Works (Volume 2)
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Album Summary
Works (Volume 2) came rolling out in 1977 on Atlantic Records, a follow-up to the grand, sprawling orchestral statement that was Works (Volume 1), and this time around Emerson, Lake & Palmer stripped things back to something a little more direct — a collection of shorter, more varied pieces that showed the trio could swing between the tender and the thunderous without a full symphony orchestra holding their hand. Self-produced by the band themselves, the album gathered together solo efforts, studio experiments, and some genuinely soulful moments from each of the three members, painting a wide canvas that moved from Keith Emerson's rollicking "Barrelhouse Shake-Down" and his classic "Honky Tonk Train Blues" to Greg Lake's heartfelt "Watching Over You" and the beloved "I Believe In Father Christmas." It was a record born out of a band navigating the shifting tides of the late 1970s music landscape, holding tight to their artistic identity even as the world around them was changing fast.
Reception
- Works (Volume 2) charted in the upper reaches of the UK Albums Chart, though it did not match the commercial heights of the band's earlier peak releases like Brain Salad Surgery.
- Critical reception at the time was mixed, with some reviewers appreciating the album's more modest and varied approach while others felt it lacked the cohesive vision of ELP's strongest work.
- The album found a warmer audience among devoted ELP fans who embraced its eclectic, intimate character as a genuine and honest reflection of where the band stood in 1977.
Significance
- Works (Volume 2) stands as a testament to the individualism at the heart of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, showcasing each member's distinct musical personality across a tracklist that refuses to be pinned down to any single mood or genre.
- The album captures a pivotal moment in progressive rock history, when the grand symphonic ambitions of the mid-1970s were beginning to give way to something leaner, and ELP met that moment with a collection that honored both their roots and their restless creativity.
- Keith Emerson's performances on tracks like "Honky Tonk Train Blues" and "Barrelhouse Shake-Down" reinforce his stature as one of the most technically gifted and stylistically adventurous keyboard voices the rock world has ever produced.
Tracklist
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A1 Tiger In A Spotlight 98
4:34
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A2 When The Apple Blossoms Bloom In The Windmills Of Your Mind I'll Be Your Valentine 108
3:55
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A3 Bullfrog 140
3:52
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A4 Brain Salad Surgery 168
3:05
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A5 Barrelhouse Shake-Down 102
3:47
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A6 Watching Over You 96
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B1 So Far To Fall 140
4:56
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B2 Maple Leaf Rag 119
1:55
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B3 I Believe In Father Christmas 112
3:16
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B4 Close But Not Touching 140
3:19
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B5 Honky Tonk Train Blues 169
3:09
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B6 Show Me The Way To Go Home 67
3:30
Artist Details
Emerson, Lake & Palmer — or ELP as the cats in the know called them — came together in England in 1970, a supergroup born from the collision of three virtuosos: keyboard wizard Keith Emerson, the velvet-voiced bassist and guitarist Greg Lake, and the thunderous percussionist Carl Palmer, who together forged a sound that married classical music with hard rock in a way that made the whole world sit up straight. They were the architects of progressive rock at its most ambitious and bombastic, filling concert halls with Moog synthesizers, orchestras, and enough musical complexity to make your head spin in the most beautiful way. Their cultural significance lies in how they dared to treat rock music as serious art, pushing the boundaries of what a three-piece band could achieve and leaving a legacy that still echoes through every prog rock musician who picked up an instrument and dared to dream bigger.
