As much as I like some of the Music of Emerson Lake and Palmer, sometimes I have to dive into the hell that is their 1978 album. Onto the "train wreck that you have to look at" evil that is ELP's Love Beach!
Speaking of being forced at gunpoint, I know this was not but it sure sounded like it after Works Vol. 2 tanked (and I actually like that album a little!).
As one looks inside, there is an attractive order form which was quite the norm back then, but certainly not really an ELP kind of a thing...
It's possible that they knew that Love Beach was a steaming turd enough to go all out into Rock and Roll Fashion Commerce by selling mass produced versions of their tour gear. I still think that the Love Beach Jogging Shorts (which in the US were $7.50) was the nadir of their while existence which thankfully never went to "Tap" level but was already turning into a nightmare. The Baseball Jacket which was satin running for $69.96 US, and the perfect thing to spark thinking about Jello Biafra singing "I wear a satin Baseball jacket everywhere I go!" on MTV Get Off the Air.
The cheapest was the T-shirt for $6.50, which possibly was turned into a dishrag by the 10'th wash.
The reverse side showed their album covers, but although Works Vol. 2 had a cover like the first one, it was not shown but only given a brief mention as if their first real chart fail was not worth the show (maybe as every copy available was already with a saw cut C/O mark?)
The music...well, to be kind, they tried, but even the Bee Gees-looking front cover did not fool the fans as they aimed to create music that would fit the increasingly corporate Rock music scene of the Late 70's by toning down their unique style and sounding like a warm up to Asia. Peter Sinfield's lyrics tried to Rock out and be simple, but in a couple of places they went into a kind of self-parody that would not seem ill fitting with Spinal Tap. Still, there was an epic on Side Two that unfortunately did not match the best and at least a couple of decent songs...but that's a single not an album.
Now for the "Big Bottom" of their career...you know I listen to this at times because they at least survived. Something to wear that jacket and the jogging shorts while listening...humm, sounds like a Tribute Band idea!