LIVE AT THE ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL 1970

Absolutely electric live set from ELP - it's announced as being their first, actually it was their second, but either way it shows just how good they could be when they cut the novelty songs and concentrated on their technical mastery. The centre of gravity here leans towards the darker tones of their debut album, as expected, and includes a blistering workthrough of Pictures At An Exhibition. There's an energy and ferocity here which ELP never really quite managed to capture in the studio, and between this and the excellent Welcome Back My Friends To the Show That Never Ends I'm beginning to come around to the idea that ELP were a better live act than they were a studio one.