Emerson, Lake & Palmer

12-12-08 Emerson, Lake & Palmer – (debut album)

EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER ISLAND FR 6339 026 LP 1970 6 TRKS

Original French issue

EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER ISLAND UK ILPS 9123 LP 1970 6 TRKS

Original UK issue

EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER kami JVC JPN VICP-63171 CD 1970 6 TRKS

('05 issue) kami sleeve

EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER re-issue MANTICORE UK K 43503 LP 1970 6 TRKS

UK re-issue

I just got an SHM-CD of the debut album by Emerson, Lake & Palmer, touting re-mastering and “Super High Materials” (i.e. hard CD). I suppose I would likely buy it yet another time, whenever they come up with whatever is the next ‘sound gimmick’, as SHM-CD would seem to be.

I started with this album at the end of 1970 – I knew the bass player & singer came from King Crimson, a group I was very into. I knew of both The Nice and Atomic Rooster – but King Crimson was the draw for me. In my previous incarnation (as a teenaged record collector), I had an Ampex 8-track tape of it, then an Ampex cassette of it. I graduated to a US Cotillion label LP of it, before finding an Island UK original pressing. The original French LP pressing came later – it looks very cool, and has the ‘good sound’ that the UK original has. UK re-issue came last. I dumped all of my Cotillion copies (stock and promo) – as they do not sound so great.

In the CD era, I began with an Atlantic US CD of it, followed by a European CD of it that was actually on the Manticore label! (I kept my German Manticore “Tarkus” CD, however). Always after the ‘good sound’, I opted for the first Japanese CD I ever saw of it – probably a JVC, but…it’s long gone now. When ‘kami sleeves’ gained momentum in ’05, I opted for one of those – lovely 24bit re-mastering from JVC Japan, in a gorgeously re-produced miniature album sleeve. So, no need for either the Rhino US edition or the more recent Shout Factory version. The JVC Japan mastering beats ‘em every time.

And of all the ELP albums, this is the one I still have special patience for. “The Barbarian” couldn’t be any cooler. “Take A Pebble”, the track where previous poor mastering showed up, now always sounds great. “Knife Edge” is great, has that ‘loud sound’ (that the US vinyl never seemed to have). “The Three Fates” – always majestic-sounding. “Tank” – about as good as a ‘drum solo’ track ever gets. “Lucky Man”, a good single and a nice closer to a strong debut LP.

It’s the end of 2008, and my SHM-CD of it arrived yesterday. As it has been re-mastered yet again – and theoretically placed upon a CD made of higher-quality materials – I can bet on the ‘good sound’ being there.