Grungy Proto Prog Rock

In the mid-1970s I became a fan of Emerson, Lake and Palmer.  Their music, like me, was by turns literary, showoffy, introspective, and cheesy.

Although some of their lyrics showed a shallow would-be intellectual athiesm, much of the music still moves me, especially Brain Salad Surgery.   It's kind of a measure of a like/irritation relationship when I say that this album is their finest work --- yet the album's title comes from a sexual metaphor that really isn't funny or clever, to anyone emotionally older than maybe a 12-year-old.

In 1977 I went to my local independent record store and they special-ordered this double album for me, for all of $3.77.  I was curious to see what other stuff Keith Emerson had done.

Well, it is definitely a mixed bag.  But fun.

There is a CD release of SOME of this music, but it leaves out a song or two.  My rip includes those.  To make room for them, I did not include one of the two versions of the same song that were on the double LP -- that is, one of their versions of Tchaikovsky's  Pathetique Symphony No. 6, 3rd Movement.

Here are the tracks:


1. The Five Bridges Suite:
   I. Fantasia - First Bridge (6:08)
   II. 2nd Bridge (3:59)
   III. Chorale - 3rd Bridge (3:30)
   IV. High Level Fugue - 4th Bridge (1:02)
   V. Finale - 5th Bridge (3:34)
2. Intermezzo Karelia Suite (8:57)
3. Pathetique Symphony No. 6, 3rd Movement (9:22)
4. Country Pie/Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 (5:39)
5. One of Those People (3:07)
6. Hang On To A Dream (12:39)
7. America (10:15)
8. My Back Pages (9:12)

Here is the link to my version:   http://www.megaupload.com/?d=KCXWMUSB