Tarkus was the second album from Emerson, Lake and Palmer and reached number one in the UK in 1971 to re-inforce their status as global superstars. I'm not sure when I acquired the LP, but it was probably in 1975 or 1976, and certainly before punk rock hit the music scene in 1977.
I remember thinking it was an OK album, quite liking the vocal parts of "Tarkus", even though I couldn't remember them now. I also liked the jolly "Jeremy Bender" and the solemn "The Only Way ( Hymn )" but I thought "Are You Ready, Eddie ? was rubbish. I vaguely remembered "Bitches Crystal".
The album was notable for the absence of any Greg Lake folk songs or excessive drum solos from Carl Palmer, and there was hardly any guitar at all. Generally though, this would be like listening to most of the album for the first time.
The title track occupies Side One, a magnum opus of nearly 21 minutes in 7 sections, four of which are instrumental, and from the cover, Tarkus is depicted as half tank, half giant armadillo. The pictures on the inside sleeve tell the story of a creature that defeats some others, before falling victim to the half man, half lion Manticore.
The trademark ELP urgent organ, bass and, drums are present on "Eruption", with the music being suitable for a film clip where someone is running away. A gong sounds halfway through before it segues into the slow, tender "Stone Of Years", the first section with vocals.
The short "Iconocast" is next, all frantic drumming and screeching keyboards, followed by "Mass", which has the first electric guitar part of the track and more vocals from Greg Lake. There are mazy keyboards and heavy drumming before the vocals return to conclude the song. Its a very listenable track with the lyric "the weaver in the web that he made" repeated at the end of each verse.
The instrumental "Manticore" again has a beat as if someone is running, leading into "Battlefield", the final section with a vocal. Its another section that is easy on the ear, with quite a nice keyboard motif and short Pink Floyd style guitar break from their Meddle/Obscured By Clouds era, which came after Tarkus was released.
The side closes with the upbeat military marching rhythms of "Aquatarkus", although the keyboard outro is increasingly annoying, before finishing with a reprise of "Eruption".
Side Two opens with "Jeremy Bender", a jolly tune with ragtime piano, hand claps but not the greatest vocal. Despite being labelled ragtime by most critics, the piano reminds me more of western bar/saloon playing, and The Tom Robinson Band's "Law And Order" now comes to mind.
"Bitches Crystal" was a disappointment, being mostly a tuneless mess, apart from little piano pieces before the final vocal screams.
"The Only Way ( Hymn )" is initially dominated by a church organ and its heavy lyrics, which try to be meaningful but now sound trite. The jaunty piano intersection seems a lit out of place but lessens the serious tone. Its perhaps the best tune on the album but probably should have been titled "Anti-Hymn", given the anti-god lyrics.
"Infinite Space ( Conclusion )" is a forgettable jazzy piano instrumental and "A Time And A Place" is just one of several moments that made me think of Spinal Tap.
The closer "Are You Ready, Eddie ?" is a rehash of the rock n'roll standard "The Girl Can't Help It" and is awful. Apparently recorded in one-take, there's plenty of bum notes. ELP were trying to show they can have fun, but they really shouldn't have bothered.
In summary, there were some good parts on the album, especially the vocal sections of "Tarkus", but overall it hasn't aged well.
Track Listing :
Side One :
1. Tarkus
Eruption
Stones of Years
Iconoclast
Mass
Manticore
Battlefield
Aquatarkus
1. Jeremy Bender
2. Bitches Crystal
3. The Only Way ( Hymn )
4. Infinite Space ( Conclusion )
5. A Time And A Place
6. Are You Ready, Eddy ?
Released 1971
UK Chart Position : 1
Singles :
None
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