Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Label: Sanctuary Records
Released: 1971
Rating: 5/5
After such an excellent debut, it was perfectly reasonable to expect that ELP wouldn’t rest on their laurels and that their next album would be something special, thrilling and completely new. In the end it turned out (in my humble opinion) that “Tarkus” became the key and best album of their career, and above all their most experimental one, which finally rocketed them into the ranks of the immortal names of rock music. But it didn’t go entirely smoothly at the start, which makes it all the more astonishing that they eventually (and in barely six days!) managed to create such a timeless masterpiece, one that still commands enormous respect among music connoisseurs today. The trio, who besides their incredible musical chops were always known for their huge egos too, almost broke up before recording even started, after Emerson built out an improvisation he’d come up with a year earlier and handed it to the other two in that form. After hearing it, Lake even said Emerson should just find somebody else to play something like that, since unlike the adventurous Emerson he leaned more toward building the band’s commercial capital on stuff like their first hit “Lucky Man” (Emerson, Lake & Palmer, 1970). In the end they did manage to rein in those monstrous egos and pull them together for a higher goal. Unlike the debut, “Tarkus” is the product of equal, shared work by all three musicians, and there are no more compositions born of individual solo ideas. The result is one of the grandest works in rock history and one of the key works in the history of progressive rock, one that even transcends the boundaries of rock music and, after all these years, shines no less brightly than when it came out.
Just one look at the cover, where a half-armadillo, half-WWI-tank called Tarkus, the main protagonist of the title suite and of their magnum opus, stares at the listener with blood-red eyes, and you get the feeling that this is no ordinary album, but one of those immortal works of art that belong in every music collection. “Tarkus” is a semi-conceptual album that, through the individual parts of the title magnum opus, tells the story of life and reverse evolution after a nuclear war, when humankind has become a thing of the past. The new masters of the world are animals that have evolved into some kind of cyborgs and mixtures of various organic parts. Tarkus, an armadillo-tank with an insatiable, bloodthirsty appetite, born from a giant egg beneath an erupting volcano (Eruption), is the dominant species among them. Tarkus ruthlessly slaughters everything that crosses his path and gets in the way of his war march. After dispatching a string of different opponents as if it were nothing (among them a hybrid of a snail and missile tips (Stones Of Years), a cybernetic pterodactyl (Iconoclast) and something between a grasshopper, a lizard and a war machine (Mass)), he finally runs into an opponent his equal. That’s the Manticore, a mythological monster from ancient Persia with the body of a lion, the head of a human and the tail of a scorpion (Manticore). After a fierce fight the Manticore wins by stinging Tarkus in the eye with its deadly venom (The Battlefield). As the only fully organic creature, the Manticore carries an allegorical meaning, since it illustrates the inferiority of animal-machines compared to fully organic organisms. The defeated Tarkus retreats into the water in agony, where he evolves into Aquatarkus (Aquatarkus). The story offers plenty of allegorical readings, which get a solid foundation in Lake’s excellent lyrics. They have no direct connection to the events described, yet with their critique of the destructive human mind and the senselessness of wars and violent revolutions, they point to the final message that one possible consequence of the ultimate catastrophe, the destruction of human “civilization,” could be a reverse and bizarre evolution. The whole story is also beautifully brought to life by William Neal’s excellent illustrations.
Now on to the music of this masterpiece! As mentioned, “Tarkus” is the centerpiece, the magnum opus of the album, built mostly on instrumental sections that also draw on jazz and classical influences, primarily through the vast organ palettes of the indestructible Emerson, as well as the excellent rhythm section helmed by Lake and Palmer. It’s an epic suite of over 20 minutes split into seven sections (Eruption, Stones Of Years, Iconoclast, Mass, Manticore, The Battlefield, Aquatarkus). “Eruption” is a bombastic intro in 5/4 time, one of the best intros I’ve ever heard, and it stays just as magical after all these years as it was the first time I heard it. “Eruption” opens in an incredibly atmospheric way, building up the mood before Palmer’s insanely complex drumming and Lake’s multilayered bass crash in, creating a jazz-rock foundation. But the real star this time is undoubtedly Emerson with his Hammond organ orgies, to which he adds a thick layer of synths as the cherry on top, leading to one of the most orgasmic moments on the entire album. Emerson once named Frank Zappa as one of the main inspirations for this masterpiece. After this instrumental cataclysm the mood gradually calms down with the subtle “Stones Of Years,” where gorgeous organ harmonies and Lake’s powerful vocals reign, fitting the atmosphere down to the last detail. “Iconoclast” brings back the main theme from “Eruption” through Palmer’s fiery drumming and Emerson’s dissonant organ expressions. “Mass” features an unusual rhythm and melody that Lake’s vocals cover superbly, followed by excellent guitar parts joined by the strange textures of Emerson’s Moog synthesizer. Despite the great use of the Moog, Emerson soon returns to the organ, where on “Manticore,” which is also marked by energetic drumming, he shows off some of his best passages on the instrument. The mood calms and slows again with the superb “The Battlefield,” one of the emotional high points of the whole suite, which in its vibe is a bit reminiscent of the King Crimson classic “Epitaph” (In the Court of the Crimson King, 1969), which they often worked into this section at their shows. Lake’s deeply emotional vocals and lyrics, wondering where humanity is sailing to, are stunning here. Emerson’s organ, creating a fanfare-like sound, lifts the atmosphere further. And then comes, in my opinion, the best guitar solo of Lake’s career, one that even David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), the father of subtle solos, wouldn’t be ashamed of. With this guitar solo Lake confirmed that he’d always carried great potential as a guitarist too, though he never managed to express it well amid all of Emerson’s wizardry. “Aquatarkus” brings another tremendous climax, created by Emerson’s organ and then many overpowering Moog solos. After a strike of the gong and to the sound of the Moog, the main theme from “Eruption” crashes in again. And as Emerson’s massive organ flashes by once more, Tarkus retreats into the water, where life began in the first place. And that’s how one of the best and most experimental epics of progressive rock ends, in a bombastic fashion. This immortal epic, which became the definition of professional keyboard playing, is worth the entire album, since it’s one of the grandest creations not just in the history of progressive rock but of rock music in general. This masterpiece is so good that I simply can’t find words good enough to reflect all its grandeur. For me it’s even the favorite and best thing the legendary trio ever did in their career.
After this incredible demonstration of the endless abilities of their musical talents, ELP treat themselves to a few pieces for the rest of the album that, admittedly, aren’t on the same quality level as the epic suite (that goes mainly for “Jeremy Bender” and “Are You Ready Eddy?”), but some of them shouldn’t be underestimated and even rank among their classics.
“Jeremy Bender” is a silly, unserious number of the kind they’d make later too (“The Sheriff,” “Benny The Bouncer”), and of course it shouldn’t be taken seriously. I don’t quite know what they wanted to prove with it, but they most likely wanted to show they have another, less stern face, the complete opposite of their progressive musical expansions. This saloon humoresque sounds like it was lifted from some cowboy movie starring Bud Spencer and Terence Hill, right before the all-out brawl. It’s built on Emerson’s barroom piano, handclaps and Lake’s goofy lyrics about a transvestite named Bender. Some will say that songs like this are way beneath them and drag the whole album down, and while it truly has nothing to do with their usual musical abilities, it’s, mainly thanks to the piano, entertaining and fun enough that it doesn’t fall flat.
“Bitches Crystal,” on the other hand, is a great piece that can even stand next to some parts of the title suite. ELP get serious again here and deliver a first-rate number marked by a very good intro on a piano-like instrument called the celesta. Then come energetic passages on piano and organ over a jazzy rhythm. This piece, which has tremendous energy, features delicious tempo shifts between piano, organ, drums and cymbals, all topped off with furious vocals.
“The Only Way (Hymn)” opens with church organs carrying a theme from Bach’s “Toccata,” followed by extensive expansions on Hammonds, piano and psychedelic Lake vocals with a philosophical note about the senselessness of organized religion. The song flows into “Infinite Space (Conclusion),” which is its direct continuation. It features repetitive parts from Lake’s bass guitar, Emerson’s piano and Palmer’s drumming, creating a tense, ever-building mood.
“A Time And a Place” is another excellent and overlooked, highly atmospheric piece. It’s another energy charger in the vein of “Bitches Crystal,” only a touch punchier. Emerson once again pulls off some supersonic passages on the Hammonds while Lake is back in fine vocal form, delivering the lyrics in an incredibly heartfelt and energetic way. Emerson’s witty use of the Moog is finger-lickin’ good this time around too.
And finally, one more completely unserious, goofy romp called “Are You Ready Eddy?”, the most unserious piece in the band’s history, dedicated to their sound engineer Eddie Offord (also known for his work with Yes). It’s a slick rock’n’ roll number in the style of Jerry Lee Lewis, on a witty piano with clowning vocals and totally silly lyrics. Even though it would fit better on some Frank Zappa album, I can’t say it’s a superfluous filler track. After you’ve heard it so many times, it simply becomes an indispensable part of the whole album.
The verdict is short and unambiguous: “Tarkus” is one of the best rock albums of all time!! It’s a masterpiece for all eternity, one of the peaks and key works of progressive rock, and it must not be missing from any decent music collection! “Tarkus” made ELP a global name and popularized progressive rock among the wider music community too, so no true fan of this genre should be without it. Of course, we shouldn’t overlook how different the times were back in 1971, when highly complex, intelligent, atmospheric and innovative music was met with enthusiasm from the broad mass of listeners too. “Tarkus” was in fact rewarded with the number one spot on all the British charts. The quality gap between it and the otherwise excellent debut is almost gigantic. Everyone who, until this album came out, still thought ELP were merely a continuation of The Nice was shut up for good when they heard this masterpiece. This is an album like nothing before it, and like nothing that will ever come again. “Tarkus” – came, saw, conquered!
Lineup
Keith Emerson – Hammond organ, church organ, piano, celesta, Moog synthesizer
Greg Lake – vocals, bass guitar, electric & acoustic guitar
Carl Palmer – drums, percussion
Production
Greg Lake
Track list
1. Tarkus (20:42)
a. Eruption (2:44)
b. Stones Of Years (3:44)
c. Iconoclast (1:16)
d. Mass (3:12)
e. Manticore (1:52)
f. Battlefield (3:51)
g. Aquatarkus (4:04)
2. Jeremy Bender (1:51)
3. Bitches Crystal (3:58)
4. The Only Way (Hymn)(3:49)
Toccata in F and Prelude VI (themes used in intro and bridge only)composed by: Bach
5. Infinite Space (Conclusion)(3:20)
6. A Time And A Place (3:02)
7. Are You Ready Eddy? (2:10)
Album length: 38:56
