Trilogy - EMERSON LAKE & PALMER***

The Endless Enigma Part 1/Fugue/The Endless Enigma Part 2/From The Beginning/The Sheriff/Hoedown/ Trilogy/Living Sin/Abaddon's Bolero

Trilogy was appropriately named as it was the third studio album from this three man progressive group. Critics were divided on its merits; some considering it to be fairly uneven, others claim that it is one of their best. (US:5 UK:2)

“This album stands out as being one of their most bombastic works. The way all of the instruments seem to pop and bounce off of each other is magical and something rarely heard, even by masters of the genre such as ELP.”

“Emerson Lake & Palmer's third album, Trilogy, is just as great a progressive rock exhibition and workout as the group's first two albums. Carl Palmer's drumming is as precise and powerful as it gets. Keith Emerson's keyboard playing is mind boggling, with Greg Lake's guitar and vocals as excellent and tasteful as ever. Trilogy is a rock solid progressive rock outing and one every proghead should own.”

“One of the more consistent ELP albums, but that's not necessarily saying much. Both sides start off strong, then get bogged down towards the end.”

“Rock music with touches of jazz and classical. A bevy of keyboards that either sound like they're from the past or the future, often playing the role that a guitar would play in a traditional rock band. There are experiments with time signatures and song structure, with very few concessions to pop radio.”

“High points are easily the album’s opening and closing tracks. The three-part Endless Enigma houses some of Emerson’s most stunning organ playing, and also features a lovely fugal solo piano part in the middle. Abaddon’s Bolero is a work of striking intensity, building slowly from beginning to end, and emphasizing Emerson’s synthesizer work in a memorable way. The rest of the album is just fairly average.”

“This is one of Emerson, Lake & Palmer's best studio albums, and the songwriting is exemplary. The opening song, The Endless Enigma, is one of their signature songs, and also has some of Lake's best lyrics, brooding and mysterious. From The Beginning is one of Lake's loveliest ballads, and Emerson and Palmer's accompaniment is really subtle and compliments the song beautifully. The final track, Abaddon's Bolero, starts out slowly, but builds to a magnificent climax.”