Tarkus (1971)

 

Tarkus

Artist: Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Release Year: 1971

Rating: 8/10

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Track Listing: 1) Tarkus; 2) Jeremy Bender; 3) Bitches Crystal; 4) The Only Way (Hymn); 5) Infinite Space; 6) A Time and a Place; 7) Are You Ready Eddy.

Oh man, right from the beginning you know the titular suite is going to be epic-- I mean, what else could those bubbling, meandering-but-ultimately-ascending organ and synth lines suggest?  Then we get the portentous hymn-like "Stones of Years" segment that sets the stage nicely for the next "battle" section, before heading into that outstanding "weaver in the web that he made!" hook that I love so much.  Following that, we get more synth-and-drum-fests that manage to remain interesting the whole way through, before the obligatory "war is hell" conclusion and "profound rebirth and reprise" theme that was all the rage in those days.  

Yes, the opening "Tarkus" suite is possibly the best thing this band ever did, and I'm always here for it.  Why am I so emphatically onboard with this one, despite my usual complaints about ELP?  Simple: because the complexity arises from the interesting idea, and not the other way around.  Very little of "Tarkus" is overbearing or headache-inducing.  It all flows so well between cool and catchy motifs, and the dissonant parts are well-placed and meaningful in context.  Greg Lake's vocals are in top form, emotionally and sonically, and the suite even includes just enough Gilmour-esque guitar stings throughout to keep someone like me engaged.  Oh, and did I mention that this whole thing is supposed to depict a series of battles between an armadillo tank and other animal-machine chimeras?  Yeah, good luck deciphering that without the gatefold in front of you, but whatever.  This is prog, man!

So…what comes next?  Well, nothing quite as good, but at least the momentum keeps up.  "Jeremy Bender" is a charming little barroom singalong (yep, handclaps and all), and then there's the frantic boogie-turned-ominous rager "Bitches Crystal", in which you'll hear Greg Lake screaming his brains out, demonstrating again why I love his work so much.

"The Only Way" resumes the ironic-religious-hymn motif that suggests a bit more profundity and weight than I care to stomach, but at least the melody is nicely plaintive and accompanied by nice piano chops.  Heh...I can only imagine the kind of all-caps tirades to be witnessed today over a line like "Why did He lose six million Jews?"  Anyway, the rest is largely a rehash of what's come before on the album, but that's fine.  Now, do I want to listen to more of this sort of thing again after Tarkus is over?  Well, not really, but this one's great while it lasts.