Search - Emerson Lake & Palmer :: Welcome Back My Friends to the Show That Never End

Best live progrock album

Lang Allen Reeves | Snellville, GA USA | 04/26/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well, I imagine most people purchasing this on CD probably had it on vinyl or tape many years ago. But if there's anyone who's never heard this live recording of ELP, I'll try to explain. ELP was one of the top progressive rock bands of the 70s, combining rock with jazz and classical, and wanting to remain entertaining the whole time. They released many very successful studio albums, but on this live album you can really hear how the energy of the crowd feeds the band and pushes them up yet another notch. It is noteworthy that the music is amazingly "full" sounding....this is a band of only three people, there is no backing tracks, no midi, no sequencing...in fact, there wasn't even a polyphonic synthesizer invented yet."

Greatest live recording of the progressive era - maybe of al

Dave Deubler | Pennsylvania | 07/14/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Astonishing as much for its energy as its originality and versatility, this CD documents a mind-blowing concert tour by the legendary progressive power trio. The band rips through the opening "Hoedown" at breakneck speed and never looks back. "Jerusalem" is suitably inspiring, and the piece by Ginastera is totally off the hook, Palmer going crazy on the synthesized percussion. Before you've caught your breath, they're into a complete "Tarkus" (including a much expanded "Aquatarkus") that just blows the doors off the studio version, which now seems awkward and mechanical by comparison. After this revelation they finally downshift for an acoustic set built within the framework of "Take a Pebble" (from their debut album) and including Lake's solo performances of "Still... You Turn Me On" and "Lucky Man", this latter probably being the only real disappointment of the concert. Emerson takes over for the piano section, doing an amazing 12 minutes of what's called "Piano Improvisations", demonstrating that much as he enjoys his toys and gimmicks, he's still a spectacular musician without them. Then to continue in a lighter vein, the band gives us a playful "Jeremy Bender/The Sheriff" medley before settling down for the brutality of "Karn Evil 9". Since this piece was from their current album at the time, the difference between the live and studio versions isn't as dramatic as "Tarkus" for example, but the power of their playing still carries the material to new heights. Palmer's drum solo from the "1st Impression" is especially noteworthy, a self-contained composition evocative of a train leaving a station. Music with this kind of grandeur and technical bravado may not be to everyone's taste - it's not called art rock for nothing - but to my mind it's ELP's intensity, the way they attack the material rather than just reciting it, that makes this the greatest live recording of the progressive era, and a legitimate contender for the best live album of all time."