Emerson, Lake & Palmer Emerson, Lake & Palmer Hybrid Stereo SACD

Numbered, Limited Edition Hybrid SACD from Mobile Fidelity!
"Supergroups" have been around since before Emerson, Lake & Palmer was founded in 1970. And many came afterwards. But few, if any, could match the chemistry of the British trio and their unique combination of virtuosity, vision and energy. ELP continue to influence a wide range of musicians, and more than five decades after its original release, ELP's self-titled debut album is still an impressive statement of creative imagination, dramaturgical songwriting, and musical mastery! "Emerson, Lake & Palmer" opened the door to the endless possibilities of progressive rock without falling into artificial technical excesses and thus achieved the rare feat of establishing "intellectual music" in the mainstream. The album, which won several gold medals, marked the start of an extraordinary career that was to bring Keith Emerson (Hammond organ, organ, piano, keyboard), Greg Lake (guitars, bass, vocals) and Carl Palmer (drums) several million more records sold.
On "Emerson, Lake & Palmer", the musical influences that ELP brought with them are evident in a unique mix of instrumental and vocal pieces. Since, contrary to the usual rock music conventions, there was no fixed guitarist, Keith Emerson's keyboard playing is usually in the foreground compared to the rhythm section of Greg Lake on electric bass and Carl Palmer on drums. Hammond organ riffs and classical adaptations in the tradition of the predecessor band The Nice meet synthesizer and piano solos rooted in the extended harmony of jazz. The majority of the album consists of adaptations of classical music pieces (such as "The Barbarian", based on the "Allegro Barbaro" by Béla Bartók) and solo pieces by the individual band members, which are often extended by instrumental parts. The hit "Lucky Man" and "Take A Pebble" are based on acoustic ballads by Greg Lake, which precede those he would contribute to later albums. In Carl Palmer's solo piece "Tank", he brings his incredible skills on the drums to the ears with band accompaniment. The album was acclaimed by the New Musical Express and Rolling Stone, with the latter raving: "This is such a good album that it is best heard as a whole". AllMusic gave it four and a half stars out of five, and the Internet music portal The Daily Vault praises the album as a "dizzying mixture of keyboard solos, incredible bass work, excellent vocals and powerful drums".
Supergroups existed before Emerson, Lake & Palmer formed in 1970. And, as we all know well, many came after. But few, if any, matched the English's trio and its elevated combination of virtuosity, vision, and verve. Having influenced a multitude of followers, ELP's prowess was obvious from the start. The band's self-titled debut stands as a towering statement of creative imagination, execution, and discipline more than five decades after its original release.
Mastered at MoFi's California studio and housed in mini-LP-style packaging, Mobile Fidelity's numbered-edition hybrid SACD of Emerson, Lake & Palmer presents the benchmark album in audiophile sound. Clear, dynamic, and balanced, this collectible edition honors the perfectionist approaches that both informed the playing and recording of the record.
Distinguished with black backgrounds, this reissue brings to light the epic scope, tonal depth, and mind-bending degrees of musicianship on display. Aspects — textures, nuances, effects, melodies, tempo changes — that go hand-in-hand with the trio's compositions and interplay are rendered amid broad soundstages and delivered with pinpoint detail. Whether you've owned multiple copies of this touchstone or seeking out your first version, you'll relish the presence, separation, imaging, and crispness that help make every song come across as if the group has set up shop in your listening space.
Opening the door to the seemingly infinite possibilities of progressive rock while steering clear of excess, Emerson, Lake & Palmer achieved a rare feat in that its complex, cerebral music didn't prevent it from attaining mainstream success. The gold-certified effort launched the career of a band that would sell tens of millions of records. It also landed a Top 50 single in the form of the ballad "Lucky Man," whose vocal harmonies, folksy strumming, multi-tracked instrumentation, and breakthrough Moog solo almost feel quaint in the face of the other fare on the album.
Comprised of genre-defying originals and hybrid arrangements of two classical pieces, the album Rolling Stone originally and rightly said is "best heard as a whole" matches outrageous ambition with the otherworldly skills of three musicians who remain among the finest to ever pick up their respective instruments. While Emerson soon drew the lion's share of headlines for his ability on keys — clavinet, Moog, piano, Hammond organ, and pipe organ included — Greg Lake's aptitude on guitar and bass, along with well as Carl Palmer's monster talents behind the kit, created a three-headed hydra that devoured everything in front of it.
That extends to the radical reinterpretation of Bela Bartok's "The Barbarian" that begins the LP, a performance that in less than four-and-a-half minutes runs the gamut from distorted to churchy to angular and blustery. More classical flourishes, keyboard wizardry, hard-rock heaviness, and gothic signatures emerge throughout "Knife-Edge," which reimagines music by Leos Janacek and J.S. Bach — and ultimately invites you to explore a cathedral of sound teeming with separate bursts of keys and percussion.
And did someone say "drumming"? Check out Palmer's monster salvo on "Tank," a rhythmic showcase that marches out with knee-bent notes and mirror-reflected passages. Or dive into the mythological suite "The Three Fates." Replete with three parts and Emerson playing the pipe organ at Royal Festival Hall, it shoots off sonic fireworks via sophisticated arpeggios, jazz improvisations, dancing counter-meters, sizzling chords, and a few explosions. Please don't hold anyone at MoFi responsible if your system cannot handle it; this is heady stuff.
Indeed, everything on Emerson, Lake & Palmer is there for a purpose. Whether you aim to attempt to dissect all of the notes, shifts, and polyrhythmic bluster or just want to absorb this album as one living, breathing organism, this disc invites you to do both as many times as you desire.
Lovingly mastered from the original tapes in MoFi's Californian studio and housed in mini-LP-style gatefold packaging, the hybrid SACD presents this prog-rock classic for the first time in audiophile reference quality: clear, dynamic and balanced, this collectible reissue pays tribute to the perfectionist approach that characterized both the musical interplay and the recording of the record. It brings out the epic dimension, the sonic depth and the amazing musicality of the trio. All aspects – textures, nuances, effects, tempo changes – that go hand in hand with the trio's compositions are reproduced in a room-filling sound image and with precise details. The original realism of the recording comes out on this MoFi reissue as it deserves! Of course, the strictly numbered hybrid SACD comes with the legendary original cover artwork, which depicts the painting "Bird" by British artist Nic Dartnell.

Features:

• Numbered, Limited Edition
• Super Audio CD
• SACD Stereo SACD Layer
• This Hybrid SACD contains a 'Red Book' Stereo CD Layer which is playable on most conventional CD Players!
• Mastered by Neal Harris at Mobile Fidelitiy Sound Lab, Sebastopol, CA on the GAIN HD SYSTEM
• Mini-LP-Style Packaging

Selections:

1. The Barbarian
2. Take A Pebble
3. Knife-Edge
4. The Three Fates:
a. Clotho (Royal Festival Hall Organ)
b. Lachesis (Piano Solo)
c. Atropos (Piano Trio)
5. Tank
6. Lucky Man