ELP - Pictures At An Exhibition - 1971 - REPOST (24/96 Vinyl Rip)

ELP initially wanted to release this album as a free give away with "Tarkus", but common sense prevailed and it was released in the UK, on "Island Records". An exceptionally well recorded album - the drums, in particular, are captured with clarity and dynamics, and the mix is very well balanced. "Pictures at an Exhibition" is a great album from my childhood and it still gives me excitement and fun to hear this LP. Dim the lights tonight, increase the **volume and Enjoy! ** Beware: The ultimate "workout" for your speakers :-) Note: Tracks walk-over in each other; so gapless burning is essential to seamless play the whole album.
This is a repost and a completely new rip; some added tweaks, a better suited interlink and a non standard audio usb cable gives more refinement and a (more) open soundstage..

Review:

A wild and thunderous adaptation of Mussorgsky.

As I recall, I played cello on the Great Gates of Kiev way back when I was in the junior high school orchestra, so when I finally did get around to listening
to rock music (somewhere around 1979-1980), a rock adaptation of Mussorgky's Pictures at an Exhibition was too much to resist.
It has been a while since I listened to this album (my vinyl copy is long gone) so I picked up the CD and ELP's take on Pictures at an Exhibition was every
bit as good as I remember it. Better even.

The lineup on this 1972 album includes virtuoso keyboardist Keith Emerson (piano, Hammond organ, and moog synthesizer); Carl Palmer on drums; and Greg Lake (bass, vocals, acoustic guitar). The performances are, as you might expect, completely unbelievable. Keith's playing is especially muscular - he really rips on this live album and his work on the Hammond organ and moog synthesizer is truly stunning. Of course, I also like the "churchy" tone that he gets on the Hammond too. Carl Palmer also turns in some of his finest drumming.

The music on this album is very, very energetic and goes completely over the top sometimes but that is what I love about this album. Besides, it is a lot of fun to hear Mussorgsky "rocked up" in a way that he could not possibly have imagined. Keith's overdriven and screeching feedback on the organ is especially effective and there are some ear-splitting moments on the moog that are very…electric. Of course, at the other end of the spectrum is Greg's nice ballad The Sage, which provides some relief from the thunderous, electric maelstrom. Although I really enjoy this album (especially the ELP original pieces), my least favorite track is the Nutrocker (the Tchaikovsky reference notwithstanding), which continues in the tradition of ELP's "silly" songs.

Regardless, I consider this a fantastic ELP album and feel that it would make an excellent addition to the prog collection.
Jeffrey J. Park - Amazon.com


Track List:

01 Promenade
02 The Gnome
03 Promenade
04 The Sage
05 The Old Castle
06 Blues Variation

07 Promenade
08 The Hut of Baba Yaga
09 The Curse of Baba Yaga
10 The Hut of Baba Yaga
11 The Great Gates of Kiev/The End
12 Nut Rocker