"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
Works Volume 1. "
Maple Leaf Rag" was a faithful ragtime cover from Emerson, "Watching Over You" and "So Far To Fall" were guitar-based outtakes from Lake's solo side, while "Bullfrog" and "Close But Not Touching" were jazz-fusion instrumentals originating from Palmer's sessions. There is also a group cover of "
Show Me the Way to Go Home" which closes the album. ==Reception==