A miraculous new discovery of a superb live album from the early "TARKUS" era. Progressive rock was all the rage as "evolving rock," but among the many bands, EL&P was a group that forcibly fused jazz and classical music with their incredible performance skills. And speaking of the period when they shone most as performers, they were the ones who stabbed the most in 1970-1971. This work is a miraculous record that reaches the peak of that most dazzling "1971." This work includes the "June 5, 1971 Zofingen Performance (Switzerland)." It is a treasured audience album that suddenly appeared in the world recently. First of all, let's imagine what position this concert holds in the history of EL&P from the overview of their activities. 《January 1971: Production of "TARKUS"》・February-April 1971: UK #1 (24 performances)《March 26, 1971: Recording of "Pictures at an Exhibition"》 ・April-May 1971: North America #1 (28 performances) *First US tour ・June 1971: Europe (13 performances) ←★Here★ ・July-September 1971: North America #2 (29 performances)《October 1971: Production of "TRILOGY" begins》・November 1971: North America #3 (15 performances) ・December 1971: UK #2 (20 performances)《January 1972: "TRILOGY" completed》 This is the journey from "TARKUS" to "TRILOGY". The records at that time are vague in some places, so I can't say that they are strictly accurate, but I think you can get a rough idea. This work's Zofingen performance was the first day of the "European" schedule. It was nine days before the release of "TARKUS" (June 14). This is not the first time that Zofingen has performed. In 2010, the audience master "SOURCE 1" was excavated and introduced as "DEVELOPING STORY (part)". However, this work is a completely different recording. It is a completely unknown new excavation master that enthusiasts around the world call "SOURCE 2". It was a shock that "Jeremy Bender", which will be appearing for the first time, was recorded, but what is even more intense is the sound. Although "SOURCE 1 (DEVELOPING STORY)" was one of the best sounds in 1971, even that is not a problem. It has been upgraded in all aspects, but what is particularly shocking is the closeness and vividness of the keyboard. It is overwhelming from the beginning, and in "SOURCE 1", the roar of the synth that was swirling in the distance is thrust in front of you. The roar is not just powerful, but the details of the free changes are clear. It is so delicate that you can see Keith Emerson's fingertips as he plays with the knobs. The moment I played it, I couldn't believe my ears, "Is this really a sound board?" Moreover, the freshness of the master is also on a different level. It was digitized directly from the actual cassette, which is probably the original master, and there are no dubbing marks or deterioration. To be honest, until now, "1971" was only a level of "thankful to be able to listen to it," but this work is on a different level. I have never heard such a wonderful "1971" sound. It jumps over 45 years and brings back the intense and unparalleled improvisation 100% realistically. Although it is such a precious and superb master, there were some parts that were not recorded. There was a blank space of about 1 minute 40 seconds that seemed to be a tape change in the piano solo in the middle of "Take A Pebble", and 2 seconds at the beginning of the third verse (perhaps an operating error). Furthermore, the final song "Nutrocker" was also slightly missing. Since it was the truth of this precious excavation, we considered leaving it as it was, but we filled it in with "SOURCE 1" to convey Keith's improvisation and Greg Lake's singing voice to the fullest. We decided to deliver the largest, longest, and most precious show without missing a single second. The "1971 live" was revived with such the longest and best sound. This is really amazing. After successfully completing their first American tour, this is the first day of their European tour, which they welcomed with a sense of fulfillment and confidence. A storm of improvisation that turns boiling ideas and imagination into sound on the spot, at that moment. Since it was a time when the standard had not yet been established, even the promised phrases were sharp and not familiar afterwards. For example, in "Take A Pebble", the piano strings are played to play the theme of "The Third Man". Although it is not a big deal in itself, it is so free that even something like this happens, and the performance overflows with creativity. It's a pity that I can't put the dazzling phrases into words. Of course, the masterpieces shine even more because they are drawn with such performance skills. The big song "Tarkus" is played in an aggressive version of the very early version, and you can even hear the extremely rare "Jeremy Bender". This song is not "only available on this album", but it has been played unusually few times. It's amazing to hear it with such a sound... In terms of mere technical theory, there are many bands that are better than EL&P. However, there is no band that has sublimated their performance skills into a style itself and led to the evolution of rock. "1971" was the year when EL&P's improvisations shone most intensely and beautifully. This work is a precious and exquisite record of that. A dazzling live album in the history of EL&P... No, in the history of rock. Live at Mehrzweckhalle, Zofingen, Switzerland 5th June 1971 PERFECT SOUND Disc 1(54:16) 1. The Barbarian 2. Tarkus 3. Jeremy Bender 4. Take A Pebble Disc 2(37:06) 1. Knife Edge 2. Rondo incl. Drum Solo 3. Nutrocker
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