You get heaven, you’ll get hell

Contrary to all expectations I did actually find myself at a record shop on Record Store Day, where for just five quid I picked up a not egregiously worn copy of Emerson, Lake and Palmer’s Love Beach. I was particularly intrigued to hear this after reading that it was “downright pathetic, stale and full of ennui” – ELP are one of my favourite bands so I couldn’t wait to hear what mediocre music by them sounded like.

Having listened yesterday … “stale and full of ennui” is spot on, but also, I like it. I mean, I’d prefer ELP’s take on slightly shitty pop music to the take of most other bands, because it’s still prog even if the prog is watered down and the lyrics (insofar as I even pay attention to those) are surprisingly mundane coming from Peter “will no one lay the laurel wreath / when silence drowns the screams” Sinfield.

Some thoughts on each track:

All I Want Is You – quite nice, interesting drum fills, doesn’t seem particularly proggy in terms of rhythms/harmonies. Makes me think of the OTP despite very tenuous relevance because I’m trash, so I guess that means I like it.

Love Beach – I like the riff, but the mood of this is pretty similar to All I Want Is You, and one of the things prog albums normally deliver on is Variety. I do enjoy the I-iv progression [1] (although it’s like the only point of harmonic interest in the whole song) and there are some cool lyrics (“out of reach of the eagle’s eyes”), but overall, shrug.

Taste Of My Love – this seems like a more interesting track (although starting in the same key as the previous one is a big eyebrow raise moment) – the opening in particular is a great example of how prog can use elements of English folk music very effectively, which makes me wonder how much creative potential they actually lost by making this album in the Bahamas, so far from the environment that created prog in the first place. Some good synths towards the end and appropriately edgy in places.

The Gambler – in some ways this is much more like a lot of older ELP stuff, very story-driven and solid, reminiscent of songs like Jeremy Bender, but that kind of thing has never been my favourite part of their output. Some tasty drum moments though, and a very good sound on the solo.

For You – this one is more prog in the true sense, with a long instrumental introduction showing off the guys’ technical skill really nicely. Some cool use of accelerandi, nice sixths, the i–VI–i progression is a favourite [2], although the lyrics are a bit trite (“we loved so hard we shook the stars above”).

Canario – best track on the album. ELP’s covers of classical pieces are always excellent and this is no exception. Very tasty descending sequences [3], really delicious synth sounds. Once it gets to the part that alternates between 6/8 and 3/4 feel it gets very reminiscent of another excellent prog adaptation of a classical-ish piece (America by The Nice, featuring, of course, Keith Emerson), in both rhythm and harmony, and that’s no bad thing.

Side 2 consists entirely of Memoirs Of An Officer And A Gentleman, which has four sections:

Prologue/The Education Of A Gentleman – ok, ok, right from the chords at the beginning [4], and then those raised fourths once the drums come in: that is ELP (or maybe just a sign that I prefer Emerson’s stuff to Lake’s, ha). Again, given where the album was recorded, the thematic material in the lyrics is very interesting, and I do wonder how it came about – a cursory glance at Wikipedia tells me that Sinfield was from that public-school background, but Emerson seems not to have been.

Love At First Sight – really very nice despite being so lyric-driven and therefore not really my kind of thing. The piano part is varied enough to stay interesting (and, lol, is in places very much like the prelude of a certain game series – not surprising when Uematsu does cite ELP among his influences). The buildup with the guitar and drums fits very well with the progression of the lyrics, and the line “yes, I do; yes, I will” – despite seeming very cringe when written down – is actually very appropriately set and delivered.

Letters From The Front – there are some very cool Sounds at the beginning of this one that remind me of something modernist – possibly the third movement of Electric Counterpoint by Steve Reich?? I don’t know but it’s good. (And that stack of fourths, ahem.) Compared with the previous section, the setting of the lyrics is a bit of a letdown – the first verse is extremely heavy-handed in terms of exposition, and I’d expect a big emotional climax at the point where, you know, his wife leaves him, but despite the very abrupt tonal shift I think it gets a bit buried.

Honourable Company – not particularly harmonically interesting, but some nice cosmic synths, and a “march” being (mostly) in 3/4 is peak prog (especially when the odd bar isn’t). The Rule Britannia quote works nicely, and along with the lack of emotion in the track, underscores the final sentiment of the lyrics of the previous section, where it turns out that war is the only thing left for the guy.

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