Emerson, Lake & Palmer

From their inception in 1970, big things were expected of the English trio of keyboard genius Keith Emerson, bassist and singer Greg Lake, and drummer Carl Palmer. They were, after all, a media-hyped supergroup featuring members of three prized art-rock bands: The Nice, King Crimson, and Atomic Rooster. Clearly up for the challenge, ELP became one of prog rock’s most popular acts. Their original run of albums from their 1970 self-titled debut through 1978’s Love Beach strikes a remarkable balance between complexity and catchiness. The music rushes out of the speakers upon waves of classical-inspired suites, calculus-level changes, some heavy-metal heft in spots, and, of course, Keith Emerson’s heroic solos and volcanic synthesizer work. At the same time, the ballad “Lucky Man” (with gorgeous vocals from Greg Lake) and the funky odyssey “Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression—Part 1” joined the arena-anthem canon. ELP briefly reunited in the mid-’90s, adding two more full-lengths to a catalog that truly embodies a phrase: challenging enough for the conservatory and infectious enough for radio.