I don’t quite recall the exact moment that I became a progressive rock fan. These days any label or term used to describe music seems a little out of place. I mean after all…what exactly passes as “classic rock” anymore? It seems too broad of a term to be used for things as diverse as David Bowie and Neil Young. Think about it. When I was a younger man (in the dinosaur days before the web) radio itself played a huge part in helping me discover and “rock out” to some good tunes. Anymore it seems like we hear the same tired tracks from 1978 over and over and over and over again. What is up with that? Enough with the Eagles already! Ugh!
Would you consider Rush prog? How about Yes? Those would probably be the first solid examples of textbook prog that I heard. Genesis probably too, but they had morphed into more of a pop vehicle by the time I discovered them. Pink Floyd…they would be more “art rock” than prog to me. At some point throughout all of it though I recall latching onto Emerson, Lake, & Palmer. I was told they were a “supergroup”. They supposedly took the genre to a whole new level. I don’t know if they did that (for me anyway), but they most certainly were prog. While they were not as overtly prolific as many other outfits of the day, they produced quite a bit that I really liked. This is certainly one of those moments.
Pirates
To be good or considered “A-list” in the eyes of the average prog fan, you better be good. You better be a master of your given instrument. Progressive rock is the polar opposite of something that finds joy in simplicity like AC/DC. I am torn sometimes about things being too “notey”. It certainly is cool to be a beast when you are playing a tune, but there is a grace in subtlety too. That is something that progressive music doesn’t always take into consideration. ELP is guilty of that…plenty guilty.
For me however the wonderful part of this particular style of music is the fearless attitude towards trying something out of the mainstream. It is a style that also experiments with blending all sorts of elements from many different styles of music. In classic prog it is easy to detect bits of jazz, classical, rock, and even folk. Acoustic music is a huge part of it in fact. One need only look at Jethro Tull to see that. The main point being…it is unlike so much of the packaged pop we hear crammed down our throats everyday. Progressive music requires listening on a whole different level. Some of it is not easy to digest, but somehow because of that it feels like a breath of fresh air. It shows us just how far music can take us. (See…that’s where the “progressive” term comes from.)
For me ELP embodies some of the best and worst that this style of music has to offer. There are moments of true brilliance throughout their history, and other moments that require a stiff sigh and a scratch of the head. 1971’s TARKUS is an absolute masterpiece. The album consists of a side long epic piece as well as several shorter tunes on side two. There is a cohesive feel to the whole album. Even while it goes off the rails in a couple spots…it somehow comes back together.
The band however is probably best known for 1973’s BRAIN SALAD SURGERY. To me that album just doesn’t have the same punch that TARKUS does. TRILOGY and their debut album are much better to my ears too. By the time the band reached the mid 1970’s the band was at the height of their popularity. So they did what any massive prog band would do…took a big music style and made it even bigger.
1977 saw the release of WORKS. There were two volumes of this stuff actually. This track is from VOLUME 1. It’s a double album (or four vinyl sides for those not in the know). Each of the first three sides is dedicated to an individual band member. Keith Emerson dazzles with various playing styles on the organ, piano, and moog. Guitarist/vocalist Greg Lake expresses his romantic/acoustic side for his cuts, and percussionist Carl Palmer runs wild on his tracks complete with guitar work from no less than Joe Walsh. (Will those blasted Eagles never go away?) Side four treats us to the true band pieces. Here we find their well-known take on “Fanfare For The Common Man”. This classical piece gets the full on ELP treatment. Epic. “Pirates” is the fitting closer to this larger than life album.
The track covers a lot of ground. It should at just a shade shy of fifteen minutes, but there is so much more to it than that. This track is lushly orchestrated. It swirls and spins into a thousand different feels. There are out and out moments here where you feel like you are listening to a soundtrack for an epic pirate film…long before the likes of Johnny Depp. It has a thick nautical feel, yet it also has a breakdown in the middle that brings a lighthearted touch. There is also plenty of power and drama here. The commanding baritone of Greg Lake cuts through the proceedings. If you close your eyes…you can almost see him standing on the deck with a goblet of rum in his hand. The drums punch through the melody, and the keyboards wash over the track while zipping in and out of the massive string swells.
I have no real idea why I decided to include this track here. It is a tough listen. It doesn’t feel like it drones on and on. It moves. It’s just not something you can imagine too many people whistling as they walk down the street. It is a big chunk, but I like it. Before the band all but dried up and blew away…I had the good fortune of seeing these guys on their last few go arounds at the end of the 1990’s. They did this song one of those nights. It hardly seems right referring to this track as a song, yet here we are. I have said it before…I will say it again…a good song is a good song.
Raise your glass matey!
Works, Vol. 1 - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
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