Album Club: 04.10.2011: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery (1973) (SHM-CD)

[Rare Bird]

Would it suprise you lot if i admitted that i no longer own an issue of 'BSS' & don't plan in doing so

[Tim]

Would it suprise you lot if i admitted that i no longer own an issue of 'BSS' & don't pan in doing so

Not anymore André, I used to be constantly surprised by you, but now I always expect the unexpected

But that's funny

[MartinT]

Would it suprise you lot if i admitted that i no longer own an issue of 'BSS' & don't pan in doing so

Ok, Tim wouldn't bite so I will. Why?

[Audioman]

Would it suprise you lot if i admitted that i no longer own an issue of 'BSS' & don't pan in doing so

So why the fook did you put it forward and persuade me and others to aquire it ? You can't think it's that good yourself or is this a practical joke.

Anyhow it's on order and listening to bits on spotify persuaded me to give it a go. Some truth in John Peel's view as I was listening to KC's Red today on DVDA and it's much more musicaly varied while a lot is still loud.

[Spectral Morn]

Going to have a listen now. The release I am listening to is the Sanctuary records one.



Regards D S D L

[Reid Malenfant]

Just listened to all of this from Spotify, i'll probably give a more accurate opinion tomorrow, so i'll do it then

Kind of reminds me of Gong as John mentioned, but none of the chilled atmosphere. I can see the similarities, but there are more differences

[Spectral Morn]

Ok finished.

Well my feelings have not changed re this album.

Jerusalem - Love this track great version of a classic Hymn all-be-it it is errant rubbish as Jesus never walked English soil and England is not the New Jerusalem, replacement theology there.....Sorry imho. Despite the annoyance I have with the lyrics (not ELPs fault) this is like Fanfare For the Common Man a wonderful example of Classical meets rock, electronica, prog.

Toccata - This track is trying way too hard to be clever and leaves me cold.

Still you turn Me on - Love this track one of my faves on this album.

Benny the Bouncer - Hate this and all the similar tracks they did. Chas and Dave styled rubbish yuck.....

Karn Evil 9 - Tour De force of light and shade. One of the best things ELP ever did imho.

The CD I have has the extra tracks Brain Salad Surgery - Not up too much and it was imho the right thing to leave it off the album. However if it was a toss up between Benny and this then I would rather have BSS.

When the apple blossom etc etc - Nice track.

I will give this a 4 out of 5 as despite the naff tracks (imho) the good ones shine forth as being excellent. For me ELP have always been a mixed bag of the good the bad and the plain silly (I.e Benny The Bouncer) The only album of theirs that ticks all the boxes for me is their first self titled album; which is near perfection.

This album was bought from Fopp and was one of their £5 specials. Tonight was the first time I had listened to it. Sound quality ok bit compressed and loud + sounds a tad phasee at times. Now listening to ELP -ELP


Regards D S D L

[Beechwoods]

I've never listened to this before. I have a couple of other ELP albums, their first, and Tarkus.

This reminds me of Egg. I particularly like the longer tracks... and the originals. I love Jerusalem, but don't like how it's done here, it just doesn't thunder like Jerusalem should.

I don't really want to rate it, because there are bits that score a major 5 and bits that struggle for a 3 (the shorter tracks). There are other prog albums I like better, but I'm pleased to have been introduced to this one, as there are bits (Toccata, Karn Evil) that I will be listening to a lot... If it weren't for the throwaway tracks this would be a four... but I can understand why people who really get ELP would forgive the indiscretions... after all 'Meddle' is still a great album despite 'Pillow Of Winds', 'Fearless' and 'Seamus'!

[Rare Bird]

Ok, Tim wouldn't bite so I will. Why?

You'd never understand i am a complex character

[The Grand Wazoo]

Oh God - Brain Salad Surgery!

Bombastic? - yes! Pretentious? - well, yes. Pompous? - yes indeed!
But it's also complicated, dramatic, intelligent, eclectic and rather glorious in places.

When I was a kid I used to have a copy of the sleeve of this album stuck to my bedroom wall even before I'd heard it. The sleeve came from a box of promotional stuff scrounged from the local Redifusion shop, which apart from selling tellies and (sort of) hi-fi's, stocked a few records. I loved the artwork and it made me want to hear the record. I got the album and loved it. After BSS, I got Tarkus & all the others and played most of them to death.

My tastes evolved and I grew to like other sorts of music, moving away from what I realise now was pretty narrow and shallow in scope - basically only heavy rock and a bit of stuff like this, King Crimson, Yes etc. I eventually realised that it was OK to like things that my mates might not like, so I started exploring blues & folk, jazz and all the other stuff that I like now.

The other sleeve on my bedroom wall was 'Workingman's Dead'. It was years before I heard the Dead album all the way through and it's interesting really, because those two sleeves could represent my musical evolution - I kind of prefer the dusty and frayed human touch of stuff like Workingman's Dead to the more calculated feel of Brain Salad Surgery. When it comes down to it, I'll take a guitar over a Hammond every single time!

I haven't listened to this all the way through for years but I've played it twice now this week - & it's on again now. Isn't the musical memory a fantastic thing? - I still know it inside out. There's no doubt it was an important album with a fine display of musical talent & I suppose everyone who's interested in any sort of music should maybe listen to it at least once. Apart from that, it's easy to see how music like this could generate a negative reaction - it ain't Louie Louie, that's for sure!

A few years ago I had a clear-out of lots of records and I got rid of all of my ELP recordings except for Tarkus, which remains my favourite.
To quote from that album:

" 'am or cheese? "

Well, to me, BSS is ham & Tarkus is cheese!

It's nice to hear it again once in a while and I enjoyed it this week, but I won't be actively seeking out another copy. If one falls in my lap for a bargain price, I might buy it though!