Emerson, Lake & Palmer, the iconic progressive rock band, is still hailed as one of the greatest supergroups of all time.
Despite their long hiatus from the music industry, the trio, consisting of Keith Emerson from The Nice, Greg Lake from King Crimson and Carl Palmer from Atomic Rooster, left a lasting legacy that generations of musicians and fans continue to admire and celebrate.
In a list revealed by WatchMojo, the ’70s English band made it to the elite list of the top 20 best supergroups in music history, with Cream, Traveling Wilburys and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young sitting in the top three spots.
Described as “one of the best rock acts of that decade,” Emerson, Lake & Palmer are best known as one of the earliest supergroups and as pioneers of the progressive rock genre.
Their take on classical compositions gave their music a unique blend of rock and orchestral sounds, while their theatrical live performances set them apart from their contemporaries.
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Formed in 1970, the band came together when the trio pursued a shared vision following the disbandment of their previous bands.
Throughout their career, Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP) released nine studio albums, including several signature hits.
Among their most popular tracks is “Karn Evil 9,” which, according to Ultimate Classic Rock, was the band’s “best and most popular piece.”
Featured on their 1973 album Brain Salad Surgery, the almost 30-minute song was divided into three parts called “Impressions,” which included the famous introduction, “Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends.”
Adding to the list of their most popular songs are “Lucky Man,” written by Greg Lake when he was 12, and “Tarkus,” a song dubbed by critics as one of the “most ambitious pieces” with its seven-part, 20-minute suite.
Unfortunately, amid their years of success, the band bid goodbye in 1979.
The band’s breakup was attributed to creative burnout and the commercial failure of their album Love Beach.
Despite trying to revive the band in 1992 with the release of their album Black Moon, followed by In the Hot Seat in 1994, ELP officially called it quits in 1998.
“There’s something about ELP that doesn’t work,” Lake told Rolling Stone back in 2013. “It used to work, but it doesn’t work now.”
Following the band’s breakup, the frontman clarified that it wasn’t the media who broke them up.
“I’m very proud of ELP, but it wasn’t the journalists that brought down ELP,” Lake explained, adding, “I think it was ELP themselves. It started to fragment when they made Works Volume 1 [in 1977.] It was a good album, but it wasn’t ELP. It was Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and Carl Palmer with an orchestra. Well, with three separate orchestras.”
In 2010, the band celebrated its 40th anniversary with a concert, serving as the group’s final performance together.
Related: ’80s Rock Band, Originally Disbanding for $1 Million, Ranked Among ‘Greatest Supergroups’ of All Time