Beaten by the real thing
eurocrank | Ketchikan, Alaska | 08/02/2007
(2 out of 5 stars)
"As a fan of the band, of the songs chosen for this compilation, of live performances, and of rare recordings, I should be delighted with "Best of the Bootlegs." Except that the sound quality is awful . . . and I don't mean "audiophile" awful. I mean, "Wha??" awful. I've heard many a bootleg with far superior sound.
I would suggest getting the "Welcome Back My Friends To The Show That Never Ends," "Works Live," or "King Biscuit Flower Hour" sets first. All are from legitimate sources, and the first two together offer a pretty complete portrait of ELP live in the 70s. "KBFH" is a two-disc set combining a "Works Live"-era performance (from the latter part of the tour) on the first disc with a 1974 version of 'Karn Evil 9' (as well as multimedia material) on the second disc. It's a worthwhile addition to the other two live albums because, unlike "Works Live," the first disc is without an orchestra and includes a version of 'Pirates.'"