TARKUS

For their sophomore album, ELP had become a tighter musical ensemble, a factor that allowed them to create a more varied and more interesting album than its predecessor (which was quite brilliant, per se). The fact that the band evidently felt tighter was accompanied by the overall increase of their musical imagination - how can you lose when you've got solid companionship and excellent writing, all at once? You can only win, and a real winner the 'Tarkus' suite is, indeed. Labeled as one of the most definitive moments of the golden era of prog, I must say that there is no way that you can overrate this amazingly electrifying seven-part sonic monument: the only mistake you could eventually make is underrate it, and that I won't do, no Sir. Lyrically centered on the subjects of war, oppression and social alienation, this suite's structure is focused on its instrumental components - 'Eruption' provides from second one the incendiary spirit that will burn the air the listener is breathing for the following 21 minutes. 'Iconoclast' and 'Manticore', each in its own turn, will recapture that same spirit relentlessly and mercilessly, with the closing 'Aquatarkus' bringing an added touch of psychedelia and the ultimate 'Eruption' reprise. The sung parts, meanwhile, go flowing through different moods: contemplation ('Stones of Years'), subtle irony ('Mass') and sympathetic sadness for the fate of all mankind ('Battlefield'). These sung sections are not without bombast, although 'Stones' and 'Battlefield' obviously bear a more melodical structure; it is the instrumental interlude of 'Mass' that is more related to the explosive drive of the non-sung sections. To cut this long story short, the 'Tarkus' suite is the defining moment for ELP as a major prog statement, since it epitomizes the energy, the aggressive bombast and the challenging musical intelligence that this paradigmatic trio used to deliver at their peak. and let me tell you that this band has many peak moments in their overall repertoire. The second half of "Tarkus" is far less epic, finding the band exploring other musical trends that they gladly incorporated into their prog input. Unlike some other reviewers who find themselves a bit let down (to say the least) by what they find after the opening suite, I happen to think that side 2 is equally impressive, although in different terms. The diversity of sonic sources that are featured from 'Jeremy Bender' all the way to 'Are You Ready Eddy?' is delivered by ELP with ease and technical prowess, even when they leave seriousness behind and let themselves go in a sort of musical fun fair. The display of piano-based jazz rock that appears in 'Bitches Crystal' proves that Emerson doesn't necessarily need a Hammond or a Moog to create sheer keyboard energy. Also jazzy, but rooted in the old days of 50s beat clubs, and occasionally combined with Baroque nuances, 'The Only Way'/'Infinite Space' shows the band driving things down a notch, but still portraying a ballsy feel to it. A special mention has to go to the well ordained dialogues between the grand piano and the drum kit. 'A Time and a Place' sort of reminds me of The Nice at their best, but of course, since Emerson is a more matured musician and his companionships is more brilliant, you can tell that this song surpasses the boundaries of the seminal days of prog and gets allocated on a more robust realm. 'Jeremy Bender' is a down tempo Cajun number that serves as an excuse for some humor: this one should be enjoyed as a taster for the more accomplished (and equally frivolous) 'The Sheriff' and 'Benny the Bouncer'. 'Are You Ready, Eddy?' is ELP's 'Great Balls of Fire', making it a tribute to their hard-working sound engineer - now we've got humor plus a warm touch of camaraderie. Conclusion: "Tarkus" is one of the most relevant masterpieces of the essential era or prog rock, and as such, it deserves no less than the maximum ProgArchives rating.