EMERSON LAKE & PALMER/WORKS VOLUME 2 K 50422 (-77) UK

  Before hearing this the title and cover design made me believe it was a continuation of the grand set-up 2-LP "Works" project  https://monolover.blogspot.com/2013/05/emerson-lake-palmerworks-k-80009-77-uk.html , issued eight months previous. Instead I got a compilation largely consisting of leftovers from earlier sessions coupled with 45 cuts. When a band on the edge of dissolving issue a collection like that there might be crap involved - unfinished takes, disused mixes or substandard songs - so expectations best kept low. But this is surprisingly good. Not only having all qualities of an original album it's also to my taste one of their better. Always been a fan of Greg Lake's vocals and I get a lot of that here. "Tiger In A Spotlight", "Brain Salad Surgery", "Watching Over You", "So Far To Fall", "I Believe In Father Christmas" and "Show Me The Way To Go Home" each one embellished by that warm baritone. The remaining six instrumentals are all of the lighter kind - honky tonk, ragtime, jazzy or just weird - more reminding of "Tarkus" or "Trilogy" than any of the later LP:s. As a whole a playful positive album and by far their most accessible. So if you prefer the combo's intriguingly complicated moments it may not satisfy 100%, but if you like proficiantly performed catchy melodies and Lake's special vocals this is home. Released and reissued all over the world through the years on vinyl, cassette, 8-track and CD. First US on Atlantic (SD 19147). Premiere UK had label as shown here and thin matt cover with embossed "ELP" logo on front. (ÄPY*)