Emerson, Lake & Palmer were formed in 1970,
after a chance meeting between Keith Emerson of The Nice and Greg Lake of
King Crimson. Later they added Carl Palmer, and they even considered adding
Jimi Hendrix. They would then have been known as HELP :-)
Things worked out differently, though, because they received threats ("how would you like to play with broken hands ?") from either Mitch Mitchell or someone else close to Hendrix (I have lost the original material, so I'm quoting from memory).
They released their debut LP late 1970. Called "Emerson, Lake & Palmer", it featured ELP classics such as Lucky Man, Knife Edge and Take A Pebble. The latter song, a quiet piano piece, served as foundation for Keith Emerson's piano improvisations during their early live shows, often also incorporating songs by Greg Lake. This can be heard on the CD "Impressions", WBR CD 9221.
Their second LP, Tarkus, is dominated by the title-track, which is a first-class example of their tight jazz-rock inspired playing, and especially the Moog played by Emerson. The Moog was maturing as a musical instrument at a rapid rate at this time, something which can be heard when comparing Lucky Man, where the Moog is used at the end as a novelty item, with the last section of Tarkus, where the Moog controls the piece. As Take A Pebble was a showcase for the piano, so Tarkus became a showcase for the Moog. This can be heard , in less than optimal sound quality, on the CD "Impressions", TW 53001/2 (not to be confused with the one above), and in remastered quality on the CD "Welcome back my friends ...". Be sure to get the remastered version released by Victory.
The Moog could still act up, though, as evidenced on the CD "Hoe Down", BGS 1993-1, recorded in Tokyo, Japan, apparently in pouring rain (Greg Lake bursts into "Raindrops keep falling on my head" between songs). The moisture shortened out parts of the Moogs circuitry, killing the decay and the release.
After
their massive tour in 1973/74, they entered a period of inactivity, only
punctuated by the hit single by Greg Lake "I believe in Father Christmas",
and one by Keith Emerson "Honky Tonk Train Blues".
Their return in 1977, the year of punk, with "Works vol 1" was perhaps their most daring experiment, as the double LP featured 3 sides with solo offerings from the band members. All had chosen to work with an orchestra, in different ways.
Keith Emerson wrote his "Piano Concerto No. 1", a piece that proves that his talents as a composer are not dependant upon using the synthesizer. To the untrained ear, his composition comes across as a piece of "real" classical music.
Greg Lake presented a collection of ballads, including the popular "C`est la vie". Presented as they are, Gerg Lake accompanied by an orchestra, they come close to MOR.
Carl Palmer revealed his interest in both classical music, by interpreting a piece of Bach, and big band jazz, by writing titles like "New Orleans" and "Food for your soul".
The fourth side presented "Fanfare for the common man" and "Pirates", the former a piece by Copland, augmented by a bluesy keyboard solo by Emerson, the latter resembling the score to a Hollywood musical. Although this may sound slightly odd, "Pirates", especially in the remastered version, is strong and somehow very "ELP".
Touring with a full orchestra turned out to be a logistical and economic nightmare. Even the musical performance was weaker than what one might have expected of the masters of Symphonic Rock.
When the band continued touring without the orchestra, they still played mostly the same material (such as C`est la vie, Piano concerto, The enemy god, Pirates & Fanfare for the common man), and it is a tribute to the talents of ELP, that the band-only versions are as strong as they are, proving that ELP didn't really need the orchestra. This can be heard on "Works 1/2", also released as "Classics", TGP 145.