EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER – Trilogy [2CD Deluxe Edition Remastered] (2015)

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EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER landmark third album “Trilogy” has been relaunched this month in a Deluxe Remastered Edition 2015, featuring brand new stereo mixes and a previously unheard version of “From The Beginning”.
The influential album is expanded to three discs – two CDs and a DVD-audio – for this new set, with CD 2 including brand new stereo mixes, while the DVD-A contains the surround sound mix put together by King Crimson’s Jakko Jakszyk.

Frontman Greg Lake says: “If I were forced to choose just one album from our catalogue, it would probably be Trilogy. It was made at a time when the band’s inspiration and motivation was absolutely on fire – and at the same time we’d been together long enough to have formed our own musical identity.”

If you’re an Emerson, Lake & Palmer fan like myself, then you wait like the rest of us for the latest updating of their classic albums. Recently, we were rewarded with the very good remaster of Tarkus (already presented on the blog.
The next in line was the brilliant, extremely different “Trilogy” album.
The album starts with “The Endless Enigma” a two-part composition with Emerson’s “Fugue” sandwiched between. The enigmatic opening, with it’s pulsing heartbeat bass, eerie synths, punctuating percussion and stabs of free-form piano gives way to one of their most classical melodies and stately choruses.
“Fugue” is basically Emerson rearranging the songs melodies into, yes, a fugue. Tubular bells and a clarion synth announces Part Two’s rousing climax.

The more I hear “From The Beginning” the more I like it. Pleasing open string guitar chords underpin one of Lake’s best melodies. An alternate, previously unreleased take is included as a bonus track on Disk 2.
The original Side Two leads off with the band’s all too short arrangement of Aaron Copeland’s “Hoedown.” Emerson’s majestic synths ride over Palmer’s galloping drums and one of Lake’s most powerful (and Squire-like) bass-lines. The new stereo mix is awesome.

The title track follows with Emerson setting the scene for it’s main theme, about three-minutes in all hell breaks loose and the band goes double-time. Palmer doesn’t get enough credit for his complex percussion foundation, reminiscent of John Bonham’s work on Zeppelin’s Four Sticks.
Keith’s stunning Hammond work dominates “Living Sin”, then the band couldn’t wish for a better finale than Emerson’s tour de force Ravel tribute “Abaddon’s Bolero”. The new mix reveals layers upon layers of sounds. The swirling synth fanfares and Palmer’s gradually intensifying tom-toms bring the track, and the album, to a grand finish.

The memories flood back hearing this recording in this crystal clear version. The stereo remix just blows you away.
This new version of ELP “Trilogy” comes with restored artwork and a 16-page booklet with new liner notes and photos. The best thing is that it is incredible value – a steal at less than 17,99 Euros at the time of writing on Amazon.
Highly Recommended.

CD1: Original TRILOGY Remastered 2015
01 – The Endless Enigma. Pt. One (Remastered)
02 – Fugue (Remastered)
03 – The Endless Enigma. Pt. Two (Remastered)
04 – From the Beginning (Remastered)
05 – The Sheriff (Remastered)
06 – Hoedown (Remastered)
07 – Trilogy (Remastered)
08 – Living Sin (Remastered)
09 – Abaddon’s Bolero (Remastered)

CD2: New Stereo Trilogy TRILOGY
01 – From the Beginning (Alt Version prev. unreleased)
02 – The Endless Enigma. Pt. One (New Stereo Mix)
03 – Fugue (New Stereo Mix)
04 – The Endless Enigma. Pt. Two (New Stereo Mix)
05 – From the Beginning (New Stereo Mix)
06 – The Sheriff (New Stereo Mix)
07 – Hoedown (New Stereo Mix)
08 – Trilogy (New Stereo Mix)
09 – Living Sin (New Stereo Mix)
10 – Abaddon’s Bolero (New Stereo Mix)

Greg Lake – vocals, bass, electric & acoustic guitar
Carl Palmer – drums, percussion
Keith Emerson – Hammond C3, Steinway piano, Zoukra, Moog synthesizer IIIC, Mini Moog Model D

BUY IT !
www.amazon.de/Trilogy-Lake-Palmer-Emerson/dp/B00M8NMN3E
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