While broadly I am there with you Jpereira, here is some trivia that I remembered from a long time ago (before google, passed through word of mouth would you believe it) and now so friendly available! From wiki below:
"Some time after the album had been completed, however, it was discovered that the stereo master recorder used during the mixdown stage of the album had incorrectly-aligned recording heads. This misalignment resulted in a loss of high frequencies and introduced some unwanted distortion. This is evident in certain parts of the album, particularly on "
21st Century Schizoid Man". Consequently, while preparing the first American release for Atlantic Records, a special copy was made from the original 2-track stereo master in an attempt to correct some of these anomalies. (The analog tape copying process usually results in
generation loss.) From 1969 to 2003, this second-generation "corrected" copy was the source used in the dubbing of the various sub-masters used for vinyl, cassette and CD releases over the years. The original, "first-generation" stereo masters, however, had been filed away soon after the original 1969 mixdown sessions. These tapes were considered lost until 2003"
Inspired by you, I listened to the album today. While the music is still superb, the lyrics really are uninspiring at times! (King Crimson 1, Steely Dan 2 (don't fight))
"I talk to the wind
My words are all carried away
I talk to the wind
The wind does not hear
The wind cannot hear"
Yikes!!!! Again, so ELP!
The beauty of Lark's is very little lyrics (relatively) and a wicked song in Easy Money - I just love the sound of the zip and the voice going "my my".
Vivek