Guybrush

Introduction :

Members : Keith Emerson (keyboards), Greg Lake (Bass, vocals, the rare guitar now and then), Carl Palmer (drums)

Emerson, Lake & Palmer are known as prog-rock's first supergroup and were extremely popular at the height of their career in the 70s. The trio was made up by Keith Emerson coming from The Nice, Greg Lake from King Crimson and Carl Palmer coming from Atomic Rooster. They released their eponymous debut album in 1970 and quickly garnered more and more fame with subsequent albums and touring. They are known for their pompous, bombastic on-stage performances and over-the top indulgences like Carl Palmer's two and a half-ton drum kit. In the late half of the 70s, ELP like so many other prog acts would drift apart because of artistic disputes and more importantly prog quickly becoming unpopular.

Tarkus is their very famous second album and their first concept album. The whole first side of the LP contained only one song, Tarkus, which very roughly tells the story of Tarkus - a half armadillo/half tank monster born out of a volcano. Tarkus fights other half-mechanical creatures and is eventually defeated by a Manticore. Tarkus then becomes Aquatarkus, an aquatic version of it's previous self. Aside from this rather abstractly told, strange tale, the lyrics also contains criticizm against war and organised religion. Art from the album's sleeve roughly illustrates the story.


Keith Emerson presented Tarkus to his fellow bandmembers almost in it's entirety. Greg Lake is known for his initial dislike of the work, but says it quickly grew on him with time. For many, the Tarkus suite is one of the true classic 70s prog-pieces and so it enjoys a lot of popularity to this day.

(Some added trivia, there's is one prog-rock magazine in Norway, guess what it's called .. Yup, Tarkus.)


Song for Song Review :

As you might expect from a prog-piece, Tarkus itself can be divided into different parts.

• Eruption (Emerson) – 2:43
• Stones of Years (Emerson, Lake) – 3:44
• Iconoclast (Emerson) – 1:15
• Mass (Emerson, Lake) – 3:11
• Manticore (Emerson) – 1:52
• The Battlefield (Lake) – 3:51
• Aquatarkus (Emerson) – 3:59

As Tarkus comes on, sound increases in strength and builds tension until it releases into the frantic Eruption dominated by a rapid playing by Keith in a 10/8 time signature, symbolizing the cascading eruption of the volcano from which Tarkus is born. As we come into the Stones of Years - the first of three vocal parts - the song becomes surprisingly radio-friendly with some soothing singing by Greg Lake that I'm not entirely able to interpret. With Iconoclast, the song gets more frantic again and represents Tarkus' travelling. Mass is back with with some radio-friendliness and lyrics ripe with religious references. The instrumental part Manticore represents the appearal of Manticore, Tarkus' enemy, and the ensuing battle between the two monsters. Tarkus is defeated as we come into The Battlefield, another spine-chilling part that returns to Greg Lake's vocals. Battlefield is written entirely by Greg and is the most moving part of Tarkus. The lyrics deal with war and it's consequences. Aquatarkus is the final and slightly whimsical last part of the suite where Tarkus is reborn as Aquatarkus. It ends with a return to the eruption theme. Phew.

That - Was - Brilliant!

Everything gets a bit weird as Jeremy Bender comes on, a whimsical tune that seems to contain lyrics about gender bending and even a reference to fisting. It certainly is a departure from the earlier prog-masterpiece as this song doesn't even cover 2 minutes in length. It's still an enjoyable song. Bitches Crystal is a slight return to some of the franticness of Tarkus mixed with some of the qualities of Jeremy Bender. It contains enjoyable performances by all. The Only Way (Hymn) starts with what sounds like a church organ. The first half is a slow churchy part dominated by Greg's singing. The lyrics return to the theme of religion.

Can you believe - God makes you breathe?
Why did he lose six million Jews?

Very clever. The last half of the song speeds things up with jazz-elements for a thoroughly enjoyable ending. Infinite Space (Conclusion) is a rather good instrumental piece by Keith and Carl. A Time and a Place and Are You Ready Eddy? returns the rock, especially the latter which is a rockabilly song that has more in common with Jailhouse Rock than it does with Tarkus. To be honest, I consider it rather awful. As such, the last track on Tarkus feels like a departure from the rest of the album.


Review Summary :

Emerson, Lake & Palmer seems like a group torn between a want to be both a rock 'n roll act and an ambitious prog-band. The album opens with an amazingly ambitious prog-piece and then ends with a silly rockabilly tune. Of the two ELPs, I much more like the prog-band than I do the rock-'n'roll-band and I feel the duality of this album lets it down a little bit. I would very much like an album that was more like the Tarkus track from start to finish.

I have to say, though, that the part of this album that is Tarkus is brilliant. It is one of my absolute favourite prog-works and my appreciation for it still only grows with each listening. It wasn't always like that for me. Like Greg Lake admitted, I also had initial problems with Tarkus .. I found it hard to get into and the three man band sounded a bit stripped down and dated compared to some of the other prog-music I listen to. However, with subsequent listenings, something clicked and Tarkus really started growing on me. By now, my appreciation for it is so that listening to it will send shivers down my spine and make the hair on my neck stand up - several times. It is a thoroughly enjoyable experience from start to finish and I love every little bit of it. Strangely, out of my selection of prog, it is also one of the pieces my girlfriend seems to appreciate the most.

So - to sum things up, I consider the Tarkus suite a masterpiece. It easily deserves a six out of six. However, for me - the whole album is let down by a disappointing last half which I would rate four out of six and my final score will reflect that. Also, as a message to new listeners and those who are sceptical - yes, it can be a hard album to get into. As I wrote, ELP's sound may not have aged as well as some of their prog contemporaries and some might not like the hammond/moog/whatever dominated music, but give it a shot. Sit down with Tarkus, give it a listen through and read my rather short descriptions of the different segments so you know what they represent. It might take a few listens, but if you fall in love with it like I and many others have, it will just keep giving and giving.

I wear my ELP T-Shirt with pride.

Toretorden's Treasure Trove score : 5/6 - (first half Tarkus - 6/6 / Second half - 4/6)

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