WELCOME BACK MY FRIENDS TO THE SHOW THAT NEVER ENDS

In early 1995, I was in a record store that sold ''used'' records, and I was lucky enough to walk away with this one for $1.00(all 3 records in it). Even today, I can still listen to this from start to finish, and not get bored with it! Side 1 kicks off with a fast version of the Aaron Copeland song ''Hoedown'', then continues on with "'Jerusalem''. Next up is "Toccata'',which starts off with a haunting intro before the music kicks in and turns into a keyboard(or synthesizer?)/drum freak-out. Halfway through, you can hear some bells chime, and the music comes back in. ''Tarkus'' takes up all of side 2, with a bit of the King Crimson song "Epitaph" ending side 2. Side 3 starts out with the last 10 or 11 minutes of ''Tarkus'', then the first part of ''Take A Pebble'' is next, along with ''Still..You Turn Me On'' and an acoustic version of "Lucky Man''. Side 4 starts out with a piano solo by Keith Emerson. I am not as keen on solo's in song's or on live albums..They are just a waste of song ,concert, and album time. I would much rather hear a song or 2..or even just an improvisational jam. I do not mind solo's being a minute or 2, but 12 minutes!? Next up is the last part of ''Take A Pebble'' (why they broke up this song into 2 part's,I do not know), then "Jeremy Bender/The Sheriff'' ends side 4. "Karn Evil 9" takes up all of side's 5 and 6, finally ending with a short synthesizer freak-out,which is mind-blowing! In all, a great album and high on a list of album's that I enjoy. Also,in my opinion, they should have put live version's of the song's "Trilogy'' and "From The Beginning''( two of my favorite ELP song's) on this album. Imagine what that would've sounded like!?

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