"Karn Evil 9" is an extended work by progressive rock group Emerson, Lake & Palmer, appearing on the album Brain Salad Surgery.
A futuristic fusion of rock and classical themes, it was written by band members Keith Emerson and Greg Lake with former King Crimson lyricist Peter Sinfield.
It is the fifth and final track on Brain Salad Surgery and, with a running length of 29 minutes and 37 seconds, is Emerson, Lake & Palmer's longest studio recording.
The initial release of the album on vinyl split "Karn Evil 9" between the two sides due to its length, with a fade out/fade in between First Impression Parts 1 and 2.
First Impression, Part 1 begins with a tale of a bleak world (although timeframe is not specified): "Cold and misty morning I heard a warning borne on the air ..." and where humanity is either being destroyed or has fallen into decay and helplessness.
Unlike the rest of "Karn Evil", the Second Impression's instrumentation is primarily piano, bass, and drums with a solo by Emerson on a Minimoog set to imitate a steelpan.
First Impression Part 2 was used as the theme tune for the BBC's Jim Davidson's Generation Game during the late 1990s and early 2000s, with the vocals regarding seven virgins and a mule being omitted.
[11][12] In February 2020, Radar Pictures announced a science fiction film inspired by Karn Evil 9 was in development, with Daniel H. Wilson to adapt the song into a screenplay.