WORKS VOL. 2

Contrary to what the title might indicate, this is not a sequel of their gigantic self indulgent and egoccentric (with a few gold nuggets) experiment of Works Vol.1, but rather a collection of leftovers from other albums, plus a few singles and solo stuff that never made it to an ELP LP up till then. And for good reasons, one might add. They are all short songs and not very representative of the mighty band they once were a few years before. In fact, they are quite different, and not at their best at all. Several cuts show a far more jazzier side of the band than most of their earlier works (most of them covers).

Is it good? Well, uneven is the right word, of course. There are some bright spots like the opener Tiger On The Spotlight, When The Apple Blossoms Bloom In The Windmills of Your Mind I'll Be Your Valentine (the title almost as long as the song itself) and Honky Tonk Train Blues. There are also two very good Lake acoustic stuff: the mellow Watching Over You (a sizeable hit in 1978) and an excellent version of the kind of ironic I Believe In Father Christmas. The rest is little more than experiments and/or some self amusement stuff. Not really worth it, unless you´re a hardcore ELP fan and/or collector/completionist.

I recommend this CD only for the hardcore. If you´re new to this great band, start with their classic stuff pre Works.

Final rating: two stars.