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Excellent collection of ELP live material from the '70's

10/27/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album features two separate King Biscuit performances, one from 1974, the other from 1977 (the Works tour minus orchestra). The '74 performance sounds a lot like "Welcome Back My Friends..." and may have come from that same tour. Both performances are full of energy and showcase ELP at their best. The sound quality and mix on both are pretty good. If you are looking for an ELP live CD with both BSS and Works material on it, or if you want to get only one ELP live set, then this is the one to get. (If you already have "Welcome Back My Friends.." and "Works Live", you can consider these as alternate takes of the same material which are every bit as good as the ones you are used to). The keyboard arrangement of "The Enemy God" is wonderful; this piece really cooks. I also enjoyed Greg Lake's "C'est La Vie"; the studio version on Works sounded kinda muddy, but this live version sparkles. The Piano Improvisations from the '77 concert are basically the piano parts from the 1st movement of "Piano Concerto #1". The Piano Improvisations from the '74 concert are similar to the ones from "Welcome Back My Friends...", except, unfortunately, they are faded out just as Keith gets to the ragtime part. Fanfare for the Common Man is wonderful; it's full of energy, and played differently from their other performances of it, which has become an ELP trademark. (Some bands have a favorite song that they play differently every time; for the Allman Brothers band, it was "HotLanta", for ELP, it's "Fanfare for the Common Man"). And, of course, don't forget the interactive part of the CD that you can run on your computer, with pictures and interviews!"

Absolutely fantastic

David Hogan | Edison, NJ USA | 05/22/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the definitive ELP live collection. Some reviewers have noted that the 1974 stuff (Hoedown, Still...You Turn Me On, Lucky Man, Karn Evil 9) sounds a lot like the material on "Welcome Back My Friends..." Well, that's not surprising considering that it sounds like the EXACT same stuff. Don't think so? Play "Still..." and "Lucky Man" from both albums on two stereos at once and see if there are any differences. The Lake vocals are exactly alike, including the way he sings the same wrong lyrics to the "Still..." and how some fan in the audience yells, "Blah blah blah CRAZY!" at the beginning of "Lucky Man". It's the SAME performance. "Hoedown" and "Karn Evil 9" sound a little different because in "Welcome Back My Friends," Emerson's keys are made much louder than anythings else (thanks to the "mix"). These versions on "King Biscuit" are difinitive because you can hear Lake's vocal, bass and guitar and Palmer's drums so much better. As to Karn Evil 9, and if there is any doubt as to whether the two versions are the same, listen to the way Lake sings, "But I gave you life!...To do what was right!" on Impression 3. It's the same performance, but at least in my opinion, it sounds better than it does on "Welcome Back."Aside from all of this, there are striking definitive versions of "Fanfare" and "Pirates" here that truly make the album worth buying, even without the orchestra (which was just a little over the top anyway). The Lake vocals "Ces't La Vie" and "Watching Over You" are made fantastic by losing the superfluous orchestral arrangements. Everything from the three volumes of "Works" is played with the utmost musicianship by E,l&P. And, the CD-ROM part is kind of fun too. If you only have one ELP live album, let this be it. The only really important performance that isn't here is Tarkus (running a full 27 minutes on "Welcome Back"), but everything else is fully intact."

Emerson Lake&Palmer-'King Biscuit Flower Hour'(King Biscuit)

Mike Reed | USA | 09/29/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Simply another memorable archive performance(actually two performances)culled from the King Biscuit Flower Hour radio vaults.Disc one is a 14 track audio gem of a concert that ELP did in Wheeling,West Virginia on Nov.12,1977.Haven't heard some of these tunes in years as it's ALWAYS great to check out cuts like "C'est La Vie","Pirates","Fanfare For The Common Man","Still,You Turn Me On" and the unforgetable "Lucky Man".Hmm,I notice they didn't include "Karn Evil 9".But then again,I saw the band twice during the '90's and at least one of those times,I'm SURE they left that tune off the setlist as well.Rest assure,this is an incredible gig just the same.Disc two is a two track CD with a thirty-plus minute version of "Karn Evil 9" that took place in Tulsa,OK in early 1974.Then there's a 'Fully Interactive(MAC/PC Compatible)' track which is said to have vintage concert clips and an interview.I haven't seen it yet because my system has been acting up lately.Would make a nice gift for any old timer fan."