WELCOME BACK MY FRIENDS TO THE SHOW THAT NEVER ENDS

Welcome Back My Friends To The Show That Never Ends represented the final magical touch at the end of a golden stage of one of the legends of progressive rock. It must be said that after that point, the standard of EL&P never reached the same level. Recorded in California in February 1974, this masterpiece is the reflection of the supporting tour of the album Brain Salad Surgery, which was there played almost in its entirety. Welcome Back... is also the confirmation of the state of grace of the band. Just like the Yessongs, of its contemporaries Yes, the live performance takes on a higher vitality and power than studio versions.

Proof of that was the dizzying Hoedown at the hands of Keith Emerson's keyboards and Carl Palmer's drums. An excellent version of the song included in the Trilogy, originally composed by Aaron Copland, a composer born in the early twentieth century and a great influence on American music at that time. Another great example is the spectacular Tarkus, extended for more than 27 minutes and adorned with fragments of the cosmic and unmissable Epitaph of the King Crimsons in the Battlefield section. This song is interpreted by bassist Greg Lake, a former member of the Crimsons, with that deep voice.

Almost without respite, they surprise with Take a Pebble and the inclusion of Still ... You Turn Me On and Lucky Man in more rustic versions. They do that without more coating than the company of an acoustic guitar, excellently executed by Lake. And last but not least, they conclude the album, in the best possible way, with the powerful execution of Karn Evil 9 and its 3 movements in more than 35 minutes, including a crazy percussion instrumental by Palmer.

ELP took the time to enjoy virtuosity on Emerson's keyboards with the nearly 12 minutes of Piano Improvisations. The album is completed by Jerusalem, the instrumental Toccata, and the very interesting medley Jeremy Bender and The Sherrif, two fun compositions set in "the Wild West".

Welcome Back' it is one of the flags of progressive rock and for me, it is on the list of the best live records in the history of rock.