Album of the Day

Welcome Back My Friends to the Show That Never Ends, Ladies and Gentlemen . . ., by Emerson, Lake, & Palmer (1974): Lest you think that Works was the first album to give full scope to ELP's rampaging egos, consider this document of their tour after Brain Salad Surgery. It covers a whopping three LPs (although they condense onto two fairly short CDs) and includes extended versions of the band's two epics, "Tarkus" (with a sprig of Crimson thrown in) and "Karn Evil 9." The performances are good (check the warp speed take on "Hoedown!"), although the sound quality is fairly basic. A good document of the band at its highest point.