Songs
"When the Apple Blossoms Bloom...", " Tiger in a Spotlight" and "Brain Salad Surgery" had been recorded at the 1973 sessions for the album '' Brain Salad Surgery'' but did not appear on it. The funk-fusion tinged "Apple Blossoms" first appeared as the B-side to "Jerusalem", "Brain Salad Surgery" had first surfaced as part of a 1973 BSS promotional flexi-disc before becoming the flip side to " Fanfare for the Common Man", and " Tiger in a Spotlight" was briefly considered as a 1974 single but held over until this album. All three are heavily synth dominated while two also feature electric guitars, much in the style of the rest of '' Brain Salad Surgery''. Two solo singles released during the group's sabbatical were also included. An orchestral version of Greg Lake's " I Believe in Father Christmas" had been released at the close of 1975 and hit #2 in the UK, becoming an annual Christmas standard there. The version on this album replaced the orchestra with new synth parts from Emerson. Meanwhile, Keith Emerson's cover of " Honky Tonk Train Blues" had been released as a single in April 1976, reaching #21 on the UK singles chart. Its B-side, "Barrelhouse Shakdown", was also included. The rest of the songs were outtakes from the 1976 sessions that produced ''Reception
The album was not as commercially successful as the band's previous albums; it reached No. 20 in the UK and No. 37 in the US. Three tracks from the album were released as singles: "Tiger in a Spotlight", " Maple Leaf Rag", and "Watching Over You". In a contemporary review, Robert Christgau of '' The Village Voice'' facetiously remarked that it is "news" when "the world's most overweening 'progressive' group" makes an album "less pretentious than its title", but questioned whether it is "rock and roll". In a retrospective review, AllMusic's David Ross Smith felt that it was "highly underrated" and wrote that the album's "brief pieces sustain interest; there really isn't a weak tune in the set." Paul Stump, in his 1997 ''History of Progressive Rock'', commented that "Even Progressive militants have trouble defending ''Vol. 2'', although 'When the Apple Blossoms Bloom in the Windmills of Your Mind' does have a perverse charm. 'Tiger in a Spotlight', however, a cheesy plod, shows just how low the band's collective inspiration had sunk." The two ''Works'' albums were supported by North American tours which lasted from May 1977 to February 1978, spanning over 120 dates. Some early concerts in 1977 were performed with a hand-picked orchestra and choir, but the idea was shelved after 18 shows with the band due to budget constraints. The final concert with the orchestra and choir took place on 26 August 1977 at the Olympic Stadium inTrack listing
2001 bonus tracks
* " Tiger in a Spotlight" - (live at New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, Connecticut, USA, 30 November 1977) 4:14 * "Watching Over You" - (live at New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, Connecticut, USA, 30 November 1977) 4:30 * " Show Me the Way to Go Home" - (live at Hulman Civic Center, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana, USA, 24 January 1978) 5:34Personnel
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
* Keith Emerson - keyboards, piano, Hammond organ, synthesizers, accordion, production * Greg Lake - vocals, guitars, bass guitar, production * Carl Palmer - drums, percussion, productionAdditional musicians
* Peter Sinfield - lyrics, production * London Philharmonic Orchestra on "Maple Leaf Rag" * Ron Aspery - saxophone on "Bullfrog" ''(uncredited in the original release)'' * Colin Hodgkinson - bass guitar on "Bullfrog" ''(uncredited in the original release)'' *Graham Smith - Harmonica on "Watching Over You"Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
Sources
* {{Authority control Emerson, Lake & Palmer albums 1978 albums Albums produced by Keith Emerson Albums produced by Greg Lake Albums produced by Peter Sinfield Atlantic Records albums Shout! Factory albums