WELCOME BACK MY FRIENDS TO THE SHOW THAT NEVER ENDS

If YES were the jocks of progressive rock, and Genesis the brains of progressive rock, then ELP in my mind is the class clown of progressive rock. I don't mean that in a derogatory sense, because I enjoy ELP, but it reflects the fact that like many class clowns, ELP liked to not only put on a good show, they made sure that people noticed them putting on a good show. The music comes flailing out at you, there's little subtlety, everything is right in your face (or your ears) and you will likely enjoy it immensely the first few times you hear them, but then gradually you hear the cracks in their facade, and over time, you realize that they don't stand up as well against the other main prog counterparts. That being said, Welcome Back My Friends.....is as good a representation of the band as one could hope for. I would have liked tracks such as From the Beginning, Triology, or Knife Edge to be included here, but I can't really quibble with the track selections. There is some real passion behind the playing, it's not as prim and proper as a typical Genesis live recording, and this passion serves the trio well. The inclusion of Karn Evil 9 in its entirety, including a very good drum solo by Carl Palmer in the 2nd part of the 1st Impression is worth the price of the album alone, and the central themes of repression, seeking messianic assistance (albeit through the deceptiion laden musings of the carnival ringmaster), and man's attempt to fight back against the very technology it created come through crytal clear. Tarkus is highlighted by the extended Aquatarkus section, where it gets very dark, jam-laden almost, and really accentuates the piece. Among shorter selections, Hoedown really kicks into high gear at the opening note, but many other pieces including Jerusaleum, and the Greg Lake twin ballads that are encircled by Take a Pebble sound more like filler, and don't hold up especially well. This is a very good prog-rock document, and sadly was really the last meaningful recording by three very tlaneted players.