ELP is one of the few bands who apparently have classical backgrounds, as evidenced by this album in which they electrify Bach, I believe, in "Toccata." Their use of the synthesizer was cutting edge and still brings this rocker to his head-bangin' feet. "Karn Evil 9..." could be called their signature piece and "Benny the Bouncer" is just plain fun.

I'm not going to talk about whether I like ELP or their music or this album other than I really liked this LP as a kid and was happy to bump into a "Re-Mastered" CD version of it.

However, I have to say that the sound is about the worst re-mastered CD I've heard to date. Most noticable on my system is that the precussion parts have been severely obliterated - the cymbals are mostly missing and when noticable sound unreal - not at all like the LP - and most of the rest of the drum kit is noticably muted. Levels are inconsistent within single tracks and from track to track. Karn-evil 9 part 1 seems to have grossly filtered, muted, and muffled. The other reviewer's comment about low pass filtering seems accurate. This CD seems to have lost much of the realism and clarity of the LP.

What a disappointment.

I first bought this on LP when in High school, and loved it right away; the work was innovative and hasn't lost its complex beauty in the passing three decades. I remember at the time seeing concert footage of ELP and Emerson playing a Grand Piano that was spinning head over heals.

I loved the morbid love song "Still, you turn me on", and the funny "Benny the Bouncer", as well as the rendition of the Classical "Toccata", but strangely the song that stuck with me is the Church of England hymn "Jerusalem", I remember singing it without a hymnal, one Sunday in England, and the look on the locals faces, to see that I knew it by heart.

I on occasion still blast this on my commute home, and am sure the people at the stoplights wonder what the heck it is I'm listening to.

If you are interested in the subject of Avent Guard music from the 70's "Brain Salad Surgery" is a good place to look.

Apparently the remastering process consisted of feeding the original analog tracks through a low pass filter. Everything is bottomed out and the CD sounds like you're listening to it with a blanket wrapped tightly around your head. To add insult to injury, this effect is not consistent from track to track, or even within the same track.

To me, Brain Salad Surgery isn't as much of a classic compared to the previous ELP offerings.

While there's many keyboard passages that are highly memorable, along with some of Greg Lake's famous angelic vocals, for the most part the album doesn't flow as beautifully as other ELP albums. More often than not, the band seems to turn obnoxious with their musical ideas, and it does begin to wear thin on the listener after several minutes go by.

Greg Lake is such a gifted singer and it's a shame he wasn't given more time in the spotlight. The entire album has a much different atmosphere from the other ELP albums. This album feels more like a stage show or something. The previous ELP albums felt more like an adventure through heaven with their classical influences.

Well, it's up to you whether you want to purchase this album or not. Sometimes most popular doesn't equal best. This is a perfect example of that. My favorite song is "Still You Turn Me On" with its soft pleasant vocals. I DO enjoy many of the keyboard jams as well, but in my opinion, they don't flow together very well. You just get the impression the band members are showing off their talents on this one.