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On this day, 23 November 1972, Progressive rock band giants Emerson, Lake & Palmer played Cardiff’s Capitol Theatre on the band’s Trilogy tour with two performances, supported by Jimmy Stevens.
Trilogy was the third studio album by the band, released in July 1972, by Island Records. The group had spent most of 1971 touring, which paused in September so they could record a new album at Advision Studios with Eddy Offord resuming his role as engineer. The album features "Hoedown", an arrangement of Aaron Copland's ballet composition which became a live favourite.
The album was a commercial success, reaching No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 5 on the US Billboard 200. Lake's acoustic song, "From the Beginning", was released as a single in August 1972 and became the band's highest charting US single, reaching No. 39. Lake picked Trilogy as his favourite Emerson, Lake & Palmer album.
The artwork was designed by Hipgnosis. It depicts a combined bust of the three members, while the interior of the original gatefold sleeve features a photomontage of the three in Epping Forest.
Spanish artist Salvador Dalí was approached to design it, but he requested $50,000 to do it and was subsequently turned down.
The front cover depicts each of the band members' faces; Emerson said this was so as their previous albums had not featured them.
Setlist
Hoedown
(Aaron Copland cover)
Tarkus
The Endless Enigma
The Sheriff
Take a Pebble
Lucky Man
Piano Improvisation
Take a Pebble
Pictures at an Exhibition
(Modest Mussorgsky cover)
Nutrocker
(Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky cover)
Blue Rondo à la Turk
(The Dave Brubeck Quartet cover)
