March 25, 1977 - Works Volume 1

Just four days after my last release Emerson, Lake & Palmer finally released their fifth studio album "Works Volume 1" on March 25, 1977, almost three and a half years after the amazing "Brain Salad Surgery". After the tour for that album ELP were burnt out and decided to take an extended vacation. They got back together in '76 and recorded this new double album! Each member got a whole record side to arrange their own material for the band to play and the fourth side was songs that were written together. I think this is a really cool concept, giving everyone the creative freedom to do what they like. Former King Crimson lyricist Peter Sinfield helped write lyrics for Greg Lake's songs, who was of course also in King Crimson. Both Lake and Keith Emerson also used an orchestra on their sides adding another dimension to this already amazing band. Let's not wait any longer and dive right in!

The first side is entirely taken up by Emerson's "Piano Concerto No. 1" which runs for 18 and a half minutes. Emerson really wanted to write his own piece like the classical composers of the past and he finally gets his opportunity on this album. The entirety of the song is just Emerson on grand piano and it also features the entire London Philharmonic Orchestra! They kick off the song with some pretty epic stuff that sounds like it's right out of a Hollywood movie! Emerson wrote all this music even though he only plays keyboards and it shows the amazing songwriting that he's capable of. There's some very emphatic, epic horns and finally we hear Emerson playing some cool piano. Words don't do justice folks: I could repeat that the orchestra sounds really cool while Emerson plays some fantastic lead piano and technically be correct, but there's so much different stuff being played in this epic instrumental that you really do have to listen to it to appreciate it all. It's broken up into three movements and this whole first movement sounds pretty spectacular! Around the 7-minute mark the second movement begins and it's just Emerson on piano at first. He continues his amazing playing as things never seem dull for a moment, just continuously well put together music. His extended solo is fantastic and he does some of his patented one hand carries the riff while the other plays some excellent, quick stuff. The orchestra comes back in emphatically and we hear another beautifully awesome bit before it stops suddenly. The orchestra takes off for the start of another cool part and it sounds very peaceful and very nicely done. Emerson continues to lead the way with some wonderful piano playing that resembles the greats he was inspired by as he brings this second movement to an end. The final movement begins with Emerson railing off some great, dark stuff that sounds very ominous. The orchestra adds to this feeling stupendously and it sounds like the epic climax! Everything sounds pretty awesome and Emerson is still playing some superb lead piano. He is just absolutely blowing my mind as I think is is some really amazing stuff! I can't properly describe the awesomeness that is the mind and fingers of Keith Emerson. He and the orchestra together sound incredibly amazing, it really is something to behold! The entire 18 and a half minutes is chock full of the some of the best, epic and awesome music you'll ever hear. Bravo Keith! A fantastic solo composition!

The second side is all songs written by Greg Lake, with Sinfield helping to write all of the lyrics. His side begins with "Lend Your Love To Me Tonight" and Lake starts it off with a decent acoustic guitar riff and his clear and awesome lead vocals. Unlike Emerson's side, the other members do feature on Lake's side as we hear Emerson play some light piano and Carl Palmer plays a slow drum beat. Lake also uses an orchestra on his side and they just add an epic, emotional feel to this slow love song (not quite the amazingness of the London Philharmonic, but it still sounds nice). It's a solid way to open his record side, though a wee bit love-y dove-y for me. Up next is "C'est La Vie" and it's also opened by a slow acoustic guitar riff. Lake's voice sounds pretty good once again as he softly sings along and the orchestra again gives the song a much more epic feel. This would be the big hit single off of this double album, a bit of an odd choice. It's certainly a well-done song but I would expect the single to be much more upbeat and catchy. We hear what sounds like an accordion in a very Parisian-esque bit that ties into the French name of the song and it sounds interesting. They return for one last slow verse and chorus before this song comes to an end. Both songs so far were good, but both very slow-paced. Track 4 is "Hallowed Be Thy Name" and Palmer kicks things off with an interesting drumbeat. Lake plays both acoustic and bass guitar and Emerson also adds some epic synths that build into the main riff. This is much more like what I prefer: a more standard song structure that actually has all 3 talented members playing together! Emerson plays some sweet lead piano while Lake sings a great verse. He really holds the "name" in the title for a good while and everything is sounding pretty cool in this catchy beat. The lyrics are really good in this one as Lake tells a story in his amazing voice, all while Emerson and the orchestra play some great music. The orchestra plays a short "solo" and after another excellent verse they continue to jam out the main riff until the end. Lake continues to sing and almost ramble as the fade-out of this song is pretty cool as well! Next we have another ballad, "Nobody Loves You Like I Do" and Lake starts off with the same formula: soft singing and acoustic guitar. Once again the other guys are here though, Palmer playing a simple drum beat and Emerson adding some decent old time-y piano. This song has a very old Southern feel to it as we hear harmonica in the chorus and Lake plays some solid bass as well. His singing continues to be really good and although there are a few too many love ballads for my liking, they are at least all different styles with this one sounding almost like a Lynyrd Skynyrd song! Lake plays a short but pretty cool guitar solo and then it's back to the verse and chorus. The orchestra sounds interesting in the background of this one as they continue to jam out the chorus until the song ends. Lake's final song is "Closer To Believing" and it's mostly Lake singing beautifully overtop of the orchestra. We do hear his acoustic guitar quietly and Emerson adds some nice piano but the orchestra is definitely the lead instrument on this tune. Everything sounds nicely done but there's no solo or anything that really stands out, just a continuous main riff with the orchestra ebbing and flowing. We hear a choir as well that sounds pretty good and fits this slow mood nicely. Lake's whole record side could be summed up by this song: some beautiful, slow music that is sung really well, but ultimately not the progressive rock that probably would have sounded way better.

The second disc and third side is Palmer's side, but he chose two classical covers in addition to his own creations. The first song "The Enemy God Dances With The Black Spirits" is originally by Sergei Prokofiev from his "Scythian Suite" and we hear the orchestra playing some stuff that was meant for an orchestra! It sounds pretty awesome, like an epic fight scene is unfolding, with lots of cool horns and strings. Palmer plays some pretty cool drums along with the orchestra and everything sounds really cool! Words can't describe it well enough: it's some fantastic orchestra and some really solid drumming, a great combination! It ends with an epic gong and I thought this was easily better than any of Lake's songs! A fine choice Carl! Up next is "L.A. Nights" which features the famous Joe Walsh on guitars and vocals. Lake kicks it off with a speedy bass riff that sounds awesome as Palmer quickly drums along. Walsh plays some decent guitar while Emerson plays lots of different trippy keyboards. It's an interesting riff for sure and Palmer plays some excellent drums throughout. After two minutes it shifts into a sort of honky tonk riff with Walsh doing some scat singing. It's an odd shift I think but it does sound pretty good with Lake and Emerson playing some solid backing bass and piano while Walsh plays some pretty sweet lead guitar. It's certainly not what I would expect from ELP but they do a great job as Emerson takes lead with some great piano! The trumpet sounds pretty good as well as they continue to jam out letting Emerson and Walsh show off. It finally fades to an end at nearly six minutes as this was a pretty great, mostly instrumental jam! Track 9 is "New Orleans", which starts right off with some talkbox effects. Lake plays a funky bass line and I guess Emerson is doing the talkbox? Either way they set up a cool main riff as Palmer makes this whole song essentially a drum solo. He has some cool percussion in the mix on this song and the talkbox sounds pretty cool in this bouncing riff that also has some nice trumpet. It's another different style done well as I like the varied ideas instead of all similar styles like Lake's side. The other classical cover is "Two Part Invention In D Minor", originally by J.S. Bach, and it has just Palmer on xylophone and a strings section. This is another completely different style, but I think it sounds really nice with the sad strings and Palmer playing some cool xylophone! It's only two minutes long, but it's a cool little interlude and an interesting classical cover. Track 11 is "Food For Your Soul" and this song also heavily features the orchestra with some really great horns leading the way while Palmer plays some nice, speedy drums. It's a great opening and it segues into a new cool riff with Lake playing some trippy awesome lead guitar. Emerson adds some cool trippy keyboards as well as the horns continue in the background of another solid Palmer song! Lake's guitar sounds really great and Palmer continues to drum with crazy precision, leading to an epic gong hit. It seems the tone of the song might change after the gong, but they kick right back into another fast riff and the horns sound spectacular! Palmer goes off for a bonafide drum solo and it sounds pretty freaking amazing! He really rails off some fast, great stuff and we also hear some epic flute at the end of his solo! They finish it all off with an epic rock flourish and this side has another different style song to add to the mix, another one that's done expertly! The last song on this side is "Tank" a re-imagined version of the song of the same name off their debut album. This version has lots of orchestra, the biggest difference between the two songs probably. The orchestra leads the way playing some cool lead stuff while Emerson is relegated to playing some solid backing piano. Lake's bass is pretty great as well and Palmer's drumming is solid but the orchestra sounds fantastic taking the lead as we hear all kinds of different instruments. They move into the next riff with Lake setting the stage with a groovy bass riff while the orchestra continues to sound epic and great. Emerson plays the same crazy keyboard solo as the original and it still sounds pretty good. They skip the actual drum solo from the original, which I think is a terrible decision, and just continue with Emerson soloing over the main riff until the end of the song slowly fades out. Emerson plays some really cool stuff for sure, but I think it's very odd to choose to re-do a song in the first place, let alone a song with a drum solo, only for them to take it out! Very odd indeed.

The fourth and final side consists of only two lengthy, group-written songs, the first of which is "Fanfare For The Common Man". This is another Aaron Copland cover (ELP covered his "Hoedown" with great success on "Trilogy") as these guys turn some old show music into modern day progressive rock! This instrumental is just under 10 minutes long and begins with some slow drums by Palmer. We then hear a very epic trumpet belting out a cool melody. Palmer plays some nice drums and Lake starts with a bass riff to set the main riff. Emerson plays some epic synths to lead the "verse" as it's a slow, solid riff. Emerson's keyboards change as we hear Lake's dirty bass riff in the spotlight briefly. He switches to a lighter style of synthesizer that sounds different but still pretty cool and he goes off for an extended solo! It's very groovy and in tune with the beat for the most part but he breaks off for lots of sweet flashes of brilliance. The epic synths return and mix with the already soloing other stuff and they sound pretty great together! Emerson plays so much great stuff in this part, words do not do justice once again, it just sounds so crazy awesome! The awesomeness continues all the way to the end with no let-up before they finally bring it to a close. Another superb offering as I think this clearly shows when they all work together, they make excellent music. The final song on this double album is called "Pirates" and is almost 13 and a half minutes long. It starts slow, with Emerson playing some synths that sound pretty cool over an ominous background. The orchestra comes in sounding pretty epic as Palmer along joins in with some solid drumming. The orchestra continues to sound wonderful on this album as they and Emerson lead the way with some cool stuff. After the 3:30 mark Lake comes in with the first vocals of the song and as usual he sounds pretty great. He sings a nice verse with the orchestra and then they move into a new part. Emerson takes lead again on synthesizer but it's not long before the orchestra comes raging back. After this solid verse, Emerson goes off for a quick solo on a different keyboard that sounds interesting, then it's off to another verse. They slow it down a bit, but things still sound pretty epic as the orchestra leads the way with lots of great music. It's back to the guys again as we hear a cool bass riff, solid drums and some great lead keyboards of course. Lake sings what sounds like a finishing verse around nine minutes in, but it's just the beginning of a new part! This part has an interesting beat laid down by Palmer while Emerson plays several different keyboards, all to great effect! After some fantastic stuff it moves into a new speedy verse, with Lake singing quickly and Emerson playing some fantastic synths! After a few fast verses they slow it down again for an epic final verse that does sound very grand! Emerson takes it away with one last cool solo before Lake and the orchestra return to finish it off with a nice flourish. I loved how progressive this song was with it's many different, interweaving parts. A fine way to end a pretty damn good double album!

That is the end of "Works Volume 1" and I thought that overall it was another excellent album by this trio. Emerson's side was fantastic; Lake's side was decent but a little underwhelming; Palmer's side was pretty great with lots of different styles; and the group side had two great progressive songs. That all adds up to a fine album indeed, but how does it compare to their other fine albums? Every one of their albums is great, so when I say I liked this better than "Pictures", "Tarkus" and "Trilogy" it's a testament to how good most of this album is. However great some of these songs are, I don't think the overall quality is as good as their last album "Brain Salad Surgery" leaving this new album at #3, which is not a bad place to be by any means! I am very sad to report however that this will be the last we will hear of Emerson, Lake & Palmer in my library.  Their next several albums took a huge shift away from the ELP I know and love and so this shall be their end. All six albums that I have are all fantastic: it's a shame they couldn't keep it up longer, but ELP remains one of the pioneers of progressive rock and the makers of some damn incredible music! Here are my final rankings as we bid adieu to this magnificent trio!

1. Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2. Brain Salad Surgery
3. Works Volume 1
4. Trilogy
5. Tarkus
6. Pictures At An Exhibition