b o b

The first half of this album is probably the best thing that ELP ever did. The sprawling "Tarkus" suite is a keyboard tour-de-force, with Palmer and Lake also giving it all they've got. Ranging from high speed and energetic to brooding and dark, with melodic themes being brought back in different variations and the occasional bit of dramatic-sounding lyrics, this composition is an archetypical example of a grand prog epic. I know, it's missing a mellotron, but at least Emerson compensates with lots of cool Moog tones. ;-) The second half is more hit-and-miss. "Jeremy Bender" and "Are You Ready Eddie" are throwaway poppish numbers that are dumb but fun. "Bitches Crystal" is excellent - I was once lucky enough to hear it performed by a jazz big band, and it translated remarkably well. The rest of the side features some nice music (including some tasteful pipe organ work from Emerson, and some melodies "borrowed" from Bach), but these songs are often marred by Lake's fairly lame lyrics. If I could only keep one ELP album, this would probably be it. I definitely like it better than the album that most say is the band's best, Brain Salad Surgery. review by Bob Eichler — undated —

j o n f

Like Brain Salad Surgery, Tarkus is an unbalanced album; one side is great, the other is rather sketchy (whereas the self-titled and Trilogy are solid throughout). In this case, it's the side-long track, "Tarkus," that's well-developed and performed. The lyrics, apparently relating the story of a mechanical armadillo that roams the world killing things, are best when they only obliquely refer to the events being described. In my mind, it's Keith Emerson's loud, unsubtle keyboard playing that stands out here, though Carl Palmer's martial drumwork deserves some credit as well. I find Greg Lake to be a much more interesting singer than guitar player, though his deadpan presentation of these lyrics only highlights their ridiculousness. The second side of Tarkus is a scattershot collection of tunes that would have benefitted from further development. While "Bitches Crystal" and "Infinite Space" are usually pointed to as the highlights of this side, "The Only Way" is my personal favorite, with Emerson's grandiose organ parts complementing Lake's morose vocals perfectly. The rest of it is forgettable, making me wonder if the band filled this side just because they had to. Tarkus is a classic album because of its first side, which should be heard by all fans of classically-influenced prog eventually. review by Jon Fry — undated —

j o e

ELP's second, another album that I've listened to a billion times since my impressionable teenage years, so much so that I really can't think of where to begin in writing about it. The title track is of course a prog classic, and Emerson's writing contributions are brilliant. I remember being overjoyed when Keyboard magazine published "Eruption" a few years back. I was struck by just how structurally beautiful the piece is, and also what a bitch it was to learn (and it's still nothing in comparison to other Emerson compositions I've seen in print). The transformations of the parallel fourth theme through "Iconoclast" and "Manticore" are particularly creative touches (okay, there's my prog geek quota for this review!). I even like the non-verse interlude in Lake's "Battlefield" which has a grandiose splendor to it (though I suspect Emerson really wrote that whole part). The second side also has quite a few strong moments (e.g. "Bitches Crystal"), as well as a tride and true ELP tradition: the really really horrendous Lake lyric, above and beyond the call of duty (let's see if you can figure out where it is here). On a closing note, I have to come out of the closet and say I still laugh at "Are You Ready Eddy?" after all these years. Yeah, it's cheap, throwaway chuckles, but I'm totally pro-sub-humor in healthy doses, and I have to begrudgingly admit Lake probably had quite a pair to be singing that last verse on a major label in 1971. Well, in any case, I think it serves as a reminder that they did have a sense of humor. Anyway, if you hate ELP, there's no way you should get this, and if you like ELP, you probably already have it. review by Joe McGlinchey — undated —

e r i c

"Tarkus" is a massive seven part 20+ minute undertaking that, to my ears, may be the band's finest hour on record. The instrumental sections are filled with massive keyboard assaults from Emerson, anchored by Palmer's unique drumming. My favorite vocal track in the piece is "Stone of Years", but the real enjoyment comes during the instrumental sections like "Eruption" and "Iconoclast". Emerson's keyboard heroics are also featured on "Bitches Crystal" and some church-like organ work in "The Only Way (Hymn)", the latter containing a vocal by Greg Lake. "Infinite Space (Conclusion)" features some intricate piano and bass work, which Lake rarely gets credit for. Again the band show off their sense of humor on the track "Are You Ready Eddy?", which these days the band seemed to have little of. A truly inspired and classic progressive recording. review by Eric Porter — undated —