Thursday 8 June 2023

Welcome Back My Friends - EMERSON LAKE & PALMER***

Hoedown/Jerusalem/Tocccata/Tarkus/Take A Pebble/Piano Improvisations/Take A Pebble(Conclusion)/Jeremy Bender-The Sheriff/Karn Evil 9 Ist Impression/ Karn Evil 9 2nd Impression/ Karn Evil 9 3rd Impression

Welcome Back My Friends was a triple first live album from the progressive trio Emerson Lake & Palmer. Recorded in February 1974 at the Anaheim Convention Centre, California. (US:4 UK:5)

“There is just not enough time in your life to listen to this in its entirety. I am actually curious to meet anyone who sincerely enjoys this without a hint of pretension. It is all just too long, weird and boring.”

“The LP gatefold has the giant letters E L and P adorning the three record sleeves, in case you were wondering why there wasn't a fourth LP here. Listening to this all at once feels like running a marathon, in that it's exhausting, but also good for your health. Keith really was a mind-blowing talent.”

“Almost like a career retrospective, this album contains incredibly accurate live versions of the corresponding studio tracks. Over the course of six sides, the record is typically inconsistent, but overall, possibly their most comprehensive collection.”

“Aside from the long-winded track list and extended improvisations, the playing is tight and each member is in excellent form. The songs, already mind-blowingly complicated on the original albums, are played verbatim here, and a little faster. This may be an ego trip, but it's not an undeserved one.”

“A very long title for a very long record. Six sides of ELP in concert, much of it entertaining, much of it not. I like things best when they keep things more straight forward like the first part of Tarkus. Some wild keyboard/synth work throughout, but even that gets too much on certain pieces.”

“A recording of ELP during their mammoth world tour originally released as a triple album. The most interesting piece is a very different version of Tarkus to that of the studio recording. Here they extend the end instrumental section by about six minutes as Emerson gives a tour de force on the synths. There's also a super fast version of Hoedown.”

“The critics say ELP represent the excess, pomposity and pretentiousness of the prog music scene. Maybe this is true, but one thing is for sure, they were the greatest live rock experience you could ever witness.”

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