WELCOME BACK MY FRIENDS TO THE SHOW THAT NEVER ENDS

The first consideration is that with a bit more of "Trilogy" it would have been perfect, mainly because Trilogy is my favorite ELP album and one of the first prog albums that I have heard when I was a boy. Then if I think to the tracklist I have to say that the period covered by the album includes almost all the possible best. Of course something will be missed.

Now let's see what happens: after few words from the speaker, taken from Brain Salad Surgery and which give the album its name the music starts with an accelerated version of Hoedown. Apart the fact that it's played really much faster it's not different from the studio version if not for the added coda. What I like more is the production which let's me appreciate the "live sound". It's not the same of being in front of the stage but this kind of recording can transmit the good vibrations of an arena.

"Jerusalem", from Brain Salad Surgery follows. Also in this case I don't hear big differences apart of a disturbing high pitched trumpet sound coming from Emerson. Lake's voice is excellent as on the studio version. I have only noticed that on the final of the stanza he goes one octave higher instead of lower, exactly how it is performed by Par Lindh on Live in America.

As on BSS, "Toccata" comes after. Well, this live has been recorded during the promotional tour so it's normal that the songs taken from BSS are almost identical to the studio versions even if especially Emerson can't not add some riffs here and there not being limited (too much) by the vinyl size.

It's good, instead, the way how "Tarkus" starts immediately after almost on the same chords. One couldn't think that they are taken from different albums. The suite on this live version doesn't respect the original lengths of its various parts as the band takes the freedom of elarging and shortening them and this is more than normal in a live performance of this kind.

A jump back to the past with "Take A Pebble". Also this song is partially rearranged with the finall piano section which sees Emerson in a great shape followed by the actually unreleased "Still...You Turn Me On" which will see the light on Works. Then Lake tunes his 12 strings guitar and the medley is completed by "Lucky Man". I don't like the echo on the chorus and I think that this is a case where the studio version is better, also because this live version misses the final keyboard riff.

Now my favorite track: the Emerson's piano improvisations: 12 minutes of a great piano performance. Nothing to say. Just listen. And if you were wondering about where the final part of Take a Pebble was gone, it comes now. Strange choice splitting it in this way.

"Jeremy Bender" is surely not the best ELP song but the live sound makes it more appreciable. It's grouped with "The Sheriff" that's the best ELP album's filler, I think, but after them be prepared for a 35 minutes epic: that controversial Karn Evil #9 which somebody considers a masterpiece and somebody else thinks it's just too pretentious. Well, I'm on the "masterpiece" side.

So what should my rating be? This is a "must have" album which contains several 5-stars songs, so even though I'm going for the full stars rating I think this is one of the albums for which the half-stars would have been useful. More than just an excellent addition, but not properly essential.

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