyone’s taste but it’s still a pretty impressive piece of work
Pretty cool if you're a fuckin' nerd or on drugs
prog with no heart
Basically fine, I guess, not my jam
It’s always pleasant to be generated an Emerson, Lake & Palmer album. I’ve listened to a few already and they always tend to make me feel warm and cosy inside. I think we’re in for a good one today! Let’s listen. Songs I already knew: Nut Rocker Favourites: Nut Rocker, Promenade Pt 3 I did it again. I got Emerson, Lake & Palmer mixed up with Crosby, Stills & Nash. I was quite surprised when all the synths kicked in and thought, “Well this is certainly not what I expected!” Well yeah, there is a good reason why. Anyway, this album was a trippy experience. It kind of made me crave sitting in a planetarium and watching a movie about the universe being created. I’m not sure what that says about the album itself, but there we go.
A lot of music nerds shit on this band because they think ELP is pretentious, just showing off for hours and boring their listeners to tears. But that's just showing off. That's not pretension. They're all about setting a mood; it's about building a sonic environment in which one can play and explore. The people at the concert seem to dig what ELP is doing.
A different kind of album, and I must say I really enjoyed it. From what I have read this is an adaptation of a classical music piece but I did not know this piece and I felt it still sounded like it's own thing. I can see people feel a bit iffy some really like it some don't like that it isn't their piece but I don't mind that. I can especially imagine the people who knew what they were in for seeing this in concert really enjoying it. I listened to it on my walk to and back from Tesco's and it ended right as I walked back up to the front door. Coincidence or did I just become one with the music? Just kidding I don't believe in that but it did make me extremely happy waltzing up to the door to the end of Nut Rocker, which I did know but I don't know why or if it is even their song I am assuming not but it was a great encore and ending. I am a bit stuck on what rating to give it, I was not keeping up with which songs were where as it was obviously one big experience but I can't tell if I am just not seeing the faults. I do wish he had sung more he had quite a fitting voice and it really made for some good moments. I am going to give it a 3, I think the fact it is live but recorded and put out as if it was it's own album is just a thing I haven't seen much of and was a great find. I can't tell if I would be wanting to listen again which is why I can't give it a 4 but maybe I will listen to some more of their work and see if it compares. All being said it was a pretty perfect listen for my walk. I would say there are no stand out songs but actually I noticed some points I was actually checking what was on because I was really enjoying it so I will list those songs even if it was a snippet. Blues Variation The Curse of Baba Yaga (Maybe if I remember right) The Great Gates of Kiev
Wow, nostalgic. This was in my dad's vinyl collection that I explored after wearing out his Beatles records. Found it odd - found it fun, listening again was quite odd. Blues Variation definitely very fun, but the rest is peak wankerdom by prog monsters
Well played, though I’m honestly still trying to wrap my head around why we need a great classical piece played by these guys. The “Pictures” tunes are at least not bad. The Tchaikovsky abomination “Nutrocker” at the end is a joke, however, bordering on unintentional parody. Almost docked a full star for that one.
It’s fun, but I wouldn’t need to come back to it. I enjoyed the encore “Nutrocker” more than the main performance.
Hold up, this is a thing? I freaking love Mussorgsky's piece + the Ravel orchestral adaptation, so this will be incredibly biased if they do it justice. Honestly super refreshing. Adding lyrics is kind of interesting, but also kind of works. Sucks that the oxen, my fave movement, did not make it. Highlights: blues variation, curse of baba yaga 3* because of a fresh take on a classical fave of mine, but not all great. Lyrics were not necessary.
Prog rock can be a bit of an acquired taste. I have to put my jazz ears on when I listen to it. The album definitely has it's moments. Greg Lake has some phenomenal bass playing. I did not to expect to be listening to a boogie woogie version of Tchaikovsky. The Nutcracker was a little out of season but... okay. They kind of rocked it. It's going on the Xmas playlist.
Just crazy. They really get into it with these renditions, especially Emerson on the keyboard. Not my favorite prog ever but you can't deny the energy and passion they put into this performance!
Un bon album live de ELP, très progressif, mais rien qui m'a tant surpris ou que j'ai trouvé mémorable. 6/10
I like EML, but not this album.
This album seems to be a quirky take on established classical music, which in ways make the classical movements more interesting.
cool
the gnome, nutcracker
While I dislike live albums, this one is pretty decent.
ELP is like if Yes went to grad school and jazz improve camp.
I’m on track three and it’s good. But nothing is grabbing me. It’s not a memorable experience so far. I’m diving the synth on “the old castle”. Now that I am reading the background this is making more sense. Almost a precursor to TSO
Genre: electric rock Instruments: 4/5 Modern Translation: 2/5 Dance Potential: 1/5 Listening Location: on the way to work Favourite Song: Blues Variation Made me feel: I was really intrigued by this album and then listened to the OG score. I liked their take on it and I thought it was creative. Rating on originality, probably won’t listen again.
lkjglkjg
Perfectly pleasant jazz prog nonsense. Certainly nothing I'd ever listen to before or again, but certainly didn't hate it.
Album 296 of 1001 Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Pictures At An Exhibition Rating : 3.5 / 5 There was probably a time when I would have thought this was the greatest thing put on vinyl. Now, I appreciate it, but it just doesn't hit the same. Don't get me wrong...it is good stuff...I just don't think it is great.
I wanted to love it but didn’t. Listened while walking around Epcot , which was cool, but I didn’t vibe well to it. Interesting enough listen though.
This moment in time with progressive music is a bit beyond me. It's high art that influenced a lot of musicians going forward, but it's a bit too artsy for me. Not a bad record, just doesn't do it for me personally.
Heavy, man.
Ok
1971 you are wild. This got to number 3 in the albums charts? What a time! Makes me want to start a punk band (I don’t like punk, but I kind of enjoyed this).
Interesting. Nice organs though
Very cool although the original piece is just way better
Oh I did listen to this one. Can't remember.
This was not for me
An overall ok prog rock live album with some nice mesmerising type grooves throughout. There is nothing too much that really stood out on this album, but it's just perfectly ok. Best: Nutrocker Worst: The Sage
That was alright. Odd, but fun. 3.5
It's a lot. I kinda get the point of view of the punks now...
Stressful half classical prog
Really interesting version of the classical piece by Mussorgsky
I like the comfortable playfulness of the artists. They throw the theme and go along with it knowing that their skills will lead them. Other than that it's pretty chaotic.
As much as this album really is not for me, I can't deny the absolute insane levels of talent on display here. Call it pretentious or whatever; there aren't many groups of 3 musicians who can create soundscapes like this. That said, because of the focus on virtuosity, ELP always felt a bit soulless to me. In the softer moments of this album, where we put down the bass slapping and drumsticks for a bit, the songs get tired and boring. But I do really dig the synth experimentation, especially for '71.
This bong is made for packin’, and that’s just what I’ll do…
Not the best. Organ based, almost early Who and Pink Floyd wannabes. Few word. 2.5 stars
Eins og áður hefur komið fram er ég vanalega ekki hrifin af "læv" albúmum. En þetta er flott. Áhugaverð túlkun hjá þeim.
Interesting album, although I didn't love the early electronic sounds. I suspect this had some influence on later Mannheim Steamroller.
churchy. okay naman.
Man. I am not interested in listening to this self-important twaddle, but here we go. All right this is actually much more enjoyable than I anticipated it being, so long they aren’t singing. I doubt I will ever give it another listen, but it certainly rocks harder than I expected it to. I wish the bass were more prominent in the mix is my main complaint. That and if I was treated to jazzy nutcracker as an encore I think I would’ve left early to beat traffic, that shit is idiotic (and I love the Nutcracker no lie, Tchaikovsky is brilliant and it is on constant rotation at Christmas). Anyways, if they had just restrained themselves from singing (or hired a better vocalist…?) I would’ve rated higher.
classical music into prog rock cool stuff, fun sounds
3,5
I don't know why I like Prog Rock, but this makes for good listening if you're doing something else. Entertaining but not if I'm trying to focus too hard on what they;re doing at any moment. The album flew by for me
Uses themes from the original composition, but doesn't really capture it's spirit. Still a worthwhile listen. 3/5
Liked some of it, hated some of it
2.5
I prefer the Ravel
Normally not a fan of live albums, but this one makes sense since they needed an actual concert hall organ for part of it. Three incredible musicians!!!
I think this group has some potential, but I don't think a live album gave the most ideal first impression. This album was hard to get into. I definitely want to check out some of their studio albums and see if my opinion of them changes.
I'm a prog fan but I've never been too big on highly experimental keyboard oriented style prog rock. There's some decent moments on here but on the whole the album didn't really do much for me. It's a solid 3
Es Génesis instrumental. Suenan bien pero me aburre un poco.
I’m a broken record at this point, 3 stars. Also, shouldve expected that the Nutcracker was indeed the Nutcracker.
Why does the app not say prog rock. This is so clearly prog rock. Except it's not the kind of prog I like apparently. Or not enough of it. Let's just say I understand the diverse reaction. I think I must have missed something on The Sage - Greg lake's 'best ever' live guitar recording? Too much of this is just nonsense. Interesting nonsense, and extremely well performed, for sure. There's great stuff in amongst it - The Old Castle (after it actually starts) into Blues Variation, and the hut of Baba Yaga. Also made me want to listen to the full Mussorgsky suite. Ha. Nut Rocker. I had no idea this was them, and I also would never have guessed this random piece of essentially boogie woogie was based on the Nutcracker.
Some really good parts
I have no real complaints about this album except for wondering why it made the list. 6/10
3.25
Yet another album by ELP, this time we have their first live album. I was very surprised how similar it sounded to first King Crimson record. Of course it shouldn't be that crazy, knowing that Lake was the main singer on both albums, but even though so many passages from Picture At An Exhibition could have been added to In The Court Of The Crimson King and no one would bat an eye. Unfortunately, the rest of the album was to progressive for my liking. I'm definitely more of a fan of Tarkus, and now in retrospect I should have given a better note to that album. Here - just an average rating.
Not a bad prog rock album. This was wasn't super compelling for me but I did look through more of ELP discography and found that Trilogy and their self titled album to be a bit better
I'm not a big ELP fan ... I like classical music, just not as prog rock. But the songs are lively, and the crowd's response is good to hear.
Honestly pretty fun, I love Modest Mussorgsky, so that bumps this up a bit. Call it a 3.5
prog rock is such a funny ass genre
Fun Proggy nonsense 👍
My first reaction to this was "Oh dear gods no" - live albums automatically start with everything to prove. Not much enjoying the other ELP I've heard from the list, I approached this with much trepidation. However - I actually found myself quite appreciating it. I mean, not enjoying it. Heavens no, it's a live album. But definitely appreciating it.
Interesting stuff
A really fun romp. A story in music. The three play off each other very well, filling the space, setting the scene, dynamic prog rock. Too much keyboard sometimes but fun. Afterward when reading about the album, I learned that it was an adaptation of a classical piece from 100 years before (Mussorgsky). Listening to orchestrations of that… it’s great! The musical tour through the space. So much of what makes this album good (the storytelling in music) is the source material. The performances are also impressive — a small supergroup and it shows. The prog rock.. eh, good in small doses.
i can't remember much about this so that means it was neither awful nor brilliant.
Well, this is ... interesting. I'm trying to imagine going to a concert only to find out the band is going to perform a live interpretation of Mussorgsky. Would I be delighted or annoyed? Hard to say. But I will say, this is not the same old stuff. It's weird, it's unlikeable at some points, it's pretentious as all get out, and it is not boring. I'd rather just listen to Mussorgsky but this is extra. 3/5 - Intriguing but not one I'm likely to repeat.
Too freeform but ok.
I was surprised to see so many negative reviews of this one. As a classical musician, I enjoyed the familiar themes and tunes from the 19th century portrayed and covered at a live rock concert in 1971. 3.25/5, rounded down to 3/5.
Me gusta, pero que sea una adaptación de algo ya existente, en lugar de una creación original, hace que le quite puntos. No digo que sea malo, pues también conlleva esfuerzo y trabajo hacer una adaptación así, es solo que no es mucho de mi agrado, ya que, en casi todos los casos de este tipo, preferiría escuchar la original. En un principio no sabía esto, no fue sino hasta que decidí buscarlo en YouTube que me di cuenta de que, originalmente, era una sinfonía clásica que, realmente, no está mal y mucho menos hacía falta hacerle una adaptación así. Personalmente, me gustó mucho y lo eh escuchado muchas más veces que la mayoría de los álbumes en esta lista, pero no puedo evitar sentir culpa al darle 4 estrellas cuando no es un trabajo totalmente original.
I'm digging the weirdness of this pick so much. What the hell makes something like this get conceived and played consistently on a tour. I mean, beyond drugs. In high school I went through a ELP deep dive, but I don't think I spent much time with this particular album, more with Trilogy and Brain Salad Surgery. the Baba Yaga parts are pretty fantastic and out there, but also surprisingly well orchestrated/coordinated with the synth/drumming. And I love me some Hammond B3.
Of the little bits of ELP I've heard before, I'd definitely take their more simple acoustic guitar songs like "From the Beginning" over their usual keyboard-driven sound, though I don't think this is a bad record. It's an interesting listen at least, but I totally get why others (especially those who don't like prog rock in general) wouldn't dig this. favs: "The Sage", "The Old Castle" least fav: "The Hut of Baba Yaga (Pt. 1)"
*The Great Gates of Kiev
3/5. It is a rocking album to listen to but it falls off near the end and on The Sage. I want to enjoy that song but I have no idea what he’s saying, it is badly produced. All the piano/synthesizer instrumentals slap though.
Streamed once in 2017 haha - song wasn't on this record
I was slightly dreading this, as I'd had their studio album last week which was a sonic mess. However, this was a bit of mad escapist fun. No band would do this now, and sometimes it's worth remembering the joy of music doing things you shouldn't expect. Not by any means a classic, but nevertheless.
It's pretty good, experimental.
My first thought was: Damn these people are losing their shit over this stuff! I guess there’s a few standout highlights (mostly the tracks that sound like they could be from King Crimson), but a lot of it just feels like they had this new organ/synth instrument and wanted to mess around with it. 5/10
Although I appreciated the concept, when I started listening yesterday, this album was not sitting well. So, I set it aside and tried again today. On second approach, I found the album more tolerable, but still just not going down very smoothly. There were a couple of moments when I was captivated, but mostly I spent each track thinking how much I just wasn't getting this. Again, in concept though, I was disappointed that I wasn't getting it.
This was fine but a little repetitive. I liked that it was live, and I enjoyed the first half more than the back half.
It's a really good reimagining of Mussorgsky's work, and does a solid job of transposing the songs and themes onto a prog rock landscape. But it's not at the level of the source material, and the singing is disappointing and needless.
So funny to hear a huge roaring rock show crowd and then a church organ piece. Oh dang this is actually the real Pictures at an Exhibition suite by the composer Mussorgsky. I am super intrigued by this and really surprised I never heard of it. It rocks! Ok some of the arrangements aren't really that mind blowing but to be honest I don't really love the prog jam rock sound. I like this. I'm a little bit confused about the concept in a good way. Overall it was fun. At times a little bland for my tastes but I think that is more because its prog from the 1970s.
A cool concept and a fun listen
I actually enjoyed this more than I thought. I was caught off guard a bit until I read what the album was. Being a rock cover of a piano suite it worked much better than it should have.
This is incredibly bizarre but a cool listen nonetheless. I think them taking orchestral music and making it rock is really cool. Highly recommend familiarizing yourself with the orchestral before listening to this.
There is a lot to this album. I really enjoy the instrumentation and the sounds, the playing is top notch and the choice of material is excellent, this not an album for heavy rotation but I appreciate what they did.
Pictures at an Exhibition is a live album by English progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer. It features the band's rock adaptation of Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky - which was a suite of piano pieces, performed at Newcastle City Hall on 26 March 1971. The band had been playing their rock versions of these piano pieces since they started live shows in 1970, and this live album was made for the fans that wanted the full collection. This unique live album was a joy to listen to. Who would've thought a rock cover of classical piano music could be so good.
This one was pretty ok. I did not mind it but didn’t have a significant reaction to it. I do like the bond the band members seem to have and got a feeling of a live jam session that still sounded good. I like when bands sound like they enjoy playing with each other and have fun doing what they do. I would’ve preferred being able to hear the vocals more but as a live album it’s what I expect.
Ja feelaratt publiken överreagera de va int såå bra
ELP are the quintessential hit-or-miss band. I’m on the hit side. This album is enjoyable and the boys play the arse off as expected, but it doesn’t do anything particularly impressive with it’s structure as a whole
INT
I would imagine that 1001 picked this album because ELP were (at that time anyway) the only rock band to record a classical suite and that, surprisingly, it charted pretty high, but so did their first two albums. I was thinking that, because it is classical music, I would need to listen to other classical interpretations of Pictures… and see how this one holds up. So, I listened to the Weiner Philharmoniker version and though I don't know classical music, I would think that an aficionado would prefer this over the ELP version. So, do I. That said, the keyboard playing is quite good and Keith jumps from one movement to another seamlessly. It would have been nice to hear some piano since the original composition was for piano, but Keith was a Moog pioneer so he wanted to demonstrate that he could master it live. The crowd certainly liked the show. I enjoyed the Greg Lake original composition. Personally, I find the self-titled debut album that came out the year before to be a more epic LP.
A bit mad, but I enjoyed it.
As instrumentais funcionaram bem para mim.
Interesting Concept. However not for me.
T3B 1. The Sage 2. The Great Gates of Kiev 2. Blues Variation
good group. one of the lesser know albums but a good album none the less
оказывается можно наиграть классику на гитаре во время концерта и потом тебя хвалят как лучший альбом века! наверно это прочтение не подняло для меня Мусоргского выше, чем обычные пианисты его поднимают
I love prog rock and I think ELP are really great musicians. However I think there is better prog rock material than this album. Don’t get me wrong there’s some great material in it (classical guitar solos are neat) but there’s a general feeling that it’s “too much” (in a prog rock sens of course). Ambition, still very solid but there is some more enjoyable rock prog material out there in my opinion.
61/100: Super unique album, but not in a good way unfortunately, although the name is absolutely incredible. This is a live album (which is cool) with hardly any audible applause. Either the producer edited out most of the applause, or—and this is more likely—no one in the audience clapped this whole concert because the music is so strange. With that being said, every once in a while there’s a decent song, like “The Great Gates of Kiev,” but not nearly enough to make this a good album. If you like this album, you’re probably a pompous contrarian.
3,5/4 Sehr progressive Mahavishnu, Birth control, Brösechine etc. vibes Not bad
I have always enjoyed the creativity of this trio. Emerson’s keyboard work is astonishing.
Strange interesting
Progressivt, man behöver vara sugen på nått mer avancerat när man ska lyssna.
Funky classical music
Enjoyed but a little too proggy for me.
Very experimental - some songs were great, others have “im on a space ship” vibes
Progressive rock, 1971. "Pictures At An Exhibition" is a funny live record with catchy instrumentals and a interesting sound. For me it's a good album, but I also think that it is very far to be one of the best live records of all time.
A bit too noodly for me. Some nice moments, but dull as a whole.
Like much of prog, bit's of this are really great Like much of prog, alot of this is self indulgent nonsense. TL:DR It's prog.
It’s cool and very proggy or something.
So impressed that was live! The British rock / classical blend is great. Pure talent to pull that off. Defiantly one to listen start to finish to get the full effect. Organ sound can be a bit much at times.
Interesting, and I had never heard of them. Some cool ideas in here.
I love synth stuff, but I really don't like prog-synth stuff. It's guitar wankery but synths essentially. It is technically impressive but it doesn't move me in any way. Clearly ELP are talented, but it's not for me.
Moody and interesting
Moog-filled classical/prog what's not to love?
I done the album Tarkus by them before and while I didn’t love it some bits were interesting so this might he good to go to… This live album starts off with promenade just a bunch of crowd cheering/ chatter then a short classical sounding instrumental. Then is the gnome it is a strange track at the start taking a while to sound cool highlight on here is the drums. Now there’s another track called promenade the first bit with lyrics! It’s really just some some lullaby though so nothing special. Now the sage is a song that I enjoyed it feels like a continuation of the last one but just longer and has a nice acoustic guitar solo ( not something I usually hear). The old castle isn’t that nice to listen to, yeah it’s interesting but weird noise in the start ruins it. It does come back on the more rocking second half of the song, but I don’t know it’s just better at that point still ruins a fine instrumental though. It goes into blues variation though which was an instrumental that I loved ( oh yeah and it’s also the first on here to be completely written by Emerson lake and palmer). Then we get the third and final track named promenade It’s much more similar instrumentally to the first part but has really anthemic drumming which makes it great for an interlude. Then there was the hut of baba yaga a very forgettable instrumental. Whereas the curse of baba yaga is actually quite cool on the album a high energy track ( where you can really tell it was written by Emerson lake and palmer). Then is the hut of baba yaga again this version is better though as the aggression is ramped up to the max. Now for the penultimate track (and the albums longest) the great gates of Kiev even though they don’t span the whole song this is by far the most lyrically led of the tracks which makes it really “epic” at the start the instrumental in the middle is fascinating but annoying then the last minute is crowd cheering so that’s good for them. The set ends with nutrocker just a rock adaptation of what i’am guessing is the nutcracker music ( but I’ve never been immersed enough in either classical music or the nutcracker to really care) I mean it’s good I guess. Overall,I’ve never liked the idea of live albums on the generator and I still don’t the album is a good piece of musicianship but not much else.
More Spinal Tap than I expected.
Well it was certainly something different. I can't imagine how anyone listening to this would consider it an essential "before you die" experience though.
A British prog-rock super group's adaptation of a late 19th century classical suite... this could really only go one of two ways. I enjoyed this album more than I anticipated I would. The calm chill of 'The Sage' and the raging ramble of the BabaYaga series of tracks culminating into 'The Great Gates of Kiev' were the real standouts for me.
Perfectly fine
3+
Prog just isn’t for me
Genre: Symphonic Prog 3/5 Emerson, Lake & Palmer, one of prog's only true "supergroups", that being defined as a purposeful conglomerate of tremendous players who've already made, or have begun to make their respective marks on the genre (Liquid Tension Experiment is the only other one I can think of), rather than just being a band that are consisting of all tremendous players with generally the same lineup (Rush, Yes, etc.). Keith Emerson, master pianist, assembled along with him bassist/vocalist Greg Lake (pilfered from King Crimson), and drummer Carl Palmer (Atomic Rooster). Together, while all being tremendously talented, it never truly transcended beyond the prog rock fan, and I think that's for the clear and obvious signs of giant, skyscraping egos. And what better way to check a band's ego than by listening to their live album, a cover of an 1800s romantic era Russian piece composed by Modest Mussorgsky... Overall, I'm not generally against bands showcasing their mastery and talent, or even with classical crossover music (Days of Future Passed [WHICH ISN'T IN THIS BOOK, A TRAVESTY], Zappa, etc.), but this is an example of a band being truly up its own ass. When they break into the weird, like when Keith Emerson goes fucking crazy on his synthesizer, it's great and not awkward, or when Greg Lake lets his voice fly and the full band gallops along to him, it's great and not awkward. But when it's just Emerson quietly playing romantic era chord progressions on one of his many keyboards, while a few thousand of rock n' roll goofballs listen with quiet, intent ears, I cringe. This is cool, but almost totally unrelatable. Music doesn't have to be, and these guys do a decent job of arranging the music to fit some prog-rock tendencies, but I'm sure this went over a few heads that night. It nearly went over mine.
Nut Rocker is a classic. Interesting Classical Rock sound. I can see why people like it. 3/5 for me now. Definitely one I'll keep in my playlist for a while. I think it will grow on me.
jaaaaaa rúnk en áhugavert
3/5
Mussorgsky's Pictures At An Exhibition fucking slaps, was pretty bored with this but then really picks up at baba yaga and gains this sense of fun that was missing from everything preceding. Also the crowd noise is immense and I love it.
Grand, ambitious, and awesome. Honestly, I can't hear the original in any of the tracks besides "Promenade" but it's still really cool. I respect ELP a lot more than my initial reaction to Tarkus. Still inherently classical, with an ambient orchestral presence, incorporating volume well.
lekkere leipe rock, dit is wel de drie sterren waard
Well...it's different, I'll give you that... I love the diversity in this 1001-albums list and was actually pretty pleased to see this one on the list. It's not exactly entry-level ELP (which probably doesn't exist) as it's mostly a rock-classical hybrid cover of a Russian classical piece. The most impressive part is that they performed this entire suite live in one go which seems near-impossible. I'd never heard the entire album before ("Nut Rocker" at the end is the exception and not actually part of the full suite) so it was pretty fascinating to hear the interplay between the 3 guys and try to figure out how they did it. Oddly I feel like even though Greg Lake did the vocals for me I knew/know the least about him growing up as the other two got more acclaim - Lake's guitar playing is fantastic and there's no way a young Randy Rhodes didn't listen to him; *strong* echoes of his acoustic playing on Ozzy's "Diary of a Madman" in "The Sage" It's not at all an everyday album but holy hell these guys were A++ musicians and points alone for pulling this off in such a manner. Again not for everyone to be sure but a slice of history when an album like this could actually make the top-10. 7/10 3 stars
Really enjoyed the use of synth and contemporary instruments. Actual muscians these guys
Viel hörbarer als befürchtet. Das original habe ich im Musikunterricht nicht gerade würdigen können
Kinda boring, interested to hear other albums
A lot goin on but some great licks
Talented guys
baroque prog rock jam band with a _lot_ of synth keyboard. Reminds me of my hipster friends in high school, but not even nostalgia can pique my interest here.
Prog rock for the seasoned basketcase. 3/5 PS: I'm now pretty sure RZA sampled this and not Mussorgsky for the intro to the Method Man 'Tical' album, which was an unexpected moment of clarity and stark realisation, sending me back in time over two decades to unravel my timeline and lived experience of earth. All in all, a veritable headfuck and an impending midlife crisis. Thanks, Emerson, Lake & Palmer.
eh who has time
This album was fine, but I honestly kept forgetting that I was listening to it. It didn't make me pay attention, nor did it annoy me in any way. I feel like this about a lot of 70s prog rock. It tends to just be...there. ELP are excellent musicians, and I think this would have been a super cool concert to go to, but as an album experience, it's forgettable 3/5
This was a nice surprise. A prog adaption of a classical suite. I must say it was an intriguing and enjoyable listen. Particularly love Lake's playing of strings in this, especially in Sage. Palmer's drumming was pretty good and compliments the piece. Although Emerson did play the keyboards and the organ fantastically, I did find some of the synths at the end of some songs and throughout The Old Castle. I'm also not a big fan of the Nutcracker so it's rock adaption wasn't that enjoyable. Still a good album that's been saved on my phone.
Good
Now this is good. Not great necessarily, but a very solid good. And it made me realize that I really like ELP. I think I spent like two hours after I listened to this album listening to random ELP songs. So that's a strong feat.
3.5
What the fuck
Maybe ELP is an acquired taste. I listened to this and I enjoyed maybe half of it. I’ve enjoyed their studio stuff more than this
I can't say I enjoyed listening to this a lot, but I must say that the album is executed very well. Because of the live execution, the flow between tracks is amazing, The Sage sounds mesmerizing, The Old Castle is greatly ahead of its time and the energy certainly is there. I can see what they were trying, and I believe that a 3/5 is fair for this live portrayal.
Nutrocker stood out, the rest was alright
very therapeutic
It's great, but it doesn't inspire repeat listens.
Enjoyed the quieter moments. When the tempo ramps up it sounds like a descent into madness. First class musicianship.
Wow, this is weird. Prog rock, lots of vintage keyboard and other weird sounds. Some of it almost symphonic. Not really my jam.
5
Cool sounds, wasn't expecting some of them from the early 1970s. Organ playing was fierce, good jam band instrumental listen.
Rock sinfónico. Un poco psicodélico quizá. Bastante bueno. Muy instrumental.
These are the same guys that had that Tarkus album. Another sort of strange progrock concept album. This one is played live and is an arrangement of a classical piano suite or something. Very few lyrics, its a lot of weirdness and moog synthesizers and stuff. Kinda fun, seems like you have to listen to the album as a whole, it would be strange to just randomly listen to these songs on their own.
i mean, sure. why not.
Interesting. Sounds like 70s church.
Maybe not for an everyday listen
ok
Very neat cover of a classical composition.
Very interesting. Never heard anything like it before. Nutcracker is a banger.
Started off with a well-known classical piece played nicely on a pipe organ, and I thought to myself, "Maybe this one doesn't have any of the masturbatory prog rock bullshit, and that's why it's on the list." How foolish and naïve. There's a ton of musicianship here, and it's all very impressive, but I'm baffled by the person who plunks down $72 or whatever to go watch a guy play the Moog for what seems like hours. Best track: Promenade (the first one)
Held my attention. Not something I would really listen to again. Sort of toed the line between pretentious and interesting. 3.5
I can think of 100 other albums that could be on this list other than this one.
Saved 2 songs. Weird though. Not sure I really enjoyed the listen. Sounded like a cool concert though. The experimental thing in this case I don’t totally love.
I feel like this band was trying to give me a headache, and it worked! Some cool moments but they were short lived. The great gates of kiev was my fave.
Sounds like every album my dad tortured me in the car with as a child. Certainly not my preference
I guess at the time this was a novel idea, a rock band doing classical music. It does not age well. Even though I'm a huge ELP fan, I did not enjoy this album. First, it's a live album and second, it sucked! It does show off some of the their musical skills. I would definitely replace this album with "Trilogy". 2-stars
Oh joy! A live album. As if we haven't scraped the bottom of the barrel to the point that we're carving deep into the earth's mantle, let's just make sure we capture every live performance from bands we already know. Whatever. I at least hope it's good. Upon listening, I have discovered that it's fine. There are cool passages and then there are prog rock songs based off of old standards like "Come All Ye Faithful" and Nutcracker songs, unfortunately titled "Nutrocker." I'll take the high road over the jellybean cliffs of Dogan-Bah before I slum it down on Hastings with the urchins shivering through Christmas plays. 2.5 GENRE: Loud nerds
¿Eh?
this is so much cooler than anything this list has given me so far lol i wish there was more shit like this on here. i like the composition a lot as it is and sidnt nevessarily need to hear it as rock to appreciate it more, but the band does more than just play a switched on version so the project seems justified. something about that specific prog rock organ sound makes me feel insane tho (derogatory). i dont love it but i respect the vision
Quelques morceaux sympas mais ils se sont vu trop fort.
This was a terrible idea in 1971, and time has done the project no favors. Organ-forward prog rock based on a classical music staple? With instrumentation that sounds like it was actually produced on an early Atari and fed through a transistor radio? Yikes. At least there’s some occasional crowd noise to drown this mess out.
Wow was this album necessary?
Promenade, pt. 1 - 3 The gnome - 2 Promenade, pt. 2 - 3 The sage - 3 The old castle - 2 Blues variation - 3 Promenade, pt. 3 - 3 The hut of baba yaga, pt. 1 - 2 The curse of baba yaga - 2 The hut of baba yaga, pt. 2 - 2 The great gates of kiev - 2 Nut rocker - 3
Not a fan of organ rock. It sounds like something a youth pastor band would play.
Weird use of synths on classical music. Odd combo as it tries to modernise Mussorgsky. 2/5
I didn't like the first few tracks much at all. The synths were grating to my ears. Things got better eventually, but still wasn't my thing. 2.7/5. Rounding down cause I'll never want to listen again.
Music
Booooooring