THE ATLANTIC YEARS

Very few times a compilation album (prog-oriented) has grouped so many great songs. I really want to congratulate ELP of course because at the end of the day, they were the genious behing their music but also the ones who decided of the track list (maybe themselves, I don't know°.

Lots of times, it sounds as if a compilation is created almost at random. By no means, it is the case here. Can you imagine ?

Four of the best tracks of their debut album are featured, the great "Tarkus" (the track of course) in full, a great condensed version of "Pictures", my preferred song out of "Trilogy" ("The endless Enigma - both parts), all of my fave studio album ("Brain...") except the stupid "Benny the Bouncer" of course. That's it for the great moments which represent seventy-five percent of the whole.

Some average ones with the inclusion of "Pirates" (again, in full) and a good condensed version of "Fanfare For The Common Man" (just over half the original) from Works I. "Canario" was probably the best choice available from "Love Beach" so, in the optic of having each ELP album represented here, I guess that no damage has been done (although the start of this song sounds really horrible).

Some blunders as well, IMO. "The Fugue", "In The Beginning", "I Believe In Father Christmas" (absolutely dreadful), and "Honky Tonk Train Blues" don't belong by any means to the best of ELP. But all these songs together only represent eight percent of this double CD set.

This compilation is a great one. I can only recommend it to someone interested in discovering how great this band was. Five stars even if eight percent of it is extremely poor. But all the great songs that sit here, easily compensate this.

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