Tarkus

Its worse that you could possibly imagine . . .

pretty freaking awesome, especially that title track which is crazy good

Nor for me. Rambling nonsense

p240. 1971. 1 stars. Prog rock wankage. And a 20+ minute opener. Oh dear. No disputing they can play well, but Lord this is tedious, and the lyrics are shite. Thank God for punk (and an honourable mention in dispatches for T.Rex, Bowie, and Slade).

Super mario music

Crazy intro, sounds like a budget Pink Floyd

21 minute song? Get so for real right now and just split that shit up. You even already have four names for it. Oh so if I enjoyed a particular part I’d want to revisit I have to remember the exact time stamp to find it again. Don’t piss me off. I did enjoy parts of this though.

this doesnt give me anything king crimson cant already give me

2.5. A bit too proggy for me, also quite all over the place in genre. I think they have some better tunes than this one

some highs and some very low lows, the opener fucks

I really love early 70's prog rock, ELP is up there as one onf my favorites in this genre. I really love a 20min song. That being said this is not one of their best albums. I still enjoy it but would prefer pretty much any of their other albums to this one. Their songs are a full rollercoaster ride and this album is no exception.

They sound like a Pink Floyd want to be without the guitar and as much talent. It was ok.

More art rock wankery. Bunzzzzzzzz. Had some moments that weren’t total crap but it put me in a bad mood after listening to it. Pretentious.

Nah-not my thing at all. Not even really sure what I listened to

3,5

good album this was recommended to me by a salesperson in a CD/Record store back in about 1999 at the time they were calling it slacker pop or rock I just liked the vibe of the album I can just put it on and chill out, hearing it after all these years I still enjoy it

Rate: 7.5/10.

Used to play title track (side 1) on the jukebox at the Gatekeeper bar during college every time I went there. Such a value! And great background music for Harley Davidson pinball.

I had quite some fun with this one, also the album cover makes me laugh

Typisches Psychedelic Feuerwerk aus Anfang der 70er, viele Brüche, viel Orgelgeschredder. Top Qualität aber an vielen Stellen gewollt unkonventionell. Etwas für schwer bekiffte Nächte.

Starting an album with a 13 minute synthesizer solo was certainly a choice. Overall the band won me back with some good tunes on the B-Side

Talented instrumentally, and had some sweet key solos, but there wasnt an overall sound that I loved

the album art is cool. the music isn't my thing

Their only no.1 album, co produced by Lake and Yes's Eddy Offord (name- checked on the last throwaway pastiche number), the epic title track caused major friction between Emerson and Lake and is the only track in the legendary album canon of 1971 to recount a battle between an armadillo shaped tank and a manticore! The second side is a collection of altogether less distinguished tracks despite still showing off the mix of pretentiousness and virtuosity the band were renowned for. It was just a released in the epicentre of when prog was cool so it retains its reputation. Had it been released in 1977 it would have been in bargain bins!

I have ELP in the 9th circle of prog. That’s a little Literary Reference for the progs, they love that book-lernin’.

🤦🏻‍♂️ Thank goodness for punk...

I am not mich of a prog fan, I usually find it too cheesy for me, but side one here is pretty good. I was planning on giving this album a 4, but side two is where the prog campyness comes in and ruins the album. Side two is pretty bad and drops the whole thing down to a 3. Mid 3.

Cool album cover. The beginning first minutes of the album sounds like the background music for a Mario game. God the first song was too long. Their music feels overly complicated and jumbled. Personally can’t see how this one made it on the list. Must have been some bribery

I often enjoy prog rock, but there is too much on this record that is just too damn weird

Got very Prog Rock there for a bit, which is fine but I feel like you've got to stick the landing on a lot of that if you're going to do that (and they accomplish that a few times). Some nice melodies but the main thing to write home about is the cool album cover. That's about it

I'm coming at this as an avowed hater of prog. I thing it's indulgent showcasing in virtuosity to appeal to pseudointellectuals. I don't enjoy hearing it. It's not interesting. I do have to say though that I did like a lot of the drumming on here and the vocals were not annoying. The parts I found grating were usually just how much organ needed to be blasting through each song. I like when bands switch up the timbre occasionally.

There's a element here and there where this sounds cool. But that's like 10% of this album...the other 90% is needless overdone wankery. I thought after the side one epic, I might like the second side of discrete tunes, but no, its just as bad. This is prog rock when its too self-indulgent.

Can be p groovy at times

Fun!

Not my favorite prog band, but still a great band

never heard these guys before but ive sure as hell seen that album art. it whips. the album itself tho.... that, im not so sure about. the first half is real solid. its got everything i want from prog rock.... unusual time signatures, early synths, electric organs, its all there and im here for it. it gets crazy technical in a bunch of places and im just in awe in those moments. but the back half? it falls off haaaardd..... its been a while since this last happened but, i really did just spend the last 10 mins or so hoping it'd end soon so i could go back to the start again. maybe its just cos the first half is as good as it is but, like, its not even like it's a long album either. i shouldn't be feeling this after less than 30 minutes, right? so as much as i like the "tarkus suite" or whatever, i really don't feel like i can justify anything more than a 3 for the album as a whole. not when any future listens will almost certainly stop at the halfway mark. unfortunate.....

Hmm, another cool band with a rather strange album... After having the dubious pleasure of listening to “The Doors Sell Out” yesterday, today I'm trying to make sense of Emerson, Lake & Palmer's “Tarkus”. While yesterday's concept was easy to understand but just plain weird, today's case is a little different. Why would any sane person write songs about a radioactive armadillo? That might work in a visual medium with visually stunning (but plot-light) episodes, but here a generic title (e.g., “2”) would have made the whole thing better. Now for the good news: the music doesn’t need this concept at all, so “Tarkus” is still a pleasure to listen to. My only recommendation would be to completely ignore all the trappings. Maybe you can even find the album with a neutral cover...

These songs are way too long. Not my taste

Every song was a different genre, opens with one of the best electronic tracks I've heard then does generic 70s but then fun rock, gothic baroque and something just...crap. interesting experiment.

Wow. Weird.

The acoustic representation of Brits' cognition. Every British person I've ever met seems like their brain sounds like this on the inside. So weird. Clever but overbearing.

KRASSES COVER he de erst song isch halt so prog shit aber kinda geil hä. moll finds irgendwie no cool. aber au nöd sooo catchy dases viel mit mir macht. Glaub würkli wiedermol en fall vo musig wo a mir verbiigoht. Bitches Crystal zum Bispil isch recht fun aber hö? nöd so öpis woni mi dra cha festmache glaub. Ich assoziier sie irgendwie mit Orgle? kei ahnig wieso. ou why did they lose six million jes? ou isch das es holocaust album?? han ich nüüüt mitgschnitte? ok weiss nöd. aber uf jede fall hani nöd so spass? gib ich amne prog album es 2?

FREEWHEEL BURNINGGG mal luege, ihres live-album hani glaub na okay gfunde? hahah joo de ahfang findi 8 täkt lang geil, denn chömmed 4 täkt woni chli arsch find etc. aaaber find no cool wenn denn sini klar stimm innechunnt, wo chli en kontrast git prog rock het halt mengisch das ding, sos halt eifach lauft und es isch kinda cool, kinda impressive aber s meiste lauft halt? UHHH jz das langsame gitarresolo holt mich zB wiedermal ab wowww the only way het vill orgle isch aber na es schöns lied infimitie space isch na cool aber es isch au 3 min lang de glich rhythmus? düdüdüdüDÜ düdüdüdüDÜDÜ A TIME AND A PLACE GAHT JA AAAAB eddy isch na herzig, will so unseriös isch joaaa. ich gönns dene lüt wo emotional öppis us dem chönnd günne, ich ghör nöd dezue. drei OMG I FORGOR SORRY

I love prog rock and even prog techno, popularly led zeppelin, pink floyd and king crimson. This album showed me a very different form of prog rock which I'm not sure I entirely enjoyed (at least I didn't like the first song very much, it reminded me of video game music and only became okay at the end). This album didn't quite hit the mark for me, but it wasn't by any means horrible, just meh.

It felt liked it tried to be original and experimental. For me, it missed the mark

I liked this album overall and found it more enjoyable than the Trilogy album. I'll have to come back and give more of their albums a run through. I love prog rock, but I didn't hear what made these guys so special on my listen this time.

Three-leaning-four. EL&P and Genesis have been revelations through this project!

Well, fuck. The last album's gonna boring, isn't it? You know, I was really hoping that my final album would be anything higher than a 3/5, but I've run out of hope since this was the last album I had left that I was genuinely excited for. I mean, look at the album cover! That armadillo tank is one of the best things to ever grace my eyes! And the album's prog rock! I fucking love prog rock! How could this album be bad? Well, it's not bad, but it's not quite the masterpiece I was potentially hoping it could be. Between this and Pictures at an Exhibition, I guess I just don't enjoy ELP as much as the other big prog bands. That's not to say that I don't like ELP. Tarkus has some really cool elements to it. It's just not a perfect album. Emerson, Lake & Palmer are all very talented with their instruments, but I don't think their songwriting chops are as strong as the members of a band like Genesis or Rush. Although, there is one standout song that is really something special. The song, of course, is the opening title track. Tarkus does something that, when done right, is one of my favorite things that an album can do. That thing is the side-long track. Having an entire side of your LP be taken up by one 20-minute song is a bold move, but it's paid off a number of times to create some of the greatest songs in history, especially when it comes to prog rock. Songs like "Echoes," "Close to the Edge," and "Supper's Ready" are some of the most exciting journeys in all of music, and while I don't quite enjoy "Tarkus" as much as those three songs, it's still a great time and the best part of its namesake album. Is it maybe a tad self-indulgent? Sure, but I had fun, so I don't care. Side A of Tarkus is really great. Side B, though? It's fine. It's comprised of 6 shorter songs, which is obviously something that I'm okay with, but none of the songs are anywhere near as exciting as "Tarkus." I wasn't asking for another 20-minute epic, but I kinda wish there was a bit more ambition to the shorter songs. Man, I really wish I loved this album. I still enjoy it quite a bit, but I just don't think ELP is as great as the other prog rock bands that I've come to love from this project. Oh well. They can't all be winners, except this album does still win in a couple ways and it's still good, so it's not really a loser either. Good album. 4/5.

Я по прогу ніколи не вривався, цей альбом раніше не слухав. Мені тут подобалися окремі пісні (чи частини пісень). Класні клавіші, сильний джазовий вплив. Водночас багато чого не сподобалося, і воно трохи звучало як дивіться, які ми класні і як ми можемо. Що не допомагало у загальному сприйнятті альбому.

Люблю їх, памʼятаю в баті мого друга був цей альбом на сд і ми слухали. Класний задротський прог.

I fuckin loved this. Another album where I feel like I wasted my teenage years by not discovering the album then. This would be a 5 if it wasn't for the last song

This was a trial. Boring at times, irritating otherwise

Genre-defining, arduous, ELP.

Its a good prog rock album but its not their best.

Always thought it was a weird one , still it intrigues me, will have to listen again

Very talented musicians, interesting album but ultimately not for me

I’ve had a couple of albums that have challenged my anti-prog prejudices, but ELP just seem to epitomise all my worst prog stereotypes. They’re essentially the proggiest band that ever progged and I found this album such a slog.

Hopefully this wasn’t sent too far into Infinite Space.

Not my type of music! Very experimental and technical. Palmer’s drumming is exceptional.

So fun

It’s just about ok to listen to without falling asleep😂

It was interesting. It's been a very long layoff for me so this was definitely a tougher one to start back up with. Mostly enjoyed the instrumentation. I wasn't paying the closest attention to the lyrics but they generally seemed pretty mediocre/bad when I did. Ultimately, an album that likely merits more than one listen, but I don't expect to put on again all the same.

This was a tough album to get through. Never been much of a fan of these guys. This album reinforced that idea. Dream Theater of the 70's....

Great playing. A bit too much going on for the sake of it sometimes though.

Bit of an odd one, but I didn't hate it!

Cool album cover on an otherwise shite record

Did not like this. Great musicians, but the music is overblown and the lyrics pretentious. This kind of music is the reason punk rock exists.

Never heard in its entirety before. I am a big prog fan. There have been other albums in this project I have given 2 stars to purely for not really being my thing. This album doesn't get that excuse. This album sums up why you are always having to justify prog to people who don't get it... nothing more than 3 very talented musicians showing off. Pretty much devoid of all decent songs or memorable moments. Insanely forgettab

Fine, but forgettable

Overall: 8/10 I love the song Tarkus so much. It's so good that it automatically makes this a great album. I have this on vinyl and I pretty much only listen to the song Tarkus. It's probably the only 20 mimute song I can never get tired of and listen to repeatedly. I like the rest of the album, but there's some not so great stuff there. If it wasn't for stuff like Are You Ready Eddy and Jeremy Bender then this would be an almost perfect album. Fav Song: Tarkus

I enjoyed the prog rock wankery of the main track quite a lot. The B side tunes weren't as catchy but, for the most part they were still good fun.

I think my problem with prog is the same as my problem with Jazz; sometimes people just fucking about without concern to whether it flows well or is engaging. Every band member just getting their shit in. I don’t know much about ELP. For some reason I always thought they made music like Crosby Stills and Nash but that is just me being dumb about three name band names. This album had a lot of good ideas hidden behind all the noodling. I guess there was a story about an armadillo? Why? How high was everyone in the 70’s? That said I like my music weird and if this was tighter I would have probably enjoyed it more. I might check more out from this band. 2.5 stars

Prog rock nonsense. Garbage

Tarkus by the prog wizards Emerson, Lake, and Palmer is not casual listening. With the title track taking up the entire A-Side of the record (broken up into seven suites), commitment and an open mind are required if you're going to enjoy the record. Before it was even recorded just the idea of it caused tensions in the band, and discussions of a split were seriously courted. Leading off your new album with a song longer than 20 minutes would certainly be career suicide, right? Right?!? Emerson believed in the concept so strongly that he won over his bandmates and it didn't take the public long to agree with him. It hit number 1 in the UK and broke the top 10 in most major markets, including America. All this said, put on your favorite headphones and dive into the strange and wonderful journey that is Tarkus. There's nothing out there like it, plus it gets bonus cool points for the cover art.

Very weird album. Never knew what was going on. Didn’t even sound good.

Riktigt dåligt i min smak. Jag kan tänka mig att dom är musikaliska genier, men det låter som att alla spelar på så mycket som möjligt så ofta som möjligt.

Shite.

I like prog, but maybe a little later than this. The synths sound really dated, and kind of cartoonish. Which is a shame because I did like the singer's voice. When there were more guitars in the mix, I did enjoy it more. Still, I didn't really enjoy it that much.

Cheesy interpolations of highly recognizable riffs/motifs. I love progressive rock and could not get into this.

Insanely outlandish and proggy. Feels a lot like Rush, before Rush as we knew it became a thing. (But admittedly, I'd rather just listen to Rush.)

I was excited to listen to this one because I adored Pictures At An Exhibition, unfortunately Tarkus didn’t come close in terms of awesomeness. Still an ok listen though.

That's a Top 10 album cover.

Pleasant to listen to from start to finish but nothing really stood up for me. Typical progressive rock.

3.5

The side-long epic is great, thecrest is hit and miss. 3.5 stars

I remember this album from my dad's record collection as a kid, and always thought the cover art was super cool. When I actually heard the album, I was less enthusiastic about the music. This just isn't for me. It basically feels like some song snippets interspersed with Keith Emerson noodling on his organ. And those songs are just okay. My favorite tracks are probably the ones actual fans of the album don't like much -- "Jeremy Bender" and "Are You Ready, Eddie?" 2.5 stars.

That one song with the ragtime piano part stopped this from being a 5. Nothing but Final Fantasy boss themes.

Bedre end det første, jeg hørte. Mere ovre i den lyd, Pink Floyd havde i samme periode. Og med hammond. Men første nummer er alt for langt. selv med såkaldte akter.

Dream Theater but if every member of the band was Jordan Rudess. I don't think this album is intending to be funny but the synth sound they chose at 17 minutes into the title track is legitimately hilarious. It sounds like Donald Duck. I'm kinda glad it switched away from the synth sound after the first track (i.e. the first half of the album); the honky-tonk piano tracks were fun, and the organ was another nice switch-up. Not the best vocals or lyrics but I can excuse a bit of cheese. "Are You Ready Eddy" is just wild and I love it. I'm a sucker for piano-based stuff but even I can admit that this level of wankery should be classed as public indecency. 4/5, would wank again.

This whole album sounds flat. I feel like I've never heard an album that is literally just keyboards and drums. It's missing the depth and textures I enjoy in music. The voice is also sounds modified so it's more harmonic I guess? Idk it just sounds bad. wanky piano 2

Not a fan, feels too overstuffed and frenzied

There's some really good proggy parts to this, which temporarily elevated it to the 'buy' list, but the filler puts me off wanting to hear it again. I can't get my head around why such talented musicians, on the one hand, can produce such technical and proficient sounds on side one, then push out the nonsense on side two. Also, church organ music...no. Heard before ✅️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ ★★★☆☆(6/10) Total reviewed : 422 Already owned : 93 Purchased : 21 To buy : 5 Nope : 303

Tarkus - 4.5/5 Jeremy Blender - 3/5 Bitches Crystal - 3.5/5 The Only Way (Hymn) - 3/5 Infinite Space (Conclusion) - 3/5 A Time and a Place - 3.5/5 Are You Ready Eddy? - 2.5/5 So how do you follow up on an A-side entirely about the life of an armadillo-tank-thing in a prog-rock space opera? Would you expect to have 6 tracks that have nothing to do with that epic and are just a load of prog pretentious waffling? You wouldn't? I wouldn't have either! If this was just the title track then this would be up with the top progressive rock albums. But because the fluff is not great it just becomes incredibly pretentious and forgettable outside of the title track. Overall: 3/5 Favorites: Tarkus

When I tell people I like Rush, people assume I therefore like prog rock and that I must also love Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. The thing is, Rush dipped from the same pool as ELP and stripped away the dorkiness, added some nerdiness, and made it awesome. ELP walked but Rush could run! Fast and far far away from that stupid electric organ.

What a crazy album! Not sure if it was very good but not what I expected!

While a bit too indulgent, I prefer the rhythmically driven original tracks of TARKUS over their prog rock interpretation of PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION. Personally, the futility of endless revolution resonated as well. These were the sorts of albums I was hoping to discover on this list. Technically astute and mind blowing creativity without slipping into indie irony. I do admit that what works is not consistent, for every "Tarkus" masterpiece there is a clunker like "The Only Way(Hymn)"; whose instrumental performance is great but is let down by terrible lyrics and a weak vocal arrangement and performance that does not fit the instrumentals at all. Favorites: "Tarkus", "Jeremy Bender" (who knew prog rock funky ragtime/stride could work?), "Infinite Space (Conclusion)"

A time and place was okay - everything else was ehhh

random holocaust mention took me by complete surprise

20 minute intro? It must be a prog rock album. This might sound naive, but it’s hard for me to distinguish between the various prog rock albums on this list, they all sound a like.

I get now why people mock prog rock. This is just so up its own bum.