Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Whether your taste is heavy metal, British pop, or Wagnerian symphony, ELP’s debut has hybridized songs for every palate. “The Barbarian” turns Béla Bartók into doom metal, while “Knife-Driven” melds Bach to the volcanic grooves of Jimi Hendrix and the impassioned melodicism of John Lennon. You never know what’s coming next, though ELP navigates every unpredictable turn with razor-sharp precision. With its gently chiming melody, the Bowie-esque “Lucky Man” reveals Greg Lake as the superior songwriter behind the instrumental intensity of Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer.