WORKS VOL. 2

The second half of the 70's was a weird period for ELP, and (at least in terms of studio albums) it was also the weakest period in the band's career. In my view they barely had enough material for one album at this time, so it was indeed unwise to release two albums. And, as if that wasn't enough, one of these was a double album! This means no less than six vinyl sides in total while probably two sides had been quite enough. I always like to imagine how it would have been if they had distilled all of this material into one, single album, including only the best selections from Works Vol. 1 and Works Vol. 2. It still most probably wouldn't be anywhere near earlier greats, but it almost certainly would be better than any of these albums as they now stand.

Works Vol. 2 was released the same year as Works Vol. 1. This second volume consists mostly of older B-sides and tracks that hadn't made it onto earlier albums. This means that we have here something that almost per definition is for fans and collectors only. It is indeed more of a compilation album than a proper original studio album. Most of the songs are forgettable, but there are also some decent moments.

For getting into the Works period of ELP I would recommend to begin with the live album recorded around this time (first released in 1979 as In Concert and then re-issued in an expanded version on CD in the early 90's under the title of Works Live). Works Live is in my view a better presentation of the Works material and it is overall a better album than either Works Vol. 1 or Works Vol. 2. However, none of these three Works albums are really essential.

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