Tarkus

Qué viaje. Para alguien que guste de disfrutar el arte under the influence, esto debe ser oro puro. De hecho, mientras lo escuchaba, estuve convencido de que este disco tiene que oirse en estado "alegre", vamos a decirle. Buena música, tremendamente psicotrónica, pero sí me dejó con ganas de escuchar más de Emerson, Lake & Palmer. De hecho creo que ya me había salido uno de sus discos en esta lista, pero seguro estuvo menos viajado.

Interesting. It’s all over the place after the first song. Not necessarily in a bad way, seems like they were trying some things out. Overall I didn’t mind it but I doubt I’ll ever listen to it again. Also, that is some terrible album art.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer representan todos los excesos del rock progresivo, todo lo que mató al género a fines de los 70. Debe ser por eso por lo que nunca he conectado del todo con su música, incluso en la época en la que solo escuchaba prog. Este es el disco más excesivo de todos y no me ha disgustado. De hecho, me sorprende que me haya gustado al menos un poco. 3/5

Highlight Song/s: Tarkus, The Only Way (Hymn) and Are You Ready Eddy Side 1: What an experience the title track is; but I reckon that's the case with most 20 minute songs. I don't know where to begin how they would play this live, especially for a power trio. With them being a progressive rock band they probably found a way. Side 2: "Jeremy Bender" lyrically reminds me of Lola (Kinks,) not sure if that's an correct assumption. But that's the impression that I get with all its confusing lyrics. "Bitches Crystal" I swear I've heard this tune before or something really similar, perhaps a soul song that I can't put my finger on. "The Only Way (Hymn)" sounds like a musical from some movie. "Infinite Space (Conclusion)" that piano was keeping me on my toes on what will happen next with the song. "A Time and a Place" is quite aggressive, shocked me a little bit. "Are You Ready Eddy" seems quite stereotypical, I'm unsure if it's supposed to be a parody of rock 'n' roll or not. Whether it is or if is not, it rocks pretty hard.

Vibe parecida com albuns de srgt. Pepper dos Beatles. Bom album e leve de escutar, mas não peguei muito gosto.

This would.be a 4 or even a 5 for me if the second half of the album were as good as the first song/half / title track. Sadly the remaining songs are more or less piano blues and not that interesting.

No había escuchado nunca este álbum y bueno, no me encanta. Sin embargo, los instrumentos son>>> me encanta la mezcla y los cambios. La letra mejorable. Algunas canciones me gustan más que otras.

Fun and engaging listen. Over the top and cheesy at times but packed full of wild organ riffs. Nice that after the 20 min title track, the rest are pretty short, so it doesn't really over stay its welcome. Not going to be in my rotation but I'm sure I'll revisit it at some point

5 star album art

Read a review saying that this is trash and they know why punk happened, which I definitely understand as parts of this like the keyboard playing are very excessive, which gets old quite fast. But parts are quite good, synth bits are fine, I can’t really say this is that influential, as I guess this genre kind of went extinct. I do think the longer form song works so much better for this style than the shorter ones, as the shorter ones just feel like spamming notes non stop, while the long one had some slower and quieter parts. It just gets worse the further you go in. Favourite songs: the long one Overall around 5/10

Keyboard was really good

2.6

Favorite: Tarkus Really interesting prog electronic album. It kinda went all over the place, one minute being full electronic, next full rock. Overall, really cool and interesting though! [3 Stars]

The instrumentation is technically proficient but while some moments rock, others sound like Mario music.

Some of this was very cool, some of it was quite tedious

I'm not super into prog, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy this. There's a lot happening!

I took Tarkus on a bike ride by the Bay and had a good time with it. The 20 minute prog rock title track was my favorite, but the quality dipped for me on the Side 2 songs. One little tangent: I enjoyed picking out the influence on this album (The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, even Little Richard!) as well as the music it influenced in turn (Rush and Genesis).

This one took some getting into. I can see why the intro track almost broke up the band. It's an interesting story, but quite a left turn. Good progressive rock though and I was a little surprised by the year it came out, sounds like something more modern which I guess is why it's on this list

I was originally 2 stars but giving it an extra star for the album cover. I enjoyed Tarkus but that's all this album really had to offer. Very uneven.

Never cared for them much

Alright but there is so much better prog

Первый трек длиною в 20 минут это конечно мощно. Странно, психоделически, не могу сказать, что мне очень зашло, но что-то определенно тут есть. Тексты неплохие.

Cool prog rock. A bit overproduced at times, but I see the influence and value of a 20 minute opening track. An artist I'll probably give another listen to eventually.

Voisi olla ihan kauheeta, mutta kai mulla on samaa huumorintajua kuin tällä jengillä, koska viihdyn. Järkyttävää pimpelipompelia välillä, puhumattakaan ekan biisin progejumista (vaikka kumpaakaan lajia en vastusta!!), mut sit tuleekin ihan toinen genre. Voinko antaa kolmosen…

It was a solid album for sure but it wasn’t memorable. Nothing really jumped out at me

Mira, no está mal, pero al final los progresivos no me emocionan. Salvo el math rock, y eso namás pa un rato. O sea, bien, pero p’al que le guste.

Prog rock albums always seem a bit strange to me, some stuff is interesting, some stuff is cringe. Happy to listen, see what EL&P were about, but won't be revisiting.

Acid trip

Not what I gravitate towards- but clearly talented.

This is some prog rock shit for real. Tarkus (the song) is pretty good, but it ends kind of poorly. The last part is generally odd, but it slowly devolves, and a 20-minute song that leaves a poor taste in your mouth kind of just sucks. It doesn't ruin the whole song (or the album, as that song is over 50% of the album), but it's definitely what I remember most after walking away from it. The shorter songs are all a little bit hit or miss, but there is one that I really liked from the group (but also one I really didn't like). It stinks that there really isn't much consistency or even flow to the B side of the album. Tarkus is obviously the most important part of the album, but the B side matters too, when talking about a short list of albums to listen to before you die. Favorite Song(s): Tarkus, A Time and A Place

jazzy (?) prog, did not listen fully, but liked what i heard

3.5 stars. Quintessential prog rock. A bit portentous, but it can be a fun at times.

I liked it first but I think that is largely because the cover art was an armadillo tank which had me reminiscing about my Rock Band (video game) band, Armadillo Train. It was alright but as I listened I liked it less, and the music seemed both basic and a bit discordant, although at least they tried to be a bit interesting. Rating: 3

I actually thought this was pretty good, especially Side A. I could imagine jamming to it live. And it gave me Pink Floyd vibes. Some of the lyrics were wild. (Side note: this is my first review, I wish I could do half stars.)

The generic prog-rock that you hear in your head when you think of prog-rock but it probably wasn't generic for its time For the first half at least, then there's some other random songs that artsy prog-rock bands throw in when they're not quite sure what to do after their 20-minute epic concludes Still a cool enough listen-through, although the last song (the token '50s nod diner bop) gave me a kind of "alright, guess it's one of those tracks again" feeling, but the mental library of experiences I have with this kind of track might've come later, 1971 is pretty early

Indulgent and not as good as I was hoping. I think the over emphasis on keyboards makes the album feel busy.

The songs would be solid then go on way too long with repetitive portions.

Generally enjoyed it. Some interesting parts throughout, I really liked Infinite Space in particular. Are You Ready Eddy seemed like it didn't belong, vibe was way different. Didn't like that as a closer.

Impressive musicians. Very long intro track is compelling. Fun. But a little repetitive in the sounds.

Nice listen. Interesting album

Finally, some decent music. In a huge list slump recently. Thankfully, the list gods went back to the well and gave me a nice 70s progressive rock album. High-floor genre

I'm coining a new genre: Record Store owner music. It's always a greying, 50-60 year old bloke in a black tee, blue jeans and glasses who smells a little bit like darts. They're always super nice but MAN, they play the weirdest shit in store. This is one such album. Like I said in relation to Blood and Chocolate, if you reach a point where your cochlear nerve is just burnt out from listening to shit (pov: you're me over the next week trying to catch up), just stop listening to music! There's some cool instrumentation here, but it descends into too much experimental 70s disharmony to even be enjoyable to a keen, open minded ear. I'm giving this a 3 because it's very technically impressive, but that's about it. This is like Prog Rock's answer to Free Jazz.

skipped the first song because my attention span is too short and long songs are generally just way too self indulgent. otherwise i quite liked this. the singer sounded like john lennon doing pink floyd on some of the songs. i dont think ill come back to this overall: 3/5

++: Bitches Crystal, Infinite Space (Conclusion), A Time and a Place, Are You Ready, Eddy? +: Tarkus, Jeremy Bender +-: The Only Way (Hymn) 6,7/10

really enjoyed, not really for a casual listen but I could imagine throwing on the full album from time to time

Tarkus, to me, suffers from the same problem that Rush's "2112" has: the side long song is good, but the second side seems like it has too much filler. The first side is definitely superior, as they have played it for numerous years live. The title track has a great opening, but the ending feels just... tacked on, like they ran out of ideas as to how to end the song. The live version from the Brain Salad Surgery tour has a bit of "Epitaph" in it, which is pretty cool. Songs like "Jeremy Bender" and "Are You Ready, Eddy?" get to the point where you think "one of these is good, but two on the same album?" Probably my favorite song on the back ids "Bitches Crystal," actually. It has the chaos of the title track, but more energy. The 2-part "The Only Way / Infinite Space" is a precursor to the superior "The Endless Enigma," which is on their Trilogy album (my favorite of their works). Surprisingly, their albums with their most well-known pieces ("Trilogy," "Brain Salad Surgery," and the eponymous first album) are missing from the list. I would have definitely put them above this one. It's not the album of theirs I go to if I want to listen to ELP. It's close to a 4, but not close enough, maybe a 3.4. Top tracks: "Tarkus," "Bitches Crystal"

The prog rock side one is decent, albeit a bit self-indulgent. Lyrics were thought-provoking and the sound was cool at times. But it also sounded like so many other prog rock songs - maybe to my untrained ear? It was better than the scattershot and at time overly silly side two. It just made for a strange combination overall (both within side two and across the whole album). If they weren't incredible musicians I'd probably give this album a lower rating.

The opening track is a 70's prog masterpiece and I loved every one of the 20+ minutes it ran. I do wish that Spotify indicated the 7 parts of it better, but musically it's pretty easy to tell when things change. The playing is phenomenal and the composition is fantastic, pulling back to classic music and mixing it with modern fusion, rock, jazz, etc. It's just great. The rest of it, which is a little less than half of the album, feels like filler. "Bitch's Crystal" is the standout, though I did like "A time and place" because it sounds like Jethro Tull with the overdrive bass and the organ. The rest of the tracks are pretty bad. I realize 20 minutes is a bit short for an album but I think they really could've just published that and this would be a masterpiece. Sadly the rest of it ruins it a bit, but it's still great work.

Great album cover. I like this video game music.

Obviously one of the best album covers. Some of the solos on the first track sound comedic in the way someone playing the Jurassic Park theme on the recorder does. I've been known to be a fan of some loopy music, but this might be riding a line. That opening track is like a test. Bitches Crystal hits, it's an adventure for the ears. The Only Way, great composition. That opening of Infinite Space, in headphones, hooked me then just kept me in a stimming manner. A time and place has some solid moments and a spot or two of noodling. A strange rock and roll, blues track. The skill to compose some great songs is here. I've always been a bit adverse to the sound of the keyboard. So Emerson and his noodling almost disrupting some songs can be challenging. I could see this growing on me given time.

Great artwork forgot the rest

What in the prog is this?

I really want to love ELP because my dad loved them, and there are parts that I enjoy, but overall it's just not really my jam.

It's like a badly painted Lord of the Rings mural on a 1973 Ford Econoline that belongs to a 17 year old stoner dude named Patrick in Ohio made an album.

Score is mostly for the cover art.

I think this would have been better as an instrumental album. It’s not that I don’t like the vocals, its that I don’t think they add much to the fantastic instrumentals. 6/10

Didn't like the 20 minute song, too out there. The rest was ok

Favorite Track: The Only Way

Weird, but at least it wasn't punk

Didn’t like them then. And after listening to this…I still stand by that. The main reason: this is the type of pretentious prog rock that turns people who like cool prog rock off of prog rock. There is no doubt the level of musicianship and concepts being displayed here, and I will rate up because of that. But as one journalist wrote: “How do you spell pretentious? E-L-P.”

You know how you’re drinking wine with a sommelier. And they’re talking about nose and palate and flavor profiles and notes and vintage and all that shit. And you’re nodding along like you know but in reality you have no idea. It all tasted a like alcoholic grape juice and you’re just looking to get drunk. Thats my metaphor for this. These guys are certainly talented and I’m sure there’s a lot of shit in here that’s awesome and I just don’t understand. But really I just wanted to get drunk and this only got me buzzed. 2.75

Prog rock? Rut roh... 20 minute track #1? RUT ROH.... But to my surprise I actually enjoyed this album! First track is a bit much but there are pieces that were pretty tight and gotta admit these dudes can play instruments real good. I found the rest of the album quite enjoyable and was considering a 4 rating. Just not sure I can get there. And gotta point out these amazing lyrics on Jeremy Bender: Digging the sister, she was a mister; Threatened to fist her if she didn't come clean. 3.5/5

Surprised this was on the list. Cool album art. Not my favorite listen.

Just not a big prof fan

This album is kind of out there in terms of prog-rock / complexity, so I'm kind of surprised it was as commercially successful (peaking at #9 in the US). The last track (Are You Ready Eddy?) sounds like a different band - it's like 50's blues rock.

Progressive rock. Probably one of the most difficult genres to get into (for those that aren't already fans of that style of music.) I've heard this album before. Several times. It is always on lists like this, so I have given it many chances. I still don't get it. I like Brain Salad Surgery so much more. 3.5/5

Let's go 20 minute prog rock! (23 known/43 new)

Ah, prog. So often an exercise in creating something that turns out to be less than the sum of its parts. Take hugely talented musicians, get them onto big, ambitious ideas, convoluted concepts, sprawling long epics and experiments with seemingly adventurous arrays of new and strange instruments, unusual time signatures and what do we get? Overblown theatrics that are just hard work to listen to. Even side 2 which seems to be the bits and pieces left over after the frankly ridiculous side 1 epic, is patchy at best. There are some cool moments but I had to wade through so much dense musical clutter to find them.

This is my second attempt to listen to Emerson, Lake and Palmer. The last one I had in this generator was "Pictures at an Exhibition", an extremely gimmicky live prog rock cover of a classical performance. It was probably fun if you were a fan, but fairly tedious if not. I was hopeful that a studio album of their own material might be better. I like the occasional prog rock band so they deserve another chance. And yeah, it's definitely better. The gimmicks are still there. If you want to hear "Oh Susanna" in math rock form, it's there. But it's at least not a one trick pony and there's a lot going on. There's variety and a loose theme. Pipe organs intermingle with synthesizers. It's interesting and it's very well executed. But it's not exactly a great album. I'd take Rush or King Crimson over Emerson, Lake and Palmer any day I'm afraid. My favorite track is one that leans more on the classical/jazz side of their music, "Infinite Space (Conclusion)".

I'm a sucker for prog. I like that it's not predictable. I like that it's technical and is usually in weird time signatures and using weird scales. I think I like prog better when it isn't keyboard led like on Tarkus but this still isn't bad. I didn't like the more traditional songs very much. The songwriting was weak and they didn't make up for it in any other way. I think I liked Bitches Crystal the best. I think this album is probably a pretty tough listen for most people. I love the totally ridiculous album cover. Overall I didn't dislike this but I don't think I'd ever listen to it again.

not my jam

Un poco extraña la distribución de tiempo la vd, me pareció innovador pensando que salió en el 71, supongo que por eso esta en esta lista, tampoco fue lo mejor, cada día mas decepcionado d esta lista Rating: 5 (cansado tmb de ponerle 3 a todo, deberían haber medias estrellas)

A great album. Folk country soul and with an outsider point of view

the short songs actually weren’t that bad. and parts of the title track opener were pretty good. as far as progressive rock goes, i would rate them higher than yes, but lower than rush.

A lot of cool shit going on here. I think I liked the shorter songs a little more than the Tarkus, but a fun trip nonetheless

Pure prog rock. The first track winds though everything you'd expect/want from a 20 minute prog track. The rest of the album drops off a bit.

I mean, that has got to be one of the goofiest, most awesome album covers of all time. And the fact that the 20 minute prog epic first side/title track is an allegorical anti war jam about the birth, adventures, and transformation of the human-engineered armadillo tank named Tarkus (Tarkus is dead, long live Aquatarkus!?) is driving me absolutely wild. But, while influential and entertaining in its OTT prog-noodliness, this album low-key sucks to actually listen to. There are some excellent keys and rhythm moments; unfortunately, they are too often interrupted or overshadowed by copious amounts of cringe.

The title track is great! But everything else is kind of "meh".

First one kinda stresses me out tbh. Other than that's it's great.

Some interesting stuff. Jazzy & a bit random at times.

Was dreading this when I saw it show up. A prog supergroup? 1971? 20 minute long, 7-part cycle about a battle between an armadillo tank and a manticore? This can't end well. But then the drums start and you realise you're about to hear the 70's equivalent of Venetian Snares. Tarkus brings a massive amount of energy to a genre badly in need of it. By putting the drums out in front rather than the noodly guitar work ELP show what was so frustrating about the rest of the prog groups in the 70s. That's not to say it isn't prog and doesn't sometimes succumb to its excesses. ii. Stones of Years is a kind of lame sci-fi/psych thing with boring organ solos. Thankfully its quickly replaced iii. Iconoclast which ratchets up the tension and energy. iv. Mass starts noodly but relies on fairly traditional blues scales to avoid getting too naff. The track ends with some fancy studio effects and stero images in vii. Aquatarkus. The second side is weaker and doesn't get off to a great start with Jeremy's Bender. Bitches Crystal is great for maintaining the energy and has some wild piano but is a bit too chromatic for my tastes. The Only Way combines Beatles crooning about Hitler with pipe organs and baroque piano. It goes about as well as you'd expect. A Time and Place is a pretty fun Led Zep tribute and closing out with a straight rock number is a welcome relief from the high concepts. This is the best prog rock album I've heard. That's why it gets a three.

No one did prog rock like ELP.

First time listening to a full album of their original material (heard Pictures at an Exhibition before). The first prog track was a bit lacklustre but the other songs were quite fun. I'm generous so let's give them 3/5

3.5/5

Yeah pretty good Last track is not my thing at all, which kinda leaves the album on a bit of a sour note. First track is pretty good. 20 mins of chaos. I think I've heard better from them, but its not bad

Why is the opening track 20 minutes long?

Better than I thought it would be.

Title track is superb, proper intense- b side is good but not as good as side a

A little too progressive and experimental for my taste.

I'd say this was a high 3, I enjoyed it but didn't love it.

This was enjoyable but not my style!

Rock progressif très jazzé et flamboyant. Pas ma tasse de thé, mais je saisis l'ampleur du projet.

The Armadillo Tank was underwhelming to me. I wanted it to be better, I know its a essential prog album, but it just didn't do it for me. Still not a bad listen, just kinda good enough.

It was obviously way to long and proggy but I enjoyed moments.

Trodde jag skulle ogilla det. En trotsig 20-min första låt. Men jag diggar soundet, orgeln är najs. Lite deep purple (de verkar ha verkat i samma space) Men första låten är för lång och bitvis sådär. Å sista låten suger.

Den sjätte delen av Tarkus, som startar vid 12:47, är fantastiskt jäkla bra. Just den delen skrevs tydligen av Lake, till skillnad från resten som skrevs av Emerson (smärtsamt tydligt vem av dem som hade talangen för att göra hits). Mycket irriterande att de bakat ihop allt till en lång låt så att man inte kan lyssna enbart på den bra delen, eftersom resten är sådär. Utöver Tarkus tycker jag att det var helt okej. Trea på totalen.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer is always all over the place, they're not the most consistent band. I really like their first 2 albums and Brain Salad Surgery but never really enjoyed Tarkus for some reason. Tarkus itself doesn't really hit the heights of other side long epics like Focus' Eruption and Pink Floyds Echoes. There's some good jamming in there but its not a very cohesive piece and doesn't always sound the most pleasant. The rest of the songs are short pieces with varying degrees of quality. Noone really needs to hear Jeremy Bender before they die. The album cover is one of the best album covers ever though, extra point for that.

Hey hey hey, finally a break from 60s rock/folk and 2000s indie. This album has a special place in my heart for being my first record ever 5 years ago, though my love for ELP has diminished quite a bit since then. The title track is of course an unstoppable prog classic, possibly one of the best Hammond Organ workouts out there. The b-side meanwhile takes a massive dip, with two pleasant jazzy pieces stuck within songs as terrible sonically (I hate ELP's cowboy music with a passion) as they are lyrically (we somehow have both atrocious anti-religion lyrics and atrocious transphobic lyrics). It's not a bad prog record at all, but I like the subtler stuff way more nowadays, the lesser-known Harmonium and Celeste being my recommendations in this niche. I don't want to be that girl but ELP's continued spotlighting as one of the greats only enables the stereotypes against prog in my opinion. They are still important though, and if you want a more cohesive record to start off with them I'll say Brain Salad. If you're a freak like me and want to hear them at their most unhinged, Welcome Back My Friends is the best 2-hour second-hand cocaine trip you can embark on.

3.75

Side one is a little too epic for me, but side two is fun 70s organ rock.

OK, nothing special

Das war in meiner Schulzeit so komische Musik, die die Älteren gehört haben. Die mit Ahnung. Ich hatte keine Ahnung und habe lieber Deep Purple gehört. Bis ich meine erste feste Freundin hatte. Und die hatte Tarkus. Und es klang gleich viel besser.

Doet me niet zoveel, best vette stukjes, maar niet heel samenhangend.

This is a interesting album and extremely innovative for 1971, was surprised that's when it came out. Very ahead of it's time and experimental

not my jam, tho i can give them credit for how innovative this probably was at the time. the lyrics mostly took me out of it but again, i can understand that this is when this type of music was first starting to get some traction. on one hand i wish songwriting like this made a comeback, on the other hand i know songwriting like this still exists & i -don't- listen to it nor seek it out. cool cover!

Yeah they can play really well but at the end of the day these guys are just a bunch of fucking nerds. It felt like if all the talent of the 70s was funneled into an over zealous D&D group.

Fun fact, Greg Lake used to practice in the house opposite to where I live.

I find the ambition and imagination of this album pretty charming. Feels like a lot of the lyrics and music were written after some serious bong hits. But Emerson, Lake & Palmer have the musical chops to back up their wildest ideas. Much of the music feels carefully composed -- with unconventional time signatures and multi-part suites -- but the band also finds room for some jazz-rock fusion improvising which gives the album a nice balance. The album art is bonkers. Part of me wants to say that it's a bad album cover but it's so distinct and weird that I can't help but approve. It definitely confirms my bong hit theory of the band.

This goes really hard right from the first track. Really enjoyed listening to this and all of the density in the tracks. It feels like there's so much to chew on with every track but it's all cohesive- which I really appreciate. Definitely an adventure. I enjoyed it. Album art is very cool too and unique for the time.

3.5

Not bad. Second half was better IMO. Album cover was arguably the best part.

I love a good early 70's album. They used some classic sounds and broad sweeping songs that created intense soundscapes.

Aandachttrekkende experimenteermuziek, soms interessant, vaak irritant. Niet iets wat je voor je lol opzet om even te ontspannen of om bij te werken. Het zal zijn rol in de muziekgeschiedenis hebben, en ik geef het vanwege de boeiendere stukken zowaar nog een mild cijfer ook.

I kept listening and listening to this (not on loop) and I was still only on the first song, but it turns out that it is 20 minutes long. The instrumentals are really good, but the vocals are a bit meh. I would say that the overall experience would be a bit mid, but that's okay, that's still better than what some albums offered.

Mostly instrumental and it’s listenable for the most part. When it does ease lyrics in their, the lyrics are interesting, like on The Only Way when it questions how God can exist when He let the holocaust happen. Don’t like the Diddy bop song at the end but the rest of the album is listenable. Solid stuff.

I usually like classic prog rock but several of the tracks were too discordant for my taste. A low 3.

I don’t like the sound of the instruments

1971 is a time where this kind of music can be released with an armored tank-mouse on the cover, and it really sells. Tarkus takes up all of side 1 of the vinyl. It's 71% baffling to have all these markers of what would not be successful today be so evident here. Truly a different time. The aliens are us.

As much as I was amused by the cover, the album wasn't anything special.

It's surely not as neat and interesting as its album cover.

Pinballing effect A shifty sort of prog rock Sprawling to no end

First I have to say that album cover is amazing. An armadillo as a tank? Incredible. Now on to the music. I have listened to a lot of prog rock, and I either find the music to be fantastic or irritating, there is rarely an inbetween. It can be a very varied genre with how different bands approach it. Tarkus, however, is a rare example of an album that takes the middle ground. I disliked the start of the opening track, them it grew on me, then I went back to disliking it. Prog rock has a few influences aside from the obvious rock elements, like jazz. Jazz itself is very mixed for me, so some elements are very annoying as well. Tarkus seems too jazzy at times, which I dislike. The vocals are good, the guitar and other instrumentsl work is good (when not extremely jazzy). I just don't know how to feel about it. At least it went by fast for me, and wasn't boring.

Long form prog rock. Good but long

This was fine, good energy. Idk why the first song was so long though.

Tarkus 3.6 Jeremy Bender 3 Bitches Crystal 3.1 The Only Way (Hymn) 3.3 Infinite Space (Conclusion) 3.2 A Time and a Place 3 Are You Ready, Eddy? 3.1 Score: 3.185714286

I get the appeal, it explores musical corners with Jazz curiosity, but some explorations teach us that what we know is good enough

though i’m usually partial to prog, i found this album to be very middle of the road. not bad, but nothing special

Not bad, but not my style.

I was curious to see what the album would be like. My relationship with ELP has always been somewhat ambivalent. I was enthusiastic about Lucky Man and I can remember standing in front of the album in the record store for a long time as a teenager and thinking about buying it. But then it was too expensive for me and I wasn't convinced. So now I've listened to it. It was good that I saved the money as a teenager. I wouldn't have been able to cope with the album. And even now I find it quite exhausting. There were some nice passages on the album. But all in all, I don't think I'll listen to this album again. 3/5

Strange and interesting.

OK, got its time

I did not enjoy this album, but I appreciate it. At the best of times I don't like jam bands, or the jammy end of prog. This was as jammy as it gets. The 20 minute opener was not my thing, but it had its moments. I enjoyed the goofier second half more. Overall I found them charmingly nerdy in a very British way. They seem like they actually go train spotting and enjoy it. Album cover: Now THAT is a cover. A+++++++++++ This one made me realize I sort albums into two different rating scales. There's the dark side of the moon spectrum, and the number of the beast spectrum. The dark side are great works of art that perfectly fit their respective album. The beast side are just pure rad and goofy and make me say hell yeah. This is at the top of the beast spectrum. I write this in my car having just taken photos of the crowning of SF's new poet laureate. The mayor was there.

Like other progressive rock albums, I enjoy it to an extent but more importantly I respect it. Emerson, Lake & Palmer used a lot of creativity that makes this album sound different from other progressive albums. I didn't find any space or new age-y sounds, which alone made Tarkus different in this time period. I found myself drawn most to the guitar and keyboard throughout the album. "Are You Ready Eddy" had a classic rock and roll vibe, like Chuck Berry with "Roll Over Beethoven." "Bitches Crystal" was fast jazz, and was much faster than any other song here. "The Only Way (Hymn)" had the most scathing lyric I've ever heard ("Can you believe God makes you breathe, why did he lose six million Jews?"), but contrasted with the hymnal vibe and orchestral-like sound, it's even more scathing.

3/5. Clearly, the highlight is the title track. If they just dropped that and walked away, would be awesome. However, they attached 6 just okay songs that make me want to stop before I even get there. I do like Crystal and Time and Place but it really does feel like B-sides. I love prog don't get me wrong but there is just not enough her to make a great album, it's good as long as you only listen to the first song. Best Song: Tarkus, Crystal, A Time And A Place

Okay album.

I remember buying this on vinyl in like 2004 or so for like one or 2 dollars (that era is long gone RIP) I was really interested in prog at the time so I bought up all I could. This album never especially thrilled me. I think it suffers from the "all or nothing" approach some of these bands took when they would make an album with 1 massive song on one side and a few shorter ones on the other. Rush killed it with 2112 but ELP stumbles here. I just don't think the title track is worthy of filling an entire side of a record. It's okay but not amazing. The shorter songs are more enjoyable but not classics.

Is there such a thing as too proggy - this may be it.

6.5/10

Prog Rock... it's okay

Good prog rock album. Not something I'd listen to every day, but has its place.

Inferior version of the Final Fantasy VI soundtrack.

The tunes were varied but actually not bad

this fucking sucks ehhhh its okay

Just so much prog

sadly, not a great Prog Rock album.

That first track was insane, reminded me of 2112 by Rush. The others didn’t hit as much but when you have an album cover like this do you need anything else?

ELP are indeed great instrumentalists, but scarcely are more than that...

Cool album art

3+

Energetic, piano driven, prog rock

I have no idea how to feel about this lmao. Starting off with a 20 minute song is bold, and tbh that song was probably my standout. It had some parts I dug. But it kinda went downhill after and nothing super perked up my ears. 2.5.

more fun than i thought it would be, though i feel like a lot of prog rock it kind of loses the plot sometimes with regards to having actually compelling hooks. i like the title track mostly but side 2 is way more inconsistent, though tbh i like the goofier tracks. like the prog rock equivalent of skits in rap albums hehe.

A decent prog record but the opening is too much. Like a beautiful way to giant breakfast burrito of so many flavors just packed and then you feel overly full after. The other jams are nice though. I do love Yes/King Crimson and this is in the same vein. Bare minimum I respect how good the playing is even the songs don't feel like they have the same level of evocative energy as the previously mentioned groups.

It's pretty good I guess. Reminds me a lot of Yes. Nothing I'd play again but I didn't hate it.

Does the same rhymes

In a late comer to Emerson, Lake & Palmer but did know a few of the tunes. I enjoyed this album but it wouldn't be something I would have on constant replay.

Interesting. A real effort on the lead track, then some of the other songs are good, but overall just an okay album. 3/5 Probably won’t listen again

Tarkus is a very long track that has a lot of moving parts. It was a fun listen. Did not catch all I had wanted to catch. The rest of the album was alright. Standouts: Tarkus and A Time And A Place.

I usually like prog, this one not much

quite boring

I first heard of Emerson, Lake & Palmer in my history of rock and roll class in college, and honestly, I don't think I've heard them mentioned since then. Their song "Karn Evil 9" was covered as an example of art rock in that class, and I had completely forgotten about that song until today. Prog rock can be pretty hit or miss with me, so I'm interested to see where this will land with me. I thought this album was fine. "Tarkus" was interesting, both in the concept of its lyrical concept and in its musical arrangements. I tend to enjoy keyboards and synthesizers, and I thought those elements were fine on this song. The bass playing rounded out the overall sound of the song really well, and there were spots where I thought the drumming was really good too. For a really long song, I was surprised at how interesting I found it. I was never bored, but most of the song just felt really busy for the sake of being busy. The opening and closing segments were my favorite parts of the song, and I really liked their dark tone. The second side of the album was decent as well. “Are You Ready Eddy?” was really fun, and even though I felt like it stuck out like a sore thumb on this album, the jazzy piano playing and faster tempo were really fun. This song also had some really slick bass playing too that helped make this song a fun bop. My favorite song on the album though was “The Only Way.” I loved the hymn-like quality of the organ playing that opened the song, the darker organ tones that took over once the lyrics started, and the light piano playing that closed the song. The evolution of tones throughout the song went really well with the religious themes of the lyrics. It reminded me of how a church service can flow; brighter themes during praise and worship time, an intense sermon, and then a brighter tone during a closing hymn and a call to fulfill the Great Commission. The other songs on this side of the album weren’t really noteworthy to me, but they weren’t necessarily bad, they just weren’t really my jam. Overall, this album was fine, but I can’t see myself returning to it. Still, it was a unique experience to listen to this, and I’m curious to see what E,L &P’s other album on this list will be like.

Tarkus was pretty cool, for a 20 minute track I found it fresh and varied. The rest of the album was less inspiring.

I felt like this was the closest I could come to liking prog (and why some people do). It also proved that I don’t really like prog (but understand those who do).

Well, I am a prog rock fan. It's a strange mish mash, but I love the busyness of the rhythms, meters and instrumentation. That being said, I'm in no hurry to own this album.

ELP!!! classic prog

20 minute song wowee. Not bad.

The music is not my thing, but the cover art is a masterpiece.

Weird af

Unapologetically prog, cool shit.

Wacky & weird but I've grown to appreciate prog rock in my old age - it takes dedicated listening tho, not too great for ambience.

Has it’s moments

I liked it, good production.

I would consider this a "technical" album. But I did not finish it simply because I don't believe in forcing myself to do so. Three stars based upon what I heard. If you are into a stiffer version of Medeski Martin and Wood, this might be your shit.

I really like these guys but this album is just ok. This is my favorite album to spin while I trip and want to listen to organ music…except I don’t trip.

I probably would've liked this album more if I didn't throw all of my bongs away when I moved in with my girlfriend

Not a Prog Rock fan but can appreciate what they were trying to create. The control over their instruments is fantastic and love the keys playing. Probably won’t listen again but glad i’ve heard them.

Holocaust reference was weird for me, especially with the musical goofiness of E, L and P

Another British prog rock band from the '70s. Emerson, Lake & Palmer is perhaps one of the lesser groups compared to their contemporaries. Notably, Emerson leads with his piano skills rather than an electric guitar, with Lake backing him up on bass and occasionally taking on guitar duties. While novel, the bank occasionally goes into hokey territory such as with the opener of side B Jeremy Bender, which repurposes the rag Oh! Susanna for their own nefarious prog purposes. Similar to Iron Butterfly's In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, this album is only here for one side of the LP, and it's the side with the 20-minutre long song. The title track for Tarkus is pretty good! The rest of the album is not. I think the novelty of long prog songs wore off sometime after high school. I still think Thick As A Brick is a masterpiece, but for different reasons. It's unfortunate that a band will feel so driven to make one really good song really long and then fill out the rest with whatever. Side B taints the experience a lot for me, if you couldn't tell. There' only two good songs on side B. God, what an album. Armadillo tank.

This was a surprise in that it was not toe-curlingly awful. In fact pretty listenable to, in that there were tunes and the playing was pretty good. Nothing like the stuff I actually like, and the throwaway rock and roll number at the end is quintessentially inessential. 3 stars.

Rock progresivo. Entre 2 y 3... Venga, ni fu ni fa.

Dead dead and alive, that’s what I’ve learnt

A pretty solid and fun prog album - the opening 20-minute title track is stronger than most of the shorter songs on the second side, especially the rock-n-roll closer that just feels ludicrously out of place

The titular track is a long epic with some cool segments throughout. The songs on the other side are mostly just filler. EL&P can do great songs like "Fanfare for the Common Man" (not on this album). I'm surprised they never did a soundtrack for a movie. They could've been amazing. Anyway, "Tarkus" is an OK album. 3 stars from me.

Three stars simply for the fact that Tarkus inspired the final boss music for Final Fantasy 6

Sometimes a 3, with moments of 4. E L & P should have leaned in more to the potential of those 4's.

Don’t really know about this one. It is for sure interesting, but as with a lot of symphonic/prog rock, I lack an organic spontaneous vibe. Hmm

- this artwork goes hard - that was a journey - very talented and epic

- interesting concept album - cool musicianship

This was dense and not at all what I was expecting. So many different styles. Felt like a cross between yes and Pink Floyd I didn’t love it but I definitely could appreciate it

Rock progresivo. Entre 2 y 3... Venga, ni fu ni fa.

He escuchado este álbum varias veces, y no logro tomarle el gusto, aunque reconozco que puede que tenga valor histórico. Las composiciones me suenan extrañas. Los cambios armónicos, si bien causan sorpresa, están a un grado de provocar grima. Tal vez para la próxima escucha pueda digerirlo mejor.

Real rocker shit

Very '70's sound. I like it. Great use of sythesizers.

I liked the progressive nature of this, but that synthesizer is annoying to me. 3/5

Ahh who doesn't love a 20 minute long prog rock song to open an album. Of course the rest is just meh. As I've said in the numerous other prog rock reviews, the genre isn't for me. It just gets a little too wanky at times and is so boring.

meh

Okay

I feel like I had a transformative experience whilst listening to the lengthy "intro". Sounds familiar despite not being super familiar with this group. I guess because prog rock has a signature, yet strange mix of sounds.

This is what the 70s would sound like compressed into a marble

Inte så pjåkigt faktiskt.

Well OK then. The album cover is as weird as the music, so it's nice when those things line up. This didn't totally work for me, but given how old it is that's not terribly surprising. I'm generally a fan of prog rock, so I appreciate the trail these guys blazed.

It was enjoyable, I just can't think of many times that I would turn to this record when I need some prog.

I heard of them. I did not like the over 20 minute song. The only song I liked was Are you Ready Eddie.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer just aren’t for me. I find most of their music to be so grating. And just when I think maybe I’m actually enjoying them, there’s a song that reminds me why I can’t stand them. However, when comparing them to other albums on this list, I’m more indifferent to them than anything else. I wish I could give half stars because this is a solid 2.5 from me, but I’m rounding up.

I gotta say, Tarkus was a really weird album, another one i can add to the stockpile of weird albums i have done for this project. It felt like every song had something completely different to offer. But that is what makes it pretty good. The songs were all very interesting and used influences from quite a decent bit of genres. It is a weird album but it works pretty decently actually Best Song: Tarkus (i. Eruption / ii. Stones of Years / iii. Iconoclast / iv. Mass / v. Manticore / vi. Battlefield / vii. Aquatarkus) (I'm counting these all as one song because thats how Spotify and YouTube do it as well) Worst Song: Jeremy Bender (Side note: I also like how the armadillo on the cover art kinda looks like a sub-boss from the Mega Man Classic series)

It was interesting to a point but a less good version of King Crimson

Side A of the LP, the "Tarkus" suite, is absolutely fantastic prog. Side B on the other hand is about half okay numbers, half keyboard waffling with awful lyrics and/or questionable content (what the hell is "Jeremy Bender" on about, transsexual nun noncery?). The musicianship is brilliant when it works, and the eponymous track counts for a lot (considering it is more than half the album's runtime) but ELP needed to put more thought into what else was going on this project.

You know what, this is a confounding album with a bit of an identity crisis. Side 1 is what I might expect from a band like ELP - technically well-done and stylistically far-ranging if also bloated and lacking of a fully coherent concept. Not terrible, but not particularly compelling. No qualities to justify the 20 minute runtime, other than they just felt like it. Side 2 is an improvement, sort of? The songs are mercifully brief and very eclectic in sound, but ultimately pretty unremarkable. Considered in view of the work that went into side 1, the back half sounds like a ton of filler. The talent no doubt is here, but the vision is muddled. Fave Songs: Bitches Crystal, Jeremy Bender, Tarkus

1970 Genre: Progressive rock Standouts: Tarkus 3.5

👍🏻

Tough to rate off of one listen. They really can put on a good fast groove when they want to, but a lot of parts were not easy to digest, even as a big fan of prog. The more conventional tracks in the back half were fine, but just not really their strong suit

Grand like. 3/5

Okay

Listening to the title track twice in an hour, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s neat. I’m generally a fiend for prog, so take from that what you will; however the 1st listen left me cold for some reason. The “hymn” was an unexpected, beautiful, surprise as well. 3.5 (likely inspired albums I enjoy more) February 10, 2024

My dad probably likes it, but weird and proggy but some of it is interesting

I like me some prog rock, but this is a bit too hard core for my taste. Nursery Cryme from the same year is much more to my liking.

Enjoyed the whole album more than I thought I would, but still, probably won't listen to it again

I’ve got a soft spot for prog rock/ELP. It’s good background noise for studying and reading. Honestly the only standout track here is the first one, but it’s almost half the the length of the album, so that’s a solid two stars, another star for the best/worst album cover of all time. Legendary.

Such a classic album

3.25

One of my favorite things to do while listening to EL&P is to go find two diametrically-opposed reviews of them and laugh at how polarizing a band can be to the listening public. This album is like a peasant woman dressed up to go to a fancy ball, and when she gets there, the noble ladies ask her, "Who made this astonishing dress?" She admits she did, and they are incredulous. Back at home later that night, she holds he dress up in the moonlight and admires its craftsmanship. "I don't see what's wrong with it," she muses to herself.

I guess this is what prog rock sounds like. Excessive and comical at times, probably (Spinal Tap clearly parodied this sound), but great instrumentation overall. I can see the influence on Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Beatles, and other rock greats - all in an album released in 1971.

(3.5) Pretty decent prog album. I think I prefer Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s self-titled debut, but I enjoy Tarkus. Not sure if I would really consider this a “must-listen” album. I remember I used to listen to the title track a lot in high school. The rest of the songs are kinda forgettable. Bitches Crystal is the only other one I really remember listening to just because of the title. I think out of Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s discography, Brain Salad Surgery or their debut album would’ve made more sense to include, as these were more influential and better represent some of the more experimental progressive rock stuff out there, but Tarkus is solid overall.

Hmm, didn't know what to expect, but not bad.

Complex music, inspirational and surprising but not for me not for every day

It's ok... I liked their first album way more though.

Terse review because I'm on my phone... There's been a good bit of prog on here lately, not that I'm complaining. I will say that this one did not resonate with me in the same way as Crimson, Yes, or Zappa do. Ive not gone into the depths of ELP and only really know them for Karn 9 Evil. This album is structured as with many other prog albums; one long multipart adventure spanning a whole side and a number of supporting "single" length tracks. I had this on in the background while cooking etc and while the instrumentals are solid, I didn't find the whole thing all that compelling and don't plan to go back right away. On pure feel this is like a 3 / 5.

Wild album and wild album cover. Interesting album and I have never heard of these guys. 3.5 stars.

At first sight, it was dreadful. I survived Tarkus and was about to give it 1 or 2 stars. Anyway, gorgeous organ melody of Hymn and some other interesting moments made it worth 3 stars.

A fine prog album with lots of organ.

ok

3.5

That's some really solid prog but that first, 20-minute track leans so heavily on the pipe organ and it's downright abrasive. After you get past "Tarkus" though, Emerson gives the pipes a rest and everything becomes a lot more palatable. Overall, an interesting and engaging prog effort... but not an altogether enjoyable one.

Too much noodling. But some good jams.

2.5

I'm a bit biased as a ELP fan. I feel they released 4 quality albums back to back in the early 70s cementing themselves asprog rock second teir royalty.

Może być. Nie jestem fanem progresywnego rocka. 3/5

Haven’t heard of this, a rock album from 1971. First song is 20 mins long… Pink Floyd-y vibes - quite enjoying. 3/5 so far.

bro track one, those synths that come in around the minute mark. BADASS. Was expecting not to like this first track, so far im into it.

"were you there to watch the earth be scorched?" I listened to this album like a week ago, before I'm doing this review, sorry for any inaccuracies. This album consisted mostly of the first song (20/38 total minutes). It truly felt like an experience that I went through. At best, showed similarities to Pink Floyd, and at worst, embodied all of the worst parts of jazz and rock. Infinite space went on the playlist, idk why. 3/5

Weird proggy vibes. Not bad

not my fave style of prog, but not bad. I liked Jeremy Bender, didn't get the point of the last song at all, undermined the vibe of the whole album to me. 3/5

Prog goes brr. Pretty cool but not my fave

One of their better albums if I'm being honest. Sure, there's still some wankery to be heard on here, particularly in the long passages of triplet rhythms (and other masturbatory "prog" instrumentation elements). I actually hear a lot of King Crimson influence on here, both in the lyrics and instrumentation, which is cool.

Good album. I didn't even know E, L & P had music like this. I thought it was easy listening for some reason.

Those organs though

I've never met the creator of this list, Robert Dimery, but this album is exactly what I expect his taste in music to be. I'm personally not into most prog, and I also hate long songs, but the whole thing was over before I got too irritated.

The extended side A was more fun that I expected. Absolute nonsense of course, but it moved along nicely. Second half probably should be avoided.

Starts off with an amazing 20 minute epic but then the rest of the album is compromised of sub 4 minute songs that domt go anyehere or build off of the first track. Had so much potential but fails to deliver

I like the idea behind this album, it feels cool to have such a synth heavy prog album, pretty much removing any signs of guitars, but all it really does is open my eyes to how much guitars are needed for an album like this. The whole album, even the twenty minute song to an extent, felt like a build up to some amazing pay-off that never really came. Unless you count a weird rock n' roll track at the end as the payoff. Still, I will give it credit for the attempt here, and the church organ on one of the later tracks was the closest the album got me to feel like something here was truly trying to do something that wasn't done before.

Long, seemingly pointless songs. Impressively synchronized playing by all three musicians. Progressive rock at its finest? I guess. Extra points for the armadillo tank.

I like the wackiness, but wouldn't casually listen to this on my own.

As a prog enthusiast myself, I always had some issues with this group. I have no doubts on their respective technical skills but I couldn't listen to their music as an actual work of art but as the product of "technical onanism". With time, I realized that yes, the self-indulgence is strong, but most of all this group is the passion project of three musical nerds who wanted to have fun playing the classics. This is very obvious in their live "Pictures at an exhibition" and in their late album "Brain salad surgery", which I learnt to appreciate. This one, however, hasn't clicked yet. Like BSS, it doesn't feel like a true album but a great suite and some fillers to reach the 40-minute length. While Karn Evil 9 reamins fun, engaging and coherent during its massive run, this title track suite is a bit messy and pompous, although epic. Some bits are fun, but there isn't a true progression of the movements and I reached the end without a real payoff. (I don't like numeric rating, I just give 3 to anyone)

Si me gustara el prog, este disco estaría en alta rotación.

Best Song: Bitches Crystal. That piano is killer on this track. Worst Song: Jeremy Bender. Too harsh a cut from the 20 minute epic that preceded it. Overall: A wild and romping classic rock album. This definitely felt like a distillation of the best, most creative, and most technically competent elements of the era. Doesn't overstay its welcome, and does some impressive stuff while it's there.

This was nice. The 20 minute first track was kind enough to not feel that long and pretty much justified its length. While I didn’t grow tired of it, I didn’t get too much excitement out of it either. There were bits of inspiration scattered throughout the whole record, however, it could have used a more focused execution. 3/5

First song was cool, rest was meh

Never heard of Emerson, Lake & Palmer but this was much better than I expected! Enjoyable listen, 6.5/10.

Indulgent but fun

Never been crazy about this one. Tarkus is prog that follows the defined conventions of prog extremely well, but doesn't do much to go beyond those conventions. That's always been odd to me, as prog is basically defined by experimentation. It's solid, boilerplate 'prog' music that doesn't really push boundaries. Nothing wrong with it, but not much to grab my attention among its contemporaries. Notable Tracks: A Time and Place

This is like Dollar Store King Crimson, and is more similar to the music of Yes with its heavy reliance on synthesizers in place of guitars. I found that it spent more time ambling about than it did actually pushing an idea or a narrative. Even the longest prog rock songs (the good ones at least) always have a defined beginning, middle, and end. This album (and especially Tarkus in particular) feels more unpolished. Almost like they had an idea, got off to a good start, but then couldn't find the finish line. Overall, the album wasn't bad, it just wasn't as cohesive as other prog rock bands of the 70's. Favourite songs: Are You Ready Eddy?, Jeremy Bender Least favourite songs: A Time and a Place 3/5

Tarkus- had this album as a kid. The big tarkus song on side one is cool. I like Keith Emerson’s synths and organ sounds. His intervallic lines are cool. Love that groove with the fourths in 10/8 - so proggy. bitches crystal is cool too. Never liked “ the only way”. Overall it doesn’t quite hold up as I hoped. .

If you like prog rock then you'll like this record. Best experienced with headphones for full effect.

C'est leur gros album. c'est bon mais c'est intense comme prog.. J'ai aimé 3.5

A very fun listen, absolutely crammed with ideas and songs. Never boring, always interesting, if lacking in a bit direction. But then again thats the point isnt it? I also like how after an album of random turns and unexpected sounds, they end with Are You Ready, Eddy, which is one final big surprise on the album. Reminded me of that song Mcauly Caulkins uncle sang in the shower on Home Alone 2. It really doesnt go with the rest of the record, but in a good way. I think. I like this on a whole but I’m not sure if I’ll ever be in the mood to listen to it again. A strong 3.5

2 prog albums in a row..... This is better than the soft machine one we had yesterday, not saying much there though. Seems strange to have one 20 minute song and then "normal" lengthed tracks for the remainder of the album. I actually quite liked bits of this, but I don't like having to wait so long in-between finding them. I thought I was about half way through the album before realising I was still on the opening track. Cool album cover. The last track feels completely out of place, like some crap 50s dance track. It's getting a 3 as I was too generous giving yesterday's album a 2.

Jam rock bands aren't my jam but this is definitely for someone else.

Alright. I accidentally listened twice andvdidnt realize

Eclettico ed elettrico

Respect. Sounds totally ELP. Good background but not for me.

I liked their other record on the list better. A-side 4 stars, B-side 2.5 stars. Solid 3 stars. Favorite song: Tarkus

I like the small handful of ELP songs I've heard before, so I was glad to be able to give this album my first-ever listen. I don't think I'd heard any of the tracks from this record in the past. Overall, it's excellent. At times, the title track feels a little brooding, ponderous, or self-referential -- some of that is probably my subjective processing of the art more than the art, of course, as is often the case, but there are some moments when I was hoping they'd move on. The shorter tracks are varied and interesting, though perhaps a bit disjointed for me. Overall, though, they are such a talented group of musicians, and Carl Palmer and Keith Emerson in particular seem to be in a very rare category.

Everything is performed super well, I just think the schizophrenic nature of the album really weakens it. When they're sticking to ridiculous prog instrumentals, sick. But they frequently jump around to... classic rock n' roll, and hymns? It's weird. I enjoyed it, but it's weird. Favorite tracks: "Tarkus", "Infinite Space"

Pretty good

I respect the hustle and versatility, but it's not anything you would here from these artists in their own previous groups. And I don't think it's a particularly good thing.

Fun

The big opus piece up front kind of displays what is for me the worse side of prog rock: flexing on intricacy, difficulty and speed, but what it accomplishes musically I find dubious. Didn't do much for me anyway. Some gems in the back half however.

Enjoyed the longer prog jams on this one, felt somewhat fresh relative to all the other Rush-era prog LPs I've heard given a different, more rock-oriented perspective. The closing tracks feel a little out of place (tacked on if I had to guess) and make the album more of a mixed bag, but it's still an enjoyable ride overall

3.5/5. I hate it when tank machine armadillos start waging solo warfare.

Vrij experimenteel. wat jazzy met synths en gitaren. niet zo onmiddellijk mijn ding, maar wel oké

I listened to the Jordan Rudess cover of Tarkus and it really helped. Back to the original album again and after a few listens I eventually liked Tarkus and Bitches Crystal.

3,5

One of the more pretentious albums on this list.

Armadillo is 5/5, album is 2.5/5

In general I like what they're doing here. The program matches the lofty comments they are making about the futility of war. I could do without the couple goofier, more straight-ahead tracks (especially "Are You Ready Eddie?") because, although short, they take away from the concept and the mood that they spend so much time setting up in the first track.

When I listen to this the first thing that comes to mind is how crazy it would be to see it performed live. Then it hits the fourth track "The Only Way" and it loses its momentum and never recovers. Sick album cover though.

Impressive but with most prog, I find it just exhausting and unrelatable.

Ultimate dad rock

On the one hand I like Prog rock and this album cover is so awesome. On the other hand sometimes ELP goes too hard and I need them to slow down.

'Tarkus' el tema és un bon exemple del millor rock progressiu en la seva millor época. Infinit, canviant, inventiu, melòdic... La segona cara del disc, sis temes curts, mostren la cara més accessible de la banda. En resum, aquest és probablement el seu millor treball

classic 70s prog, i dont really like that genre this much, but this was album was more enjoyable than I anticipated. Still 3 stars, just not really my style

tracks : tarkus [2] jeremy bender [3] bitches crystal [3.5] the only way (hymn) [3] infinite space (conclusion) [3] a time and a place [3.5] are you ready eddy? [2.5] RATING : 3

Emerson, Lake & Palmer auront au moins eu la présence d'esprit de ne pas allonger de trop leur cacophonie.

Not bad but I had higher hopes for this album based on track one and the album art. “Are You Ready Eddy” was a wack finale

The first song was absolutely wild! The last song was incredibly confusing (but I liked it?). Overall solid, but not the best prog rock we have had (that belongs to Rush)

Cool prog rock! That was probably mindblowing back in 71. Don't see myself putting it on again.

Add some cannabis smoke to this fog of prog and get lost in its seas of keys and harmonies.

Identifiable ELP sound but alright so 3*

good ol' classic prog rock that was fine to listen to on a long drive but don't anticipate listening to again. 3/5.

Really had to think about this one. Not really one for progressive rock so maybe a third of this album was not for me. But it was well produced and sounds like a bunch of dudes jammin