TARKUS

3.5 stars. Well I do like this better than "Brain Salad Surgery" and the title track in my opinion is one of their best ever composition. It's just too bad the final 6 tracks weren't a lot better.

"Tarkus" opens with some incredible interplay between Emerson and Palmer. Emerson is the star of this first section though. Just incredible ! When Lake starts to sing a calm arrives in the "Stones Of Years" section. This reminded me so much of KING CRIMSON's debut album when I first heard it. Lake's vocals had a lot to do with that, and how mellow it is. The "Mass" section is another amazing instrumental piece. Kind of cool to hear Lake playing some electric guitar on the "Battlefield" section, and he's not half bad either. Nice sound during this passage. "Aquatarkus" ends this epic track with Emerson again taking the lead.

"Jeremy Bender" is a silly song like the final tune "Are You Ready Eddy ?". "Bitches Crystal" is an uptempo song with aggressive vocals. Check out the piano 2 minutes in. Not a fan of the song though. "The Only Way(Hymn)" features church organ and seemingly anti-God lyrics. "Infinite Space (Conclusion)" is a tasteful drum / piano instrumental. "A Time And A Place" features some incredible organ.

This is certainly worth tracking down just for the title song alone. Another inconsistant record though.