It's not that bad.
Eddie Konczal | 05/27/2004
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Yes, the cover is cheesy. Yes, the title sucks. Yes, "Love Beach" is a blatant attempt at commercial pop, and it sticks out like a sore thumb in ELP's progressive-rock-meets-classical-music discography.But I have news for everyone: "Love Beach" actually has good songs on it! Actually, over half of the record's running time contains solid material. It's no "Tarkus" or "Brain Salad Surgery," but it merits a place in any ELP fan's collection."All I Want Is You" and "Love Beach" are well-crafted, catchy, up-tempo pop songs - a welcome change of pace from balladeers Greg Lake and Peter Sinfield. "For You," despite its lounge music vibe, sports a cool intro and some nice dynamics. "Canario" is a turbo-charged rendering of Rodrigo's guitar composition in the tradition of ELP's Copland adaptation "Hoedown." "The Gambler" and "Taste of My Love" are admittedly filler, perhaps the only truly bad songs on the record."Memoirs of an Officer and a Gentleman," the twenty-minute epic that spans the erstwhile "side two," is a mixed bag. The lyrics, which describe the story of a World War II soldier, achieve a simplistic yet noble pathos of the "England Expects" variety. The instrumentation is perhaps a bit pedestrian to justify the running time, although the coda "Honourable Company" finds both Emerson and Palmer in majestic form."Love Beach" was an easy target for critics who claimed that progressive rock had "jumped the shark" by 1978. But it's far better than its reputation indicates. If you're a diehard ELP fan, give it a chance."
Warning!
06/23/1999
(1 out of 5 stars)
"Please, dear music fan, don't meddle with it! Love Beach is just a very poor impression from former albums by E,L&P. It's not pure E,L&P you may think.This album is good for nothing, believe me. I would ram it! Look for other and better records by E,L&P, there are still a lot of. But not this and that's the end of that! I can't give nought stars but I would. With pleasure!"
Track Listings (7) - Disc #1