Customer Reviews

A Time and A Place

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The first thing you should know about "A Time and a Place" is that these are at best sound board recordings (the first three discs) and at worst audience bootlegs (the fourth, almost unlistenable disc).

I'll assume you aren't reading this because you think you might like Emerson, Lake & Palmer. If you are, like me, an ELP in need of help, these discs do offer live versions of songs seldom performed, and an interesting window into how some songs evolved in concert, when compared to the "mainstream" live versions you've surely already got. But be aware that you will be only marginally happy mixing these versions into a playlist with those other live ELP albums because the sound quality here ranges from really poor (the fourth disc) to "good". While these do sound better than the fairly horrid 16-disc boot set released a few years back, the sound on "Time and a Word " is usually short of even the low standard set by the original version of "Works Live".

This works okay for the solo and lighter material: there wasn't a lot to record. Emerson's many piano solos sound just fine, as do Lake's softer ballads, and show both men in fine form. The set also reminds us that in his prime, Palmer was a superb Rock drummer of immense power and finesse.

Some may like the smaller soundstage offered by many of these recordings: there is a certain early-70s charm to the small hall feel of many of these recordings that is lacking in the Olympic Stadium / California Jam / Albert Hall live recordings ELP fans are used to. But when the compositions get grand, the majesty is drowned out in the thick mud of bad acoustics and inadequate miking.

If you are new to and curious about ELP, this is not the way to introduce yourself to the band. They've gone to quite a lot of trouble to repackage their catalog a dozen ways to Sunday such that you can efficiently introduce yourself to their studio work (I'd recommend the 4-disc "Return of the Manticore" set, released in '93).

If you're a fan interested in their live work, `74's "Welcome Back My Friends" (and its subsequent excellent remasterings) remains the standard.

If you've been pining for solid live versions of "Endless Enigma" and "From the Beginning", these ain't them, but it's beginning to look like these are as good as it's gonna get. If you desperately need a 46th version of "Pictures", that's here too, and I'll see you when hell calls our names.

My first comment concerns the glue problem and how to deal with it.

I just received this box set through amazon.com (US amazon). The first two discs had the glue problem; the second two discs did not.

I've found that the best cleaner for both CDs and vinyl is lighter fluid. It cleans virtually everything without damaging either plastic, vinyl, or most CD labeling. When cleaning a CD, I squirt lighter fluid wherever there is a problem on the disc, either side of the disc, and wipe with a clean 100% cotton handkerchief (sometimes I'll squirt the fluid on the handkerchief first). When cleaning vinyl, I squirt lighter fluid on a cotton-tipped Q-tip and work the grooves. I've known it to get rid of pops and other noises that Discwasher and other fluids couldn't remove. I've cleaned hundreds of records over a period of years with no sign of deterioration.

For glue-on-CD problems, the glue is generally on the edge of the disc, not on the label or play side. For this situation, I squirt lighter fluid on a piece of toilet paper and wipe off the glue, repeatedly folding the toilet paper to get more of the glue. I don't use toilet paper on the play or label side of a CD because it will scratch the disc (however lightly).

By "lighter fluid" I mean Ronsonol. It advertises its cleaning qualities. The key ingredient is Naphtha.

My second comment concerns the sound quality of the discs. I enjoyed the poorest quality recordings (Disc 4: in-concert fan recordings) without a cringe or an expletive. Compared to the earlier two ELP bootleg boxes and their anthology ("Best of the Bootlegs"), this disc is significantly better. I wish all "audies" sounded this good. While some audies sound a bit better (fuller sound), these are perfectly listenable. The audience doesn't distract; there are no significant anomalies (wow & flutter, dropouts); and the distortion is negligable.

The other discs are of far better quality. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if many people preferred Discs 1-3 to the officially released live albums, such as "Welcome Back My Friends To the Show That Never Ends" and "Works Live." The soundboards seem more intimate, more personal, more direct. I'm listening to the first disc ('The early '70s') as I write, and the quality is impressive. Not on the level of the Grateful Dead live archival releases, to be sure, but what is? But not far short, either.

The performances are exceptional; with a few exceptions, they're undocumented and significantly different from previous official releases. To me, the last track, 'I Believe in Father Christmas,' needs to be heard by ELP fans due to the tenderness of Lake's singing. There's also the best version of 'Lucky Man' I've heard (without that echo!).

I don't listen with audiophile ears, and I'm not a purist, but I could have done without the earlier bootleg boxes. This box, on the other hand, I'll be returning to whenever I want to hear Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

First of all, I am a huge ELP fan so this is not an unbiased review. My goal is to give track by track info for the buyers out there that are new to ELP's live body of work.

DISC 1

1. The Barbarian - Not a great version of this classic taken from the Isle Of Wight concert, as Greg's bass stays out of tune badly for most of the song. The Lyceum 1970 version available on the Deluxe Edition version of "Pictures At An Exhibition" is much better, but not as historically important.

2. Take A Pebble - Same version as on the "Beyond The Beginning" video.

3./4. Ballad Of Blue/High Level Fugue - This is the middle section of Take A Pebble from the Lyceum 1970 concert, the full version of this is still unavailable on cd, but should be!

5. Hoedown - same version as available on the "From The Beginning" box set.

6./7. Still... You Turn Me On/Lucky Man - unavailable until now, but similar to the Welcome Back.." versions.

8. Karn Evil 9 - Same version as the "King Biscuit Flower Hour" cd, and taken from the same show as "Welcome Back..". Track is mixed differently than "Welcome Back..."

DISC 2

1. Peter Gunn - same version as the "King Biscuit" cd. Would have been nice to have the "Memphis" version instead.

2. Pictures - Recorded two nights after the Wheeling, WV show, great to have a version from the 77 tour sans orchestra, nice GX-1 integration to this classic.

3./4. Tiger In A Spotlight/Maple Leaf Rag - same version as "King Biscuit".

5.-7. Tank/Drum Solo/Enemy God - Of the three good/excellent quality recordings of the '77 tour, the Nassau show is the weakest sound quality wise. Again the Memphis show is excellent, or the full version from the Wheeling show.

8. Watching Over You - see 3./4.

9. Pirates - Excellent version from Memphis, hard for me to tell the difference from Wheeling.

10. Tarkus - see 5.-7. Nice extended Aquatarkus.

11. Show Me The Way To Go Home - Not much difference between this and "Works Live"

DISC 3

1. Knife Edge - same version as "Manticore Vaults, vol. 3"

2. Paper Blood - unreleased show very good.

3. Black Moon - unreleased show very good.

4. Creole Dance - unreleased show very good.

5. From The Beginning - From the "Live In Poland" cd.

6. Honky Tonk Train Blues - My guess is that this is the version from "Then And Now", if not very similar.

7. Affairs Of The Heart - unreleased show, very good.

8. Touch And Go - same version as "Manticore Vaults, vol. 3"

9. A Time And A Place - My guess is that this is the version from "Then And Now", if not very similar.

10. Bitches Crystal - My guess is that this is the version from "Then And Now", if not very similar.

11./12. Instr. Jam/Fanfare - unreleased show very good.

There is much talk of the 90's version of ELP being inferior to the 70's version, whatever your take they are still very good and could mop the floor with most bands.

DISC 4

No track by track here, these recordings are not great sound quality wise and are what I expect from someone in the crowd recording them with a cheap microphone, some interesting performances anyway.

If you are an ELP completist or are not willing to shell out the bucks it would cost to acquire all these different sets, then this set is an important addition. Hopefully we will see the release of the complete Memphis '77 show or the complete Wheeling '77 show. Both of these shows are streaming on the "Wolfgang's Concert Vault" website for interested listeners. Long live ELP!Emerson, Lake & Palmer: Beyond the BeginningEmerson Lake & Palmer - King Biscuit Flower Hour: Greatest Hits LiveThe Original Bootleg Series from The Manticore Vaults, Vol. 3Then & NowPictures at an Exhibition (Dlx)

I am a huge ELP fan and was very concerned it would be as the last 'Live Bootleg' box set that came out a few years ago.

However after playing the 1st CD and a few tracks from the other discs I was really overwhelmed with the production efforts and sound quality.

Shout Factory have created a very cohesive and enjoyable collection of classic Emerson, Lake & Palmer songs.

Highlights for me are the acoustic tracks by Greg Lake on Disc 1, I was tapping and clapping along and really getting into being a participant of the show.

Highly recommended if you are a fan of ELP.

For those already hip to ELP, this package will bring back many fond memories. For those who just now discovering ELP, this is a great starter set--just don't stop with this. Get the great classics: Brain Salad Surgery, Tarkus, the untitled 1st album, Pictures At An Exhibition, Works (Vols. 1 & 2), etc. This band, along with Yes, King Crimson, and the Moody Blues launched the progressive rock movement in the late '60's/early '70's. It is great that this package has been released. It captures the energy of this very energetic power trio through several phases of their illustrious career. BUY IT ASAP!

WARNING: DESPITE THE DESCRIPTION OF THIS BOXSET, MOST OF THE MATERIAL HAS BEEN RELEASED BEFORE.

This is another desceptive product from Shout Factory! They continue to release albums and make appear as if the material is all previously unavailable. They advertise unreleased recordings. But, in reality, there are only a few tracks that have not been released before. If you have been an avid ELP collector over the years, you already have most of this stuff. For instance, the first tracks come from Isle of Wight and Karn Evel 9 comes from the King Biscuit Flower Hour. Now, admittedly, some of this stuff is not available at times, (like the Isle of Wight constantly goes of print and then gets reissued with a different cover, and the Kind Biscuit Flower Hour CDs are no longer available for purchase but can be downloaded from Wolfgang's Vault).

Honest record companies will list which songs were previously unreleased on the box. It is very common practice in the industry.

Also deceptive is the description of the sound quality. Yes, the music was taken off of a sound board, but many of the recordings still have poor sound quality and the mix is horrible. It is as if there was no post recording processing done (which is also typical of Shout Factory!). There are some tracks where the bootleg sound quality is better than the sound quality on the sound board material.

This boxset does have a very good song selection and covers most of the best stuff the group did in concert. Not all is here, but fortunately, there is little from the Pirates tour.

...but, there are very few tracks that are something new or special. I have heard almost everything before and there are very few surprises....but there are a couple of them...but not enough to buy this boxset.

ELP, is back on top, as they once were, with this four CD, box set, A Time and A Place. The material on these recordings, is evidence of how great of a band, they actually were. It's nice to hear these songs again, performed live. Especially, since the band hasn't put out any new material in quite some time. The four CD set, covers various time periods in their career, from the early days, to more recent days, as well.

While it's always nice to have new, vintage performances from ELP, A Time and a Place isn't essential for your collection. Yes, the performances and sound are excellent. However, these versions of their work don't really add anything to versions you already have. There are a few rarities to appreciate and the price makes having these do-able. But really, Karn Evil 9 is still Karn Evil 9, whether it's recorded in a studio or live in Anaheim, CA. I have no regrets for buying this, but ultimately it contains no real essential surprises, either.

What a wonderful return to the good old days! I was at their concert in Des Moines and this really brings back memories. Keith Emerson sure can play the keyboards!

This release provides a superb collection of some classic live ELP tracks from many periods of their career. Hearing "The Endless Enigma/Fugue" from '72 alone was worth the price of the collection for myself. The sound quality can vary at times, but the historic significance of the material outweighs any technical issues with the recordings. I hope this marks the beginning of more ELP releases of archival shows in their entirety. Highly recommended!!!