TARKUS

If ELP's debut was a little tentative in some ways, the same cannot be said of the follow up-Tarkus. Keith Emerson clearly took over a lot with this album especially the side one Tarkus suite. The arrangement is far more forceful than anything on the previous LP, especially the aggressively dramatic opener "Eruption" with its jazzy 5/4 time. Things settle down with the next movement, "Stones Of Years" which is an exquisitely beautiful bluesy song and incorporates a particularly fine Hammond solo. Things get heavier and more intense with "Iconoclast" and this is followed by another vocal section-"Mass"-a nice little rocker with some especially caustic lyrics from Lake. Another short but hectic instrumental "Manticore" which leads to another vocal section "Battlefield" with a strong anti war sentiment. The suite is rounded off with "Aqua Tarkus" which essentially reprises the opening section and the whole track goes out with a bang. So that's "Tarkus" and what a track it is. Probably everything that was great about ELP is encapsulated here.

Side 2 is a bit of a mixed bag but there are a couple of real gemes here."BitchesCrystal" is a terrific Boogie/Prog? Jazz crossover track. "A Time and A Place" is a fairly short but exhilarating Prog Rocker.I just love that track-it's probably a bit overlooked even by fans being as it is buried somewhat near the end of side 2.As for the rest of Side 2."Mass is OK but nothing special, "Jeremy Bender" is a brief humorous song but fairly expendable, "Infinite Space" is an interesting piano solo by Emerson similar in some ways to his "Three Fates" on the debut, and "Are You Ready Eddy" a light hearted boogie salute to the engineer Eddy Offard. Overal although inconsistent, Side 2 manages to be more than the sum of the individual tracks and hangs together well.

Tarkus is not without its faults but it remains one of the best examples of early Prog Rock

5 stars