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Tarkus

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For the homonymous opening track of the album, see Tarkus (song).

Tarkus
Studio album by
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Released14 June 1971[1]
RecordedJanuary 1971
StudioAdvision Studios, London
GenreProgressive rock[2]
Length38:55
LabelIsland
ProducerGreg Lake
Emerson, Lake & Palmer chronology
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
(1970) 		Tarkus
(1971) 		Pictures at an Exhibition
(1971)

Tarkus is the second album by the English progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer, released in June 1971 on Island Records. Following their 1970 European tour, the group returned to Advision Studios in London, in January 1971 to prepare material for a new album. The first side is the seven-part "Tarkus", with a collection of shorter tracks on side two.

Tarkus went to number one in the UK Albums Chart, peaked at number 9 in the US, and reached number 12 in Canada on two occasions totaling 4 weeks.

Recording and concept

Emerson, Lake & Palmer began to work on their second studio album in January 1971.[3]

The cover artwork was commissioned from the painter and graphic designer William Neal.[4]

"[T]he armadillo was simply a doodle created from a fusion of ideas while working on the Rare Bird album As Your Mind Flies By. I had produced a gun belt made up of piano keys, which somehow led to WW1 armoury; nobody liked the idea, but the little armadillo remained on the layout pad. Later on we were asked to submit ideas to E.L.P. for their second album. David Herbet and I put tank tracks on the little fellow ... yet it was still basically a doodle. However, Keith Emerson spotted it and loved the idea, so we developed him further ... After hearing the substance of Tarkus on the acetate I developed the ideas along with Keith and Greg, and painted all the other creatures too."[5]

Emerson said, "To everyone, it represented what we were doing in that studio. The next day on my drive up from Sussex the imagery of the armadillo kept hitting me. It had to have a name. Something guttural. It had to begin with the letter 'T' and end with a flourish. "Tarka the Otter" may have come into it, but this armadillo needed a science fiction kind of name that represented Charles Darwin's theory of evolution in reverse. Some mutilation of the species caused by radiation ... 'Tarkus'!"[6]

Release

Tarkus was released on 14 June 1971 in the UK on Island Records, appearing two months later in the US by Atlantic Records' subsidiary label Cotillion Records.[7] It is one of only two ELP studio albums to reach the Top 10 in the States, making it to No. 9 (Trilogy, the following year, got to No. 5), while in Britain it is their only number-one album.[7] Additionally, Tarkus spent a total of 17 weeks in the UK Albums Chart.[8] In Japan the album was released on Atlantic Records. Later vinyl reissues were on the Manticore label.

Tarkus was certified gold in the United States shortly after its release on 26 August 1971.[9]

In 1993, the album was first digitally remastered by Joseph M. Palmaccio at PolyGram Studios. This remastered version was released by Victory Music in Europe and Rhino Records in North America.

Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab issued Anadisq 200 Series LP (MFSL-1-203) and Gold CD UltraDisc II (UDCD 598)[10] remasters in 1994. These items are currently out of print.[11]

In May 2012, Steven Wilson announced that he had recently remixed two classic albums by ELP, their first (eponymous) album from 1970 and second album Tarkus from 1971. Both albums were subsequently released by Sony 27 August 2012 as 3-disc sets. In each case disc one is a CD of the original mix (duplicating the Palmaccio master), disc two is a CD of the stereo remix in the form of an alternate version of the album, adding a lot of bonus material and previously undiscovered tracks recorded during the sessions. Disc 3 is a DVD-Audio containing lossless 5.1 surround sound mixes and high resolution versions of the 2012 stereo mixes.[12]

Reception

Tarkus received generally unfavourable reviews from critics, such as David Lebin in Rolling Stone who wrote: "Tarkus records the failure of three performers to become creators. Regardless of how fast and how many styles they can play. Emerson, Lake and Palmer will continue turning out mediocrity like Tarkus until they discover what, if anything, it is that they must say on their own and for themselves."[13]

Legacy

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
Sound & Vision[15]
Classic Rock RevisitedA[16]
The Daily VaultA[17]

François Couture in a retrospective review for AllMusic feels that Tarkus is "a very solid album, especially to the ears of prog rock fans – no Greg Lake acoustic ballads, no lengthy jazz interludes". Couture concluded, "More accomplished than the trio's first album, but not quite as polished as Brain Salad Surgery, Tarkus is nevertheless a must-have."[18]

Emerson admitted that Tarkus was one of his favourite albums, "not least because the title track has taken on a life of its own."[7]

Track listing

Original vinyl

All lyrics are written by Greg Lake

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Tarkus"
  • "Eruption" (Emerson) – 2:43
  • "Stones of Years" (Emerson, Lake) – 3:43
  • "Iconoclast" (Emerson) – 1:16
  • "Mass" (Emerson, Lake) – 3:09
  • "Manticore" (Emerson) – 1:49
  • "Battlefield" (Lake) – 3:57
  • "Aquatarkus" (Emerson) – 3:54"
Keith Emerson, Greg Lake20:40
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Jeremy Bender"Emerson, Lake1:41
2."Bitches Crystal"Emerson, Lake3:54
3."The Only Way (Hymn)"Emerson, Lake3:50
4."Infinite Space (Conclusion)"Emerson, Carl Palmer3:18
5."A Time and a Place"Emerson, Lake, Palmer3:00
6."Are You Ready, Eddy?"Emerson, Lake, Palmer2:09
Total length:38:55
2010 Japan SHM-CD reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
8."Prelude and Fugue"Friedrich Gulda / Performed by Keith Emerson on piano3:17
  • "The Only Way (Hymn)": Themes used in intro. and bridge only – Toccata in F and Prelude and Fugue VI, Bach.
  • Although not credited, the music to "Are You Ready, Eddy?" was largely inspired by Bobby Troup's 1956 song "The Girl Can't Help It". In his 2004 autobiography Pictures of an Exhibitionist, Keith Emerson refers to the track as "an impromptu jam" played in celebration of completing work on Tarkus.[19]

2012 remix

All lyrics are written by Greg Lake

CD 2 - The Alternate Tarkus New 2012 Stereo Mixes
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Tarkus"
  • "Eruption" (Emerson)
  • "Stones of Years" (Emerson, Lake)
  • "Iconoclast" (Emerson)
  • "Mass" (Emerson, Lake)
  • "Manticore" (Emerson)
  • "Battlefield" (Lake)
  • "Aquatarkus" (Emerson)"
Emerson, Lake20:46
2."Jeremy Bender"Emerson, Lake1:57
3."Bitches Crystal"Emerson, Lake3:59
4."The Only Way (Hymn)"Emerson, Lake3:47
5."Infinite Space (Conclusion)"Emerson, Palmer3:23
6."A Time and a Place"Emerson, Lake, Palmer3:03
7."Are You Ready, Eddy?"Emerson, Lake, Palmer2:12
Bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
8."Oh, My Father"Lake4:07
9."Unknown Ballad"Emerson3:04
10."Mass (Alternate take)"Emerson, Lake4:30

Personnel

Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Production

Charts

Year Chart Position
1971 UK Albums Chart 1[8]
1971 Billboard 200 9[21]
1971 RPM 100 12[22]

Certifications

Country Organization Sales
US RIAA Gold[9]

References

  1. ^ "Tarkus page on the Emerson, Lake & Palmer official website".
  2. ^ Macan, Edward (1997). Rocking the Classics: English Progressive Rock and the Counterculture. Oxford University Press. p. 116. ISBN 9780199880096.
  3. ^ Dome, Malcolm (2011). "Emerson, Lake & Palmer's Tarkus". Classic Rock Presents Prog (17): 74.
  4. ^ "William Neal talks on the Tarkus cover artwork and origin of the title". www.williamneal.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 March 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "Tarkus". Williamneal.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 March 2013. Retrieved 20 February 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Dome, Malcolm (2011). "Emerson, Lake & Palmer's Tarkus". Classic Rock Presents Prog (17): 76.
  7. ^ a b c Dome, Malcolm (2011). "Emerson, Lake & Palmer's Tarkus". Classic Rock Presents Prog (17): 77.
  8. ^ a b "Emerson, Lake & Palmer chart positions in the UK". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 9 November 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ a b "RIAA's Gold & Platinum Program searchable database". Recording Industry Association of America[citation needed]. Archived from the original on 2 September 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab complete Gold CD UltraDisc and UltraDisc II discography".
  11. ^ "Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab album discography".
  12. ^ "Emerson Lake & Palmer - TARKUS [DVD-A]".
  13. ^ David Lebin (19 August 1971). "Emerson, Lake & Palmer: Tarkus : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 10 November 2007. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "Tarkus - Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic.
  15. ^ Mettler, Mike. "INXS: Kick - 30th Anniversary Edition". soundandvision.com. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  16. ^ https://www.classicrockrevisited.com/show_review.php?id=905
  17. ^ Haugen, Tom (2019). "The Daily Vault Music Reviews : Tarkus (Deluxe Edition)". dailyvault.com. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  18. ^ François Couture. "Tarkus - Emerson, Lake & Palmer". AllMusic.
  19. ^ Emerson, Keith (2004). Pictures of an Exhibitionist, John Blake Publishing Ltd., ISBN 1-84454-053-7, p. 205.
  20. ^ Tarkus (Media notes). Island Records. 1971. ILPS 9155.
  21. ^ "Tarkus chart position in the US". Billboard[citation needed].
  22. ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums - July 31, 1971" (PDF).

Further reading

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