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Emerson, Lake & Powell — Emerson, Lake & Powell
(Polydor 829 297-1 Y-1, 1986, LP)

Emerson, Lake & Powell — The Sprocket Sessions
(Manticore Records CD3008, 1986/2013, CD)

Emerson, Lake & Powell — Live in Concert
(Manticore Records CD3009, 1986/2012, CD)

Emerson, Lake & Powell — Complete Collection
(Spirit of Unicorn, 1986/2024, 3CD)

by Jon Davis, Published 2024-03-16

Emerson, Lake & Powell Cover artThe Sprocket Sessions Cover artLive in Concert Cover artComplete Collection Cover art

I think I’m probably not alone in this: I was a big fan of Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s early albums — everything from their self-titled album through Brain Salad Surgery (with the exception of Pictures at an Exhibition, which I’ve never been fond of) is a solid classic of progressive rock — but I found Works to be a mixed bag, and thoroughly detested Love Beach when it came out. Given this history, when I heard Keith Emerson and Greg Lake were getting together with Cozy Powell in the mid-80s, I paid no attention, and never bothered with checking out the resulting album. Hey, times were different then, and there was no internet to check out samples of music before laying down hard-earned money on an LP. With the new release of Complete Collection, I can finally find out if my skepticism was justified or if E and L had something better than Love Beach left in them.

On the whole, I will say that Emerson, Lake & Powell is quite a bit better than I expected. While it’s no competition for Trilogy, it’s a solid entry in the category of “70s prog bands trying to survive in the 80s.” Most of the tracks retain enough of the spark that made the original ELP special to have value, and while some of the keyboard sounds have a dated quality to them, there’s enough classic organ and synth work to temper that drawback. “The Score” starts things off with a dramatic, high-energy workout full of Emerson’s electronic fanfares, and even has some lyrical call-outs to the band’s heyday. It’s a little like “Karn Evil 9” lite, but has enough good work in it to come out on the positive side. Most of the other tracks tread a similar path, balancing old school ELP with 80s trends without going full-on New Wave. The most poppish track, “Love Blind,” is the low point, leading me to devise the tentative First Law of ELP: Any track with “Love” in the title will be a stinker. “Step Aside” is this album’s entry into the ELP honky-tonk or old rock ‘n’ roll tradition, and is a firmly middle-of-the-road example of the type. They finish off the album with one of their typical Classical arrangements, in this case Holst’s “Mars, the Bringer of War.” Hardly an original choice, and probably an obvious one given that prog rockers love anything in an odd meter. This version is firmly in the “OK” category, not an embarrassment, but not a triumph either. On the whole, the studio album is a relatively solid effort, with enough good material to warrant consideration. There are three bonus tracks added here: a very oddball interpretation of “The Locomotion” that doesn’t do much for me; a sappy ballad called “Vacant Possession”; and the single edit of “The Score.” None of these improve on the original album by their inclusion, though I suppose they’re necessary to ensure the accuracy of Complete in the box set’s title.

The Complete Collection is rounded out by The Sprocket Sessions, which were recorded during the trio’s rehearsals for their tour. It includes most of the tracks from the album along with some ELP chestnuts like “Knife Edge,” “Tarkus” (a ten-minute arrangement), “Lucky Man,” and “Pirates.” Aside from the inclusion of “Love Blind,” it’s a pretty enjoyable set, though what they did to “Knife Edge” is not to my liking. “Tarkus” fares better. The recording quality here is quite good, and for the most part the tracks don’t suffer due to the lack of overdubs.

Finally, we have the Live in Concert album, which has been released several times over the years with different titles — it’s the Lakeland, Florida show from November 1986. This set includes “From the Beginning,” “Fanfare for the Common Man,” and a medley of “Karn Evil 9 (1st Impression),” “Rondo,” and “America,” which weren’t included on The Sprocket Sessions. Most of this comes off as a good later-period Emerson, Lake & Palmer show, as swapping out the drummer has less impact on the music than another change would. As far as concert recordings from the 80s go, the quality is decent, and the musicians are all in top form, attacking the music with energy and skill. So if you were a fan of the 70s ELP and shied away from the Powell group, rest assured that there’s some worthy music here, a welcome recovery from the band’s low point.

Filed under: Archives, 1986 releases, 2013 releases, 2012 releases, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): Keith Emerson, Greg Lake, Emerson, Lake & Powell

More info
http://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/emerson-lake-and-powell-the-complete-collection-3cd-box/

 

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