Emerson Lake and Palmer
Beyond the Beginning (DVD)
Available: August 16, 2005
Studio: BMG Music

We’ve always liked ELP, but never forked out the cash to see them live and really never got further than the four disc box set. We suck.

We owned the DVD-Audio CD of “Brain Salad Surgery,” Warner Bros first foray into the medium, but we never truly considered the talent behind progressive rock’s first supergroup.

Why hadn’t we ever even watched a video to see Keith Emerson’s massive assault on the keys, Greg Lake on the guitar (and weirdly-accepted acoustic solo songs) and Carl Palmer stationed between his signature gongs atop a colossal drum set? Well, that’s history now.

This DVD made the world clear again, and led us to dust off the old box set to give ELP its due. From the group’s very first TV debut on the The Beat Club TV show to a pre-gay Elton John matchup to the strange “Tiger in the Spotlight,” featuring a petrified tiger feet away from Lake, the group proves time and time again their aptitude in the musical landscape at the time and today.

Sure, there’s lots missing from this DVD: 5.1 engineered sound worthy of a DVD, unedited footage, and a strange menu screen that refused to start the movie in two newish DVD players. But over 250 minutes of live concert footage, extras, “Beyond the beginning” documentary and more make this DVD pay for itself in pleasure. And as of today, we suck a little less thanks to ELP.