Welcome Back

Welcome Back bills itself as a musical biography but it really strikes one as more of a video collage in the way it presents film and video clips from the entire existence of ELP in an often random fashion. Mixed in with ample video from ELP's 1992 world tour are colorful recollections and humorous anecdotes, often joined in mid-conversation; rather than following a timeline, the video pulls together the varied collection of sounds and images in a way that might be hard to follow if you don't know this band well. Oftentimes there seems to be no logic in the way sequences come together, almost as if the compilers were looking for places to insert as many video clips as would fit. At one point ELP performs "Lucky Man" at the Royal Albert Hall as Dr. Robert Moog recounts the first time he heard Keith Emerson's legendary Moog solo from that song. Suddenly, rather than featuring Emerson's solo, the video cuts to Greg Lake, who talks about ELP myths and misconceptions in the media and tabloids. It isn't until 30 seconds later that Emerson is rejoined for the aforementioned solo. Still, this is an enjoyable video if you are a fan of the band. Don't expect to learn anything you didn't already know but there are some great segments here, such as some rare rehearsal footage of ELP having a go at Scott Joplin's "Peachtree Rag" and some old concert footage of early ELP performing "Tarkus." Not so much the story of ELP, this is more like hanging backstage with the band members and hearing them share some favorite old stories -- and you get to hear some really great music too. ~ Marc Loren|