Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Brain Salad Surgery

I didn't want to write this review, but then I decided to do it mostly to commemorate the great Greg Lake, who was the architect of one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of progressive music, universally recognized by many as the most important one (I am one of these "many", but this is hardly a relevant fact), namely "In The Court Of The Crimson King".
After delighting me with Trilogy, a very underrated album considering that the highest praises go to Tarkus, in which sensational experiments like "The Sheriff" stand out.
"Brain Salad Surgery" (at least in my opinion) is a great album, the best that ELP recorded during their "golden period".
Ready, here we go with "Jerusalem", 2 minutes and 54 in which Lake's graceful voice flows along with the mighty and imposing keyboards of the legendary Keith Emerson, without any doubt one of the greatest keyboardists of all time, if not the greatest on the technical side...
"Toccata" is practically a keyboard "fugue" by Emerson, a revisitation of a classical piece, the 4th movement of the Concerto No. 1 for Piano and Orchestra by the Argentine composer Alberto Ginasteraverso (a composition I have yet to unfortunately listen to): Keith reaches new untamed horizons, where music often dialogs with silence, in which out of nowhere keyboard notes appear that drape the album, semi-tribal percussions accompanying the listener into a new pristine dimension.
"Still...You Turn Me On" is an extraordinary ballad by Lake, calming the waters, through a graceful and reassuring singing, embellished by that extraordinary guitar dripping with psychedelic music, capable of giving it an almost dramatic appearance.
"Benny The Bouncer" is instead a track that I consider almost a filler, a moment of banter from the band, in which Emerson lets loose with a pleasant honky tonk piece, a little track that manages to stimulate the listener to continue. But it's certainly not exceptional.
The real masterpiece of the album, as well as of the band, is undoubtedly the colossal 30-minute suite "Karn Evil Nine" (divided into four parts). In the first part, Emerson's keyboards, first mighty, then fluid, construct imposing structures, fitting the most dramatic events of reality into a grotesque theater show, in which Greg Lake, Carl Palmer, and Keith Emerson do as they wish and move events within this reality as they see fit.
"Welcome back to my friend to the show that never ends" are prophetic words, us humans are trapped in an eternal theatrical performance, it's all an illusion.
To garnish this marvel is undoubtedly that wonderful guitar that strolls with Emerson, which in most cases strangely manages to move me.
A grand finale concludes the first half of the suite, with Greg's very theatrical voice.
The third part of the suite sees an excellent solo moment by Emerson in a jazz key (at least initially), with far more daring experiments.
The tones calm down, and Emerson finds himself engulfed in silence, playing decidedly timid notes, accompanied by the grating bass of Greg Lake and Palmer's gentle percussions.
The last 9-minute session, through Emerson's almost combative keyboards, leads the listener to the grand finale of "Karn Evil Nine", a stunning vision of the future where computers will subjugate humans, undertaking (in my vision) the so-called "brain salad surgery".
Lake's voice, first imposing, then angry, then dramatic, and subsequently "robotized", perfectly outlines a world about to genuinely be born in recent years. The finale features a "cascading" synthesizer that neutralizes any kind of humanity left in man, now monopolized by the invasion of computers.
So, "Brain Salad Surgery" is a near-masterpiece, maybe because I will continue to never truly appreciate "Benny The Bouncer", but oh well, the rest flirts with perfection several times.
"Brain Salad Surgery" is undoubtedly their most mature, most cerebral, most grotesque, most theatrical, and classical work, an oeuvre where you can perfectly perceive Emerson's classical, jazz, and theatrical influences, Lake's highly effective melodies that soften the listening, and Palmer's tentacular percussions.
The trio has reached its peak, a record that will never be matched by any studio album produced afterward, considering that "Works Volume 1 and 2" alternate between cute pieces and unoriginal pieces and "Love Beach" is one of the greatest disasters ever.
With this, Emerson and Lake, rest in peace, and you, Palmer, try to resist as much as you can to the grasp of death, although it is
inevitable your fate.
Even though you didn't truly enter my heart, thank you Emerson, Lake, and Palmer.