TARKUS

This is the first experience of listening to Emerson, Lake, and Palmer for me. I happened to hear it on the radio a few weeks before it was released. It totally blew me away. I never heard anyone play so good and connected in my life up to that point. I have to interject that the station only played the first side of the album.

After about six weeks of waiting, I finally got the record. I must have told everyone I could think of about it. I wasn't the only marine who bought the record. We played "Tarkus" to death, At least four times a day for a couple weeks. That is to say side one. No one really got into side two very much.

I liked the idea of the band making the song connected, instead of putting divisions in it. It seems like nowadays bands are dividing their epic songs and it is like the tune isn't really that long. I don't care for it.

ELP define what prog is all about in the first two and one half minutes of the "Tarkus" epic. I just don't hear anyone putting that much in their songs. It is like some of these bands are afraid they will run out of ideas and never make anymore records. I would hope in the future that someone will listen to "Tarkus" and say, "Hey, I'm gonna put twice as much musical content in my twenty hour song as ELP did in the first two and one half minutes of "Tarkus." Man, I would love to hear that one!

What can I say about "Tarkus" that many other people haven't said already? This is a super sound from one of the first super groups of the early 70's. "Tarkus" stands up to anything you will ever hear. It is relentless, in your face, hungry, futuristic, artistic, and beautiful to hear. where did they get this stuff? It is phenomenal!

On the other hand, side two is disappointing. I was expecting it to be like side one and it wasn't like it at all. The subjects range from an outsider's view of the gay lifestyle in "Jeremy Bender," to witch craft as found on "Bitches Crystal." Then we have some deliberate God bashing on "The only Way.'' Then an instrumental. Then a sci fi song. Then to end the second side, a fifties rock and roll tune, "Are you ready, Eddy." A tribute to one of the sound people, Eddy Offord, who also worked with another prog band, "Yes."

One would have to do an in depth interview with ELP to find out why they did what they did here, but I have never been into the second side for as long as I've listened to the band. The music is good, but it is not what I was expecting, or even wanted from them.

I have to say that this is one of the most essential records ever made by any band, but not the second side. I am giving this 5 stars for the sake of side one. It is worth whatever you pay for the record. If you have a computer(HA,HA!) just stick "Tarkus" on it and forget the rest.