BMG has announced a new standalone reissue of the Emerson, Lake & Palmer legendary live album Works Live, arriving on 24 July across 2LP, 2CD and digital formats. Featuring fully remastered audio alongside updated liner notes, the release shines a fresh spotlight on one of the band’s most ambitious live recordings and will be available as a standalone title for the first time in more than 30 years.
Originally released in 1979 as In Concert, the album captured ELP during their landmark 1977 North American orchestral tour. Drawn primarily from performances at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium, the recordings showcase the trio blending progressive rock, classical music and theatrical live performance at the height of their powers.
The collection includes fan favourites such as Fanfare For The Common Man, Knife-Edge, Pictures At An Exhibition and Peter Gunn.
Although originally issued as a single LP following the band’s breakup, Works Live was later expanded into a double-disc edition in 1993, restoring much of the material originally intended for the project. This new BMG edition revisits that expanded presentation with refreshed packaging and updated notes, offering fans the definitive version of a pivotal release in the Emerson, Lake & Palmer catalogue.
Few bands embodied the ambition and scale of progressive rock quite like Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Formed in 1970 by Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and Carl Palmer, the trio sold more than 40 million albums worldwide and became renowned for their virtuosic musicianship and spectacular arena performances.
The Works era remains one of the most celebrated chapters in the band’s history, particularly due to the decision to tour with a full orchestra, a move that proved both creatively groundbreaking and financially challenging. The performances preserved on Works Live capture that unique moment in progressive rock history with all the grandeur, technical brilliance and energy that defined ELP’s live reputation.
The reissue arrives amid renewed interest in the band’s legacy, with Carl Palmer recently announcing forthcoming UK dates for his An Evening With ELP live shows in 2027. Tickets are on sale via ELPTickets.com.
Works Live will be released by BMG on 24 July in digital and physical formats. Pre-orders are available from elp.lnk.to/WorksLive
