# Emerson, Lake & Palmer how are they remembered these days? Did they leave any legacy in music? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 12, 2016, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emerson-lake-palmer-how-are-they-remembered-these-days-did-they-leave-any-legacy-in-music/742981 "2016-01-12T23:50:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emerson-lake-palmer-how-are-they-remembered-these-days-did-they-leave-any-legacy-in-music/742981/1 "2016-01-12T23:50:56Z")
Pretentious is the word most often associated with ELP and many of their college crowd fans. I was a bit younger and heard many older cool kids playing ELP and claiming it was great music. They turned their noses up at CCR. šŸ˜‰ I never quite saw the appeal of ELP. I havenā€™t heard ELP on any classic rock stations. Iā€™d guess their old music is posted on youtube. I have no interest in looking for their stuff. I heard it enough in the 70ā€™s. Are they just an odd footnote in early 70ā€™s progressive rock? Did they leave any legacy at all? > **[Emerson, Lake & Palmer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerson,_Lake_%26_Palmer)** > > Emerson, Lake & Palmer (informally known as ELP) were an English progressive rock supergroup formed in London in 1970. The band consisted of Keith Emerson (keyboards) of the Nice, Greg Lake of King Crimson (vocals, bass, guitar, producer) and Carl Palmer of Atomic Rooster (drums, percussion). With nine RIAA-certified gold record albums in the US, and an estimated 48 million records sold worldwide, they are one of the most popular and commercially successful progressive rock groups of The band... ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emerson-lake-palmer-how-are-they-remembered-these-days-did-they-leave-any-legacy-in-music/742981/2 "2016-01-13T00:00:33Z")
Palmer later was a member of Asia. Another progressive rock group that I didnā€™t really get. But Iā€™d listen to Asia before I would ELP. \*Heat of the Moment \*is on my mp3 player. Good song. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emerson-lake-palmer-how-are-they-remembered-these-days-did-they-leave-any-legacy-in-music/742981/3 "2016-01-13T00:08:36Z")
I was over at a friendā€™s house last week and we had the need to test out his new 70ā€™s-style stereo system andā€¦he put on Brain Salad Surgery, an album I havenā€™t listened to in the past decade. We turned it up to 11 and sat in the sweet spot between the speakers in easy chairs, enjoying the musical ride. What an amazing work! YMMV, of course. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emerson-lake-palmer-how-are-they-remembered-these-days-did-they-leave-any-legacy-in-music/742981/4 "2016-01-13T00:16:02Z")
Their Discography is interesting. ELPā€™s albums went Gold. They never sold enough for Platinum. _Trilogy_ was their highest charting album. #5 in 1972. None of the bandā€™s singles charted well. _From the Beginning_ charted #39 in 1972. That was from the \*Trilogy \*album. _Brain Salad Surgery_ charted #11 in 1973. ELP had fans. > **[Emerson, Lake & Palmer discography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerson,_Lake_%26_Palmer_discography)** > > The discography of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, an English progressive rock band, includes 9 studio albums, 24 live albums, 12 compilation albums and 17 singles. > **[Music recording certification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_recording_sales_certification)** > > Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see List of music recording certifications). > Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories, which are named after precious materials (gold, platinum and diamond). > The threshold required for these awards depends upon the populat... ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emerson-lake-palmer-how-are-they-remembered-these-days-did-they-leave-any-legacy-in-music/742981/5 "2016-01-13T00:21:46Z")
Pretentious claptrapā€¦ ā€¦that I really like. Well, some of their stuff. Generally Lakeā€™s stuff, as it turns out. Or Coplandā€™s. šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emerson-lake-palmer-how-are-they-remembered-these-days-did-they-leave-any-legacy-in-music/742981/6 "2016-01-13T00:24:39Z")
The band is generally not well treated by posterity, largely because the critics always hated them, but also because they shot themselves in the collective foot by putting out a string of embarrassing albums after their brilliant first five. Doing a board search, I see Iā€™ve done this rundown twice before: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=17481523&postcount=4](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=17481523&postcount=4) [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=5538215&postcount=3](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=5538215&postcount=3) ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emerson-lake-palmer-how-are-they-remembered-these-days-did-they-leave-any-legacy-in-music/742981/7 "2016-01-13T00:36:26Z")
The biggest problem with E.L.P. is that they couldnā€™t replace any member without changing the name of the band. There was that one album with Cozy Powell instead of Palmer but they got lucky with that one. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emerson-lake-palmer-how-are-they-remembered-these-days-did-they-leave-any-legacy-in-music/742981/8 "2016-01-13T01:07:48Z")
Their early albums were great, but they got caught in the anti prog backlash, exacerbated by the fact their later albums werenā€™t all that good. In the mid-70s, it became cool to snark on progressive rock, calling it ā€œself-indulgentā€ (which boiled down to ā€œtheyā€™re doing long solosā€). Punk developed as the antithesis, but the ambition of progressive rock was something to admire; the idea of using classical themes and ideas was showing that rock was growing up (which punks didnā€™t want to happen). ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emerson-lake-palmer-how-are-they-remembered-these-days-did-they-leave-any-legacy-in-music/742981/9 "2016-01-13T01:34:14Z")
Iā€™ve been told that in their heyday, they put on a spectacular live show, which usually ended with Keith Emerson blowing up his piano. (One of my teenage nieces is a big prog fan. She can pick Steve Howeā€™s guitar playing out of a crowd, and her favorite band is Queen, which I realize werenā€™t full-fledged prog, but close enough.) ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emerson-lake-palmer-how-are-they-remembered-these-days-did-they-leave-any-legacy-in-music/742981/10 "2016-01-13T01:41:03Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Iā€™ve been told that in their heyday, they put on a spectacular live show, which usually ended with Keith Emerson blowing up his piano. Uhā€¦not really. He did manhandle a Hammond organ around the stage, doing stupid stunts including vaulting over it and sticking daggers in the keyboard, and he did have a Moog ribbon controller rigged to shoot sparks after he ā€œmasturbatedā€ it. For a group that was supposed to be the acme of pretentiousness, they were actually pretty goofyā€“the Three Stooges of prog rock. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emerson-lake-palmer-how-are-they-remembered-these-days-did-they-leave-any-legacy-in-music/742981/11 "2016-01-13T01:44:43Z")
Not in time for the edit cutoff: She actually discovered Mr. Howe via Asia, and was very impressed when she found out that her daddy and I saw them shortly after their first album came out. The show was memorable because the band that opened for them on most of the tour was rescheduled at a bar in a nearby town, so instead, we got a magician - the type that performs at kidsā€™ birthday parties. šŸ˜• Said magician was solidly booed, except when a scantily clad female assistant walked onstage, at which time the women booed louder and the men cheered, and then the reverse happened when she left, etc. šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emerson-lake-palmer-how-are-they-remembered-these-days-did-they-leave-any-legacy-in-music/742981/12 "2016-01-13T01:58:24Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > Uhā€¦not really. He did manhandle a Hammond organ around the stage, doing stupid stunts including vaulting over it and sticking daggers in the keyboard, and he did have a Moog ribbon controller rigged to shoot sparks after he ā€œmasturbatedā€ it. For a group that was supposed to be the acme of pretentiousness, they were actually pretty goofyā€“the Three Stooges of prog rock. Hang on now. The piano also levitated up above the stage, and did a somersault. Iā€™m not kidding! Though they stopped because he kept hurting himself. I loved ELP by the way, and they also helped me discover that I loved some classical music. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emerson-lake-palmer-how-are-they-remembered-these-days-did-they-leave-any-legacy-in-music/742981/13 "2016-01-13T02:09:58Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Hang on now. The piano also levitated up above the stage, and did a somersault. Iā€™m not kidding! Though they stopped because he kept hurting himself. As far as I know they only did that stunt once, at the California Jam. And of course Emerson wasnā€™t really playing itā€“it probably was just the shell of a pianoā€“he was miming to a tape. I noticed during ELPā€™s '90s reunion shows that Emerson had _two_ Hammonds onstage: the ā€œproperā€ one that he played through most of the show, and the one that he abused at the end. Much like Ian Anderson with Jethro Tull, who would come onstage twirling his flute like a baton and tossing it in the air, but would deftly substitute it for another when it came time to actually play! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emerson-lake-palmer-how-are-they-remembered-these-days-did-they-leave-any-legacy-in-music/742981/14 "2016-01-13T02:12:12Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > The biggest problem with E.L.P. is that they couldnā€™t replace any member without changing the name of the band. There was that one album with Cozy Powell instead of Palmer but they got lucky with that one. What a lucky band they were. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emerson-lake-palmer-how-are-they-remembered-these-days-did-they-leave-any-legacy-in-music/742981/15 "2016-01-13T02:14:28Z")
Man, part of my personal holy trinity in high school (The Queen, Rush, and the ELP). Saw them in concert several times, including Soldier field with full orchestra and choir. I wish remembered much more of that decadeā€¦ Donā€™t know why, but random lyrics from Benny, Karn Evil, and Lucky Man seen to come to mind as often as just about any other songsā€¦ Seven virgins and a mule, keep it coolā€¦ šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emerson-lake-palmer-how-are-they-remembered-these-days-did-they-leave-any-legacy-in-music/742981/16 "2016-01-13T03:45:46Z")
I still hear Lucky Man and From the Beginning on classic rock stations from time to time. I saw the summersault piano act on TV many years ago. Even though I was only 16 I remember thinking jeez what a silly act. In my opinion, their music has not aged as well as many of the other prog-rock acts. I can still listen to Tull (just saw them recently, in fact) and Yes and Rundgrenā€™s Initiation and enjoy them, but ELP sounds dated and gimmicky. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emerson-lake-palmer-how-are-they-remembered-these-days-did-they-leave-any-legacy-in-music/742981/17 "2016-01-13T04:04:22Z")
As a keyboard player, I can say that Emerson is widely recognized as the unchallenged master virtuoso pianist of the genre. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emerson-lake-palmer-how-are-they-remembered-these-days-did-they-leave-any-legacy-in-music/742981/18 "2016-01-13T05:00:09Z")
I was a kid when _Brain Salad Surgery_ came out. I remember being really creeped out by the cover. I was amazed when, over twenty years later, I found out it was done by \*Alien \*artist H.R. Gigerā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emerson-lake-palmer-how-are-they-remembered-these-days-did-they-leave-any-legacy-in-music/742981/19 "2016-01-13T05:33:47Z")
I loved ELP back in the day, but eventually got over it. I still like Karn Evil 9, Second Impression; it grates a bit after so long, but the piano/drums/bass is tightish and fun. The rest of KE9 is bombastic and tiresome. My older brother was a roadie for the ELP ā€œWorks Vol 1ā€ (Fanfare for the Common Man) tour. Full orchestra and all! He had a blast rigging lights for a summer. ---
**Author:** ![Art\_Rock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/art_rock/32/525_2.png) [@Art\_Rock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Rock)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emerson-lake-palmer-how-are-they-remembered-these-days-did-they-leave-any-legacy-in-music/742981/20 "2016-01-13T08:21:34Z")
Even in the prog community, their popularity has decreased over the years. The current 100 ā€œbestā€ prog albums of all time, as based on numerous reviews on the ProgArchives site, contains only one ELP album (ā€œELPā€), in contrast with e.g. their contemporaries Genesis (5), Yes, Pink Floyd, Van der Graaf Generator (4), King Crimson, Camel (3). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emerson-lake-palmer-how-are-they-remembered-these-days-did-they-leave-any-legacy-in-music/742981.md?page=2)