I BELIEVE IN FATHER CHRISTMAS EP

ELP's I Believe In Father Christmas, the only EP released over their whole career, is truly an album that is only for the fans. The two versions of the great title track are extremely similar, and I really didn't notice much difference between the two, so there doesn't seem to be a reason to include both. Nutrocker is the best track here, but it would be more worthwhile to get Pictures At An Exhibition, which is a much better overall listen and includes this version of Nutrocker as the encore. Troika and Humbug don't have much substance, and produce an empty feeling for the listener. The pair are essentially hollow synth tracks, and Humbug is a prime example of a filler track. Surprising, considering this is an EP, which already lacks the additional content to make a good full album! Additionally, if you were to seek I Believe In Father Christmas Works Vol II would be preferable, which at least provides another hour's worth of music for the ELP fan. While half the songs of this collection are excellent, the EP is ultimately unnecessary. It's really only for completionists, but the music quality is a bit better than poor. 2 Stars.