1977 Pressing without the die-cut jacket. Released in November 1973 originally, "Brain Salad Surgery" is the fourth studio album by British progressive rock supergroup Emerson, Lake & Palmer. The album represents a high point in the band’s ambition, blending classical influences, complex arrangements, and cutting-edge technology, notably Keith Emerson’s use of the Moog synthesizer. It features the nearly thirty-minute suite "Karn Evil 9," which is divided into three impressions and showcases the band’s technical prowess and penchant for grand conceptual pieces. The album cover, designed by Swiss artist H.R. Giger, is iconic for its surreal, biomechanical imagery, further cementing the record’s place in the pantheon of progressive rock art.