LIVE IN POLAND

When you hear the introduction of this live set, you think : "hold on a sec.". You get up, take the CD out of your CD player because you believe that it's "Welcome Back My Friends..." that's been played. But no, it is "Live In Poland" which starts exactly as the best ELP live album.

If one except a few blunders in here (like "Touch & Go" and "Bitches Crystal") the track selection is fine. I would only feel a bit disappointed that so many track are shortened in a drastic manner. Was ELP on a hurry ? Did they forget how great these songs sound like when you can get it in full ?

Of course, they might be P.O. to play the same songs for ever and ever. But just half of "Take A Pebble", only the second impression of "Karn Evil" (although one of the best moment of this live set) an excellent medley clocking at seventeen minutes grouping two of the best ELP "classics" that are "Tarkus" and "Pictures". Eleven minutes for "Tarkus" and six for "Pictures". Actually it is not too bad a compromise, although "Pictures" is not really great here (it features mostly the "Promenade" vocal parts).

Anyway, I guess that the audience prefers to listen to this than to "Memoirs..." even if it has been hardly played live (actually I have never heard it, but there so many ELP live albums available that there might be a trace of a live version, but I don't know that).

"Fanfare & Rondo" (almost eighteen minutes) is also a pleasant moment of this concert. The Polish fans have been rather spoiled for the last ten years. Lots of bands now include this country in their tour and it might be a reason why so many good Polish bands have emerged lately.

This is a good live album. Three stars. I guess it fully corresponds to the PA archive rating system : good but not essential.