BIG music doesn't come much bigger than these three and, as the title suggests, just about all the essential elements are here.

Billed as progressive rock's first supergroup, they have sold more than 40 million albums since I was privileged to witness their cannon-firing, show-stopping performance at the 1970 Isle of Wight festival, which catapulted them to stardom.

But, hang on, another compilation album? True fans will already have much of the material on offer here.

However, this triple-disc set also includes a previously unreleased gig recorded live at Anaheim in Los Angeles during the 1973/4 world tours to remind everyone of the raw energy of their performances in the Seventies.

The main two discs contain all the usual suspects, from Fanfare To The Common Man, Tarkus and Karn Evil 9 to Greg Lake's Christmas hit I Believe In Father Christmas, via a visit to the Great Gates Of Kiev. A must to make your ELP collection complete, or to replace that ageing vinyl - or for young fans, a snapshot of stadium rock at its finest.

Updated: 08:46 Thursday, July 22, 2004