Brain Salad Surgery
by Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Has a very similar sound to a lot of the other prog rock sounds of the 70’s without adding anything special to it. If this is your type of music then you will most likely love it. Personally, I don’t think this sound has aged well. A couple of deviations from this sound can be found. One is in the form of a great vocal performance of Jerusalem from Greg Lake and the other is another song entirely written by Greg Lake (Still. You Turn Me On). While it is an OK listen, there is a lot better prog rock out there from this era that can scratch the itch for this kind of music better.

A lot of enjoyable moments all wrapped up into one neat prog rock package. The album opens fantastically with a short 2 minute track which really gets you into the mood for the music. From there, it is all about the build up on most of the tracks with there being some great payoffs as well. This is achieved through the diverse instrumentation which maintains our interest until they reach the finale of the songs which are always pretty good. I am a big fan of what they did on the second half as well and find it to be one of the most unique things about this album. However, the music does get a little repetitive by the end and there are a few skippable cuts. Overall, a pretty good prog rock album with a lot of quality music on display.

So cool. Love the cover.

Karn Evil is the epitome of bombastic prog greatness! Side two is what this album is all about. Carl Palmer, Greg Lake and Keith Emerson vie for instrumental supremacy and hold it all together unlike some ELP work.
The vinyl with sleeve which opens like a book to reveal the mystical face, the unusual poster like inner booklet, all very prog!
A pivotal prog album up there with the great Yes, Genesis, King Crimson top works.

From av1976 06/16/2020 20:07 | #253675

One of my favorite albums. In addition to the over-the-top prog rock vibe and ambitious nature, I also love the artwork.

Progressive rock classic

From Fischman 01/20/2019 14:25 | #230096

Killer prog with elements from accessible to unsettling. This is an all time classic and it's easy to see why it's ELP's highest rated album.

Wow..You hear the word "bombastic" thrown around a lot with this one (and this band in particular) and the description definitely fits. High energy, high volume and ambitious. Karn Evil 9: First Impression Pt. 2 - now a staple of classic rock radio - is a classic. Karn Evil 9: 3rd Impression is utterly bonkers. If you're looking to explore ELP this album should be your starting point.

From jdenny2018 05/17/2018 21:25 | #215044 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

Balls to the wall prog at its finest

From rockinsteve 04/15/2018 03:54 | #212891 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

This is progressive rock at its finest! All three musicians are virtuosos. Just a great mix of classical and rock music!