ELP 'WELCOME BACK...' ORIG UK '74 3 LP SET MULTI-FOLD DIE CUT COVER ARCHIVE COPY

	£		24
	$		32

>Nr Archive Copy<

Emerson Lake & Palmer

‘Welcome Back My Friends To The Show That Never Ends...Ladies And Gentlemen Emerson Lake and Palmer’

Manticore, UK, 1974

K63500

IT ALWAYS seemed that no matter how difficult Emerson Lake And Palmer made their music the audience tended to expand exponentially. They

created music so technical and abstruse that some thirty-years later, it seems entirely ludicrous to think that epic, multi-sectioned tracks of thirty-minutes duration or more could have been received with such enthusiasm. The music came about as a result of a single-mindedness not experienced since the early days of serious classical composition.

ELP’s idea of lighthearted fun was to perform the traditional hymn ‘Jerusalem’ or an excerpt from  ‘pop’ composer Aaron Copeland’s ‘Hoedown’. They would then button up their shirts and turn all prim and proper for a marvellously convoluted and incredibly demanding rendition of ‘Tarkus’, all twenty-seven minutes worth (including a smidgeon of King Crimson’s ‘Battlefield’). Of course it would be easy to dismiss such antics with a smirk but that would be to miss the point. Music like this was supposed to be utterly implausible, incorrigible and impenetrable. It was, after all, the audience and not the band that was ultimately responsible for enabling such rigid discipline.

Caught at the very peak of their creative power, on the band’s 1973/74 world tour, this album must surely go down in the history books as one of the world’s most complex live recordings. Of course it’s the ultra-difficult cuts like ‘Toccata’, with its staccato tempo, distorted bass, discordant mid-section and souped-up Hammond organ, that make for captivating, nay hypnotic, listening. Even ‘Take A Pebble’, with its segue into ‘Lucky Man’, the band’s only genuine radio hit, makes for an elaborate sub-plot.

If  it’s big you want then it doesn’t come any more elephantine than ‘Karn Evil 9’, even the name suggests gargantuan devilment, a massive thirty-six minutes, incorporating an excruciating drum showcase, a fugal piano solo and a very discordant finale. Produced, with pinpoint accuracy and a pained expression, by Gregg Lake.

Tough to find the original pressing of this one - most are the second versions without the die cut E, L and P lettering. This one has all the die cuts in perfect shape - such immaculate condition.

This auction is part of a fantastic collection of seventies rock which I was lucky enough to acquire. Most of these records were stored with the utmost care and sparsely played. Some were possibly never played or may have been for just a handful of times.

Pressing: Manticore, UK, 1974

Vinyl: Nice clean and shiny condition on all six sides. No spindle marks and only minimal signs of any use. All four sides grade as Ex+

Cover: Minimal signs of use. Issued in a fantastically complicated tri-fold die-cut embossed cover spelling out E, L and P. Sharp corners, no dings, no bends, faintest ring wear just about to begin, no split seams and no creases. Experienced collectors will know that, because of the fragile nature of its design, this cover is the second most difficult ELP album to find without any damage - usually the die cut letters are bent, frayed or completely torn and the rear is prone to major ring wear. This one is in exceptional condition. Complete with original unpeeled price sticker. Beautiful and impossible to find like this 44 years after release. Grades as a near shop fresh Ex+

Inserts: Original generic all black inner sleeves

Matrix:

1st Press

Side One:    K - 63500 - A1

Side Two:    K - 63500 - B1

Side Three: K - 63500 - C1

Side Four:   K - 63500 - D1

Side Five:    K - 63500 - E1

Side Six :     K - 63500 - F1

NOTE UK POSTAL CHARGES HAVE RECENTLY RISEN CONSIDERABLY

ALL PARCELS SENT RECORDED DELIVERY - NO EXCEPTIONS

MUCH CHEAPER RATES FOR MULTIPLE PURCHASES BY THE WAY

NOTE 1: PAYMENT MUST BE RECEIVED WITHIN 10 DAYS. PAYPAL IS PREFERRED.

NOTE 2: SHIPPING CHARGES INCLUDE REGISTERED INSURANCE: USA, Canada, Japan, SE Asia, South America and Australia Postage is 15 UK Pounds ($26). Europe, Eastern Europe and former Russian territories 12 UK Pounds ($20). UK £4.50 Pounds ($8).