Tarkus

This kinda falls into the same trap as the likes of Satriani and Vai do for me where it feels like the music is more of an opportunity to show off than it is to make something interesting or emotionally engaging. Also, while I quite like the Tarkus suite, the rest of the album is unfortunately not to the same standard. Rad album art though.

I loved ELP when I was a tot, even went to see them later on when they were touring on "Brain Salad Surgery." But eventually I moved on to more jazz-inflected prog like Soft Machine, Gong, and such, and never really looked back. So this is the first time I've listened to "Tarkus" in a very long while. And this will also be the last time I listen to it, hopefully. Emerson was an incredibly gifted keyboard player, and Palmer does nice things on the drums. But I've come a point where I really can't stand Greg Lake’s singing and vaguely mystical lyrics. And while there are some nice instrumental passages on this record, as a whole it’s kind of a blunt instrument - altogether too much. Best track: "Infinite Space," an instrumental.

Takes is perhaps the most *prog* of all the relatively mainstream prog albums (that I've heard at least). Parts of Tarkus are truly magnificent, but every once in a while, I think that ELP gets a little lost and just make a short section that is like staggering in composition and dizzying in performance, without being especially good music. But these moments are fewer and farther between than some people will tell you. There is a lot of great rock music here, it just gets periodically silly. Despite this I enjoyed Tarkus a lot, and there is like a real emotional heart, despite the goofing around.

Not a huge fan of prog rock but this was okay.. once I got over the tiring keys in the 20 minute whopper of an opener I heard some interesting sounds and creativity. Good? No - but okay - once you get thru the keys of the first couple minutes. Extra half point for that badass armadillo tank artwork

strange '70's fevor dream operatic rock. Enjoyed the listen, but don't need to revisit. Could see a few of these songs supplementing strange movie scenes nicely.

I mean I really am not hating this. The 20 minute jam song is what it is. Not to be a contrarian but this is way more tolerable, interesting and engaging compared to some of these other albums recently. Solid 3 and definitely want to check out some of their other songs.

One thing I’m learning from 1001 albums is that, although I like jazz, jazz fusion, electronica and other twiddly stuff, I don’t really like prog rock. I think it’s because it tends to lose the blues base of rock and jazz and leans into the pompous classical sound, which I don’t like. ELP are a bit of a puzzle for me. I was thinking that maybe it was the organ sound I don’t like, but I like it when The Doors use it. And I loved Greg Lake’s work with King Crimson. But there’s something about this which I find frantic and annoying. I guess this is what people feel who don’t like the twiddly stuff I like. There’s bits here I enjoy - just short passages or sections amongst it all. But basically I think I would characterise ELP as “King Crimson but bad”. I’m going to give it 3 stars, not because it’s average but because I think there are bits that are 2 stars and bits that are 4. Though I think I might need to try and explore ELP further and see if I can extract the bits I do like from the bits I don’t.

Went from really liking to really disliking back to liking again. Bit too clever for its own good.

Hate this

While prog rock is just about my favorite genre and I’m a fan of Greg Lake from his time in King Crimson, I’ve never been able to get into ELP at all. Something about the fact that there is not much/any guitar and I just don’t like Emerson’s keyboard playing.

this is like cartoon music

Haven't listen yet I am quite scared by this on bus rn coming from hangout it wasnt anything interesting

no

Deeply pretentious. Who listens to this kind of music? I’ll give it 2 stars because they can clearly play their instruments.

Maybe 955 albums ago I would have thought this was unique and different but at this point it's just another acid trip album that meanders around found nowhere, but at least this time it was fast

I didn’t love or hate this. The last two tracks were fun and rockin, and it had some interesting sounds here and there in general.

Pretty bizarre but would listen again

not my thing sorry brad

What the hell was that like some kind of weird jazz for tweakers. This is weed music cause there’s absolutely no way you can listen to this sober. Nothing says progressive like playing a church organ that was invented 500 years ago.

What can I say, I like prog

1 keeper in 7 (14%). We get back into the whole one side = one track thing which is killing my math. Giving Side A a half keeper bumps this up to 1.5 in 7 (21%) which feels like cheating but this album, while certainly not for everybody, is not a 1 star. 2 stars by hook or by crook.

I often enjoy progressive rock, but something is missing here. Maybe is’s that the vocals - both the lyrics and the melodies- feel tacked on, like afterthoughts to the instrumentals. Or maybe it’s that the musical ideas just generally aren’t that interesting.

Gear: Hifiman HE6se v2 SE Artwork: 🦔🪖🏳️‍🌈 Production (2012 Remaster): 🎧😘🤌 Music: 🎹🧭❓ Rating: 💥💥💥(💥)/5

Cool experimental album but nothing that blew me away, like when they get a bit funky. I submit that there are better bands at the time doing this same thing. Kinda strange they throw in the straight piano rock song at the end too, cool song though. Don't hate it just not something I see myself listening to again

Another odd choice. For sure ELP should be on the list. But this not their best album, nobody thinks it is.

Starting off this album with a 20 minute track is crazy. Rest of the music was meh. I’m not wowed

When people think of progressive rock - whether those thoughts are complimentary or derogatory - they inevitably think of acts like Yes, Jethro Tull, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and in particular, albums like "Tarkus". As an album, it displays the exact traits that enthusiasts view as ground-breaking art and detractors point to as self-indulgence. It is polarizing. I like progressive rock, but I don't love it. I own this album, yet I rarely play it. For me to truly love a piece of music, it needs to hit a few specific marks: Does it rock? Does it groove? Does it hit you in the gut in a primal way? Does it possess genuine beauty and melody? Does it evoke a lasting physical reaction, like goosebumps, or an emotional response like joy or sadness? Does it make you want to move? Across all these fronts, my answer for "Tarkus" is a resounding no. Yet, I respect its ambition - particularly Side One, with its extended conceptual structure and theme. I also admire the way it fluidly crosses musical boundaries, blending classical organ, heavy guitar riffs, jazz rhythms, and ragtime piano. I respect the musicianship - these are talented individuals - that much is very clear. Ultimately, "Tarkus" adds up to a record I respect and like if the mood is right, but I do not love. Three stars. Side one - 1 - "Tarkus" (3/5) "Eruption" "Stones of Years" "Iconoclast" "Mass" "Manticore" "Battlefield" "Aquatarkus" Side two 1 "Jeremy Bender" (2/5) 2 "Bitches Crystal" (3/5) 3 "The Only Way (Hymn)" (3/5) 4 "Infinite Space (Conclusion)" (3/5) 5 "A Time and a Place" (4/5) 6 "Are You Ready, Eddy?" (3/5) Total - 21 Average - 3.0 403/1001 209/403 albums reviewed were new to me.

Dude what are we even doing here? This first song is TWENTY MINUTES LONG and sounds like the background of a game boy Pokemon game. This album pissed me off so many times. The devolution of the first song into duck-sounding wah on the keyboard/organ, the absurd "hymn," the dumb ass Jeremy Bender song? I hate this.

At some point the first „song“ was just giving Mario Kart lol

Well, it was a game of two halves, Brian. The lads were a bit all over the place in the first half, they had lots of great ideas but they didn’t all work, even though it was a non-stop and energetic performance. Anyway, the boss must have given them a right bollocking in the changing room because they came out focused and fighting in the second half and were properly back on form. At the end of the day Brian, I think they can be proud of their performance, especially from the three big lads up front, they put in a great shift and gave it 110%. Let’s see if they can repeat this form in the semis on a rainy night in Stoke.

Ah, prog rock. In the right hands, can be intricate, detailed and epic. Would take multiple listens to know if this is though.

As I neared what I hoped was the end of the first track I discovered I was only 8 minutes in with another 12 to go. Complex does not imply good. Almost every element I liked juxtaposed against something I didn't. Thankfully I can now safely avoid EL&P in future.

Urgh, prog rock it's going to be all twiddly and folk isn't it? It's OK you can do this, it's only 7 tracks. You'll be through this in no time. Yeah you're right, I mean this is why we're doing this right? Try out new music expand your horiz - TRACK ONE IS TWENTY MINUTES LONG?!?

Those keyboards just didn't do it for me... Hated most of this.

Banger, first song is very cool. The album is just the right length as to not become too much. I can understand why people would not like it, it requires a LOT of energy to listen to but once you get past that it has a lot of depth. Will be listening to it again

It's obvious that the title track is the main focus of the album and that side B is filler for the most part, but the filler tracks are pretty good as well. Also I love that album cover, one o fmy favourites ever.

Обложка реально топ

Annoying from the start.

Skip TARKUS and instead listen to ELP's best album, BRAIN SALAD SURGERY (which, inexcusably, is not on this list).

Not the album by ELP I would choose.

I mean it's ok

Liked: 1,2,5 Disliked: 3,4,6,7 Total Songs: 7 Ratio: 3/7 Converted Score: 2.14/5 Top 3 1. Tarkus 2. Infinite Space (Conclusion) 3. Jeremy Bender

This is the kind of prog I don’t like. Preferred the second half but there were only a few moments I actively enjoyed

음악은 전체적으로 평범했다. 앨범 재킷이 굉장히 내 스타일 이었다. The music was average overall. The album cover was totally my style.

Not for me

Endnu et meget underholdende og nørdet album

Den anden vi havde med dem var federe (første gang jeg nogensinde har sagt det om en liveplade versus en studioplade) men stadig ret sjov prog

First song is crazy. Nice early prog, lots of keyboards - I liked the one that sounded like a duck.

A bit much really. I like prog rock but this was all over the place.

I didn't love this, but I didn't hate it either. A lot of it sounded like an extended version of Brain Salad Surgery, which I don't love but don't hate, haha. Some of it was a different kind of avant-garde, but still very ELP. I definitely appreciate the talent and skill that ELP has, but as far as something to enjoy listening to, it was alright, but I probably won't ever listen to it again. Three stars.

I enjoyed the vocals and some of the guitar work, but that organ/synth was very overbearing.

There were a couple of times when I thought, this isn't too bad. But then the Hammond organ kicked back in & it was just too much

good, just not my thing unfortunately

Not really a big prog guy. Thankfully the 20 minute long song was actually pretty enjoyable and well put together.

Ебать мой хуй железный таркус

So progressive. And the armadillo tank was cool.

The second I got to work, I made a phone call to the mechanic working on my car and discovered that in addition to the repair they were currently working, my car had two additional major issues which likely require urgent attention at prices I can't currently afford nor justify putting into a used 2008 Camry. So I told my mom the news, started brainstorming solutions and backup plans in an anxious haze, and then listened to this album. You know you're in for a fun listening experience when the title of a 20-minute song is parenthetically split into suites. In what is apparently a somewhat common move for prog rock albums, the title track serves as a grand epic with intricate movements and stories told across its various sections, and then the rest of the album is a handful of loose, unrelated bonus songs. In ways I would expect from a prog rock album, there is absolutely some busy and bizarre music on display here. While I do enjoy a lot of this album as a solid prog rock outing, there are plenty of moments which feel musically disjointed and discordant. This sounds dismissive when I say it, but I can't help it: the way the keys occasionally bounce up and down between strange and seemingly disconnected notes reminded me of the handful of EDM songs I tried to make in a cheap DAW when I was 12 years old. I don't even think this is a bad thing, as I find a lot of the plucky keyboard notes really interesting, especially in comparison to the massive organs which crop up throughout the album as well. But sometimes the music just loses me, and it's not always helped by the lyrics. While the title track is a pretty standard prog rock song exploring some layered sci-fi concept I don't quite pickup on a first listen but do nonetheless appreciate, the lyricism starts to get a little weirder in tone once they move on from the heavy concept. There's just a general vibe to the band's songwriting that I don't click with, with odd word choices and all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. A lot of the time, I don't even think it's deliberately offensive as much as it is ham-fisted and misguided (especially Jeremy Bender, I'm not sure what exactly was going on there). While none of this renders Tarkus a particularly negative experience, it also doesn't do much to set it apart from other albums. It was interesting while it was on, but I probably won't come back to it much. Highlights: Tarkus (i. Eruption, ii. Stones of Years, iii. Iconoclast, iv. Mass, vi. Battlefield), The Only Way (Hymn), Are You Ready Eddy?

I last had a go at this album in 2012, when I went through a months-long unhingement and listened to everything by ELP, Yes, King Crimson, Van der Graaf Generator, et al, to see if I liked prog rock. Conclusion: not much, apart from Jethro Tull, because I was charmed by the leggings. I just prefer prog that's a little more warm-blooded – long noodly keyboard bits don't do anything for me. I really wish I liked the music, though, because a kaiju-adjacent armadillo-tank fighting a manticore is so hilariously fantastical and fun. Manticores don't get the appreciation they should. I'll give it kudos for that lore and for being a more listenable album than Pictures at an Exhibition.

I forgave them for including "Are You Ready Eddy" as it was really a tribute to their engineer, Eddy Offord but do wish they'd left out "Jeremy Bender". That just isn't ELP and ruins the rest of the LP. Side 1 is all that's needed though as it is classic ELP and never bettered for me. If you don't like classical music influences and need to have electric guitars dominating instead of keyboards then it clearly won't impress. The genius of Keith Emerson as composer and classical trained pianist shines through more and more every time I've heard it. I think Tarkus (that's track 1 itself) has probably impressed me more than any other piece of music since its initial release. Although I must have heard it hundreds of times over half a century it still made me shiver at certain points listening again today...and if I could do this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqTDhtJGQ04 - my life would be complete!

AHHHHHHHHHHHH my ears my ears. The best songs on this record sound like a parody of the worst of the Beatles songs. Mercifully short .

Marginally better than the other ELP we had to listen to (maaaybe), but still ear-shreddingly painful. I listen to a lot of nonsense, but there's something about this soulless meandering that really, really annoys me. Every time this band have a creative decision to make, they choose the wrong one. A concept (half) album about a mechanised armadillo tank birthed from an egg inside a volcano shouldn't be this boring. And side 2 makes so little sense and seems like they were really scraping the barrel for stuff to make this an album - the lyrics are so, so, so bad, I felt the rhyming dictionary mainfesting before my eyes as I struggled through 'A Time and a Place'. 'Sleep in a dream of butter milk cream, dancing on a beam' - excuse me?? What?? Anyway, I am glad that I made it through and now I will never, ever have to listen to a single second of this shite again as long as I live.

Ja melkein perään toinen levy näiltä ja on hyvä. Taas samanlaista hyvää prog rokkia. En nyt sillein tälläistä kuuntele tai yksittäiset kappaleet ei jää mieleen, mutta näissä on aina sitä hyvää fiilistä ja näiden kuuntelusta kyllä nauttii. Parhaat: Tarkus, A Time and a Place

ELP's piano and organ focused prog really stands out from the crowd. I might prefer some of their other stuff over this tho

Otro que me sirvió para trabajar fumado. Definitivamente arte Nota: 3.9

This album also didn't convince me that prog-rock is as great as many people think it is. I just don't really think it's a genre I broadly like. The album is a bit of a mess. Side 1 is the only sorta cohesive bit and side 2 seems like a completely random mix of unrelated tracks Standouts - 2/5

Admittedly, I am relatively unfamiliar with messrs Emerson, Lake or Palmer. I do have a special distain for British prog rock, long songs (unless their subject is Alice or her restaurant), and synth-heavy recordings. So, this sucks balls. It contains none of their hits, provides nothing interesting (your '70's Casio keyboard is not interesting), and might be the most boring prog rock I've ever heard. This 2* album should be cut in favor of the vastly superior prog rock/supergroup A Perfect Circle's Mer de Noms which is a clear 4*

Not my thing but the musicianship is tremendous.

Not for me

The transition between 20 minute Jazz/Prog-rock odyssey to Jeremy Bender made me laugh so fucking hard.

prvu stranu čini sedmodijelna naslovna kompozicija koja mi je bila dosta dobra, možda s ponekim čudnim nepotrebnim djelićem, ali sve u svemu dobra. druga strana ono je što ljude, čini mi se, odbija, no meni nije bila ni ta strana loša. da, tekstovi znaju biti krindž i neki dijelovi mogu djelovati kao izdrkavanje, ali sve u svemu bilo mi je dosta dobro i htio bih ponovo slušati. nije mi bilo genijalno kao »pictures at an exhibition« koji sam prethodno slušao, ali svakako mi se dosta svidjelo sve osim odvratnog omota, stoga pristrana četvorka

TARKUS! Music can't keep up with Tarkus on the cover

If I've learned one thing from this list it's that I really dislike prog. Nerds plus synths, but not in a good way. And who thought mixing rock and Catholic mass was a good idea?

It was cool.

ELP does it again. What a fun listen and a fantastic prog-rock/math-rock album. I particularly enjoyed "Bitches Crystal" and "Tarkus". It's a fun album and I'm learning to enjoy everything ELP does. It's not the most amazing album on this list, but it's really good. 7/10

Sometimes they would get in a deep pocket that I liked but then go into the goofiest splat of notes. Guess I don’t love prog tooooo much lol.

I already forgot it even tho I listened yd? I think it was kinda funky

Side A is so fun, intresting, its like an epic 20minute video game soundtrack Sound B sounds absolutely shit, deserves 1 maybe 2 stars But cant force myself to rate the title track so low, so just for that its getting 3 stars.

*1971. *Ugh, this is so much synth and aggressive piano. There were occasional melodic, nice bits, but not many of them... *Do not like. RATING - 5/10

eerste lied veel te lang maar t was wel goed, prima, oke? en toen werd t folk??? en hij begon te zingen… het is nog steeds prima oooh bitches crystal pianooooo het is gwn prima het album de instrumentals gaan crazy

Pink Floyd yesterday and Tarkus today? This is living.

how did this managed to be good and insufferable at the same time. 3/5

Really not a fan of this album!

The first half is pretty fun, but as a whole it's quite incoherent. 3/5

i liked it. very close to the edge. i think it’ll grow on me too

3.1

Meh.

Awesome

Fuck the guitar I only want ORGAN. GIMME THAT PIPE. WOOOOOOO. Minus one star for selling out and including a GUITAR. BOOOO. FUCK OFF COWARDS. PIPE ME.

C'est plus jazz qu'à mon souvenir. Excellent side A, le B est assez quelconque. Excellent claviériste, chanteur assez quelconque.

"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." or this album just sucks more dick than your mom on an I-90 truck stop, l8r loser I've got a hot date with my therapist and a snickers bar that's been in my freezer too long

It’s okay. Fine for the background.

A solid release from this group extending their innovative style of classical/jazz/rock blended with intelligent thought provoking lyrical styles of Lake/Sinfield.

Lame and boring, just like almost all prog. "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should." - Dr. Ian Malcolm

NGL, I respect that over half this album is just the intro track

It is a very much "of the time" record and hasnr dated well, a 20 minute track as an opener is off putting. I always thought Keith Emmerson was a show off.

If dorks played keyboard instead of Dungeons and Dragons. Before greasy hair and wolf and moon t-shirts, there were stetsons and ELP t-shirts. A seven-chapter song (labelled in roman numerals, of course) about a transformer which sounds like it's marching through the streets of Blackpool, taking out wurlitzers, and looks like the Glasshouse in Gateshead. It emanates geek, and I can't get past that. The music isn't especially good either. All marks awarded are for the guitar only.

45 seconds into this album I new I wasnt going to like it. 38 minutes and 37 seconds later, I was right. There is nothing in this me. Apparently this is an important Prog Rock record, but to me it is just boring

There are two types of prog for me; that which truly takes you on an emotional rollercoaster of a journey with proper care paid to songwriting craft, and that which just widdles around without much rhyme or reason because it can. This is the latter in my view and, resultantly, it's nothing special, despite the obvious talent and proficiency.

Album art goes insanely hard Fave track: Tarkus

Incredibly based album cover. I like prof so that helps. The why did god take 6 million Jews gets me every time. 3.5/5

Definitely an improvement over the dire Pictures At An Exhibition, but still not for me. There's definitely some talent, here but it's so mired in a grandiosity that frequently feels overbearing and pompous. It's no wonder my favourite track was Infinite Space (Conclusion) which was essentially just a piano solo.

Solid but a little jammy and manic for me

Half of this truly does have merit as saga genesis final boss background music, or even 90’s-00’s final fantasy battle jams. The other half made me think, as other albums on the 1001 list have made me think, that listening through all of these recommended albums all in one go is really making me hate music.

Nice one

Still a bit too much noise for my brain to handle.

it was an interesting one

Funky

I have never given ELP a chance because I have always heard that their music is incredibly tedious and corny. But as a child of prog I do like this “keys as the lead instrument and barely any guitar” approach. At the same time, I found much of this tedious and corny. But I don’t hate it.

Apple music describes Emerson as a keyboard genius, but at least on this record it sounds like he only had access to a Fisher-Price keyboard. I appreciate what they were going for but the execution was just too goofy for me.

this is a 1.5 because it’s not offensive but honestly, if it wasn’t for the whole “integrity of listening to the entire album” thing i would’ve shut it off in the first 30 seconds. wow i hate this weird mix of ambient noise and religious whining.

I am not a huge fan of prog rock (or at least not the obscure kind of prog rock). It feels like you are listening to sounds for 40 minutes, and there's not a single song in it. I feel like Emerson, Lake and Palmer forgot music should also be enjoyable, or have feeling to it, not just sounds that follow each other in a unique way...

Tarkus is a masterpiece track!!! one the greatest prog rock tracks i've ever heard. the restbof the record is okay, there are a few songs i like but my favourite is Tarkus for sure.

This album is the 20 Minute title track but the remaining do pretty well to fill the remaining half of the album out. That title track is fantastic, just as weird an armadillo tank as well. 4 stars

I'll start with what i liked: i always admire ambition, the playing is obviously high quality and i liked the cover art. However, ive really struggled with prog as it just sounds indulgent and shit. It wants to be jazz, but for middle aged white men with no rhythm or soul.

Prog just ain’t my jam. I have never craved long organ solos and you can change time signatures as many times as you want but in the words of Shania Twain…. That don’t impress me much! 1.8

God this was hard work. I like hearing the origins that paved the way for music that I do like. But this is just too proggy and wanky.

sounds like i’m fighting Kefka

So… the title track is something else in terms of a song going places that you might not expect. Based on the creature on the album cover, the epic story of the Tarkus means… something. A couple inventive tracks on Side B show some keyboard chops. On the weird side of prog as opposed to the side of prog that moves rock in a specific direction.

funky

Prog nonsense, not an enjoyable listen

As pt 2 of our Shinkansen journey to Hokkaido I lost patience with this one quite quickly, maybe would be more appropriate as a backdrop for a train journey through out of space in a fever dream

Okay, I think I liked this? I listened to it like 5 times just in the background and it did its job well enough. I was thrown by the 20 min opening track but I guess you’re entitled to do such things. I wish I had paid closer attention to perhaps have a better handle on what was going on because the only things I can recall are someone being fisted and why did God let the Holocaust happen (which is an important question, just not one I expected here).

some moments of this (Are You Ready Eddy?) were pretty fun, other bits were at least interesting and there was a lot of range. Tarkus parts i-vii was very long and not necessarily enjoyable to me but lots going on and you can’t say they weren’t trying things

The opening song on this annoyed me so much

meh

EL&P take a 38 minute album and somehow make it feel like an hour and a half. Ambitious and audacious; it is constantly interesting. The problem is that it's never engaging. It's as though their musical ideas are entirely intellectual conception, and never emotional inspiration.

In one ear and out the other. But not unpleasantly so

Rock needs more organs and orchestral drama ⭐⭐⭐.51

Considering vocalist Greg Lake also provided the lead vocals to arguably my favourite prog record in King Crimson's debut offering, I tried to like this but I'm ultimately left cold on this. The showboat organ noodling of Keith Palmer drove me up the wall. The meat of this album is the 20 minute opening suite that takes up the entire first side of the record. While there are some interesting parts and all the players are extremely talented at their respective instrument, this isn't something that I would rush to sit through again. The second side is full of filler. The album ends on a hokey old school rock 'n' roll track that doesn't fit in with the vibe of the rest of the record. Well I enjoyed this a lot more than the ELP live record I got from this project, but I'm still not a fan of their style of prog.

Not their best album a lottle slower than I like but amazing musicians and playing for a progressive ultra fan thisbshould be great

tim and eric title

Even for prog rock, this shit is weird

mix van Beatles en Pink floyd. zeker nog een keertje naar luisteren dan wordt die wel beter

There we go! Finally some good 70s music (hehe). Really enjoyed this, I can really see the influence of a lot of indie bands now really emulating this so it is always fun to hear the funkier roots of this. Nice one lads!

What in the fuck is that album cover lmao. I love it. Opening with a 20-minute piece in seven parts which wikipedia tells me is about "an armadillo tank hybrid who is born and loses a fight with a manticore, which concludes with the appearance of an aquatic version of Tarkus named Aquatarkus"? Yeah why not. I think this is the proggiest prog of all time. Black Midi could never. Nor should they cos once again they progged too close to the sun and ended up with a weird bloated mess. A two-star listen but they get a bonus one for the armadillo tank guy, he's great.

¿Volvería a escuchar su canción de 20 minutos? Absolutamente. Entre más viejo estoy, más amo el rock instrumental. ¿Estará relacionado?

⭐⭐- Progressiv rock. Detta var Inte min grej, det blir för ostrukturerat och för lite driv för mig. Första halvan är Tarkus ett spår på 20 min, andra hälften är mer traditionellt, tycker nog bättre om den halvan. Hatar det inte men det är aldrig på den nivån att det är något spår som verkligen lyfter och står ut på ett sätt att jag känner att jag vill komma tillbaka till det. Har svårt att se att jag någonsin kommer lyssna på det här albumet igen, det blir en svag 2a.

kinda too weird to be enjoyable for me

This was reasonably fun and enjoyable. I feel like this is a good example of an album on the list that I think "ya, I get why this is on the list"

Side 1 - 4 stars - apparently changed everything in prog rock. Not sure I understand that but I do think it captures ELP well. Side 2 - 3 stars - could have been 4 stars if they left "Are You Ready Eddy?" off. This is not there best stuff IMHO but I can see why it's on the list for its influence.

This album cover so perfectly fits the album. It feels impossible to put in a box. Every time you try, it re-shapes into a different thing. It feels like a lot of music was the sound you'd hear while traveling through a warp device in Star Trek. And I'm here for it. I enjoyed the whole thing; it felt unique and interesting.

Nice slab of prog rock with a surprising left turn at the end because why not?

Never really listened to this band before but as I get more into prog I knew I'd have to eventually. I liked it, I'm sure it'll grow on me more with more listens but no issues here

No thanks. Insufferable noodling.

There’s no focus here. What’s happening?

Oh great. More Prog. Aka nutty jazz for the great unwashed.

This was hard work. Mad moogs and long sprawling twiddly tracks. Not my thing at all. Move along.

This is an interesting record to be sure. There are a lot of prog-rock elements that do different things. Clearly Keith Emerson's keyboards, organ, piano and synth steer the ship, which does kind of get old near the end of the record, but for the most part, it stays interesting and relevant. Good record.

Bit of a mixed bag, I almost liked it but it got a bit irritating in parts

THE meme prog album! So amazing

My Prog Rock Pros and Cons: Pros: - Experiments with unconventional song structures - May encourage creativity - Musicians are generally very skilled Cons: - Plodding - Pretentious - Cacophonous - A bunch of attention-starved dorks saying, "Look what I can do!" I feel like Emerson, Lake, and Palmer got the labels wrong on these lists, and created an entire album based on the "Cons" list. The only song I kind of liked was "Jeremy Bender," which was a necessary palate cleanser after "Tarkus."

I really enjoyed this album. It’s unique and pretty cool.

8/10

First listen

I wanted to like this but the pretentiousness of the lyrics made me uncomfortable. And the keyboard playing is just banging me over the head. It feels like he’s holding your hand and running down the sidewalk with you, pulling you behind him and you keep running face first into lamppoles but he keeps running anyways and you can’t let go.

Fucking sick - love the organs/synths and the drumming on this album a ton. I don't have infinite patience for all prog rock but this one hits. Favorite track: Tarkus, A Time and Place

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.

I genuinely like ELP, this is not my favorite work of theirs but it's a great album

First off, I would have this album cover up as a poster in a heartbeat. I battled to get though the first song, it was too squeaky and "bloopy" for my taste. I get why the album is on this list though. The idea that they were making music like this in 1971 blows my mind

Eh

Less weird King Crimson. Like that the first track is longer than the next 6 combined.

I didn’t know what to expect but it wasn’t prog. This rules.

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.

I didn’t really listen but it was fine

What is this? It defies categorization. And Robert Palmer isn’t involved, which is a mistake.

I have a soft spot for prog and this was a lot even for me

7.5/10

I don't like this. Not one bit.

The first song being 20 minutes didn’t set it off to a good start it was very repetitive and every time it sounded sorta good they just seemed to over do it and made you wonder if all the noise was intentional or just doing whatever and hoping it sounds good enough. The rest of the songs were an improvement but really wasn’t anything special.

No estuvo mal. Me sorprendió la canción de 20 min.

Aars. Het feit dat er af en toe wel leuke ideetjes op zitten én het oprecht een van de hardste albumcovers heeft, redt het van 1 ster doom.

De armadillo tank is niet echt hij kan je geen pijn doen.

Too jazzy

Nice, but not my thing.

Actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would.

3.5

You shouldn't be allowed to have such an awesome album cover if your music isn't also awesome 😤

Pointless.

meh not for me - i did like infinite space (conclusion) more than other songs

I can't believe I'm giving a prog rock album a 4 but this was genuinely enjoyable! Really enjoyed the grooves, the fact that it was complex but always felt like a song rather than a technique exercise. Probably largely driven by the keys playing which felt more rooted in jazz than wanky rock. Drums also didn't overplay and the vocals reminded me a lot of Jethro Tull. All in all, way more human than I usually think of for prog rock

Okay.

Now this album's a bit weird. The first track takes the most of it, being 20 minutes long, while the six others have a regular lenght. I used to dislike King Crimson for their oversized songs, but Tarkus keeps the same style (kinda) while making it enjoyable from start to finish. Great find.

6/10 Enjoyable, in its own way. Tarkus itself has it's moments amongst the epic amount of rock noodling, with the extra tracks feeling like they are very much making up the numbers. I like to think that there was a time when this was actually popular

Förstår inte. Avskyr även 70-tals prog bastrumme soundet. Plattaste skiten någonsin

I had a driving theory instructor who once saw me wearing a Pink Floyd shirt and asked, "Have you heard of Emerson, Lake and Palmer?" Nowadays, every time I listen to the band, I feel like failing another driving test. But the band is really good.

I made it through the first half of the first song and then skipped it. I failed the trial, died in the eruption etc, anyways the land behind it is nice.

I thought I remembered liking this group. I was wrong.

I, uh…i dunno. I don’t think it’s talking too much out of school to say the title track just sounds like a bunch of aimless keyboard plonking? And for a track that makes a note to have (seven) distinct sections, none of them sound very different from each other, if really at all. I liked the second side better; shorter tracks and somg different ideas. Bitches Crystal is pretty cool.

I get the sense that those math-rock dudes from the 00s felt they had to invent that genre name to be free from the stigmatised stink of prog rock like this - when in fact these guys were doing extremely similar things with fruity time-signatures, jazz-adjacent chords, and insufferable twiddlings 30 years before. Serious playing chops? Yes. Largely self indulgent and tiring twaddle? Also yes. Still quite groovy in paces despite that? Yeah, I suppose so. That cover is pretty badass too

Cool album cover

Ugh… fusion I liked Jeremy Bender and Are You Ready Eddy? but the rest just ain’t for me

i honestly don't remember if i listened to this already or not, so i don't mind a refresher. i'm not at all familiar with ELP's music, though i've heard a mix of opinions. i do like some prog rock acts (Yes, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, etc) so we'll see how i like these guys Tarkus - 5/5 Jeremy Bender - 3/5 Bitches Crystal - 4/5 The Only Way (Hymn) - 2/5 Infinite Space (Conclusion) - 3/5 A Time and a Place - 3/5 Are You Ready Eddy? - 1/5 Average score: 3.3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ hmmmm. i'm conflicted. i think i need to hear some other albums to determine how i feel about ELP in general, but this introduction was... a lot i feel like i should have liked this in theory. Keith Emerson's a badass on the keyboard, Greg Lake and Carl Palmer are also great musicians. however, their performance lacks in some departments, particularly songwriting & cohesion between tracks. is Tarkus worth listening to at least once? sure, it was an interesting 20-minute experience, which says a lot as a hater of long tracks/albums. everything else after that? eh

A bit 'whacked out' but otherwise a good listen.

Kannte von denen bisher nur den "Lucky Man", das ist ja recht unspektakulär. Dass die so progressiv waren, war mir neu.

Hatte was! Immer mal wieder etwas zu cheesy.

Not really into this, it just sounds like a mess. The cover is fat and ugly. someone said 'budget pink floyd' so true. Could not finish listening to this album -it was that bad.

20 minute track and that is it. Average

It was more fun and interesting than I thought! Plus the cover is SICK

Mostly ok

Alright album

Hmm. Seems a bit too up its own ass to be truly enjoyable.

Unlike most prog, this one clicked better than usual. The occasional vocal belt marks a bit of emotion and you can at time hear the basics for the rock epics of later years in metal and hard rock. The prog shenanigans were also kept to a tolerable level but the playing was still impressive. Respect ELP.

It's to the detriment of this album that it has a monster ambitious suite that rocks so hard, and then a bunch of songs that are merely okay.

largely compelling, a bit too resigned to flat ideas for me to fully get excited about this

Not my jam - similar to ELO or some Pink Floyd but not that great. 2

Absolute cack.

Prog Rock 🫠

album cover rules

Outstanding work. Incredibly trippy and experimental for its time but certainly pays off as an excellent storytelling experience.

r we hearing these lyrics what

honestly pretty good, obviously a bit weird, but like some very solid bits of the songs in between the prog rock waffle

Вокал Грега Лейка хорош, и техника Кита Эмересона - безусловно. Но кроме техничности альбома я ничего в нем не услышал.

2.5 stars. Really talented musicians, just not to my taste.

The first track sounds like the soundtrack to the most difficult mario kart level.

Prog isn’t always my thing, and I will admit that I had a hard time staying focused during the 20-some minute, multi movement song. But I also found myself jamming out to it at times, and I certainly didn’t find it hard or bad to listen to. Truly a middle ground album with some of the best cover art I’ve seen in this project so far.

a must for prog listeners

The opening track really primed me for a much worse experience. I was pleasantly surprised.

So this is why prog has the reputation it does

omg i'm 7 minutes in and i HATE THIS. i'm sorry but some of this sounds literally like the demo music you'd get on one of those old Yamaha keyboards or whatever. ... ok i gritted my teeth and listened to the rest of it and it did not get better. halfway through the million-hour first song a fly got into my room and started buzzing around out of sync to the music but i genuinely thought it was part of the song. this whole thing just annoyed me and i feel a bit bad because my dad likes these guys but i just. i hated everything about this. sorry dad.

Vllt ganz nett aber fuckt ab

Loved this. Everything after the monster opening track does feel a bit flat, but the first 18 minutes carry the album. And what a cover!

Can I just say, the album cover of this is superior. Even before listening it gave me good vibes. Eruption, the first movement, was exactly the music I would expect to play if a giant armadillo tank was rolling towards me. Being honest, after this I got lost in where I was. Bits I enjoyed: the marimba, the guitar, the keys, the absolute insanity of it all. Honestly reminded me of Zelda battle music. The military-esq drumming at the end was also quite funny to me. Alright, time for the second half. More typical tracks. Some of these lyrics are… strange to say the least. The music in Jeremy Bender being the music the ice cream truck used to play took me a while to place. Bitches Crystal definitely sounded like a… bitches Crystal. The Only Way was actually pretty nice. I’m not a huge fan of hymns but the organ was really nice. The line about God losing 6 million Jews was questionable, there are better ways to say that, but oh well. The vocals in these are questionable at some points, but they’re not… horrible. Just the occasional note takes me out of it. Infinite space had a cool sci fi vibe to it. Honestly A time and Place was great as well. It’s really funny to me that this whole album is out there prog rock, and then to close there’s Are You Ready Eddie which is the epitome of 60s/early 70s rock n roll. Solid 3.5/5 ⭐️, but I don’t think I can reasonably give it more than that even though I enjoyed it. 132/1089

For my sins, I quite like side one of this

Not as bad as I was fearing but yeah, this isn't my thing. Are You Ready, Eddy was a low point.

Oh dear…actually this was nowhere near as bad as I’d assumed it would be, still actively unlistenable but miles from the very bottom of the one stars. I even quite liked the shorter songs. Tom.

ELP have a lot of virtuoso technical prowess… and not much else.

I’m starting to think 1001 albums is too many

I feel there was a period time when the term "Concept album" equated to an automatic 'Emporers New Clothes' belief the album was an innovative and deep statement on the meaning life itself (rather than a semi-incoherent druggy mess) I present this album in support of my theory.....

< the Beatles

+1 star for the amazing album cover. For a 20 minute song, it surprisingly keeps you hooked the whole time. Other than that, I thought it was a fun listen, but I’m a sucker for the keys. Likes: Tarkus; Bitches Crystals

Det er bra mye vas her, men det er umulig for meg å ikke bli sjarmert. A-siden handler om en Beltedyr-beltevogn i krig!! Burde vært full pott bare for det. B-siden er ikke like sterk.

Fenget meg ikke. Føles ut som de prøver litt for hardt å tøye grensene.

Chill prog. Blir på ingen måta blåst av banen her, men det e interessant nok. The Only Way e et klart bunnpunkt. Jeremy Bender va søt👌 6/10

Prog som fenger med rå rytmer og spenstige påfunn, men som ganske ofte forfaller til sirkusmusikk.

20 minute song got me fucked up. Really liked A Time And A Place and Are You Ready Eddy was funny

4 out of 5. The opening track was kinda epic, maybe I incorrectly slept on ELP.

fav songs: none but the armadillo looks cool prog, distant, dense 30/100

TBH I thought this album was gonna be worse. That said, it's still not great. Once I got past the 20 minute opener it flew by, so I guess that's something. I also saw there were multiple Deluxe versions. Seriously though who's listening to those?

Very energetic... Rock & roll... Reminds me of beatles. One time listen. Best song: The only way

Sometimes quite o.k. but overall too much doodledoodle.... 1,5

Quite fun and creative but feels more like someone playing around at an electric piano than anything profound or memorable.

Hmmm. A prog rock epic. But honestly it feels rather pedestrian to me - a lot of experimentation a w the same thing over and over. And the rest of the songs? In the end I found this not very compelling.

Prog rock is just for huge nerds who like making music more complicated than it needs to be. Now if you'll allow me to just put on my thick glasses and adjust my pocket protector, I'll continue to listen and compare these tracks to all the JRPG soundtracks I've enjoyed over the years. Bitches Crystal, Oh My Father and A Time And Place are all pretty great.

Side 1 is a masterpiece. Side two is… “eh, we got this goofy song just lying around. Might as well use it”

02/05/2026 20 minutes for a song just isn't right. The album was a bit of a stinker. Spotify listeners: 1.3 million

To me, Tarkus is one of the weaker foundational prog epics. Yes it's good, but much like ELP in general, it serves as a display of musical virtuosity. Side 2 is better than I expected, given that people seem to find it significantly weaker (which it is).

Weird, not my favorite, but not the worst thing ever. The 2 star rating is purely based on starting the album with a 20-minute song for no good reason

Crappus.

I guess it's alright, not something I'd comeback to

The old prog nerd in me rejoiced for Side A, but Side B was a bit more of a patience exercise. Still OK, and certainly influential to prog bands to come that I dug (e.g. Dream Theater).

Before this, I knew ELP by name, but I'd never heard any of their songs before, so I sat down, put on my headphones, and tried to focus on listening. Luckily, it didn't feel like a complete waste of time, and I didn't get particularly annoyed, although this kind of music normally causes annoyance. The mammoth title track is clearly the most interesting song, and I also liked the "Infinite Space" instrumental, but the rest of the song material didn't seem very strong. "Are You Ready Eddy?" made me think that the album was over and Spotify had randomly selected some shitty boogie band to play.

Back when I was at school someone borrowed me a copy of pictures at an exhibition, it blew me away. I never listened to anymore ELP till today. Wow, it’s just terrible, it’s everything that gives prog rock a bad name

I was born missing the prog receptor in me brain so this sounds like noise. Kinda like being at a battle of the bands where all the bands play simultaneously. I realized that Pictures at a Exhibition was not a one off, this is the legit sound.

Komme der nerveus van...

I came at ELP through their live album and remain convinced they were a live band, their studio versions are all kind of sterile in comparison. They are all virtuoso players and but full of life and energy in their classical-jazz-rock jam sessions on just about every song - check out any of their concert videos for what this album isn't showing.

I found this to be pretty cool. I kinda wish it was an entirely instrumental album because the first 3 mins of the opening track are especially cool. The music reminds me of retro video games and, at times, Chick Corea. As much as this would be a sweet jazz fusion album, the vocals do add to the listening experience and take it in a different direction. The different sections of that first track are really interesting and the rest of the album's tracks each have a unique flavour that I can appreciate. I was torn between rating this a 3 or a 4, but the robotic armadillo on the album cover is worth a star.

Could be a higher or lower rating. It was on in the house. But I was very distracted hanging with Callie.

Interesting one, I feel like id need to listen to this one more times to give a better more complete review. But tbh I dont feel like listening to this again.. it had its moments but didnt feel very cohesive as a whole. First song felt like it could been 7 different songs. Debating giving an extra point for the wierd awesome album art, but I honestly think this concept could been executed better. Like if I were to draw an armadillo as a tank, I think id come out with something cooler, or maybe Im delusional lol. 7/10

Pretty good.

Prog rock album. First track is almost 21 minutes. Overall I’m not a fan. There’s some interesting stuff but for the most part I think it’s a little juvenile in a way? Wouldn’t seek out, kind of turns me off of the band all together.

4/10 Best songs: Are You Ready Eddy? There's something really good about this album, but you kind of have to dig for it - it's hidden behind the frequent atonality, discordant instrumentals, and lack of hooks/interesting lyrics at all. I think I'd like it a lot more if it had been made in the last 20 (or even 30) years - I feel like they would've been amazing with a few dance beats or the use of any computers at all. As it stands, the music just doesn't quite work for me... With the exception of the final track, which is a complete tonal shift and sounds like it's coming from a different band all together.

I’ve never heard this before but it’s quite ambitious and has some futuristic and fun directions— futuristic for the 70s; hasn’t aged completely well but I think that adds to the experience. Love the keys and organ parts. Also like how tight the drums are to the arrangements with all the changes. 3.9/5.0

В дитинстві мені це не заходило)

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’m more of a prog metal guy myself but I’ve come to appreciate prog rock more. The fact that a 20 minute epic opens the album to be followed by a quick, tongue in cheek track immediately afterwards was pretty funny. Also interesting that it’s checking in under 60 minutes as a prog album. This deserves an additional listen and I am rate higher because I had to listen while on the road. But nothing stood out on the first couple listens

nope

A Prog Rock staple.

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’m not against a ~20 minute track but I didn’t find the cohesion across that length to find the journey worthwhile. Would I relisten?? Probably not, but on writing this review I feel I need to relisten to understand my conflict upon trying to give it a score… … overall 2.25/5 a bit too experimental for me I think, but on another day I think I could see myself anywhere from 2-4

This was homework

Blind album and know the artist by name. Another artist I can check off the list that I told myself I'd eventually listen to. That time has come and I thoroughly enjoyed this beginning to end. Not the best but really really cool and interesting. 4.

Im not prepared to this music. Not for me

Technically it's all there but it's seriously lacking in any kind of feel. I hear Pink Floyd comparisons but it lacks the biting aggression of Waters and the blues-soaked soulfulness of Gilmour to get anywhere close. It all gets a bit dull about 5-10 minutes in and I largely lost interest until A Time and a Place, which was decent.

Hoe begin je een album met een tune van 20mins haha, los daarvan heb ik wel stukjes gevonden die ik chill vond om te luisteren, progrock is over het algemeen niet voor mij.

Boel herrie met hier en daar een geinig stukje

Liked it very much. Interesting record.

It is good music but too incoherent

Great A-side. Very meh B-side. Unfortunate, but I was never a big ELP fan, so no love lost.

Prog Rock! Not a genre I have spent much time with, and the closest I have come to getting into it is my love of Primus (including Claypool's favorites like Rush and King Crimson.) I know I'm familiar with the NAME Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, but can't remember a single song title. Maybe I'll recognize one of these tracks? This is OK, sounds almost kind of jazzy at times. "Aquatarkus" got a little ridiculous at times. I did not recognize any of it. I might give it 2.5 stars, maybe, but definitely not 3.

Apparently Tarkus is a large armadillo-tank that was born on an erupting volcano, fought a number of enemies, was defeated by a Manticore and was finally superseded by an aquatic version of Tarkus called Aquatarkus. And this piece of work is a reflection on the futility of war. So, I only got the sense of what Tarkus was from the album cover. I get the sense of a battle taking place from the marching beat in the middle of Tarkus. And the rest I would have only been able to glean from the subtitles. Overall I like the idea of the narrative, but the work is so ambiguous that if you heard it on its own, it could be about anything. It is a frenetic, synth free for all that feels very 70s performing arts piece. Do I like it... maybe. I'm not 100% sure. I think I would have preferred a bit more definitive structure in the nutritive and a little less repetition of the music motifs. Would I listen again... probably. But I think that I would prefer to be high. Side two, or the other tracks as we now call them with the advent of using digital music devices, is a collection of musically diverse songs ranging from the short and sweet rag-time "Jeremy Bender" to the tongue in cheek rock "Are you ready Eddy?". It is absolute prog rock and I enjoyed it. (3.125)

Not as bad as the reviews make it to be. Would I go out of my way to listen to this record again? No. Would I enjoy listening to it in the background? Yes.

Tedious - possibly the single reason why punk happened .

W.T.F. The cover didn't instill much in the way of promise. The opening frantic keyboard masterbation gave me dread. Then the lyrics start and everything is a direct rhyme like being back in primary school. Then we haven't finished the first "song" or suite and we have had the obligatory leaps to fit the soloing in, regardless of song structure. There is the odd passage where you think they are on a track, but they have to leap off and spoil it. The top positive on here as of today gives the old chestnut argument for prog about engaging in the music over whatever else. Masterbation as music isn't engaging in music it's trying to show of. It’s that old prog arguement that you're too dumb if you don'tlike, but this isn’t exactly engaging with the music. Go listen to Bach for that argument, where there is the technical mastery, structural complexity AND emotional depth, and a bloody great tune or 2 to boot, which being fair, most can't be Bach, but this is just how many notes I can fit it, and jump around to. It has zero emotion and zero narrative thread. It's batshit bombastic, which can go either way, it likely influences bands like early Queen, but unlike ELP they could manage structure to songs. I guess it's not shit, they have obvious ability to play, they have some promise but are too eager to jump off the cliff, so to my ears it is a steaming turd, so 1 star.

I like ELP, but this one wasn’t too exciting for me…

I was assuming this was going to be really bad just from my pre conceived notions on 70s psychedelic music. But it wasn't a terrible listen. It was interesting.

In general I am not a huge fan of some of the stuff people label Prog Rock or fusion. It feels emotionless. Lots of good musicianship but it feels the worst of rock and jazz rather than the best This album hasn’t changed my mind

Weedeley weedeley wawawawawa. I'm glad you've trained yourself to the point that you can display such uncanny skill, but when you're cramming seven times the notes of your average Neil Young guitar solo into every three seconds of riff, making me listen to seven minutes of it feels like a violation of my basic human rights. For fuck's sake. Blegh.

It’s prog rock. I entered with skepticism. I stayed to enjoy the noodling.

Omg I fucking hate this. Burn it with fire. 1/5

Soundtrack for panic attacks.

Listenable but not for me

First half of the album (so the first track) was cool! The second half didnt wow me.

It is good for this style of album, I am just not a big ELP fan. 4 stars or B.

One of those albums which really made me super interested in Prog and I owe it that, cover is beautiful and just for Tarkus title track this is getting 4, so I will spend some time today listening to side 2 for sure.

Album is bonkers. From the cover art to ripping a 20 minute track to start as the A side.

Good

Prog off

How have I never seen this cover? This cover should be way more famous. Okay, and now that I’ve listened to it, I see why the cover isn’t more famous. What a damn shame. Poor tank armadillo thing…

Thoughts before listening: It's been a while since I've gotten some 70s prog on here. ELP are one of the biggest offenders of the over the top cheesy side of prog rock, so that's what I expect here. Review: I mean this thing starts with a 20 minute, multi-part drums and keyboard freakout. Someone mentioned in another review that this is why punk started, and I can't argue with that. I'm a jamband guy (but also a punk guy to be fair) so I'm no stranger to long songs, but this is maybe a bit much. Still though I get that this is classic stuff here so I'll add it to my playlist. Now once this 20 minute epic ends, there are still 6 more songs which fly by in 18 minutes total. Of these, my favorite is probably "Bitches Crystal" with a couple songs leaning toward almost a Kinks doing twangy country sound. All in all this is the epitome of over the top prog, and while I want to hate it, I think it's fine. 3-stars

A bit of a nothing burger and sounds a bit dated. The best song is “Are You Ready Eddy”