Tarkus

Enjoyed after a relisten. Ozric Tentacles definitely liked this. Oh apart from the last track. Dire

I’m usually a sucker for prog rock albums but this is a bit beyond me.

всё ещё не самый странный прогрок что я слышала, но скучно, не оценила

OK, nice, but not nice enough to warrant re-listening. 3/5

Interesting

I've been a fan of their album Brain Salad Surgery for over 15 years. This is the first time I've heard this one. It's not bad. My favorite is the keyboard parts. However, I have found the overall style of their sound on this album to be a little tiring.

prog rock vibes but then it got a little bit lost there

Aika hauska, siedettävän pitunen moiseksi kikkailuksi, joten toimi

First, prog rock is not my thing. Having said that the opening 20+ minute composition - Tarikus- was excellent. However, the rest was inconsistent. You just don’t put the closing track - are you ready, Eddy? - on the same record as the opening track.

kinda nice

étonnant

I wasn’t looking forward to the 20-minute title track, but it was better than I was expecting. Palmer’s drumming is the standout and the fast time signatures give it a car-chase feel. Emerson’s playing is brilliant but the over-reliance on organ is a bit grating to my ears. The addition of Greg Lake’s guitar in the second half makes for a more expansive sound. Side two, has a few nuggets like “Bitches Crystal” and “Infinite Space” but the inclusion of rag-time piano, old-time rock n’ roll & gag-tunes is in sharp contrast to side one and even some of the songs on side 2. I read Emerson & Palmer were bickering about side 1 and maybe this is what the compromise led to? For a more consistent and fuller sound, as well as a few epic tracks including “Take a Pebble”, I prefer their self-entitled LP released the prior year.

ELP's brand of prog is often accused of being pretentious, bombastic and overblown and I can't argue with that. However, the 20 min title song Tarkus is in my humble opinion one of their best songs, right up there with Lucky Man. It's unfortunate that they couldn't maintain this level of excellence for the next 18 minutes because the quality falls off a cliff starting with Jeremy Bender and ends with a rock n' roll number where they try to channel Jerry Lee Louis in Are you ready Eddy. I'm still shaking my head at that last number.

Still the best album about an armadillo-tank hybrid waging war…and is it just me or is ‘Jeremy Bender’ about fist fucking nuns?

prog!

Eh

Usual fun from ELP, breezes along in it's noodly way. Finishes on a surprisingly straight-up rock and roll number which was great fun. Leave on a high and leave 'em wanting more.

Although I greatly enjoy progressive rock as a style in general, I found this album very disappointing. It's a perfect example of one of the golden rules skilled musicians need to keep in mind: that music is played well from a technical point of view does not mean that it sounds good. Where most prog bands opted for multi-layered or even many-layered songs or alternatively for a wall of sound approach, ELM had a pretty minimalistic approach to prog rock. And well, it just doesn't sound good. And without any particularly good or catchy songwriting to back it up, technical prowess only gets you so far. Especially when vision and ambition are sort of limited in scope as well. Of course, the album never sounds "horrible" and there are a bunch of good solos and other nice parts. But as a whole, Tarkus seems like a one-and-done.

This is crazy Weirdly enough, the 20 minute titletrack is the worst part of this album.

Some sexy guitar in the first track that I loved. Otherwise it’s decent.

Solid album. The focus is on instrumental parts. Keyboards and organs play a large role on the album. Long compositions that keep surprising. Time and a Place is a nice track with vocals.

Liked it more than I thought I would.

Rock psicodélico, con sintetizadores, muy instrumental y con pianos entremezclados

OK, I was surprised how much of the album has influenced other bands (hello, Primus and yesterday's album by Muse). As with most proggy stuff it is evident that EML can play well. Playing your instruments well is not always enough and this album dragged on dur to the jammy indulgence.

oo would appear ambient or otherwise nonverbal, maybe. But then the intense music kicked in and i was meh 3 stars but I kinda wish it was more.

Love the title track... 2nd half of the album is forgettable though... shame

Surprisingly enjoyable

Second half sounds unfocused and unfinished, and the opening suite is not strong enough to pull this into 4+-star territory. Cool armadillo tank tho.

It definetly has its moments but it fluctuates a bit much.

Prog rock af

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

This was alright. Pretty noodly and goofy sounding sometimes, but definitely some cool bits. Might come back to this if I'm in the mood.

Good highs but also pretty bad lows, still a fun listen and I will visit this one back every now and then.

Many hours as a freshman spent listening to this in my college dorm room. Oh what a lucky man, I was.

Eh idk. Mixed feelings

This was pretty dope

OK, another band from my "ought to listen one day" list (along with most other Prog Rock bands), so this list is working to that extent! First reaction: Side One seems a bit bombastic and overwrought - earning the reputation that cynics give to this genre - with occasional passages of genuine interest to me. [Side note: Is it fair to expect better lyrics from intelligent and gifted musicians (as anyone who can compose and play such complex music must be) than from their heavy metal contemporaries like Black Sabbath? I'd have thought so.] Side Two's shorter songs were more engaging to me.

I owned the original vinyl of this back in the day. I was a fan of Emerson’s previous band, The Nice. I was always a sucker for any band that did strange cover versions & they certainly did quite a few - wacky covers of Dylan, Bernstein, Brubeck, Tim Hardin, etc. so when Emerson broke up the band & formed ELP, I went along for the ride. I don’t remember ever hearing the term Prog Rock at the time. I hadn’t heard this for decades. I decide to listen to it on my phone while I went for a walk. As it turned out, The weather was overcast, windy & rainy & this seemed the perfect setting for the frenetic Side One. Side Two’s more straight-forward songs are less compelling, especially where vocals are involved. But, overall, It was an interesting listen.

Vaya racha de flipaeras. Ayer el Hot Rats de Frank Zappa y hoy este de Emerson, Lake & Palmer. La versión original son 7 canciones y unos 38 minutos. En el vinilo en la cara A había una sola canción de más de 20 minutos y 7 partes seguidas y en la cara B incluye 6 temas cortos. A pesar de lo particular se me hizo bastante más interesante que el de Zappa.

I was very very young at this time.... :-)

Not aged well - at all. Tarkus - the track is the best by dar.

Beautiful music but a little too much randomness? For me. I like the lyrics and theme though

Eh this was alright - very early 70s rock sounding. 7/10.

Liked it better the last ELP I listened to. Seemed more focused.

Rock progresivo

good prog, but not my favorite

I didn't really like it all that much, honestly.

Enjoyable but long AF

I wanted to like this more than I did. Lots of good things going on but there were also some overly clever/complicated parts that brought the whole thing down for me. I ended up listening to it twice and the second go brought the score up by about a star.

Hearing this for the first time in 2022, makes me wonder what it must have been like to drop the needle on the album back in ‘71. I think somewhere in the 50 years that have past since its release it has lost something. I have heard of the album before and am definitely familiar with ELP, but I have never actually listened to it. Talent-wise, the band gets a solid 5/5. Knowable songs: 1/5, and like-able songs… maybe a 2/5. Favorite track: A Time and a Place. Least favorite: Are you Ready Eddy.

Solid

What an enjoyable listen, I knew of their song Lucky man but had never given them a listen. I feel like we should be playing D &D and slaying dragons.... +1 intellect and +1 Stamina for listening to the whole thing.

Not bad. A little weird at times but good instrumentation. I was familiar with their music but never heard this record.

Vage muziek, klinkt in eerste instantie erg rommelig, maar het heeft wel wat! Veel gekke overgangen, verschillende melodielijnen door elkaar en verschillende instrumenten en stijlen door elkaar. ***

Very long opener, album as a whole very prog. Not great, but can appreciate the skill involved in making it

3.5...I am just not a fan of the Prog Rock.

For me, I have to be in the proper mood to listen to a lot of Prog, that being said, ELP are one of the best in the genre, so I was optimistic to listen this record. The playing is top notch and you're not gonna hear any chart topping singles, but it's a little self-indigent at times and I sometimes don't have patience for really long songs. Overall, it was enjoyable, though they have better albums. The cover art is cool!

What to make of this? Ambitious, pompous at times, energetic, self indulgent, frequently enjoyable and frequently ignorable. There’s something undeniably absorbing about the music but maybe something a little off putting about the concepts and the lyrics. May require further listening to appreciate.

Must say I love that album art… Well you can tell it’s prog by just looking ay the length of song one ( tarkus) it’s 20 minutes long. Probably alongside djed by tortoise as the longest song on the generator. I probably wouldn’t go back to it due to its sheer length but Unlike djed this is actually quite cool seamlessly going through different sections, and at least this one has lyrics! Then is Jeremy bender, one of the shortest songs on the generator. It’s okay it’s got some nice piano work but the handclaps feel out of place. Bitches crystal is okay it has it’s moments just really forgettable. Then is the only way ( hymn) it’s cool and works well on the album theres something not quite great about it though and I can’t put my finger on it. Now for an instrumental track infinite space ( conclusion) it’s alright just nothing special. The penultimate track a time and a place is the album’s heaviest moment so nice and dramatic. The album ends on are you ready eddy just an okay little pop rock song to be honest. The album’s alright, I’am not a fan of the sequencing at the end but it’s still a fine work.

Interesting instrumentals. Not bad, but not great.

ELPs TARKUS delivers exactly what it is, an edgy prog-rock album. This list is turning me into a prog-rock fan and while this isn't my fave of what I've been hearing, it was a good listen. 3.5/5.

Prefer Brain Salad Surgey

Prog

This album should be 5 stars based on art work alone

Feel like an interplanetary camel stuck in the desert with two keyboards and one synthesizer

I liked this better than I thought I would

progrock

I like prog rock because you never really know what you're going to get, and that was certainly the case with Tarkus. Unfortunately, things were a bit too all over the place and nothing really clicked for me. Some solid sounds, but for me the finish wasn't there.

Weiß nicht so recht was ich hiervon halten soll. Erst 20 Minuten Prog Rock gedudel, dann ein Sammelsurium an verschiedenen Stilen. Das musikalische Können muss man aber honorieren, daher 3.

My wife made me a cake once, she threw all the ingredients into a bowl, mixed and tossed it into oven. 30 mins later we had some bits of really good cake, but most was just a raw flour and egg mess.

This kind of kicked ass!

I suspect the album will not be quite as badass as the album art. Oh yay a 20 minute suite of songs. I mean, I'm ok with prog rock. I like Lucky Man. I saw Yes in concert as a teenager. But there's a line and this is over it. Not offensive just a bit too much. Maybe I would have liked it back in the day, but that day was before my day.

Some solid prog rock.

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Tarkus

I don't care much for 20 minute songs but that's more of a side effect of modern listening habits. Overall I enjoyed it, but not crazy about it

I've always been a little fearful of prog rock, but this is good. For a start, there's one point for the cover art, featuring an armadillo tank. Maybe it's the restraint required by the LP format - two sides of no more than around 23 minutes per side, so no time for an epic fantasy excursion. I think I preferred side one, the proggy masterwork, rather than the individual songs of side two. But all up, the album works as a whole, with a pleasant jazzy afternoon vibe among the ambitious prog.

I've heard the title track many times in high school but never realized it until now. Twisty strange prog rock that's somehow easy to listen to, even with nonstandard instrumentation and genre-bending riffs. taking off the nostalgia glasses I can't justify giving this beyond 3/5, but I'll be revisiting this title track for sure

Fascinating use of the Moog Synthesizer

A rough beginning, but the rest of the album has some great stuff. And of course the album art.

This was a nice experience. A progressive rock that really looks progressive and sounds erudite. I liked it, but I didn't love it. Good point for not be a long album. 40/50 min for an album in this style is more than enough for me (especially for progressive music where the albums are frequently too much long).

Certainly fun, but not something that I would turn to in a heartbeat (which, I think is where my "5" rating is coming from)

Reminded me of a poem I once read about Michael Schumacher riding an ostrich into the sun.

Interesting, but could have done with a bit more vocals and guitars

trippy bro

Decent prog rock. The title track is an epic kaiju between Tarkus and other monsters. The other tracks felt like incomplete ideas. There were some highlights, like the first minute of "A Time and a Place", but its maturation is a bit underwhelming.

Ehh. not the worst thing I've ever listened to. Can't imagine really wanting to revisit it though

OK to zone out too. A bit too wandering for for my taste.

Too indulgent

Psychedellic vibe. I enjoyed it, but I think I didn't pay enough attention to the music and the meaning.

nah

Different, but actually good! Was expecting this to be old fashioned.

No conozco la historia detrás de esto y me dio hueva leer la compleja explicación de Wikipedia de lo que en ese momento se llamaba rock progresivo, estoy algo confundido con los cambios de trascendental awestern a vampirico caricaturizado a rock and roll, pero, pues interesante. La primera canción, give me that trippy-ass shit all day: larguísima y llena de altibajos cósmicos que actualmente parecen ser el pan de cada día del post-rock y del metal progresivo. La mayoría del resto de las canciones me parece que tienen la vibra de un videojuego clásico de 8 bit del viejo oeste y el track "The only way" como una versión inocentona del soundtrack del Castlevania. lol. Chido pero creo que no regresaría a este disco.

No lo escuczzzzzzzzzzz

Creo que mi acercamiento con el prougreesivoo ha sido escaso. Fue una linda experiencia escuchar toda la amalgama de sonidos y ritmos, sin embargo lo dejaría para moods muy específicos. Las dos últimas me gustaron especialmente, sobre todo "A Time and a Place". 6.5/10

Pretty cool. I liked some of the themes going through the album. Low end was masterful. Enjoyed it, just not my favourite. Came off a bit pretentious at times but that's prog rock for you. Would have ranked 3.5 if possible.

Cool prog stuff

Prog rock ain't my thing.

20 min long song was a bit overwhelming

Another concept-y album. First song is 20 min long

asså ganska bra ändå. jag gillade det

Prog rock. Not as enjoyable as prog metal but I’ll take it.

The centerpiece of this album is a 20-minute prog rock anthem/suite about an armadillo fighting a manticore. Civilization might have been a mistake. Best track: The Only Way (Hymn)

An album with a lot of great, big instruments, which really gives you that gigantic epic, marching-type prog-rock. Maybe a bit to much at times, but some parts I really liked

Fun

This sounded a bit calculated, which makes sense for prog rock. I think I liked it?

Ridiculous and not always in a flattering way. The Bach inclusions are good, and suggest an orientation to composed music which is too rare in popular music. However, as always, I wish that more prog bands would take that inclination further. The opening suite relies on the mythology and packaging around it, I think; In isolation it's rather quotidian. That said, at least it's a 20-minute suite. The B-side opens poorly, with a very silly song, but I felt myself warming to it over time. The ending number was quite endearing, a simple last laugh.

eh just run of the mill 70s prog rock, i've heard worse but also way better. probably wouldn't listen again but that's just cause i don't care enough about this stuff, altho I would be tempted to add the 20min song to any prog playlist etc.

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

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.

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.

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

The opening song on this annoyed me so much

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.

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.

Even for prog rock, this shit is weird

⭐⭐- 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

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

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

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

Pointless.

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

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

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.

Cool album cover

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

Prog Rock 🫠

album cover rules

r we hearing these lyrics what

So this is why prog has the reputation it does

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.

I’m starting to think 1001 albums is too many

< the Beatles

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

nope

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

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.

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.

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.

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…

Mooooom Can I PLEASE take the Tarkus to town?? I ate all my human chow!! What do you mean I have to feed the Tarkus if I want to take him?? He loves the road, it's all the food he needs. I know he sort of shoots that weird slime from his snubnose Armadillo face when he's hungry but it's not THAT poisonous. Oh that was one time, the case is closed. Well we're in recess. Ok, I won't say armadillo again, jeez, sorry, Tarkus. Great, now he's powered down. I should've bought a less sensitive animal based war machine. Maybe that new Borgus with the hippo head and body of a B-52 bomber would take me into town to pick up my small order of ferrets who juggle. 2.5 HIGHLIGHTS: look at them go! They're juggling.

having a song titled Bitches Crystal is pretty funny, but everything else here was wayyy out of my enjoyment. Tarkus is 20 minutes of noise, and dont get me wrong, I love this era of experimental rock, especially when they come up with something pretty special. I guess Prog rock is just not my thing, its a little too on the weird side for me. I guess I wish it were a little more coherent across the whole listen, also the length doesnt do it any favors.

1.5

This album definitely happened. I liked the first track, but then the album drifted off into just being noise in the background. I don’t even remember when the album actually ended, just noticed at some point it was quiet. 2.25 / 5

Har svårt för väldigt progressiv rock, det här var inte heller min grej. Några bra låtar och partier men på det stora hela ganska osammanhängande och ointressant. 2:a.

la portada ta wapa, lo de dentro ya tal

I only partially enjoyed the second half of the album. Favorite track : The only Way

The worst of pro rock.

- Did not enjoy the opening minutes-long cold, dated synth jazz intro on a 20-min song... but it got better at the fake xylophone section and when the warmer vocals came in. - I'm still on "Tarkus" as I write this - There are some interesting instrumentals from clearly talented musicians, but they feel more manic and jazzy than I like. They kind of melt into more accessible moments, but the experimental moments of grate on me because they sound fun for the musicians, but less for me listening, and I don't feel like they fit the rest of the song. Please, let it end, already - it's just noodling without an enjoyable direction. - I'm on the shorter songs now, and I only really like the singer's voice. The keyboards are just so in your face - it's too much. We get it, Emerson, you like to fuck around on the keys. - The lyrics are similarly uninspiring. - I can definitely see why so many people describe this as pretentious.

This did not age well

The Little Richard-style Are You Ready Eddy? is such a balm after all the prog rock wankery, but it's very out of place.

When you listen to ELP you realize how poppy and catchy Steely Dan actually is. Look, I’m not sure who the first track is for? Honestly. The only reason this gets a two and not a one is “are you ready eddy!”

picks: tarkus, bitches crystal

Prof Rick that was probably interesting in its day but isn’t so now

For a “super group”, there was definitely nothing super about this. Just below average 1970’s rock with way too much keyboard

Really far out there, would definitely appreciate it more under the influence of psychedelics. 2.5 rounded due to lack of accessibility and because I like their other stuff more.

Jamais écouté avant. Du prog à claviers probablement révolutionnaire en son temps, mais qui a terriblement mal vieilli. Reste la virtuosité, l'audace et une pochette aussi laide qu'iconique. Top : Tarkus Flop : Jeremy Bender

dorkus

I always thought I loved prog rock. Then I embarked on this listening challenge.

After seeing the cover art, I expected something much more exciting. Instead, this ended up being a pretty boring listen overall. It never really lives up to the wild promise of that artwork, and the whole experience feels more tedious than engaging.

I don’t like it Busy music

Never heard of album or band. Not sure what to expect. First song is jazz done by a white guy. Rock instruments just thrown together. Doesn’t work quite as well as normal jazz but not horrible. Very experimental. Guitar riff at 7:50 is really good. Wish there was more of that. I can’t believe how long it is. 13 mins rocks. This is the best part so far. Final four minutes is fine. I’m realizing it’s super ate songs all in one 18 min song. Not a fan of Jeremy bender. Too goofy. Bitches crystal is definitely better, but I think just a little too much going on. Well written, too may instruments in the background. Sometimes less is more. This album is not less. The only way feels dark and scary. Lyrics are crazy. What an interesting addition. Infinite space is pretty good. I like the piano. Much simpler as a whole which I was looking for. A time and a place is really cool. A lot going on but works better in this one. Are you ready eddy is very 60s. Not a fan. Very different from the rest of the album. I hate that this is the last song. Bad after taste. Cool album cover has to be mentioned. Fine album. 2.4 stars.

Music for people who wear capes unironically

English prog rock just never does it for me no matter how many times I have to listen to it.

Too much keyboard noodling for my taste.

I dislike this in the same way that I dislike Van Halen’s guitar wankery, but instead of someone flexing on guitar and playing as many guitar notes as possible, it’s a bunch of guys flexing weird time signatures and playing as many synth and organ notes as possible. Somewhat bizarre complaint from me as I usually love artists experimenting and exploring weird time signatures, but there’s just so much going on in each of these songs that it takes me out of it. I think this comes down to the Jeff Goldblum quote from Jurassic Park, “[they] were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.”

2.4 To paraphrase Spinal Tap. There is a fine line between prog and wanking. Cool cover though

I'd already had the 'pleasure' of listening to their other album on this list in November 2024. THat was pretty bad, and this was more of the same. There are some enjoyable parts, but in the most part it is the musical equivalent of watching someone have a wank, and (trust me) that is never pleasurable.

Their second album. Prog Rock. Some Prog albums on this list have genuinely surprised me and I've enjoyed them. This one not so much. Yes they can play overly complex music but none of these tracks feel like songs. This album makes me feel like a passive consumer of the music when I'd rather be an active participant, i.e. Punk.

Not a fan...can't see the cultural significance or the appeal. Also WHY do they need multiple albums on the list?

zasnęłam

Wow that first track is WILD. It will probably turn like 90% of people off cause it’s so wacky and all over the place and i wish i could say it did the opposite to me but the truth is it was alittle of both. The first track is such an insane rollercoaster that I don’t even remember if I liked the other tracks on the album cause they totally get lost in the shadow of TARKUS. Seriously it had moments where it was winning me over and it had LOTS of moments that really put me off to the whole thing. Honestly I can’t hate this album cause this is a great example of you have to walk in order to run, and this feels like psychedelic rock walking/crawling so that one day King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard could RUN! But yah this is a stepping stone that’s meant to be passed over for sure.

I wasn’t that keen on this one

Nyt oli melkosta settiä eikä välttämättä sillä hyvällä tavalla. Mukana on joitain ihan kivan kuulosia juttuja mut muuten menee melkoseks sekameteliks

Bitje orgel op nen zondagmorgen is wel toepasselijk...

The first track is horrendous, and made me think I was listening to the Mario Kart Soundtrack. This is what I imagine my old uncle loving, "this is the real shit dude" and it's not a compliment. It is dated and lazy.

The first song is really pretentious and over the top. The rest is a little better. Never been into ELP and this one confirms that.

🎶Why did he lose SIX MILLION JEWWWWSSSSS🎶 Yes that's a real lyric. Should tell you everything you need to know about the album.

# Album Name: Tarkus # Artist: Emerson, Lake & Palmer # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: Didnt enjoy this at all. Typical progressive crap. Not the worst thing ive heard on this list though. Certainly wouldnt come back to it. # Top Tunes: None # Would I listen to it again? No

Well that was a bit of a carnival fever dream, a bit all over the place. 2/5

I’m partial to a bit of prog now and again, providing I’m in the right mood for it. However, this album falls into the category of having far too many notes for my taste, with the opening section of the 20 minute title track being a dizzying jazz freak out that’s all over the place. Apparently the keyboardist Keith Emerson wanted to write a piece in 5/4 time which just sounds like being clever for the sake of it, and it was so divisive that it nearly split the band. It does calm down a little after the start, but there are other problems with this album. The general rule is that you shouldn’t judge something by its cover, but in this case it tells you a lot. The illustration of an armadillo crossed with a World War I style tank is exactly the sort of thing a teenage boy would doodle in the back of his physics textbook, and unfortunately the lyrics don’t rise much above this sort of adolescent level. Indeed, the track ‘The Only Way’ on side 2 features a line so egregiously awful that I almost switched the album off at that point. Your mileage may vary.

A 20 minute epic of keyboard prog rock describing the volcanic birth of a tank-armadillo hybrid and subsequent life, battles, death, and water rebirth as Aquatarkus, opens the record. The composition sounds like a blur between a college drum line and the bumper music from The Price Is Right (prog, dude) The unpegged time signatures and shifting between the left and right channels makes the listener feel off balance. The track contains all the sounds and the messaging can’t help but seem ripped from This Is Spinal Tap. This is big, over-the-top sound. There’s also a side B full of questionable lyrics and messaging, but it’s… fine.

I've never appreciated this album.

WOOOOOOF

electronic; not for me, but not a total assault on my ears--2 stars?

4/10

The more I listen to prog, the less I like it. Some of the songs made me physically revolt. I had to stop listening to the title track 15 minutes in because it was painful to listen to. Some of the shorter songs were ok.

Not my thinh

Got this as a blind buy in the early 90’s back when we didn’t have the opportunity of a first listen sample. Keith Emerson needs to settle down with his classical keyboard antics. Tend to enjoy the songs written by Greg Lake.

I do like my prog. But there must a limit. This is the extreme end of the spectrum. While their technical prowess and complex compositions are undeniable, I missed a bit of heart and some rawness to match some of the lyrics. It's better when progressive rock does not sound like robots masturbating in sync. Except the last song 'Are you ready Eddy?'. They sound free and like they were actually having fun. Ah well...

2.5 als ich gesehen habe, dass der erste song 21 minuten lang war, wollte ich erst nur den rest anhören. ich habe dann trotzdem das ganze Album angehört und der erste song war tatsächlich der beste. manche von den songs waren auch echt anstrengend, von daher kein wirklich gutes album

I don't understand prog rock, I think it's official. 4/10

it’s here. for no great reason.

This would be great if I was on drugs

Based on the cover of your album for January 1st, 2026, what type of year is 2026 going to be for you? Exciting The music - not as much. Prog jams are better left unrecorded imo

Annoyed me

The cover art was my favorite element. I usually find their songs pretty pleasant but feel like they wander aimlessly. The progressions in these songs are always lost on me. Rating: 2.0

Absolute gratuitous prog rock wankery, as is ELP's wont... A near 21 minute "Tarkus" movement is the introduction to this album and it's just so goddamn long, the rest is serviceable for a knees up, though.

Forgettable

Not for me

Really didn't enjoy this. The pretentious is real.

The musical equivalent to having one of those hibachi chef's make you a bad-tasting steak; sure, it was quite the show, I ooh'd and ahh'd a few times. But I didn't enjoy the taste of the beef, I won't care to remember it long from now. A 20 minute opener is cool in concept but when the synths/keys get super shrill at minute 18 and there isn't a ton of melodic themes to latch onto then it kinda just whirls right by. Just make them separate songs instead of one big song with 7 mini songs in it. The concept can still remain all the same. For things to go from that hectic opening song to something as twee as "Jeremy Bender", then back to some frenetic but impressive instrumental work on "Bitches Crystal" is a lot for me. I don't need albums to be super cohesive, but this all too much. Then a whole bunch of proggy craziness only to be ended with a rockabilly cut? I'm tired. I take issue with one of the more popular positive reviews this album got. It says "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." I disagree with this wholeheartedly. I simply don't care to listen to something that's being overtly intentional about hitting me with yet another new motif or time signature every passing minute. There is SO much to marvel at on the technical side of this project, that it glazes over conveying a sense of humanity in my opinion. I wish to hear more songs with heart and soul, not songs of the brain and fingers. Strong 2/5

This one didn’t hit for me. Listened a couple times through and forgot it was on each time.

don't remember it, so giving two

..

Is this what you call prog rock? Ew. But also some of it is fucking sick? Def some jazz influences in there that was cool. This kept me in the edge of being fucking irritated for having to listen to it. But then some little like relief or something cool would come in and I’d be like okaaay I guess it’s not that bad. But overall I didn’t care for it. Idk if I even finished the album tbh. 2.7

One of the songs on this album caught my ear because it sounded like something I'd heard before (i.e. someone sampled this group) 2

For me, ELP has not aged well. And this was never my fave ELP album.

Just as the jazz genre can take it too far, so can rock.

First time knowingly hearing EL&P and was looking forward to it under the impression they were progressive rock icons. While portions of the album were interesting I tired quickly of the organ. I was out in the car with Lisa this day - maybe another day, in a better mood, with focused listening I would have enjoyed it more. But not today. 2/5

Mostly skipped. I think the Hymn was all I was interested in.

Very random.

Many cool sounds and experimental pieces in the mix of this album. Not really my taste but had a good listen.

I didn't know this band. Not a bad sound. Overall a fair album.

It's like Pink Floyd, but way less interesting.

Made as much sense as an Armidillo tank. Wank

Probably a seminal prog rock album or something. It sounds like professional musicians up to their eyeballs in cocaine, but that's just speculation.

This is dumb

Though I liked a few songs on Brain Salad Surgery, this album is more like Yes, and less like ELP (though BSS may have Palmer). This grew tiresome.

Could only be 70s

Cool and experimental, but I was not feeling it - a little too weird maybe

Dreadful tosh

No me disgustó del todo.

I mean, I can't say I hated it. Although if this isn't your wheelhouse, a 20-minute never-ending electronic saga of sound to start the album could feel a bit overbearing. The start of Side B with Jeremy Bender was slightly refreshing. A fun little number about a man finally deciding to become a nun (?). Bitches Crystal was also a cool song with an awesome title. I know ELP has some legendary songs and albums but not sure if this is one of those for me. But overall, it was a fun one-time listen (with Jeremy Bender earning its way into my personal music library).

The musicianship is a 5/5. But as someone who doesn’t play a single instrument, I have a hard time truly appreciating each member’s proficiency and skill. In most cases, if you ask me, what makes prog rock appealing is how incredibly talented the bands usually are and how they like show it off; it’s music for musicians. Tarkus from ELP is prog rock at its finest, I can acknowledge that. But I guess most of it is just one of those finer things in life that I can’t seem to get in rhythm with. For the record, I still enjoy lots of prog rock (The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway better be on this list), but I often feel a lot of this scene was too full of itself and too difficult to digest for the average dumb guy like me.

Best Tracks: Tarkus (ii. Stones of Years, vii. Aquatarkus), Jeremy Bender insanely funny to emphatically rhyme "lose" with "six million Jews" in a line about God allowing the Holocaust and then roll into a fucking insane keyboard solo. that one's off a b-side track (the only way - a hymn) but that and the armourdillo are what I'm walking away from remembering. Title track is an occasionally interesting seven-part song but the verb "plunking" came up too many times while I was thinking about it - i.e. "he's really plunking on the keys here." Not a good sign. Jeremy Bender is a really good after-dinner mint though.

I’ve seen a lot of people say Tarkus (the song) is one of the greatest prog songs ever but I honestly did not feel anything while listening to it. I’m not saying it’s bad at all but it just doesn’t make me feel anything really. The rest of the songs are fine. Nothing much to say about them though. Favourite song: Bitches Crystal

A lot of times this just felt like noise. Maybe too progressive and not enough rock for my taste.

why is the first song 20 minutes long. 4/10

okayish.

It’s never a good sign when the first track is 20mins long! The trouble with progressive rock is that it purs too much emphasis on novelty rather than listenability, so PR albums inevitably become like this one; small islands of good music interspersed amongst a sea of bad music that used to be at least interestingly bad before the novelty wore off.

I don't really think this is for me. I didn't hate it, but I wasn't overly thrilled by it. Better than their other efforts The cover art for the album is probably the best part .

The first self-indulgent half? "No sir, I don't like it." The second half? Meh, it's fine. The last track sounds like a Beatles knockoff.

On taas hyvin erikoista ⭐️⭐️

Proge on kiva juttu mut piipittelyproge ei oikeen uppoa.

Better then the last one we had...but now I wish I had given the other a 1.

Of its time. Not great enough.

Love the cover. I'm not a ELP or Prog fan but I see the listener counts and have to give it respect. It's really just rock jazz with solo's, rambling, meet in the middle, piano noodling, everyone goes separate ways, then rock hard, then go downtempo, then crash together at the end. The vocals seem forced across every track. This may be one of the great Prog albums of all time, I have no idea, but it doesn't float my boat. I know a few ELP songs from the radio, none of which are on this album. I found this utterly boring and bordering on annoying. 2 stars as I'm sure they're badass musicians and I can see people appreciate this album. Just not my jam, on any level.

One of the great realizations I have come to over the last couple months is that the experimental prog stuff is just not my cup of tea. Some alright bits in here though, and I do love the album cover. Just too much nonsense. Best Track: A Time and a Place

Not for me.

I just don't like them.

Just like the other Emmerson, Lake And Palmer album in this list, this comes across to me as a soulless project that only shows how fast and great they can play and feels devoid of any interesting ideas. Having said that, I don't think it is despicable and there are even very few interesting moments. Still very boring though.

Interesting, but not great.

Nja, musiker-musik, kanske. Lite för svårt för mig.

An uneven, mostly interesting effort.

Cool but a lot.

Too conceptual for me, bet they had fun making it tho

Heel funky

This is not the prog I like. So bizarre. And what’s with that album cover.

I reviewed this in Feb, nothing really changed I'm afraid: "Certainly an experience, not great prog rock IMO (are some songs even considered prog rock?). Couldn’t really get into it. Maybe with the right mood, maybe when I’m older? I don’t know. Just not for me, sorry."

my hatred for these guys grows everyday

Very experimental and psychedelic, not for me.

Unbelievable how this could be boring zzzzzz 1,5 maximum

Prog is just not my thing.

Just trying to be psychedelic for the sake of it. Not really good or enjoyable. 2/5

Technically very impressive but prog rock just really isn’t my thing. I also truly believe no artist is talented enough to warrant a 20 minute song sorry.

some songs are nice, some are annoying, 2

Just felt weird.

A little too prog for me.

Too much wankery. Liked the proto Showaddywaddy bit at the end

Oh my. This record is really hard to listen to, or at least the bit I got through was really tough to listen to. Normally, when I come across a record that I’m just not enjoying, I give it a solid 3 tracks before I turn it off. My reasoning is that life’s really too short to try to endure painful listening experiences, and maybe, for whatever reason, the band frontloaded the record with their weaker material. But the first track on this record is 20 minutes long. I just can’t do it. Maybe it gets better, but I’ll never know. 2/5

This one surprised me. Unfortunately, it surprised me by how much I didn't care for it. I've heard so many people rave about it, but I found it rather annoying. There were some sections of the title track that I kind of liked, and I really enjoyed "A Time and A Place", but other than that it just wasn't for me. And on a completely different note - wtf is up with that cover art?

A good looking, bad sounding album.

Can't say this did much for me. It was kinda like that Rush album where I can respect their musical prowess without really enjoying it very much. I liked this album less than that one, though. There were parts that had a more rock sound that I would've preferred the whole way through (subjective, I know). It was almost like Cream decided to make a keyboard-focused prog album, and it didn't go very well. Even if none were awful, there really just weren't any songs I liked here. Some were OK, but didn't really do anything for me to say I thought they more than that. Overall: 2.3/5

Not the ideal album to come back to after a holiday. Pretty dated, the 20min intro song just comes across as pretentious but prog rock is in general. 2/5.

Not my jam, that's for sure

At least it's short. I like the Bach part.

Not my favourite prog rock band, but it was ok.

Who doesn't love and armed-a-dilllo? On Spotify the turret turrets and the red eye blinks. Brilliant

Prog rock can be ether really good or annoying. This was annoying

Boring

Don't care for prog-rock all that much

It very much feels like low-level prog. It's not grabbing me. It's just a bit mediocre.

Some good bits in there but again surrounded by a sea of 'fine I suppose'

The title track of this album is a 21 minute organ heavy prog rock suite depicting the birth and battles of a mythical armadillo-tank hybrid. If an idea that ridiculous doesn't pull you in and make you curious, I'm not sure what else will. Unfortunately, the execution does not completely live up to the imaginativeness of this idea. While the title track undeniably showcases the band's musicianship, especially Keith Emerson's virtuosic command of keyboards, and there are some really interesting ideas to be found here, the epic occasionally feels like an exercise in music, where complexity exists for its own sake. However, I still really enjoyed some sections. Side B is a collection of shorter, unrelated songs, where a few were downright annoying. A prime example is "Are Your Ready Eddy?" which sounds like a parody of Rock & Roll and really has no place on this album. On the other hand, "Bitches Crystal" is a fun, ragtime inspired track and "A Time and a Place" once again shows the band's chops. On this track, the whole band truly shines - Carl Palmer's drumming is as tight as ever, Greg Lake is singing his heart out, while all that is accompanied with hard hitting organs. All in all, while technically impressive, this album did not resonate with me. Except for a few sections of the title track, and the aforementioned two songs on Side B, the rest ranged from average to bad, so I doubt I'll be coming back to this one that much. 2.5/5

Honestly, leading with a 20!!! minute song followed by 6 shorter songs is hilarious to me. I didnt like it.

Tarkus

I failed to see the significance - I mean I get it but I guess I don't agree..

Like a random record in the sale bin, a wild ride that you didn’t really choose. Frenetic and could’ve done without the all the organ. Album was all over the place, only liked the last song really.