CoronaVinyl Day 71 (Prog Rock): Brain Salad Surgery by Emerson, Lake & Palmer

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Today's CoronaVinyl category is prog rock, which is short for progressive rock, which is a genre I've never really been in love with, but that doesn't mean there isn't some of it that I enjoy.  It was kind of aural masturbation for musicians, featuring grandiose arrangements, a strong focus on technical musicianship, generally various keyboards and synthesizers, longer songs, and mixing elements of jazz and classical music into rock music.  Often cited as pretentious or appealing only to rock snobs, prog rock achieved its greatest success in the '70s, but then kind of both faded and splintered, thanks to emergence of more accessible forms of rock like punk -- which anyone with a guitar, bass, or drum set could play, as opposed to prog rock, which often required both expensive equipment and some sort of formal musical training.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer were one of the flag bearers of prog rock.  Formed in 1970, they were kind of a supergroup, with keyboardist Keith Emerson having previously been in The Nice, bassist/guitarist/singer Greg Lake having previously been in King Crimson, and drummer Carl Palmer having previously been in Atomic Rooster and The Crazy World of Arthur Brown.  In their native UK, ELP was very popular.  Between studio albums and live albums, the band had eight Top 20 albums on the UK album charts during the '70s, six of which were Top 10 and five of which were Top 5, including one #1 album (1971's Tarkus).  While their success in the U.S. didn't quite match that, it was still pretty solid, with seven Top 20 albums on the Billboard album charts in the '70s, including four that reached the Top 10, two of which reached the Top 5.

1973's Brain Salad Surgery reached #2 in the UK and #11 in the U.S.  The cover is awesome, having been designed by H.R. Giger -- who also designed the terrifying alien from the Alien movie franchise (for which Giger won an Oscar).  The album cover has a skull in a vise, and then it folds open to reveal a Predator-looking woman who apparently recently received a lobotomy.  The inside features a fold-out poster with each band member's face peeking through a circle like on the front of the album.  Then when you unfold it, it reveals glamour shots of each member.  I'm not exactly sure why Greg Lake is topless.

The album itself is pure prog.  There are too many keyboards and organs to count.  There is "Toccata," an adaptation of a piano concerto by Argentinian classical composer Alberto Ginastera.  And then there is "Karn Evil 9," which is a three-part suite, not unlike a classical composition, that spans 29 minutes, including the last track on the first side of the album and the entire second side of the album.

Favorite song from Side 1:  "Still . . . You Turn Me On"
This is a slower song with interludes of a nice little fuzzed out guitar lick that makes me want more.

Favorite song from Side 2:  "Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression Part 2"
You likely know this song, even if you don't know it's actual name, as it has received a lot of play on classic rock radio over the years.  It starts with the familiar "Welcome back my friends / To the show that never ends / We're so glad you could attend / Come inside come inside."  It seems like we are stuck in the show that never ends right now, but regardless, I've always like this song and its carnival barking theme.  Also, Carl Palmer has a wicked drum solo.