Emerson, Lake, & Palmer: Welcome Back
Celebrating Emerson, Lake & Palmer's 1992-93 "Black Moon" comeback tour,  this 79-minute documentary is a jumbled hash of footage from throughout the  band's two-decade career. But despite its haphazard assembly, it's a guaranteed  treasure for ELP loyalists. Any attempt to visually document ELP's history would  pose a challenge, since their visual record is relatively sparse compared to  many of the major rock acts of the 1970s. So it's a blessing that this  documentary digs thoroughly into the archives, and every important phase of  ELP's evolution is included, however briefly. One might argue with the strategy  to forgo chronological progression and weave disparate footage into a convoluted  tapestry, but it's the music that counts, and on that point the film delivers  the goods.In addition to grainy footage from the earliest days of ELP's prog-rock  ascension (including what little footage exists of their breakthrough debut at  the 1970 Isle of Wight rock festival), the documentary integrates several ELP  interviews with crucial performances of the band's best-known compositions. The  highlight, by far, is footage from ELP's record-breaking performance in  Montreal's Olympic Stadium in 1977, during their brief (and prohibitively  expensive) tour with a 67-piece orchestra. The performance of "Pirates" alone  makes this a must-have disc, even though it's interrupted by older footage and  interview clips. A video of "Black Moon" and 1992 Royal Albert Hall concert  footage round out the program. It's a mixed blessing, to be sure, but given the  lack of choice,Welcome Backis a welcome and altogether essential  document for ELP fans everywhere.--Jeff Shannon