Don't be fooled by the
Bee Gees-esque cover photo,
Love Beach is not really
ELP gone pop. True, many of the songs are more concise and accessible than those on previous albums, and there are a couple of
Greg Lake-dominated "romantic" tunes, but those had always been part of the deal. They're still classically rockin' along on "Canario," and half the album is dominated by the 20-minute epic "Memoirs of an Officer and a Gentleman," reminiscent of such long-form
ELP classics as "Trilogy." ~ Jim Allen