WORKS VOL. 2

This 'Works 2' by Emerson, Lake and Palmer is one of the most under-rated albums in the entire progressive rock cannon. It's an interesting and highly enjoyable collection of odds and sods, but they fit together nicely.

One strength of the album is that the songs don't go too long, so as not to overdo the theme they were going with. For example, rather than having a ten or twenty minute 'rag-time' track, they just keep it to three minutes, then give you something different. There is also a nice variety, which was lacking on the previous album. The songs here showcase some nice ragtime piano tracks, like maple leaf rag, some funky songs with a prog edge, like 'Brain Salad Surgery' and 'Tiger in a spotlight' and tracks like 'Apple blossoms' are kind of jazzy psychedelia. There's also some more straight jazzy songs and a couple of nice ballads, courtesy of Greg Lake, 'Watching over you' is one of his best and most tender ballads.

So in the end you have a varied, enjoyable album with some of that zany, ELP moniker and some strong songs that have unfortunately been overlooked.