Check out Steven's Q&A concerning ELP:
12) Since Fripp seems to have let the proverbial cat out of the bag, I wonder if Steven can comment on the ELP stuff? Can you tell us which albums you have done, or will be doing? In the past you've said that ELP were not one of your favorites (or words to that effect) - does that change how you approach doing the mixes, and did working on them change your opinion at all? Any other general comments about this project would be welcome too.
SW: While I don't think ELP have stood the test of time in the way that some other bands of that era have, I really enjoyed doing the albums - I find that there are astounding moments in their music, but in my opinion (and no doubt many will disagree!) some tracks on each album are what you might call "filler". One of the interesting things we've been able to do with the reissues it to make CD1 the original album, and CD2 an alternate version of the album using new mixes. For example on Tarkus this enabled me to replace what I saw as "novelty" tracks like Are You Ready Eddy and Jeremy Bender and replace them with what I felt were better songs. On the first album this was done by necessity since the multi-tracks of Tank and 2 parts of the Three Fates were missing - luckily there were interesting out-takes that could take their place in the album sequence. There is an element of trying to re-write history in this of course, which some may consider sacrilegious, but the original mix is also part of the package, so it's simply an alternate perspective.
Thanks for sharing this, rtbluray!
So ELP have not stood the test of time as other bands from the era ??? I couldn't disagree with such comment more, but anyway that's not a reason to "re-conceive" Tarkus. I will not try to make a competition between ELP vs King Crimson vs Genesis vs Yes to make a point, as I love them all, but any of those can be beaten to death by whoever is not willing to understand prog aesthetics and label it "dated" (and I'm not implying that did happen in the interview). Anyway, I really find this comment very awkward. ELP has indeed passed the test of time, and by that I mean it has never been nor will be ever under dispute that ELP is one of the best prog bands ever (in terms of ambition, influence, music levels, performance levels, technology, historical importance). If nowadays music has nothing to do with ELP, well that's another discussion, but then maybe it's a good sign that ELP has nothing to do with nowadays music.
And Jeremy Bender/Are you ready Eddy are "fillers"?? I'm sorry, but I just can't accept this. So why ELP played so much Jeremy Bender in public during the '70s? And why "Are you ready Eddy" have such incredible piano lines?
What comes next? Will "Benny The Bouncer" be considered a "filler"? Maybe the Second Movement of Emerson's Concerto is also a "filler". "Tank" from Works 1 is most probably a "filler". So what? Fillers should be treated with respect, as someone who counts once decided they'd be in.
I personally don't like "C'est la vie": what if someone who shares this opinion with me, and is given power, decides it's a "filler"??
Isn't the "Works 2" an album made of fillers?
Is it difficult to understand the concept of respecting a band's decision 40 years ago?
I just think things are being mixed-up here: there are musical/aesthetic decisions, and there are technical/audiophile decisions. Both are very important. But IMMO, there's an inner part of the former activity which the latter should not step into.