Tarkus

Dreadful. I now understand why punk happened.

this album was an experience, but was not an experience i enjoyed.

Gotta say, I'm a little surprised to see this here on this list. There is a thoroughgoing prejudice against prog in the critical community, probably because it forces critics to engage with the music instead of discussing influences, lyrics and personalities. ELP was unique for a number of reasons. They were a keyboard-based progressive rock group, with nary a guitar in sight. And Keith Emerson's interests, in addition to blues and rock, ranged from "serious" classical composers like Mussgorsky and Bartok, all the way up to contemporary composers like Alberto Ginastera. When you throw in covers of Aaron Copeland and Emerson's interest in martial themes and Americana, it's a potent brew, obviously not to everyone's taste. Surprisingly, this kind of thing was popular at the time. Hard to imagine, I know. But how good is Tarkus? For better or worse, the epic title track may be the purest expression of Emerson's obsessions. Here are the martial rhythms and themes, the nods to contemporary classical music, copious rock and blues, and so on. Emerson effectively utilizes his arsenal of keyboards, such as piano, organ, and early synthesizers to create an intense, claustrophobic vibe. Carl Palmer reinforces the martial feel of the track with his patented fills and overall busyness. If the rest of the album had been up to this level, it would be a stone classic. Alas, there are some downright stinkers, like Are You Ready, Eddy?, in which Emerson indulges in a dubious sense of a humor and a rancid take on 50s rock 'n roll. There are other weaknesses. Some of the lyrics are awful: Sleep in a dream Of butter milk cream You dance on a beam Dancing on a beam And occasionally, vocalist/bassist Greg Lake reaches for notes he can't handle. On the other hand, we have Infinite Space, which has similar virtues to the title track, in miniature. And Bitches Crystal and A Time And A Place ain't bad either, if you're willing to overlook the occasional maladroit lyric or off key vocal. On Tarkus, the highs are Olympian and the lows are Stygian. How to rate? I can't in good conscience give this any less than a 4/5. Proceed at your own risk. And fair warning: if you don't share Emerson's musical interests, you will likely hate, hate, hate, this album with an all consuming passion.

It’s not ELP’s best record, but it is undoubtedly their best album cover.

Budget pink floyd

If you drink seven shots of tequila while soaking in a hot tub, you begin to think this is Yacht Rock at some point during the first song. It's a 20 minute song, but you'll need those 20 minutes for the giant armadillo morph into a yacht. The yacht will include Robert Wagner, Christopher Walken and Natalie Wood as passengers, so you'll have the chance to rewrite history and save the beloved screen legend. You'll still wake up with a hangover, Natalie Wood will still be dead, but the upshot is you'll put what common folk call Prog Rock in your rearview mirror for the rest of your life. I bet Vincent Gallo loves this album but secretly wishes it was all instrumental.

I don't think I can get with ELP and their prog ilk, it just feels really dated and musically staid compared to other music of the era (e.g. originally released the same year as Tago Mago which still sounds fresh). The lyrics are dreadful too: Can you believe / God makes you breathe Why did he lose / six million Jews

First know that I'm not a proghead so I had no idea who these dudes were, nor did i understand wtf was going on for the entire duration of this album. Usually i have zero patience for these meandering, self indulgent 20 min tracks. But unlike the allman bros, this was actually fun and entertaining to listen to. so, based on my enjoyment of the experience rather than my actual knowledge of the music, i'm giving this a 5. deal with it

This is batshit lol

eh. I don't know about this. ok ok these guys could play complex music. But could they write a song? Not on this one at least. Even a 20 minute song ("Supper's Ready" - Genesis) can be fascinating and well-crafted with distinct parts, a beginning/theme/ending. This just seems like a mash of Carl Palmer staccato-snare fills, Keith Emerson's organ dancing in 5/4 time, and then oh here's Greg Lake with his smooth double-tracked vocals to put a nice sheen on it. But it doesn't work. Second half (side) of the album was supposed to be more "traditional" short songs but even there nothing works very well. I used to think prog was my favourite style of rock when I was a kid but as the years go on I'm pretty sure that wasn't/isn't true at all. I loved - and still do - the best of the genre but this ain't it. This is prog-for-prog's-sake complete with the hilarious album cover. It's just dull. 3/10 2 stars.

Wankus

One of the best prog rock albums. 11/10 would listen more. RIP Keith Emerson and Greg Lake. Also, a great album cover.

2.5 it sounds like a mix of video game music and boston

I would have thought that I would be *totally into* an album with a 20-minute long song about a giant armadillo that got transformed into a tank. But it just doesn't work. Parts of the title track are good, but the random prog-rock interludes feel like filler. Emerson noodles up and down the same scales, showing off how fast he can play on 3 different keyboards at the same time, but there's no actual musical value to it and it doesn't go anywhere. Also, frankly, it's not even that great of a technical showcase as the band falls slightly out of sync at various points especially in the first couple of movements of the song. The tonal difference and contrast between the a side and the b side is almost unbelievable. The b side starts with a jaunty almost ragtime-y piano melody in a song that's like 2 minutes long compared to Tarkus' 20. I want so badly to like this but honestly the whole thing feels hollow, like a monument to excess without meaning.

I guess I’ve never listened to an Emerson, Lake, & Palmer album before. And while having a listen as I made salads in the kitchen wasn’t the worst, it also wasn’t my jam. Guess I thought E, L, P had a similar sound as C,S, Y. And why no Oxford comma!!?

I'm not a huge ELP fan, mainly due to Keith Emerson's keys playing. I love their song writing in some parts, but I find myself growing tired of listening to what feels like minutes of aimless, purposeless keyboard wandering. It's like they are asking questions that they never answer.

Self indulgent, instrument wankery, Keith Emerson bad, too complex to be real music, Tarkus long song, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah Now, fuck off

An excellent example of what I would call "heavy prog" - Progressive rock that has little commercial appeal but is an important and exciting listen for those who are already sold on the genre. For the casual listener, however, they will most likely have a hard time. Personally, I find this album very pleasing on multiple listens. It's surprisingly consistent and I enjoy the mix of dark, heavy tones, with the occasional whimsy.

I was very much into ELP having bought their first album and seen them live two or probably three times locally. I was a big fan of The Nice and King Crimson and to a lesser extent Atomic Rooster so ELP were ready made for me. I love the rock/classical crossover in music and my favourite pieces of music usually have a strong orchestral element in them. ELP were one of the first exponents of this type of music (carrying on from The Nice and Deep Purple) They were a fantastic band to watch live. Keith Emerson was very much a showman and his antics towards the end of a show, physically throwing his Hammond organ around the stage and producing amazing sounds will remain with me forever. So I bought this album on day of release and played it endlessly. I was away from home during the week and in these were the days when playing music remotely anywhere was still a fantasy, I remember playing the album until the last minute on Sunday evening before I caught a train so that every note would stay in my brain for as long as possible. The constant listening I did over 50 years ago has paid dividends because on today’s listen I anticipated just about single note of the long title track. It’s been a while since I listened in full so it’s testament to how a piece of music you really love can stay with you. My favourite ELP album is their first followed by Trilogy but Tarkus is an exceptional album which I will always love and cherish. 5+/5 7/8/24.

"Tarkus" is a suite in seven parts—one of the earliest multipart progressive-rock suites. The recorded version lasts nearly 21 minutes and takes up a full side of the album. The odd-numbered sections are instrumentals, and the even-numbered ones vocal tracks. It is a concept piece the idea for which is gleaned not from the music and lyrics alone, but also from the album artwork and the section titles; nevertheless the concept and narrative remain ambiguous and open to interpretation. The second side of the album is made up of short songs unrelated to "Tarkus" or to each other. The name "Tarkus" refers to the armadillo-tank from the William Neal paintings on the album cover. The artist has explained that the name is an amalgamation between 'Tartarus' and 'carcass' (hence the name being written in bones on the album cover). Consequently, the name refers to the "futility of war, a man made mess with symbols of mutated destruction."[2] The song "Tarkus" itself supposedly follows the adventures of Tarkus from his birth, through a fight with a manticore, which he loses and concludes with an aquatic version of Tarkus named "Aquatarkus". The parts supposedly follow Tarkus' birth in a volcanic eruption centuries before known history. The exact nature of Tarkus' origin and actions are unknown, and left ambiguous by its creator, Keith Emerson. "Eruption" itself presents a musical impression of cascading eruption on the keyboards in a 10 8 time signature, backed by Carl Palmer on drums. This segues into the "Stones of Years", the first of three vocal sections. The second, third, fourth and fifth are supposedly the movements that represent the enemies he meets: The interlude of the aforementioned "Stones of Years", the second movement, represents the travel of Tarkus and the enemy he meets first. The "Stones of Years" are thought to resemble a mixture of a "stone" version of a cybernetic spider-like creature with spikes like a stegosaurus; a shield embedded in its side; two antennae, each with its own set of eyes; and what looks like a set of two poison gas tanks on the back, sort of resembling a futuristic station. As the interlude is reaching its end, the enemy is overpowered and then finished off by Tarkus' turrets before the song returns to vocal. "Iconoclast" is the third movement and the movement which represents the enemy Tarkus meets second. The "Iconoclast", according to the inner gatefold, is a mixture of a pterodactyl and a war airplane, and is rapidly overpowered by guitar for "Mass". "Mass" is the name of Tarkus' third enemy and the fourth movement, which is filled with numerous religious references; it often had its lyrics dropped in tours by the Keith Emerson Band, as does Stones of Years. The "Mass" is often thought to be a mixture of a lizard, grasshopper and a rocket launcher. This is followed by "Manticore" in which the final enemy of Tarkus appears and a battle ensues between variations on the "Tarkus" theme and the Manticore's. Ultimately, Tarkus is defeated and "Battlefield" follows. The movement "Battlefield" is the only part written entirely by Greg Lake. "Aquatarkus" closes the track, centering mostly on a march based on the "Battlefield" theme and then returning to the original "Eruption" theme as a farewell to Tarkus and a greeting to the aquatic Aquatarkus.

not my cuppa tea. respect for the skillz tho

Thing is, I’m no prog-liker but the agitated interpretative dance parts provoke the same part of me that enjoys prog-adjacent freaks like The Psychic Paramount and Rangda. Wonders never cease, what a world we live in, so on so forth. The lyrics are ripe for a kick in the face though. “How did He lose six million Jews?” suggests the Holocaust was an act of absent-mindedness.

Kind-of what I expected, virtuoso and very energetic organ, bass and drumming, with ponderous vocals on top. Didn't like it as much as I thought I would, especially with the two terrible pub-rock numbers and unexpected shout-out to the Holocaust. Probably won't listen again [EDIT: I did listen again, didn't change my opinion]

The Good: We get an armadillo tank! The Bad: Seems the armadillo is not so powerful… The Ugly: This kind of Prog Rock…. I tried… the music snob in me is crying… this. is. difficult. to. sit. through. I figured out why I don’t like it, and it is the god awful sound of the Moog Modular synth. I know that there are people with tattoos on their body, showing their love and appreciation for the Moog Modular… me, it is synonymous with the thought “where is the skip button?” Needless to say, I can’t give this album a much higher score than 2* and I should also add that I have nothing additional to mention...

I absolutely loved this album! I was nervous seeing that it was prog-rock, but it did not disappoint. So good!

This was a dense, heavy, and perfectly executed chunk of prog rock! Hit the spot for my lazy Saturday. Gotta listen to more ELP.

Heck yeah. Fuck a 3 minute pop song, ELP are holding a masterclass on self indulgent prog rock. I've always enjoyed this style of music, Rush, Yes, Tull, give me artists who would be the best musician in any band they were in. I wonder how far ELP would've pushed it if they were in the digital era where you could theoretically have a continuous 80 minute piece of music instead of being confined to an album side. But anyway, Tarkus is an outstanding album. 5 stars all day.

I really enjoy this era of Emerson, Lake & Palmer. When it comes to the early stages of electronic music and synthesizers, these guys deserve far more credit than they often get. They were truly ahead of their time, and their musicianship was remarkable, especially given their ages. I also admire how they used the progressive rock platform to embrace cutting edge technology for their era. This album balances their long, improvisational tracks with shorter, more accessible pieces. Even when their songs stretch on with no lyrics, their music and instrumentation deliver a storyline just as effectively. Theatrical and grandiose buildups are easily my favorite aspect of their work, and this album showcases definitely delivers.

+super fun +unique sounds +truly an experience

Great example of early prog rock, but Brain Salad Surgery is a better complete album

Not my favourite ELP album - I prefer Trilogy and Brain Salad Surgery - but still a great album. My favourite track is "The Only Way (Hymn)".

First rate prog rock! Feel like this is a big influence on the John Zorn Simulacrum stuff.

YEEEEEEEEAHHHHHH Coolest album I've ever listened to and one of the first experiences I had with ELP. Can't believe that I randomly saw Carl Palmer play a semi-live set before a YES (John Anderson) concert last summer. Like I literally had no idea he was opening for them. And I weep for Greg Lake, and I wonder what Keith is up to (update, he is also dead). "Supergroup" is so pertinent for a band like this. I always get lost in their work, and this album is no exception. Truly, just a fantastic assembly of beautiful and sensitive minds. Somewhere in this album you can hear Keith Emerson's fingers actually fuse to the keys of his organ. A 6/10 for someone who doesn't care. 10/10 from someone who does.

I’m at a 5. Once again, there’s really only so much you can say about prog rock. It's my first time listening to (or even knowing about) ELP, but I liked this a lot. This isn’t quite at the level of a “Close to the Edge”, but for my money’s worth, this is about on par with “The Yes Album”. That just means this is really, really good prog rock, enhanced a bit further by the heavy emphasis on keyboard work, giving this more of a VGM-adjacent feel that appeals to all of my sensibilities. I can very specifically hear lots of inspiration for Zelda & Metroid stuff throughout the 20-minute masterclass that is “Tarkus”, though there’s also a little bit of Kirby, Final Fantasy & Galaga in there. The music speaks for itself, though the addition to make an entire plot about a mechanical armadillo fighting other mecha beasts in a vaguely biblical parallel is a cherry on top. It’s giving incredible Evangelion energy, and I’m all here for it. So, how about the rest of the album? Well, outside of the vaguely transphobic panic / weirdness of “Jeremy Bender”, the rest of the album holds up fine. Obviously, it’s not at the same level as Tarkus, but it holds its ground rather well – “Bitches Crystal” is the standout track of the back half, acting as a ragtime piano-driven prog rock piece, and it just sounds cool as shit. “The Only Way” & “Infinite Space” are a good two-part piece, though I do think “Infinite Space” could’ve benefited from having some extra instrumentation to it. “A Time and a Place” needed some extra percussive energy at the top, but once it gets going, that shit rules – that ending is kind of a stunner. “Are You Ready Eddy?” is just a good goofy way to close out the album; it’s obviously not that “good”, but it’s just fun, especially with the pastiche of 50s style doowop production across the board, even down to the reverb-heavy vocal nonsense. It’s a 5, what can I say? Give me some good prog rock, and I’ll be there for it every time. If you somehow manage to fuck up prog rock, you simply shouldn’t be making music, plain & simple. The only reason this has the average that it does on the website is because people despise video game music or anything that sounds like it here, & that’s just pretentious as hell. This was a lot of fun, and I suspect I need to go hunt down some more ELP to listen to. P.S.: The line alluding to the Holocaust on "The Only Way" was crazy. I have no earthly idea how that stayed in, especially for 1971. It's not even a bad/offensive line, given that it's a halfway common sentiment to call out God for allowing tragedies to happen. It's just surprising that it stayed in given that it wasn't THAT long ago at the time.

You know you’re a damn good musician when you can get away with putting an 18 minute track as your opener on a record. I had always heard this was a great album, but I’ve never actually taken time to listen to it. The opening song Tarkus is no doubt a huge jump in prog-rock. With exceptional musicality and a fusion of rock and jazz ELP really took music into another level in 1971. This is definitely not radio-friendly. It was impressive now on The Only Way (Hymn) they switched from organs to piano to Hammond. I don’t know if I can say I had a favorite song because it was all so rich and intricate I feel like I missed a lot and need multiple listens with really good headphones and no distractions to take it all in. The only real downfall (which was still a good song) was Are You Ready Eddy? Simply because it feels so misplaced in the scope of the album. Otherwise: Impressive.

The main fault of this album is very obvious—half of it is complete filler. I wouldn’t call the songs outside of the title track bad necessarily, but they don’t feel like they’re from the same album. It feels very jarring to hear 18 minutes of just mediocre short songs after the epic that is Tarkus. But I honestly don’t really care that much. The title track is so fucking awesome and exciting, I’m almost willing to grade this album based on it alone. Tarkus is such a playfully fun track, and its technical complexity makes it even more enjoyable to listen to. Prog in general feels so refreshing in the sea of basic and predictable music. This particular album definitely sounds old and outdated, but it’s a rare example of outdated not meaning bad. It falls more into the “old school cool” category, and I love it for that.

#858. The first song is 20 minutes long, and sounds like the musical equivalent of a schizophrenia induced panic attack. And it doesn't get any less unhinged from there. 4/5: fantastic

The highlights were excellent but there were definitely times that seemed like they were just banging on the keyboard.

For progressive rock, this isn’t nearly as bad as the reviews suggest. It’s basically jazz

Back before I seriously got into all of music, I was fascinated by Prog Rock. This album was one of my favourites back then, mainly because of the title track that I still think remains one of the greatest musical achievements ever. The album is very different depending on what half you listen to. The first half, made up of Tarkus, is perfect. The other half isn't. And I am not the only one with that opinion as this is pretty much what everyone, even hardcore fans say about this album. The album starts with 'Tarkus', the 20 minute epic that is made up of 7 parts. The first part 'Eruption' starts the album with a rumble and then explodes into a keyboard/organ driven and very up-beat part with a very symphonic feeling that moves into the slower but equally interesting 'Stones of Years' that brings in the vocals. The philospophical nature of the lyrics adds to the epicness of the whole peace. 'Iconoclast' follows with more rumbling drums and a stinging guitar that moves into 'Mass' that adds to the overall operatic and symphonic feel with the layered vocals and guitar solo. Around the 10-minute mark 'Manticore' introduces the enemy of Tarkus that climaxes into 'Battlefield' that probably feels the most like an Opera or Symphony with the horn inspired sound, probably done by the moog. The last part of the song is 'Aquatarkus' and it closes this incredible epic of a song perfectly with the marching sounding drums and wah-wah sounding organs that all slowly fade into a final blow of the theme from the beginning. This is one of the greatest songs ever and I am reminded of its greatness everytime I listen to it. One of the most perfect songs ever created. Side two opens with 'Jeremy Bender' and it already shows that this half cannot compete with the title track. It's a nice song but after listening to a 20-minute symphonic epic, this just sounds silly and useless. The piano, the claps and the cowbell are all quite nice but the lyrics are... not as philosophical and though provoking as they were on 'Tarkus'. A bit better is 'Bitches Crystal' which I think is a pretty good song with its synthesizer, Jazz piano and fast tempo. Still not close to Tarkus but substantially closer. 'The Only Way (Hymn)' is similarly symphonic as 'Tarkus' but just does not achieve the greatness. It's nice but just not incredible. The same can be said about the follow up 'Infinite Space (Conclusion)' although it looses some points from me because it is mainly a piano solo and although it's not a bad piano solo, it bores me. I do quite like the more rock sounding 'A Time and a Place' although it again isn't as special as 'Tarkus'. Final song 'Are You Ready Eddy?' is very R&B sounding Rock n' Roll song that very much sounds like a Little Richard if he was Prog song and I do think this is the best song after Tarkus although it still is far behind that one. favourites: Tarkus, Tarkus, Tarkus & Tarkus least favourites: Jeremy Bender, Infinite Space (Conclusion) Rating: decent 8 (10 if it was Tarkus twice) https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

8. Biased upward because cool battle Amarillo on the cover

Nah, I tried but I just can't. Too much brain and too little ass.

Nope, second day in the row of this band won't make me like prog rock

This is a concept album about a mechanized armadillo tank.

This album made me think about the Jeff Goldblum quote from Jurassic Park about scientists being so desperate to see if they could create dinosaurs they didn’t stop to think if they should. Well, the band really should have thought about whether or not the world needed a twenty minute opening track about a cybernetic armadillo that sounds like a promotional video for an 80’s leisure centre. The answer is no, and it wasn’t really helped by the weird grab bag of other tracks

I was looking forward to this but wow. A 20 minute song that went too long, a holocaust rhyme and poor vocals.

The fewer the words, the better.

Well, given that this album seems to top many people's lists of the best prog rock album ever, I can say with a high degree of confidence that prog rock is not for me. (Although I must say that I've enjoyed Rush's earlier work for a long time, and I'm struck by how similarly structured Rush's "2112" is to ELP's "Tarkus" (epic saga on side one, unrelated songs on side two), and I've *never* had the kind of visceral reaction to "2112" as I did to this album, so maybe there's hope for me yet.) I can kind of get why the title track has a cult following, even down to the album artwork, but aside from the somewhat interesting time signature changes, it seemed far more turgid than insightful to me. And the second side's collection of ditties are nothing special. I'd kind of hoped this album would redeem them after listening to "Pictures at an Exhibition", but I'm beginning to think that I don't like ELP much at all (at least their earliest stuff). I can see why this album was included, but I don't have to like it.

I may rock, but I guess I don’t prog

Oh hell yes. I've always wanted to listen to this album due to that absolutely beautiful, amazingly terrible artwork. Like what the hell even is that, haha. Almost tempted to give this album a 5 purely for the armadillo tank, despite knowing going in I won't like the album. And yeah, I don't like it. But as one of the greatest philosophers of our time, Taylor Swift, said, "It's me. Hi. I'm the problem. It's me." This might have been an album I enjoyed in my teenage years when I was heavy into prog, but once I discovered stuff like punk, post-rock/metal, and atmospheric/ambient black metal (music that either gets straight to the point or vibes, two things prog is openly hostile of doing), I couldn't go back to most prog music. Especially prog like this. This is prog in all of its masturbatory glory, for better or for worse, and unfortunately, for me, its for worse. On this album, ELP want you to know exactly how much they jerk the keyboards off. There's no tender loving here. It's a furious jackhammer trying to fit in every position in the kamasutra. But at the very least, they slow down from time to time to allow some good Pink Floyd-esque guitar solos and the vocals to come in and not completely overshadow them (the vocals). SO THATS JUST THE FIRST SONG. Then we get the comparatively basic next six songs which are simple addition compared to the 20 minute opener's calculus. Jeremy Bender is a kinda nothing Beatles-esque silly track with an almost Whose Line Is It Anyway? hoedown/Irish drinking song-like jig (in that it is a repettitive riff you could easily improv lyrics too). Bitches Crystal is back to the prog, just manages to keep itself in check instead of cramming a million different songs into itself. And it kinda just continues with that bite-sized prog on the rest of the songs. I'll give it something though, Are You Ready Eddy? taking a 50's greaser jig and periodically perverting it with 70's prog was pretty cool, even if it's not good. But it's shocking how exhausted I am after listening to this given that its only 38 minutes long. There's just way too much going on that it wears you down. You can't vibe with it, it DEMANDS attention, Clockwork Orange, eyes-forced-open style. So yeah. I'm sure this is a fantastic album. It's just a type of music I am incapable of appreciating anymore. My idea of good music is diametrically opposed to everything this album is. Unfortunate, but hey, that's taste for you.

Everything one could possibly dislike about Early-70's-Prog-Rock wrapped up into a tidy package.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer is who you would call to represent you in a court of law

If I were 10 years older there's a good chance I might have listened to this as a teenager and, as a result, be the sort of insufferable wanker who votes this on to lists of classic albums. I like a bit of prog – early Genesis and classic Rush will do me nicely. I can even put up with Yes in small doses. But this is just aimless noodling I'm afraid.

An hour into the first eleven minutes of the opening track, I’m reminded of how much I love the moody blues’ days of future passed and how much I would rather listen to that. I don’t necessarily hate prog rock, but if I do, this is why. It’s a seemingly distilled version (though, unfortunately, not nearly distilled enough) of everything I don’t like about prog. The musicianship is excellent and there’s at least interest there and some of the more experimental synth/key elements. But it’s excellent and interesting to what end? So that I know they’re talented musicians and well-studied in their classical influences? It’s just an absolute chore to listen to, and it’s not endearingly cheesy in the way it could be. Which brings this to the lyrics. They are not cheesy or campy, though it seems those are the heights they strive towards, but rather just bad. The scale of bad ranges from eye-rolling to genuinely offensive. ‘You must believe in the human race / can you believe God makes you breathe/ why did he lose six million Jews?’ Followed by several minutes of tedious piano masturbation, because that’s appropriate.

Sick album cover. Yeah that's it.

It's all so disjointed it makes me feel uncomfortable. I don't listen to music for that. I get what they're trying to do here, I know they're doing it on purpose, it's the point of the thing to take you out of your comfort zone, it just really doesn't work for me at all. Some of the sounds could be quite pleasant if it weren't for all that dissonance.

Utter shite.

Tarkus es una obra de arte atemporal del rock progresivo y un monumento conceptual que ha envejecido bien gracias a la audacia de su planteamiento filosófico y musical. Desde la perspectiva del diseño de ensamble, la monumental suite homónima es una proeza arquitectónica; a pesar de sus intrincadas métricas y constantes rupturas, el disco edifica una atmósfera unificada pero compleja de una claridad técnica apabullante, donde los sintetizadores, el bajo y la batería se entretejen muy bien para dar forma a la tragedia de la modernidad. La genialidad de la obra reside en su profunda dimensión humanista, proyectando una fuerza y calidez auténtica que se alza como un urgente llamado a la conciencia. Nos enfrentamos a un alto contraste que confronta las dos caras de la condición humana: la agresión mecánica y despiadada de la maquinaria bélica frente a la pureza de la lírica acústica. Pobre de aquella persona que no se conmueva ante la dualidad e ironía de la guerra y la paz que late en este trabajo; una pieza donde la interpretación vocal de Greg Lake inyecta una autoridad superior y un lirismo conmovedor, crudo y real. Un álbum de una inmensa riqueza intelectual que, bajo su constante sensación de paz y fluidez narrativa, posee una versatilidad sumamente noble tanto para múltiples usos dinámicos en el trabajo creativo y la carretera, como para el recogimiento de una reflexión solitaria.

YES! I mean - ELP! Finally some good music. Been a while since I've listened to this one, it's usually their first album, or Trilogy. Sometimes Brain Salad Surgery (but that get played a lot on classic rock stations). Man, they were good.

a must for prog listeners

В дитинстві мені це не заходило)

Good

This is exactly the kind of excess that works. The title suite isn’t just long for the sake of it, it actually justifies its structure with constant movement, shifts, and ideas that feel stitched together with intent rather than filler. It’s messy in places, sure, but it’s the kind of mess that comes from reaching too far, not playing it safe. The rest of the record doesn’t always hit that same level, but it doesn’t really matter when the centerpiece is this strong. It’s the sort of album that reminds you why prog can be so addictive when it commits fully.

Inspirational!

Wow

Love this. It's from my era. Wish I had listened to ELP more when I was younger.

Dawg I love this album so much, but what the hell is it doing on this list

This cover reminds me of I Robot, probably one of the most genius albums of all time. 5/5

I love Tarkus so much. I've been an ELP fan for quite some time. I love the blend between rock and classical music on this track, the focus on keyboards and synthesizer (instead of guitar for a change) and the wacky concept. Maybe some lyrics are weird. Maybe some tracks on side B aren't as strong. But Tarkus is a masterpiece to me.

There are parts of this soundscape that still feel really futuristic. There are also parts that bring a kind of metaphysical sword and sorcery to mind.

wow….wow

Excellent, innovative with real musical instruments.

This was amazing, love prog rock and this is some of the best

Incredible concept album. Start on track one and play it through. Bonus for having vinyl and having to get up and flip it for side two. A solid 10, wish I could rate it that.

AAAAHHHH MY NOTES DISAPPEARED AND I WROTE SO MANY THINGS ABOUT THIS. I think it's brilliant. I loved the entire album, I think the musicians are incredible and smart and creative. I loved the Bach style fugue, the symphony of an opening. I was blown away and I can't believe this is my first time listening to this. Sad that my notes disappeared, I had a lot to say about this album but I was mostly gushing about how incredible I think it is

Tarkus is a stunning showcase of Emerson, Lake & Palmer at the height of their creative power. The piano work throughout the album is nothing short of remarkable—virtuosic, inventive, and full of the fiery energy that defines Keith Emerson’s style. The drumming is equally impressive, with Carl Palmer laying down intricate grooves that propel the music forward while adding layers of rhythmic complexity. Greg Lake’s vocals are outstanding, delivering both warmth and strength, and his performance perfectly complements the band’s adventurous sound. ELP demonstrates an extraordinary level of musical craftsmanship on this album; their command of dynamics, structure, and style feels unmatched. From start to finish, Tarkus is an exhilarating musical journey, and I thoroughly enjoyed every track. It’s a powerful testament to what progressive rock can achieve when performed by musicians of this caliber.

5 i like long songs

Oh come on this is just totally awesome. Even before pressing play that cover tells it all. Awesome. We're all here for Tarkus and ELP seem to know that as they do whatever they want on side 2 and have some fun. And these guys are insanely talented, especially the drummer, dude is just nuts

I really enjoy this era of Emerson, Lake & Palmer. When it comes to the early stages of electronic music and synthesizers, these guys deserve far more credit than they often get. They were truly ahead of their time, and their musicianship was remarkable, especially given their ages. I also admire how they used the progressive rock platform to embrace cutting edge technology for their era. This album balances their long, improvisational tracks with shorter, more accessible pieces. Even when their songs stretch on with no lyrics, their music and instrumentation deliver a storyline just as effectively. Theatrical and grandiose buildups are easily my favorite aspect of their work, and this album showcases definitely delivers.

Proggy prog prog :)

Klassischer Progressive Rock. Interessant zu hören. 5/5

God damn that's a great album cover. I almost don't have to listen to the record at all. Early prog was so great. Just a bunch of nerds (as a nerd, I use that term endearingly) writing batshit crazy songs that are actually about serious subjects such as the futility of war and hypocrisy of politics, in this case told as a story of...(checks notes)...an armadillo/tank hybrid fighting a battle with a mythological lion/scorpion/human/porcupine hybrid. I mean that just writes itself really. I would love to see an album like this released today. There are certainly bands doing things similar but they aren't exactly selling out stadiums. The thing I don't like about Emerson, Lake & Palmer is the organ. I don't mind some synths here and there but the choice to have an electric organ sound in rock music is just so strange to me. It doesn't fit at all, it makes it sound like church. I know the organ was kind of a fad during this period of music but still. I mean it's played well and had it been another instrument it would have been epic but the organ just takes me out of it. However, this is a fucking banger. I think this is basically like the ELP version of 2112, although 2112 is a far superior album. It falls off a little for me on the second side but not enough to dock too many points. I love this and will definitely be on the lookout for it at the record shop. 4.5/5

Às vezes gosto de chamar Rock Progressivo de Rock Nerd, e este disco veste muito bem esse título. Um álbum Prog onde o foco não está nas guitarras, mas sim nas teclas, é fantástico e uma ótima maneira de quebrar os costumes gerais. É o tipo de álbum que me faz lembrar porque gosto tanto de música. Tudo aqui é encaixado perfeitamente bem. Vejo algumas pessoas reclamando das letras, e elas realmente são bem tontas, mas fica mais do que óbvio que conteúdo lírico não chega nem perto de ser o foco dos músicos aqui. O foco deles é criar essas obras fluidas, com seus movimentos brilhantes e inesperados. Um ótimo disco para nós Nerds, de fato. 5/5

Keith Emerson, Greg Lake, and Carl Palmer ... need I really say more ... Tarkus is my favorite ELP album ... Legends!

Ależ to jest genialne

A classic of prog, thorugh and through. Solid 5 Stars.

Groovy prog rock can do no wrong.

Some really good prog rock.

One of the best ELP albums especially the title track. Highly recommend

Perfect

rip mr emerson…

Previously rated: Pictures At An Exhibition (4/5) ********************************* Great album! Proggy synth suite to a John Lennon-like rocker and everything in between. I was disappointed when it was over. I'd give it a 4.5, but since today is Christmas, I'll round it up.

10/10. Progressive rock is my absolute FAVOURITE type of rock music!!! There are a lot of better progressive rock albums than Tarkus, but that doesn't matter much to me, for I am a filthy defender of progressive rock music, and I bloody love this album too much to give it a score lower than a 5/5.

prog perfection. the title track is up there with the best of em.

In my mind a perfect example for crossover. Not everybodys taste, sometimes a little bit difficult to listen. Definitively no backround music in the longe. I think you should compare Keith Emerson with classical composers.

now this is podracing

What a marathon of a first song that goes through so many styles. So unique and fun

Gets a 5 star just so that I can have the artwork on my wall. The music is pretty good too.

4.5 stars rounded up

I wore grooves into my vinyl pressing of this album. Simply awesome ensemble playing. Sorry for the folks who simply diss prog bands - but goodness gracious, these guys were amazing technically proficient musicians. This music continues to amaze me after all these years.