1973 would be the year of the great works of progressive rock; it was undoubtedly its golden age, a time when the genre's greatest classics were created. Among many others, Pink Floyd released their masterpiece, "The Dark Side of the Moon", while Jethro Tull launched their monumental "A Passion Play", Genesis achieved their perfect work with "Selling England by the Pound", and other bands like King Crimson with "Lark's Tongues in Aspic", Camel with their debut album, Caravan with their enormous "For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night", and Mike Oldfield with his extraordinary "Tubular Bells" cemented the progressive genre's place at the pinnacle of rock music.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer, for their part, wouldn't be left behind and released their spectacular "Brain Salad Surgery", the first album they released under their own label, Manticore Records. It was initially going to be titled "Whip Some Skull On Ya", but the name was ultimately changed to the one famously known worldwide. "Brain Salad Surgery" is perhaps the band's most powerful work, where the trio achieves total mastery of their musical coherence and, at the same time, the culmination of their creativity. Emerson demonstrates his mastery of the Hammond organ and his outstanding command of the piano and polyphonic synthesizers. Carl Palmer delivers a solid, fast, and highly complex performance, proving that he was at his peak at that time. Greg Lake enhances the overall sound with his excellent voice, thanks to its subtle and fresh echo, as well as his bass playing, which, with its complexity, perfectly supports the demanding keyboards and drums. "Brain Salad Surgery" is perhaps the band's most powerful work. “Brain Salad Surgery” has an obvious jazz influence, as revealed by the more frenetic and complex piano and drum sections. Interestingly, despite the outstanding technical performance of the three virtuoso musicians, all the tracks are remarkably accessible, melodic, and perfectly structured. Unlike their previous album, “Tarkus”, it is not as experimental or inaccessible. The album also boasts a splendid cover, the work of the renowned artist H.R. Giger, designed in his famous surrealist style, celebrated for its futuristic drawings and dark environments. Giger would later gain worldwide recognition for his work on the film Alien, depicting the fateful eighth passenger of the famous spaceship Nostromo.
The progressive suite “Karn Evil” is the standout track on this album, with its constant tempo changes and instrumental complexity. The grandiose “Toccatta” is an astonishing exercise in technological experimentation, courtesy of Keith Emerson's keyboards, and the epic “Jerusalem” is a superb re-arrangement, as remarkable as it is legendary. Meanwhile, on the jazzy “Benny The Bouncer”, Carl Palmer showcases his immense drumming skills. On the more melancholic and subdued side, we find the accessible and acoustic “Still...You Turn Me On”, one of the few moments of peace and tranquility on this otherwise aggressive and powerful album. With this work, ELP definitively ascended to the Olympus of the Gods of progressive rock, a work cataloged as one of the greatest contributions to the genre, which would rise among the best and best-selling records on the charts on both sides of the Atlantic and which has been constantly reissued since then with great acceptance by the progressive community and rock fans in general.
