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“From the Beginning” — Emerson, Lake & Palmer

I feel some sort of obligation to write about Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Though I hesitate to label anything as “my favourite,” I can confidently call this 1970s trio my favourite band of all time — not in the sense that I am always in the mood to listen to them, but in the sense that they have singlehandedly reshaped the way I listen to music. Who can say that about a “supergroup”?

I also hesitate to autobiographically steer this blog — but I guess it’s too late. I first listened to Trilogy because, like many aspects of my childhood, if my Dad (hereafter referred to as “The Doc”) liked/did it, it had to be the nazz. In fact, without the help of this album, the Doc may have been called “The Nondescript Financier” — doesn’t have the same ring to it. “From the Beginning,” the group’s best-selling single, is best understood in the context of Trilogy’s first four tracks. And that’s how I’ll leave it: listen to the tracks and generate your own impressions. I am not the decider.

Interesting anecdote: Hendrix, tired of his act, had planned on joining the young trio (speculative name: HELP), but died just before the super-supergroup’s first scheduled jam session.

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  1. This Be The Verse › “Hang On to a Dream” (Live) — The Nice on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 11:47 am

    [...] there was Emerson, Lake & Palmer, there was the Nice — and if you’re familiar with ELP, this live track will show you where all the talent originated. I’d even go so far as to say [...]

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