WORKS VOL. 2

'Works, Vol. 2' is the sixth studio album of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and as happened with 'Works, Vol. 1', it was also released in 1977. 'Works, Vol. 2' is the second part of their musical project named 'Works'. As happened with 'Works, Vol. 1', this is also a different and strange album in what concerns to its conception. But, unlike with 'Works, Vol. 1', which consisted of three solo musical efforts and one collective effort, 'Works, Vol. 2' is simply a single album with a compilation of leftover tracks from other album's sessions that hadn't been recorded before on their previous studio albums. So, the album consists of solo and band's tracks. Musically, this is an album that covers different musical styles ranging from blues, bluegrass and jazz, from different musical eras. Some derided the album for its apparent lack of focus but others said that it showed a different side of the band. Anyway, the album wasn't a commercial success.

'Works, Vol. 2' has twelve tracks. The first track 'Tiger In A Spotlight' written by Keith Emerson, Greg Lake, Carl Palmer and Peter Sinfield is a leftover track from 'Brain Salad Surgery' sessions. This is a fun rock'n'roll/blues tune with a nice beat and a strange keyboard work. It's an interesting song but nothing more than that. The second track 'When The Apple Blossoms Bloom In The Windmills Of Your Mind I'll Be Your Valentine' written by Emerson, Lake & Palmer was also recorded in the sessions of 'Brain Salad Surgery' and appeared on the B side of the single 'Jerusalem' released to promote that studio album. It's an instrumental song with some interesting musical appointments and also with some strange keyboard sounds. The third track 'Bullfrog' written by Ron Aspery, Mick Hodgkinson and Carl Palmer is a very strange and eclectic instrumental song with some interesting but nevertheless bizarre and unconventional percussion work, which gives to us a strange and exotic atmosphere. The fourth track 'Brain Salad Surgery' written by Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and Peter Sinfield is a leftover of the album with the same name. It's a very short song full of strange and silly keyboard sounds and strange lyrics. This is an interesting, curious and sarcastic song. The fifth track 'Barrelhouse Shake-Down' written by Keith Emerson is a song in a boogie-woogie musical style with some swing style jazz, where Keith Emerson has fun with his grand piano. The sixth track 'Watching Over You' written by Greg Lake and Peter Sinfield is an acoustic ballad very calm and melodious. It's a nice song with a very simple tune in the traditional style of the ballads of Greg Lake. The seventh track 'So Far To Fall' written by Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and Peter Sinfield is another weird song, a kind of a fusion song between jazz and symphonic rock. It isn't a bad song. It has some energy, but sincerely, it doesn't move with me very much. The eighth track 'Maple Leaf Rag' written by Scott Joplin is a fun song that reminds me the very old times of the silent movies. This is a cover of a great classic song but no more than that. I think it's more fun playing it than hearing it. The ninth track 'I Believe In Father Christmas' written by Greg Lake and Peter Sinfield is a beautiful song and one of the best moments on the album. It's a ballad based on the Sergei Prokofiev's theme with good musical arrangements and also with good, ironic and controversial lyrics about the negative effects of commercial Christmas. The tenth track 'Close But Not Touching' written by Carl Palmer is another jazz piece of music essentially based on percussion. It's basically a repetitive song that reminds me a marching. This is a very vulgar song that doesn't add anything new to the album and that become in one of the weakest moments on the album. The eleventh track 'Honky Tonk Train Blues' written by Meade Lux Lewis is a song in the same vein and style of 'Barrelhouse Shake-Down'. This is Keith Emerson having fun with the grand piano in a boogie-woogie style while the rest plays in a swing jazz style. The twelfth and last track 'Show Me The Way To Go Home' written by L. James Campbell and Reginald Connelly is a reinterpretation of a classic traditional song. I don't know the original song but this version is very interesting and cool. This is to me one of the best songs on the album.

Conclusion: Unfortunately, 'Works, Vol. 2' is definetely a bit much worse than 'Works, Vol. 1' is. If on 'Works, Vol. 1' there's some logic with the songs on the album where each member of the group has an own side to present his concept of music, and a collective side, here we only have a punch of disconnected songs without any link between them. It's true that there are on the album some moments of inspiration with good musical moments. But, they are very few. 'Works, Vol. 2' isn't a progressive album and the songs are all short and very simple in its structure. Sincerely, I think this is only a compilation of songs, many previously recorded, often of dubious quality and which weren't even included on their previous studio albums. When I heard it I had the feeling that 'Works, Vol. 2' was an album made in haste and where each member put here what they had made before. So, 'Works, Vol. 2' is a complete musical deception without any link with their famous musical quality formula that has always worked so well. As I feared before, this is the confirmation of the beginning of the fall of one of the best, remarkable and most influential bands of the 70's.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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