Pictures At An Exhibition

Претензионно, смело, нудно местами.

A little artsy and experimental for my tastes.

Early love 70s prog rock album, a cover of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition classical piece. It's fun, eccentric, bold and ambitious, the organ played brilliantly by Emerson (who was a big admirer of classical music). It's really like at an exhibition - some songs are energetic and chaotic, some are quiet and slow. It's not everyone's cup of tea but I have always liked early 70s ELP (and late 60s stuff by Emerson).

Well that was some weird shit. I don’t think I particularly liked it, but I’m also not sure I really disliked it. At least it was generally interesting, but not something I think I need to hear again.

Not horrible.

Live Prog rock + me = nope

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

Wasn’t crazy about this one…another 2 star album.

Interesting sounds. I’m sure it was new and exciting at the time of release but didn’t do much for me today. Didn’t hate it but wouldn’t revisit that soon.

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.

Hell yeah, Мусоргский 🤘 Although nutcracker one was my favourite in the album

Surprisingly enjoyable

Oh dear lord this was upsetting - "genre defining" apparently! The very worst and most indulgent of prog rock. I hope there's not much more of this - it's not like I get points off the kids for listening to it. There are a couple of moments of light - one song could possibly be a bit This Mortal Coil, another might have a hint of Belle & Sebastian but very little to redeem the whole thing. Glad I wasn't around much in 1971!

Wanky prog trash. I even hated the song from the nutcracker, which shouldn’t be possible.

Quite pleased that I wasn't at this gig, tbh. No shade on the idea or the musical proficiency, it just didn't sustain my interest.

The only real value of this LP is probably the words ELP set to Mussorgsky's piano suite -- and the value is probably close to 0 anyway. Everything else is kind of atrocious. Also, Ravel's orchestration literally exists.

I don't think this kind of music works best as a live album, but this is a classic and I mostly love it.

A classic take on a classic. Would be 5 stars if it were all instrumental, but they went and put silly lyrics on it.

Listen, I like 70s English prog as much as the next red blooded American millennial, but a live version of these toothless, diddling, prententious, go nowhere jamfests which crescendos in an encore of a bad organ rendition of the Nutcracker is NOT one of the albums you need to hear in your lifetime. 1/5

I tried to be open to this but it is the kind of progressive rock that I struggle with and find really self-indulgent.

Hey! Nut Rocker was my nickname back in college! And speaking of gratuitous organ abuse... DAMN, Emerson!

This was a fun change of pace. Without this experiment I would have never of found this. My biggest critique is that the album was live, and even that element wasn’t as awful as most other live albums.

sounds fun, this is a better live album than most bands just playing their hits Will I listen to again: 25%

This sounds like Jenova's boss themes from Final Fantasy 7 on crack. Absolutely fantastic listen. Too bad it's only a live album though.

Keyboard heavy, not for me

Wow seriously unlistenable 1/5

I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would.

Classic Prog Rock album that I'm sure everyone participating will enjoy. /s 3.5/5

Long before Alyson Hannigan became the world's most famous Freaky Band Kid, these psychos were at it, with Keith Emerson doing in his own way for the Hammond organ (heheh, he said "organ") what Cage and Branca were doing for the piano and guitar. Be patient with the slow start; once you hit "The Old Castle" it's nothing but speed and power and virtuosity from there on out. The encore turns the Nutcracker March into a demented dancehall tune for good measure.

This is a really cool fusion of classical music, jazz fusion, and Prog. Reminds me a lot of Return to aforever (specifically Romantic Warrior). Favorite Track: Blues Variation

As a once of listen it was ok, musically interesting enough, just not a go to for me.

3.5

I've heard this album once before and I still feel conflicted about it. I feel I should like it more than I do.

Recuerdos

Having known the band without ever hearing a single album, it's interesting that the first album to pop up on this challenge from them is a live one. I'm generally not a fan of live albums, or of live albums appearing on such lists - they need to be exceptional or have some exceptional story behind them for me to agree they should be included, rather than the usual 'important band released live album' shtick. Having now listened to this album, my review can be summed up in two words - 'mad bastards'

excêntrico...

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.

That's not my taste in music - Too confusing

Some sort of classical/prog crossover. Bit weird. Not sure why the crowd goes so bananas

Cool

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.

Pass

This album made me irritable. Too mixed up and confusing

Weird but I dig it. Need to give that one another listen.

Hell yea. Thats a fun album.

My wife didn’t like the theremin but I thought it was okay

This is pretty cool - a rock band doing a live show of an old orchestral piece.

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.

No live albums. Especially from ELP.

Poor Greg Lake sandwiched between two towering overactors. Yes it is accomplished and dextrous but boy is it tedious. There is some joy, the jolly and bop-along final track.

I’m giving extra credit because I like the underlying concept and seems so hard to pull off, but this was annoying!

I like prog. I realize prog is extravagant. This is just excessive though. It's just too experimental and out there. Half the time, they seem to be just trying to top themselves on how weird the sounds can get. At that point, it pretty much stops being music. There are a couple of good parts, though, so it doesn't get a 1.

Tough listen. Nothing to hate but very little to latch on to.

Dad- 6 Mom- 8 Mike- 7.5 Lori- 7.5 Michael- 8 Miles-NA Cole- NA Avg- 7.4

My toddler pulled the cord out of my sound dock while listening to this Nuff said

Another live album. Shouldn't be on list and most songs are covers

nice

Ohh Shit.. En åbner med ogel... Jeg er ikke fan af det her! Det stikker i alle mulige retninger med grimme lyde. Hov var det noget bekendt... Næ.. Det var bare mere grim rod. Duck stab var i det mindste underholdende. I modsætning til det her.

Det her stikker i alle retninger, og helt af. 1800-tals klaver musik fortolket og videreudviklet med orgel og Moog Synthesizer. Modsat progrockerne Yes, Genesis og Pink Floyd så lyder ELP faktisk som nogle der kaster alt over bords og udfordrer rockens konventioner. Det veksler mellem at være smukt og smadret. Mest smadret. Nogen gange sjovt. 3 stjerne for musikken. 1 ekstra for oplevelsen.

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.

"no dude you just don't get it dude, like dude, c'mon now"

Some prog rock bands lean into rock and some lean into prog. These guys definitely leaned into the prog, and have the chops to back it up.

Uno de mis grupos de cabecera de adolescencia cuando descubrí el rock progresivo (sinfónico lo llamaban entonces) Justo cuando ya estaba en sus estertores. No sé si es uno de los 1001 álbumes que no te puedes perder puesto que es un cover, con algunos elementos originales de la banda. Sea como fuere, es un descomunal ejemplo de comunión entre música clásica y rock, tanto para introducir a amantes del rock a la música clásica como viceversa. “The Great Gates of Kiev” y su final es simplemente apoteósico y emocionante.

Very self indulgent but still listenable

At least the audience seemed to like it

Not my favorite flavor of prog rock

Was going to give this 2 stars because the can play their instruments but they wore me down

I am partial to a bit of prog rock but it turns out maybe “lighter” prog! This turned the proginess up to 11 and don’t get me wrong, it is amazing how much sound 3 people can make but on occasions it just wasn’t nice, cohesive sounds.

I love this goofy bullshit, reminds me of my dad.

Prog rock that drifts dangerously close towards the “pretentious and obnoxious” side of the scale. Add in the live crowd noise and I’m gonna have to pass.

Moc to nebavi

Like a nightmare combination of Spinal Tap’s jazz exploration and Ross from Friends’s “music”.

That sucked soooo hard

what a concert i wish it was all just one song that's the only thing that would make it better. 9/10

To me, the prog rock music of this period was far too self-indulgent and baroque to be enjoyable to listen to. This is no exception.

One great fantastic memory made me listen and enjoy the whole album

3.4/there's something interesting here but overall just way too much going on

I actually fucked with this in high regard. Quite a surprisingly weird live performance

what even was this

The soundtrack to a D&D campaign I do not want to play. The components or whatnot that comprise this album are all part of other music I love, but for some reason it just doesn’t work for me on this album.

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.

I really wanted to like it, but it disappointed me.

Bleurgh. Good job I didn’t know about this before watching ‘Yes Minister.’ It would have put me off a classic.

Unusual but good

I love it! What an energy! Epic!

Not a prog rock fan.

Not so strange that it's a one, but I just don't see myself playing this again

åh nej jeg elskede den. Måske det mest nørdede jeg endnu har givet 5/5. Mussorgskij værker spillet på et orgel, så det lyder lidt som den 3. Bowser bane i Super Mario 64. Lyder som om alle involverede havde det mega sjovt

En del sjovere end det lige lyder på papiret!

I don't know the original piano suite of Pictures At An Exhibition.. But this was o.k.? The crowd seemed hyped. Some good noise here and there, but not super catchy. Probably some higher art than I am able to take in...

Very dull and uninteresting. To me, this record comes across as a technical exhibition of how well they can play without having any real feeling or flavor. Not saying that I can't appreciate musicians with high control of their instruments, is just that I'm very picky with it. In addition and very important. It seems like this record is an interpretation of a piano suite of the same name by Modest Mussorgsky. It is an interesting fact that I have just discovered after three listenings, but doesnt't change my feelings at all. To end this review, I'll say that I didn't dislike it as much as to give it a 1 star.

Ok I guess? Background noise for me

A total dud!

Too sober for this.

I liked parts of this - Rush is a favorite band of mine, so the prog rock elements shared between these two groups were welcome. But nothing really stood out as a rockin' good time for me. I am glad to have listened to EL&P finally though. Not sure how these staples of the prog rock community have fallen through the cracks in my listening experience.

Extremely talented musicians, but annoying as an album.

Klassieke muziek voor mensen die niet van klassieke muziek houden. Wel een rock imago, maar ook willen profiteren van de intellectuele reputatie van klassiek. Echt irritante muziek bovendien.

Nope. Just one song I could listen to again.

I wanted to like this, because ELP is one of the few prog bands I generally dig. Hell, their other 1971 album that’s also in this book (Tarkus) is pretty damn good in my opinion. Greg Lake is a great vocalist, and between his sick bass tone and Emerson’s killer organ work, they usually just sound like a great hard rock band to me. Additionally, I am nowhere *near* a classical music expert, let alone a Mussorgsky completist, but I know I really like “Night on Bald Mountain”. As I suspected, though, this doesn’t really work for me. I tend to have a disconnect with this style of prog that’s *very* classically influenced; I reeeeeally don’t want to use the “p” word (pretentious) because a) I like hundreds of artists that could be described as such, b) I don’t want to denigrate the effort these musicians have put forth, and c) I don’t think that word necessarily needs to have a negative connotation. So instead, I’ll just say it sounds…a bit hammy? Stilted? It’s most likely a product of me wanting different things out of classical music and rock music, both of which I enjoy on their own. There are moments on here I dig, but I won’t be itching to return to it. 2.5/5

"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)

Some interesting sounds in there. It took a while to get to something I could actually groove too. Vocals were subpar.

Method man tical slkutunnari. Sähköurkuja. Live levy.

Another album I question why its on this list

If you "get it" then, genuinely, I think that's great. I don't, and found it inaccessible, pretentious and not at all enjoyable to listen to.

Interesting. I mean, “Pictures at an Exhibition” is a classic. But there’s so many versions. I went in thinking do I really want to listen to another version of something I’ve already heard? “The Gnome” kicked that thought right out of my head. Oh man. The tones, sounds, atmosphere, just so big and punchy. Kicks you in the face in the way you want. Not forward like sometimes metal can be. Super proggy but still grounded. Just absolutely ripped the whole way through. I enjoyed this more than any other adaptation of “Pictures at an Exhibition.” Great idea, great execution. Standout(s): The Gnome The whole thing 9.5/10

Hammond, alternativ kombination af klassisk og psykedelisk rock. Jeg foretrækker nok almindeligt klassisk, når det kommer til stykket.

Fuckin prog rock

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.

Serious prog, but still fun somehow.

Very cool

имба. русские вперед! the sage - одна из любимых песен, даже на гитаре ее играл когда-то) советую сразу смотреть live.

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.

Boo

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.

An excellent composition played with excellent musicianship. I find it funny the difference in opinions on this album, as some people would dread a live album of a prog rock adaptation of a classical piano suite, but I, as a massive nerd, was actually excited. I was not disappointed. All the playing was spectacular and the material was strong. The synths sound cheesy and dated, just the way I like them. It is amazing hearing the audience going wild for Nut Rocker of all things. 4/5

Live. Lots of keyboard/organ with drums. Maybe enjoyable stoned. Minimal bad lyrics. Wouldn’t voluntarily listen to it. Like some of there other songs, eg Lucky Man. But this album sucks. D-

I have no use for this.

Quite dumb. Absolutely not an important listen by any stretch.

A prog rock homage to a classical piece is a good use of prog rock.

Pretty cool ngl

Pipe organ, flamenco, classical prog rock Nutcracker

A live album that's as dead as the medievalisms these dudes resurrect, w/ an ear for the pretentious and the sentimental: 'Eroded by times rivers / To the shapes we now possess'; 'Trained apart from houses of stone / Hour of horses pick the bone'; 'Come forth, from love's spire / Born in life's fire.' It's soap-operatic rather than rock-operatic, brimming w/ melodrama and about a thousand meaningless interludes. ELP is missing the H, tho I doubt they found any, releasing seven tapes after this one, and something tells me they're no better than this organ-blasted nonsense. I actually feel for Baba Yaga, stuck in this soulless mess w/o even an attempt to understand where he's coming from or to properly delineate his character. The nerve!

This is exceedingly boring to me. 2 stars or D.

Interesting concept, but the album drags on a bit. Didn’t hold my attention after a while. 2.5/5 Probably won’t listen again

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

Highly experimental with a weird energy I didn’t expect. Very arty and out there. Must’ve been a very early use of synthesizers. Wish I had more time with it because I think there’s a lot here.

Emerson, Lame, & Yawner

If this were an exhibition, it would be arrested for exhibitionism.

Lots of squeaky screechiness mixed in with some actually enjoyable sound. It's a shame because there were elements we actually enjoyed, but just too much that we found unpleasant.

I liked some of the Promenade pieces and the Baba Yaga section was great!

A mixture of tedious and annoying. An album made up of organ solos and the shrill, harpsichord-led closer. This type of music just isn’t for me.

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.

Tried to give it a chance as a chaotic time but it just wasn’t my jam. The solos were cool but not much else

Ooft - this was a slog. The guitar I'm Sage Man redeemed it (but not much)

84/1001. "The album continues to evoke a highly divided reaction among critics." I think I used to own this and even listen to this. Now I don't really see why. A lot of the early electronic stuff is really boring — there are some interesting sonical experiment things done for sure in radio workshops and by some pioneers, with buchla and tapeloops and all sorts of weird machines, but using a moog to recreate classical music is nowadays imho was and is mistake. Sorry Walter / Wendy Carlos, sorry ELP. I guess this album has created highly divided reactions even within me. There is some groove going on at places and some beautiful moments, so a 2.

Kinda cool at times and probably pretty influential for the time, but idk...

Yeah, no. I love me some good prog rock, but this isn't it. As I already wrote when reviewing their album Tarkus, stringing together solos does not make for good songs. This record does have its moments. Blues Variation slapped. But I guess you had to be there. The quality of 55-year-old live recordings doesn't help this record's case either.

Eh no this is pretentious af

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.

Yikes this album made me say yikes

An assortment of electronic piano and eclectic songs, with some very trippy and short, others melódic and poetic.

Interesting choice. It's a good album, I've got it but very rarely listen to it. The bonus tracks on the cd are very welcome.

Intriguing at parts but not as a whole

Deberia grabar mi reaccion cada vez que sale un disco prog. La superiorida estética y moral del trio. Es increible que esto haya sido "popular" en los 70s. Fue realmente muy osado lo de los chicos de ELP, tendría que escuchar la suite original.4.5

mystic trip

im not weird enough for this yet. feel like i got fucked up at a carnival

This didn't work for me. I like the idea of taking a suite and adding their own flair, but I found many of the songs to be annoying. There were a few redeeming qualities though. 4/10

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

While I can appreciate the musicality and technical prowess of this....it reminded me of Spinal Tap without the humor. It's the kind of album that led to the reaction of punk music. I would have rather heard something from ELO if you want a merging of classical and rock. Just left me cold without any emotional connection to it.

Have to say I love the concept here, take a long dead composer's music and play it like gremlins who stumbled across a bunch of meth and a synthesiser. Wasn't too sure about it at first, first few songs are lackluster, but from Blues Variation on I was into it, a lot of fun to listen to. Will be checking out more ELP and Modest Mussorgsky, who I'd never heard of.

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

Challenging. I've never really understood Prog. This album started off with a classical piece then a nice simple ish song 'The Sage' then headed off down the Prog path. There's only so much Hammond organ a human can handle. Great skill and perhaps inventiveness but once the Old castle hit, no. Too much noodling.

When I was younger, I thought that I liked prog. As time went by, it turns out that I just love Rush, Pink Floyd, Collegium Musica and some Genesis/Tull - everything else falls into what I felt and found to be interminable wank. ELP are one of the major kings of that wank. You know all the cliches, so I won't babble on about how they're technically superb but emotionally absent or whatever. Well executed but soulless. Live energy is more acceptable than the studio stuff, but also invites some wanking. Thank goodness that Mussorgsky wrote the music for this one - probably my favourite thing I've heard from ELP! Still fundamentally bored, though. Favourite tracks: the theme from The New Statesman

This group's style is just so fun and ridiculous, even if this isn't their greatest work it's still entertaining to hear those organs get absolutely shredded

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.

Initial reaction: oh gawd, more prog?!!! 😩🙄 (Finishes album): that was disappointing. Transforming Romanticist classical compositions into symphonic prog was going to be a challenge. I give ELP points for enthusiasm. It needed more umph to make it more engaging. Skip this unless you’re *really* into prog rock. Overall: 2/10

Just because you can play keyboards fast doesn't mean it's good. Also falls into the trap that a lot of old live albums do which is suffer from really weak production. The vocals get absolutely lost in the mix and it feels like every instrument is fighting the rest of the band to be as loud as possible

Didnt really catch me besides ghe video game type beat on the last song

..

Annoyingly hard to find; the version I did is live. Automatic 1 star. 8/10 for the organ though.

This isn't for me, but I can imagine music critics eating this up. 2.

I think this was fine? I somehow don't remember it at all. Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 3/5

You know what, follow your passion with great skill, that's a good thing. Extremely well done live album. But boy i do not like prog rock at all.

Started off slow and melodic then just started rippin

muy monótono

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.

Mmmm hmmmm…

Prog rock... cool i guess. I'm getting fatigued by these though. Why a live album? Does creative really mean good? Does old mean wise? The Great Gates of Kiev is good.

I’m pretty familiar with Tarkus and Brain Salad Surgery, both of which I love, but I’ve never listened to this live album. It was for the most part what I expected yet there were some moments that really caught me off guard. I would imagine seeing this live would’ve been mind blowing. Overall I loved this experience, easy 4.5 for me!

Whoa, this one is crazy. I had to crank it up to hear it properly. These blokes are going apeshit on their instruments. Sounds like some Mars Volta. I love it. I'm giving this a 4.

I was between a 2 and a 3 for this and then got to the last track, which I loved!

I had hopes for this, since their s/t debut was a pretty good album, and I know the classical piece pretty well, but this was not very good. Surprisingly, their debut is not part of our 1,001, but their second album, Tarkus is.

To be fair, I don’t think listening to this sleep-deprived in the fever-induced haze of a viral infection did it any favors. On the other hand, I don’t think there are any conditions in which I would enjoy it.

I'm just not a fan of live albums.

pretty good actually

A bit odd

a dramatic rock adaption of "pictures at an exhibition", a piano suite by modest mussorgsky that depicts an exhibition of illustrations and architectural works. those of you classical heads will already be VERY interested in this album, and i'm happy to report that this adaptation of mussorgsky's work is incredibly solid. the piece is already fantastic by itself, and emerson, lake and palmer translate the centuries old composition into a booming rock symphony. if you're a purist when it comes to classical, you'll either find this amazing or insulting to the original piece, but really... for me, this is a near-perfect translation of a classical piece made for a more modern time. try pulling up the matching pictures with each track!

Oh great, more '70s prog. Sigh.

Well, that was massively self-indulgent nonsense. Live albums are so rarely good at the best of times, and this does nothing to buck the trend.

Interesting album. I like some ELP but this isn't exactly up my alley. But I can definitely enjoy the talent and skill involved in making this album.

I liked it, classical music in a prog manner. Some interesting things happening.

Weird

Fun to listen to

This alternated between "unlistenable chaos" and "meh" for the whole album. The synthesizers were over the top and screechy for the most part and the album's largest detractor. And then fucking Christmas music at the end? I'd rather have tinnitus than listen to any type of Christmas music ⭐⭐

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.

Prog rock album! Thought it reminded me of king crimson; turns out it's a supergroup containing a member of king crimson. Parts seem like a random amalgamation of noise often, but imagining being in the crowd and the atmosphere at those parts justify it. Especially considering this is a live album recording. It's hard to imagine how special this would sound compared to most other music made at the time - otherworldly. Perhaps not my go to easy listen, but undeniably great.

I liked it, I'm just not sure who I'd recommend it to.

Normally I like a bit of prog rock. But this... this doesn't work for me. Next.

Absolute gratuitous prog rock wankery and its a live album too so it just feels endless and the crowd are eating it up as they cheer so loud at the beginning when they announce what they are about to do... It insists upon itself.

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.

This is stupid.

an album of classical music covers performed live. not great, but not awful.

God damn this is fucking annoying.

Liked it more than I thought. Took a bit but it finally pulled me in.

This is the 158th album I’m rating. I saw classical crossover on the Wikipedia page and now I'm really interested. Adding to my Playlist - Promenade, The Gnome, Promenade, The Sage, The Old Castle, Blues Variation, Promenade, The Hut of Baba Yaga, The Curse of Baba Yaga, The Hut of Baba Yaga, The Great Gates of Kiev, and Nutrocker. Not Adding to my Playlist - Nothing. All in all I liked 12/12 songs. This is really cool. I wonder if the original Pictures at an Exhibition is better or worse. I imagine it's worse though because this is great.

Fine...

Not really my speed

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.

Not available to stream 😭

Great concept!

Ein überambitioniertes Live-Album, das mehr Eindruck schinden will als musikalisch überzeugt. Die Adaption von Mussorgskys Werk verliert sich in bombastischen Synthesizer-Soli, überladenen Arrangements und einem unstimmigen Mix aus Klassik und Rock. Technisch brillant, aber emotional kalt – ein Paradebeispiel für die Selbstverliebtheit des frühen Prog-Rock. Zwei Sterne für den Mut, nicht für das Ergebnis.

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.

If not for the technical nature of the music being played I would give this 1 star. It's pretty chaotic and sounds more like an action sequence to a movie than music that I would want to listen to. Also, it's not varied enough in tone to be interesting.

A rock adaptation of a classical piece? Fascinating. Would listen again.

why

Really wanted to like this one, since the idea of adapting classical music to rock like this is a neat one (albeit I'm admittedly a philistine who doesn't have the patience for most classical music). Unfortunately, it kinda ended up sounding like a generic prog jam? And as someone who's jam-averse, that obviously doesn't work for me!

Sometimes all you can do is laugh

Bored me to tears. Disconnected sounds, long stretches of nothing then explosions of noise. Pass.

Was not prepared for how much I would enjoy this absolute prog classical fuckery. Three incredibly talented musicians taking on classical music in the most prog rock fashion possible. Keith Emerson’s synths and organs are mind-blowing now, let alone when this got released in 1971. Greg Lake is keeping things moving in the background. And Carl Palmer is a fucking madman on the drums blasting away on the wild rhythmic changes, sounding both like a metronome AND Animal the Muppet at the same time. Maybe the only problem is the encore, “Nutrocker”, which doesn’t hold a candle to the majesty of the rest of the work, but it’s a nice fluffy dessert on top and doesn’t ruin a magical performance.

5 - mastapiece. Perfect prog performance

prog rock con tastiere incalzanti, da rivisitare

ngl, this goes hard. ridiculous in all the best ways

Please no.

Wtf

horrible

The ways I was not in the mood for this today were comical. That being said, it made me laugh, and I can see myself liking it well enough on another day. K thx byeee

Miremos al prog-rock como cualquier otro género, sólo para efectos de este ejercicio. El prog-rock como el reguetón, como el jazz o el electro-pop. En todos ellos encontrarás ejercicios que encapsulan el género como ningún otro disco y también encontrarás discos que logran centrarse en el punto medio del género, sin salirse de las casillas predeterminadas. Éstos últimos son discos que prácticamente son sinónimos de su género. Tras ellos corre una legión de fanáticos. La diferencia entre los fans del prog y, digamos, los fans de los corridos mexicanos, el reguetón latino o el k-pop es que nadie que pertenezca a estos últimos tiene pretenciones de intelectualismo. ¿Se ofenderá un fan del k-pop si digo que me aburrió su disco? Probablemente no, pero si digo lo mismo de este disco de EL&P probablemente una legión se me venga encima a acusarme de que mis oídos no estan entrenados para degustar semejantes manjares. Es justo decir que mi queja es más con los fanáticos que con la música, pero uno alimenta al otro. Es una relación simbiótica. Todo esto para decir que este disco me aburrió. Este disco es como esos discos.

Okayish

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.

A live, organ-heavy prog epic. I mean, it was always going to hit its own ceiling and it does so pretty early on. Most of it sounds much of a muchness, it sort of smears into one long prog-fest and doesn't really try and be any more than that. It's probably a lot cleverer than it leaves you feeling it was, but clever isn't always fun, and I had enough fun in one play through to not need to hear it again, thank you.

I'm over 900 albums in at this point and this was one of the most unique albums I've come across on the list. Not something I'd put on everyday, but an enjoyable listen.

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.

Fairytales like keyboard driven English prog. Can definitely hear that one of the band members are from King Crimson. Cool listen, but a bit much at times. The changes in volume in the mix is annoying.

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.

I loved it! It is one of the best live albums and one of the best art and progressive rock albums I ever heard. Masterpiece! Classics! Perfect sound, perfect themes, excellent vocal! Their adaptation is so much better than original Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky. And this the best album by E.L.P., IMHO. However, "Mars, the Bringer of War" (adaptation of original suite from "The Palnets" by Gustav Holst) created by Emerson and Lake with Powell is a perfect hit too.

Not my cup of tea. One to leave in that decade

I liked that there was a story to the album. That was about it. Reminded me of final fantasy or church music but pixelated. The rock elements were cool. On a day I was nicer this could maybe be a 2.

Maybe it’s because I love prog, but I loved how all over the place this was, so I def understand the lower rating on this album, but this was just a lot of fun overall

The skill with which many Prog Rock musicians played is incredible. Truly. ELP amongst the best if not THE best.

Not so much bad as it is useless Oh wait it is bad Oh dear it is bad

The word noisy screaming parts were the best parts.

Unlike anything I've ever listened too.

I listened, hoping that wise grown up me would find something here, but nope, young dumb me had it right. Fuck art rock.

PROG ROCK! PROG ROCK! PROG ROCK! Emerson, Lake, & Palmer are one of the most legendary groups in prog rock history. As a supergroup, the band was sure to produce some great works of art, right? Well, I'm sure they did at some point. Pictures at an Exhibition is close to this, but I can't say that this gripped me as much as I'd hoped it would. This is still a good listen though. This is a pretty unique album as far as this list is concerned. It's a live album rendition of a Mussorgsky piano suite. How cool! That's such a unique concept and I kind of love it. Apparently the classical influence is a big part of ELP's core identity. I can respect that. Given the exclusion of classical music from this list, it's nice to get something adjacent to it as part of an album like this. As this is a rendition of a full suite, Pictures at an Exhibition is definitely one of those albums that's greater than the sum of its parts. The songs are good on their own, yes, but the whole album experience is definitely where most of my appreciation lies. ELP's style is cool. I mean, they're prog rock. What else did I expect? The bass and keyboards especially stand out to me. The writing has that sort of fantasy-type thing that I like about bands like Yes. The interpretation of the suite is fun. This is far from my favorite prog rock album of all time. However, I still enjoyed. Even the weaker prog rock albums of the project are still good times for me! Low 4/5. Maybe Tarkus will be better.

Not related to the review of this album, but what is up with these English prog rock bands that just have names that sound like a law firm? There was a Yes related band with a similar law firm style name too. Anyway, time to settle in for a prog rock adaptation of a Russian composer's "piano suite". Ok then... The Promenade pieces do sound familiar but I can't really say where I've heard it before. I like the piano and organ work here. I enjoyed the slow play of The Sage before things open up with the heavy organ work in Blues Variation. Loved all the instrumentation here. Maybe the live component made this sound wild, but I'm not sure I liked the Curse piece of this album. Same with Great Gates of Kiev, or at least a couple of portions in the song. The Nutrocker was kind of fun, but I have no idea why it's included in this album. Kind of agree with the others that while I enjoyed this, I probably won't come back soon. Still, I'd give this a low 4.

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.

Love a live album. Love the keyboard jamming. Would have enjoyed being at this show.

Was hoping for a little more from a Live EL&P album since the couple albums we have had from them were awesome. Still ultra proggy and synthy which I like, just didn't live up to my expectations. Nutrocker at the end was pretty fun. Low 4

Nice some more ELP. Damn that synth that came in on The Gnome was sick. The Promenade songs sound so familiar but not sure where from. All pretty solid stuff. Not sure I'm going to come back to this one. I much preferred Tarkus but there were still a ton of fun parts to this. Ending with Nutrocker was weird. Low 4.

Glorious

This was pretty unique and interesting.

3/10 Bands in the 70's had way too much time on their hands. plus this is a live album for no reason. 6-15-2025

One of my all time favorites

Meh.....sounded like a live experimental funkadelic miss

It absolutely does sound like video game boss music (track 6) I appreciate the creativity but bleeeeeeh. Please generator gods just give me an album from the 90s

I mean, I like Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, and Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, so maybe I would get a small kick out of a band performing amped-up versions of them at a gig. Trouble is, this kind of technically proficient noodling almost always serves to make the original compositions sound worse, especially when they’re performed using the most budget sci-fi keyboard sounds imaginable.

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!

It’s rare that I find myself agreeing with rock critics, but in this case the ones quoted in the Wikipedia article are spot on. So much unnecessary and unjustified self-importance.

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.

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

Des trucs affreux avec quelques trucs franchement intéressants au milieu. Je réécouterai jamais ça, mais j'ai pas complètement détesté non plus.

What an absolute pile of garbage this was.

I did stick it out through the whole thing! But I mostly wasn’t paying attention. This is some boring prog made either for people who understand much more about interpolation of classical music or those stoned out of their gourds.

Didn't care for it.

Never heard of this. Like the fact that it's a live album. Some research (google lol) says it's an adaptation of a piano suite. Ok. Let's go. Oh ok The beginning of The Gnome was weird (derogatory) but I might be starting to like it. Yeah no that was a false alarm. The Sage is pretty I guess. I'm sorry but the synths here just... what? I like some parts of these songs, right now the second half of The Old Castle is cool but man... Ok I'm vibing with Blues Variation, that's fun. Wish this and the second half of the last track were one full song but oh well. I Liked The Hut of Baba Yaga! The next two tracks, while sometimes interesting, just did not leave much of a note on me. This 6 minutes song towards the end, while epic in scale and instrumentation, just does nothing for me. And yeah, that last song left the same taste of meh in my mouth. Well, I'm glad that the people at the concert seemed to be enjoying the music! I sure wasn't, but hey, who am I to dim other people's light. If you like this, good for you! It just did absolutely nothing for me, besides a few interesting spots here and there. I still can't get over those synths... yeah, not for me. Bye

The original "Pictures At An Exhibition" is approximately 34 minutes long, which is about the same length as ELP's. I feel like ELP could have done this song in about half the time, and kept about as much of the punch. Maybe it's because the live versions I have heard (or seen) are about that, maybe 20 minutes. Parts of the performance that I had not heard live include "The Sage," which I always felt worked. I wish they had done that more live when I had seen them, although there is a studio version that includes it. The boldness of doing this piece live as a three piece as opposed to with an orchestra back in 1971 is something to applauded, but quite frankly I never liked this version. It drags for me, and really the only part I come back to is "Nutrocker." The point is, the piece cut down to 15-20 minutes is effective, but this is really not for me. It's not an album I come back to at all. "Death is liiiiiife" indeed. Top tracks: "Nutrocker," "The Sage"

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.

First, ELP didn't need two albums on the 1001. Tarkus was enough. Second, this album demonstrates all the excesses of ELP (usually held up to represent the excesses of prog - which is a shame because I'm a prog fan and even I think ELP is too over the top). It may have been groundbreaking (and popular) at the time, but it hasn't aged well. In general, I wasn't a big fan of Side 1. Mostly Emerson showing off (as per usual). Lake's original The Sage wasn't bad, even if he lifted part of the acoustic guitar line from King Crimson's Epitaph (which he co-wrote, so I guess there's that). I liked the first section of Side 2 a lot - the full band Promenade followed by the three Baba Yaga tracks. Those tracks rocked and show that Mussorgsky was metal 100 years before metal (at least his composition style was). This sent me down the rabbit hole, learning about the original Mussorgsky composition (originally composed for piano) and Ravel's famous orchestral arrangement. I then spent time listening to recordings of both versions. Definitely had a preference for the orchestral version. The Apple Classical app recommended an amazing version by the Berlin Philharmonic (conducted by Sir Simon Rattle in 2007). Absolutely amazing - go listen to it, especially The Gnome, The Catacombs (you want metal? The second part of the Catacombs is titled in latin, "Cum mortuis in lingua mortua" - "With the dead in a dead language" - raise your metal horns!), The Hut of Baba Yaga, and the Great Gates of Kiev. Why am I talking about all this in my review of ELP's album? Because you're wasting your time listening to ELP's version. It pales next to the original. As an example, I got chills listening to the symphony version of The Great Gates of Kiev but was underwhelmed listening to the ELP version (yes, despite all the explosions). It probably didn't help that Lake's singing was particularly weak on this track and the lyrics were cheesy ("Death is Life"? Whoa, deep, dude). I can appreciate the skill it took for ELP to play this, and the audience sounds like they went wild for it, but this is one case where I can see why people crap on prog rock.

Meh.

Not a fan of live albums

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.

fuck yeah this album rocks. what a great find! modest mussorgsky (and tchaikovsky) reinvented in 70s prog rock? how does this have such low scores? pump promenade_ver_1, _2, and _3.mp3 directly into my veins favorites: literally every track. i liked them all on spotify. get rekt haters

This is a fantastic album and one of my all time favourites. Perhaps not my favourite ELP album but one which gives me some great memories particularly seeing ELP live. Those who complain about the sound quality of the album I do sympathise not because of the sound but because you were never fortunate enough to witness Pictures played live. I saw and heard it live 3 times. At Leeds Town Hall the static building organ was above stage level. When Keith Emerson said “I’m going to do some climbing “ everyone knew what was coming. He played the first few chords of Pictures, instantly recognisable and a beautiful tune, and everyone went wild. Keith was an amazing showman and just had to be seen live. As an explanation to those who think the sounds halfway through The Great Gates of Kiev are just random noise, Keith here was playing his Hammond either on top of him or with him sat on top rocking it around the stage. To see it was to believe it and I’m so glad that I did witness this as a testament to his superb musical ability. Shout out also to Greg Lake for his tender lyrics set to the original score. I know those words by heart and often sing them myself in any impromptu moment. I bought the album just prior to going on a 3 week outward bound course in the Yorkshire Dales where access to any news let alone music was forbidden. I was desperate to get home and to play this very disc. On the Friday night I arrived home I was exhausted due to exertions and lack of sleep. I went to bed early and listened to Pictures but did not get beyond Promenade before I was asleep and the needle was stuck on side one run off when I awoke 12 hours later. This is one abiding memory when I listen to this disc but it is the live performance which really does come to mind. One other important thing. Getting acquainted with this album encouraged me seek out the original Mussorgsky classical version of Pictures. As I had also done previously with other classic/rock crossover’s introduced to me by The Nice. Whilst I cannot be described as a classical music aficionado my knowledge and appreciation of that genre was gained entirely due to albums such as this and I think that was what ELP intended. 5/5 23/5/25

I'm sure it must have been fun to be there.

Uh.. whatever! I even have this on CD, but cannot find the appeal, sorry. The audience seems to really enjoy it, though... better live than as background music while I work, I guess.

I mistakenly thought it was ELO and when they started playing I thought man why do they suck so bad? Even the audience at times sounded a bit unsure about clapping after a song ended. I think I even heard people leaving for the exits.

remarkable

A bit weird. Got through more tracks than I thought I would.

I tried to like this, but I just couldn't. 2/5

Nothing special.

Standout Songs: The Sage Blues Variation The Great Gates of Kiev

I like ELP when they're more rock than classical, so his one is meh to me. ⭐⭐1/2

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.

What people who don't like prog rock see prog rock as.

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.

This is what people are talking about when they say they hate prog rock. Borderline unlistenable 2/10

This album had a decent number of moments that I liked, but overall there weren’t any songs that I enjoyed. I did appreciate the keyboards and the tight drums, but for the most part, I either found it unpleasant or of little substance and I wanted more.

It was cool, some interesting tracks, but i dont see myself returning to it

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

I could feel my enjoyment for Prog Rock being tested for a good majority of this albums runtime. Every time I could feel myself coming around to enjoying something on this album it would start to overindulge in some way that left me scampering, only for it to lull me back into enjoyment later down the line. The potential ratings I was tossing around in my mind initially were very mixed, but I was considering being a bit generous with my score until around the middle/later portions of Blues Variation where it started to just feel a little too gratuitous, The Baba Yaga stretch towards the end did win me back a bit but good god those synthesizers really are a fucking blight on a lot of this album. Promenade and The Sage was my favourite stretch of the whole thing overall though. Still probably never listening to this again, I'm also really starting to fucking loathe any album I see on here that is credited to a super group

I know the name, doubt I could name anything else of theirs I may have heard, and I enjoyed this. Really nothing else to say about that.

On first listen I thought this was phenomenal and was gonna be a 5/5. But something was off, I enjoyed it but when I went back to my liked songs there were massive gaps and I was like what??? Since it plays like one continuous track clearly i thought the songs were longer than the reality. On a second listen the flaws stuck out a lot more. On the songs I didn't particularly care for some of the stuff they were doing with synthesisers end up sounding like they're looping a royalty free sample on some music software. There highs are still very high though. Blues Variation, and that entire back portion from the Baba Yaga through to The great gates of Kiev, even the nutcracker are all killer. Very polarising in quality imo though. Still enjoyed quite a bit however. 8/10

This album made me think that maybe I don't actually like prog rock that much, that I just like some songs from certain artists. Either way, as novel as this was (classical music as interpreted by prog rockers), this album was pretty boring. Don't get me wrong, the instrumental work here is great and all members of ELP are superbly talented (I like these guys a lot) but there isn't much here that grabs me to say "you NEED to listen to this before you die". As far as albums go, it's mid and as far as live albums go that I've seen on this list, it's not anything to write home about (despite the length of this review). Fun, but never listening to this again. Highlights: The Sage, Nutrocker

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).