Track Listing

1. Tiger In A Spotlight - Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Greg Lake
2. When The Apple Blossoms Bloom In The Windmills Of Your Mind I'll Be Your Valentine - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3. Bullfrog - Carl Palmer
4. Brain Salad Surgery - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
5. Barrelhouse Shake-Down - Keith Emerson
6. Watching Over You - Greg Lake
7. So Far To Fall - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
8. Maple Leaf Rag - Keith Emerson, London Philharmonic Orchestra
9. I Believe In Father Christmas - Greg Lake
10. Close But Not Touching - Carl Palmer
11. Honky Tonk Train Blues - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
12. Show Me The Way To Go Home - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
13. Tiger In A Spotlight - Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Greg Lake
14. Watching Over You - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
15. Show Me The Way To Go Home - Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43533 in Music
• Released on: 2008-02-26
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 58 minutes

CD Description
The larger-than-life music created by ELP was dependent upon the equally sizable musical/personal egos of its members. By 1977, the inevitable acrimony between the three had caused an aesthetic and spiritual decline. On the two separately issued volumes of WORKS, we can see a band on the verge of coming apart. Though the songs and arrangements are uniformlystrong, there's precious little interaction. Many songs seem to feature only one member of the band at a time, the other two presumably having little use for their mate's ideas. Ironically, this allowed the members' individual styles to beseen that much more clearly.
Emerson's pianistic roots are made plain on impressive and unprecedentedly faithful renditions of "Maple Leaf Rag" and "Honky Tonk Train Blues" as well as an original tune--"Barrelhouse Shake-Down"--in a similar mold. Lake's balladic leanings are eloquently expressedin the poignant, devotional "Watching Over You". Palmer's precise polyrhythmic capabilities and previously underexposedcompositional talents are seen on the instrumental "Close But Not Touching".

Customer Reviews

Not their best
I was lucky enough to see ELP on a number of occasions in the 70's and always enjoyed their albums, mainly because they were so very different to pretty much everyone else and in Keith Emerson they had a keyboard player who was always innovative as well as great to watch). I had found 'Works Vol 1' superb in places but there were one or two areas where they sounded a touch tired so I was a little apprehensive when I first bought this back in 76.

How right I was - this seemed (and still does) as if they had to get an album out and so they threw together a few bits and pieces which hadn't been good enough to make Vol 1 as well as a few new tracks hurriedly put together. There is lots of Emersons excellent piano playing and some superb songs from Lake but the balance is missing - there is not one powerful composition on the whole album and it therefore compares badly to all that had gone before. 'Love Beach' was a little bit better but it was no surprise when they called it a day not long after.

They returned with the superb 'Black Moon in the 90's but one of the great bands of all time now seem to have gone forever. If you want to hear them at their best don't buy this album - go for the early stuff (ELP / Tarkus / Trilogy / Brain Salad Surgery) or 'Black Moon'.

elp vol2
almost make a 5 star, except the totally non elp tracks,honky tonk(bore)maple st rag!!??? what ya do'n guy's!???(shock) and show me the way home!!! for what sake!!:))i believe in farther xmas, fab! now thats elp. so is tiger.the rest not bad,vol one's better overall.but! just get the first album or tarkus if your buy.n for the first time,masterpices.

A worthy collection of ELP outtakes.
All a bit hit and miss. "Maple Leaf Rag" is great, but that's because it's a great tune by a great composer, "Barrelhouse Shakedown" is in a not dissimilar vein. "Tiger In A Spotlight" sounds better live because it's given the rocky feel it should have on here, but sort of lacks. "Apple Blossom" is a nice intrumental with some very funky drumming laying down the base line, "Bullfrog" is just irritating.

I wouldn't play this to someone who didn't know ELP because I'd get laughed at and probably slapped, it isn't the best indication of what they're capable of.

However, "I Believe In Father Christmas" is still one of the damndest finest Christmas records ever written, no argument. It's only a shame the album track is the rather low key acoustic-ish version and not the full caffeine, max sugar, overblown thunderfest of the single version.