Keith Emerson had the fastest fingers in progressive rock. I saw them in concert in the summer of 1971 at Asbury Park, NJ (the Jersey Shore). It was unbelievable! The whole place was rocking. Everyone was so amazed how Emerson could go back and forth among six keyboards instruments and synthesizers. He really was the king of complex progressive rock music.
Junior high 1976 I went into the school library where they had a couple of tape decks with headphones and a small collection of tapes of which I knew most of,I saw this album cover and thought that looks cool. When I put it on I never listened to my kiss albums ever again, my prog journey had begun
This one was recorded by the great Eddie Offord, who also recorded several Yes LPs. There's a song on Trilogy called "Are You Ready Eddie" dedicated to him. ELP and Yes, who both had albums recorded by this engineer, competed for him. To add: my upbringing, which was full of both Classical and Folk music, was likely what attracted me to Prog Rock, and once back in the 1970s when I was listening to a Classical FM station in New York, they played the Second Impression from Brain Salad Surgery, giving credit to Keith Emerson.
My favorite ELP album! I heard it first in friends house, he and his friends were into prog. Much later I bought these ELP vinyls. Thanks for the nice video! Happy new year!
@@JimNewstead Hi, if you don't already know the answer, have a look at Rick Wakeman's catalogue, one thing about Rick, he doesn't let the grass grow under his feet. Don't know if are looking at his work outside of YES. Six Wifes of Henry, King Arthur, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, the list goes on and on and on and on, you get the picture. And don't forget Jon and Vangelis.
For something inspirational, see blind from birth Rachel Flowers' renditions of ELP songs, including Tarkus. Keith Emerson was so impressed by her Y.Tube videos of his music that he let her check out his modular Moog synth modifications while he was in England, before he had seen them himself. They made a movie about her. On her channel there is a variety of music, starting with her playing Debussy and Brubeck for Ray Charles when she was 10, and including her many covers of ELP music alone and with others (including playing at the Emerson tribute concert). At one point in his Piano Concerto she plays piano with one hand and flute with the other. She also plays a Jaco Pastorius piece on the fretless bass, plays flute with the frontman for Focus, and covers Zappa's "Inca Roads" and "Zombie Woof", playing all of the instruments. She also trades guitar licks with Dweezil Zappa on "Montana".
Tarkus is quite the way to kick off the new year! This was the first ELP record I ever heard, and it was one of the first things that showed me how incredible the Hammond B3 organ was. Looking forward to side two as well as any other albums you have in store for us soon!
Love your reaction! That first few moments as you acclimate to where this is going is commonplace. However, you get drawn in and realize how dynamic they truly are! There’s more ELP to come. You’re just getting warmed up. You will love “Pictures at an Exhibition “ by them. Amazing stuff. They are a breed apart.
This album is such a high mark for prog music. So many others pulled from it as inspiration. The keyboardist for Dream Theater, Jordan Rudess, did a cover of "Tarkus" for his solo album "The Road Home". I've never heard anyone even attempt to cover that song before and Jordan nails it...big surprise. He wears the ELP influences on his sleeve big time. Glad you had a nice break!
The story, in a nutshell: A volcano erupts, and Tarkus (a hybrid armadillo/tank) hatches next to it. He battles various animal/machine hybrids until he meets Manticore, the only 100% organic creature. Manticore (body of a lion, face of a man, with a scorpion's tail) defeats him, and Tarkus slips off into the water (Aquatarkus). All the quick, frenetic sections represent the battles. You can see why this all would have appealed to young men pre-video game era. Someone bought the vinyl, and they all sat around and listened to it (often in altered states).
Hi Jim just catching up with a bit of 'old stuff' as far as you are concerned but I would really recommend listening to the triple album by ELP 'Welcome Back My Friends.. etc'. It's an album recorded live in America but is the most definitive of its type. It covers their releases from 'Tarkus' through to 'Brain Salad Surgery'. You will not be disappointed (the synth solo in 'Aquatarkus' is, probably, the most awesome we would have heard at the time) but it will take up a number of your video 'Listening To..' slots as it is six sides of vinyl!!! Enjoy when you can a moment,
Interesting all the lifted bits and pieces of this album that you hear nowadays in soundtracks and modern tunes. Two of the three have passed but their music lives on.
Well, this now needs to happen: theme song parody of "Quinn The Eskimo" with The Mighty Jim as the lyrics. ...my choice would be based on Manfred Mann's version, but the one by Phish would be alright. Just please, not the original by Dylan...
I saw the Tarkus tour concert in helLA... F-ing amazing! Thanx for the reminder with this fun reaction! You should check out their debut album (ELP) and their Pictures at an Exhibition lp sometime... Chronologically, Tarkus fits between those 2 discs.
God knows why I thought to check your reaction on this..superb track..total one off band ELP..Emerson like Wakeman just superb keyboard players, with a classical approach..Palmer was a bonkers drummer and Greg Lake a very underestimated singer...sadly missed .. .happy days. .cheers
@@tonydunbar6251 oh my….. that’s my favourite thing to do ever, Greek island, headphones, music. You’re in my heaven! Hope you have access to ice cold beer too!
JIm ....este álbum lo vi en Santiago de CHile , su show , extremadamente grandioso ...enormes parlantes se daban vuelta al publico en su comienzo , dando una explosion de musica que nos dejo al estadio en donde estábamos con los pelos de punta y los ojos rayados ....fue magistral ....una obra alucinante de teclados de mi otro genio amado ...KEITH EMERSON......
Wow Jim, I just see you did a lot of my favorite albums recently !!! Wishbone Ash, Fish Out Of Water, Free Hand, Tarkus. It's incredible you discover them just now ! Lucky you. These are all master pieces.
Jimmy Hendrix was recruited to join ELP they would have been HELP, but I think scheduling and his untimely passing out an end to that can you imagine the music they would have produced.
A happy New Year Jim, may we all come a bit closer in 2022...as for a small overview of the early years of ELP, I can recommend their live album "Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends...". Great live performances, don't know how they pulled it off, but they sure did...my favourite album.
Hey Jim! Welcome back my friend. You were missed but we didn't mind waiting. ELP! Being a diehard YES HEAD I didn't get into ELP until after my teen years. Awesome prog band, unfortunately only Carl left. YES always said they were aware of what ELP and King Crimson were doing but didn't want to follow them that closely. All three bands were working on their own ideas and identities. Jon once said these bands are so good, guys we need to practice more. Lol! Good to have you back Jim. Let's make 22 a year to remember. Time to put some miles on that turntable!😎
Welcome back. Tarkus is one of the true masterpieces of seventies Prog. Sadly, I'm rather late to my appreciation of ELP, even though I owned the Brain Salad Surgery album as a teenager. I never could get into their more experimental stuff. One of the few benefits of being old. I've always been a big fan of early seventies keyboard sounds like the Hammond organ or Mellotron. I prefer the guitar as more of a flavoring instrument ( ex, Steve Hackett with Genesis). BTW, I suppose you've heard all the early Genesis stuff. Even Trespass?
I couldn't agree more about the "getting older" mentality - there's nothing to prove to anyone, nothing that you're "meant" to listen to, just stuff that you WANT to listen to!
Yes indeed side 2 is (at least for me) something of a let-down after side 1. I did hear a fantastic live cover by Thierry Elias of "Jeremy Bender" which I think elevates it almost to a comparable level with s1, though. ua-cam.com/video/jP1Ppob93dQ/v-deo.html And the cover of Trilogy at that same concert was (I think) an improvement on the KE original)
Still one of the quickest 20 minutes in prog. Probably beaten out only by "Close to the Edge". And if you want to hear a band on speed take a listen to one of the early live versions.
@@JimNewstead the reason I like watching your reaction videos is that you don't stop half way through the song and talk like others do which I find distracting
Grew up on this @ 14, kid from SI. Made me hate KISS fans. lol Been awhile since I listen to it in its entirety, I think at some point the live version from WBMFTTSTNE became my official version. Onto AquaTarkus. 😎🗽.
Keith Emerson (the keyboardist) wrote and recorded this while his bandmates were away, when they heard it they were, oy, where's our parts??? Turned out utterly perfect!
For much of the piece, Lake is virtually dispensable; it's a phenomenally full sound when you consider it can pretty much be performed live by 2.3 people .... provided those people are E, (L) and P
@@kratino Emerson plays the bass throughout Tarkus with his left hand (Lake just doubled it); if Emerson could sing, Lake would have been superfluous. This is why Lake hated the piece from the moment Emerson floated it.
@@Gottenhimfella If Emerson could sing? But he couldn't, so that's moot. Lake's work was what got people to buy the albums. His work made their singles sell. And Emerson covered bass in Tarkus only when Lake was playing lead, which was in about 15% of the piece. Lake hated the piece before it had toplines and lyrics and gained accessibility.
You mention this music sounds orchestral. You have to reckon this masterpiece was performed by THREE individuals. ELP were the epithome of grandeur in music during the 70's. I will never cease to amaze at their mastery of music and instrumental proficiency. I absolutely love their music, I grew up admiring their pieces, even though most of my friends when I was a kid and teenager didn't even know there was something like prog rock, not to mention a band like ELP. Loved your reaction.
Jim, interesting reaction - and funny - waiting for the rest - especially nutrocker! You seems specially suited to react to Mike Batt (2 important albums with the London Symphony Orchestra - at least), Roger Chapman (with and without "Family" - drowned in wine made my summer 1970! - although to young for drinking wine), and Stan Webb (Chicken Shack). All three excellent artists in the 1970s but quite overlooked today! And have you ever heard about the band the Churchill's aka Jericho from Israel? Another unknown excellent progrock band from the 1970s. Check: "Kill me with your love" - my favourite!
@@WooBino. Nope - but I've just googled ELP - I think the band you are after is called Emerson Lake and Powell and the album you're looking for is en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerson,_Lake_%26_Powell_(album)
@@JimNewsteadHi Jim My NYC sarcastic response was for Richard Mason. I have the Powell CD, bought it years ago I think i listen once. Couldn't get into it only because no Carl Palmer. Not well regarded amongst true ELP fans. 😎
Jim..you are getting a taste of ELP but in all honesty the studio albums pale to their live performances...do yourself a favor and listen to the live Welcome Back My Friends to the Show that Never Ends live album and especially now you have listened to the studio Tarkus...the live version...and hold on...it is a ride
They could give Yes a run for their money on the old time signatures - the main riff at the start sounds like it's in 7/4, and with some 9/8 and then into 4/4 for the main verse
As a wee lad in Charlotte public schools, in the late '60s and '70s, I was prescient enough to make "Tarkus", along with Pink Floyd's "Ummagumma", Genesis' "Selling England by the Pound", Strawbs' "Hero and Heroine", all Moody Blues, Gryphon, Michael Oldfield, Tangerine Dream, Yes and Cream my first album purchases, which I wish I had realized were investments. So much better with headphones! Dayem! Moogs at that time were analog monstrosities, which, with all the wires, were a challenge to play, much less make sound like actual instruments. Keith did pretty damn well though, but I do think they would have welcomed it being played by orchestras, which would indeed come later. All Moog sounds at the time were brand new though, so it was all good. Mind you, the British Invasion was only 5 years old when this came out. I saw ELP fill the Charlotte Motor Speedway, with 250,000 people three years later, in '74...decade anniversary of the Invasion. Prior to the British Invasion, music in the USA, was a regressive, moribund backwash. Thank y'all forever for saving us!
@@MisterWondrous David, thank you! Sadly Paypal stopped supporting Buy Me A Coffee so unfortunately you can’t. There are other ways on the BMACoffee site via credit/debit card. If you want to only use PayPal there is a link in the description towards the bottom of a PayPal.me link which goes directly to me circumventing the coffee site. But I have no expectations whatsoever. Thanks for even thinking about it!
I also only listened to this album last year, after years of seeing it in shops... Crazy that it's from 1971 ! Might I suggest listening to Fusioon, their second album ( 1974 ) is just the best !
"Tarkus" is the second. "Pictures..." the third. In 1974 they released a live album (triple) named "Welcome back ..." (the sixth? album). Is that "Fusion"?
Only thing i would say is, the live version of this off Welcome Back My Friends To The Show That Never Ends is a must listen, so much better ----actually one more thing i'd say is----go on you tube and watch a young blind girl called Rachael Flowers do a version of this on her own at Keith Emersons place with Modular Moog etc, and also her playing piano on The Endless Enigma at a remembrance gig, if it doesn't bring a tear to your eye i;d be surprised.
Emerson wrote his music in a neoclassical form. Many of his major works are written in symphonic form. That is to say in multiple parts. Trilogy, The Three Fates, Karn Evil 9, etc. The truth is that his music is more a modern form of classical music, played on modern instruments, and less rock. It's one of the reasons ELP is not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
So rap and bubble gum pop are ok? Like the media,..HOF always looking for ratings=$$$ Mass America isn't going to know ELP,..so no dinero for Jann Wenner.
I've always felt (sorry ELP fans) that they weren't in the same league as top-shelf prog bands like Gentle Giant, Yes, Genesis, and Van Der Graaf Generator - but this song I totally love.
@TunesDoneByOne What, that I totally love "Tarkus"? The work speaks for itself! ;) Oh, you mean that ELP is a second-tier prog band? Well, I think they're fine, sometimes even very good. But those other groups all give you sparks of emotional resonance, fantastical atmosphere, spiritual grandeur, labyrinthine claustrophobia, warm humor......ELP's work tends to feel very thin and dry by comparison.
@@sylvanm4216 I agree, ELP is very good at times ,but almost all their albums seem to have a lot of filler material. I enjoy Triumvriate more for the ELP sound experience.
Each band you mentioned is fine in their own light, but to say ELP wasn’t in their league is correct. They were minor league. ELP was the major leagues, and the others could never compare! In my humble opinion!
Happy New Year to you too. I never was a big fan of ELP. Too much organ orientated, compared to the other instruments, and Keith, often, is a bit too busy showing of how good he is. I want to have a lot more guitar but I don’t get it. Peter Gunn, is a song by them I really like. You know Bach of course. Listen to Tocata and fugue in D-minor on a big church pipe organ. That’s what I call great organ music.
Late to the comments, but one of my favorite things about the Tarkus album is, despite the complexity of the music, the arrangement is quite sparse - especially for prog rock standards. There is a very effective use of silence and breaks without many overdubs. (In fact, after Trilogy where they used all that technology had to offer, they went back to creating "live capable" music with Brain Salad Surgery.
...you asked part way thru "What is this?" or words to that effect. To which I can only say: "It's prog, Jim, but not as we know it." But of course we do know it - just had to say so. Must be the Nth-hundredth time I've heard Tarkus - one of the in-rotation LPs in the student 6th form college room, back around '71..72. All the best & Great reaction!
@@melvinwomack3717 I'm sure it did Melvin, I'm sure it did. My keyboard typing skills are atrocious, and the auto correct function throws out some very weird corrections from time to time!
Well, that was 25 minutes well-wasted! I have this on a picture disc. Methinks I'll have to give it a spin myself tonight. Fun fact: the first time he heard what Keith Emerson was planning for this record, Greg Lake said, "I think you should save this for your solo album". And not in a nice way.
Keith Emerson had the fastest fingers in progressive rock. I saw them in concert in the summer of 1971 at Asbury Park, NJ (the Jersey Shore). It was unbelievable! The whole place was rocking. Everyone was so amazed how Emerson could go back and forth among six keyboards instruments and synthesizers. He really was the king of complex progressive rock music.
What great music we had in the seventies. How lucky we were.
I had a homemade recording of this on 8 track. Remember how those would just change tracks during a song?
Junior high 1976 I went into the school library where they had a couple of tape decks with headphones and a small collection of tapes of which I knew most of,I saw this album cover and thought that looks cool. When I put it on I never listened to my kiss albums ever again, my prog journey had begun
One of the best records and music in rock history. Keith Emerson, Hammond B3 organ and Moog synthezisers talk big!
You should listen to Tarkus live version on "Welcome back my friend to the show that never ends" album !
This one was recorded by the great Eddie Offord, who also recorded several Yes LPs. There's a song on Trilogy called "Are You Ready Eddie" dedicated to him. ELP and Yes, who both had albums recorded by this engineer, competed for him.
To add: my upbringing, which was full of both Classical and Folk music, was likely what attracted me to Prog Rock, and once back in the 1970s when I was listening to a Classical FM station in New York, they played the Second Impression from Brain Salad Surgery, giving credit to Keith Emerson.
My favorite ELP album! I heard it first in friends house, he and his friends were into prog. Much later I bought these ELP vinyls. Thanks for the nice video! Happy new year!
1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5
Tarkus tells a story, and the illustrations on the inside of the LP cover help you to follow it.
Capolavori bravi ❤😂
Assolutamente pezzi molto difficili
I used to play this on my quad 8 track player in my car cruising the Blvd with my buddies cracked up to the max. Great memories.
You still need to turn it up!
Tarkus like so many of the period have stood the test of time.
Always been a favourite of mine.
Thanks Jim
You're welcome Allan!
@@JimNewstead Hi, if you don't already know the answer, have a look at Rick Wakeman's catalogue, one thing about Rick, he doesn't let the grass grow under his feet.
Don't know if are looking at his work outside of YES.
Six Wifes of Henry, King Arthur, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, the list goes on and on and on and on, you get the picture.
And don't forget Jon and Vangelis.
For something inspirational, see blind from birth Rachel Flowers' renditions of ELP songs, including Tarkus. Keith Emerson was so impressed by her Y.Tube videos of his music that he let her check out his modular Moog synth modifications while he was in England, before he had seen them himself. They made a movie about her. On her channel there is a variety of music, starting with her playing Debussy and Brubeck for Ray Charles when she was 10, and including her many covers of ELP music alone and with others (including playing at the Emerson tribute concert). At one point in his Piano Concerto she plays piano with one hand and flute with the other. She also plays a Jaco Pastorius piece on the fretless bass, plays flute with the frontman for Focus, and covers Zappa's "Inca Roads" and "Zombie Woof", playing all of the instruments. She also trades guitar licks with Dweezil Zappa on "Montana".
Tarkus is quite the way to kick off the new year! This was the first ELP record I ever heard, and it was one of the first things that showed me how incredible the Hammond B3 organ was. Looking forward to side two as well as any other albums you have in store for us soon!
Happy new year! So much music to pack in this year!
It was not the Hammond B3 but the little brother Hammond C3!
I am surprised no mention to the story of the Tarkus and lyrics....
A dedicated trio. Never needed help, even in concert.
masterpiece!!
He’s baaaaaaaack!!! And with Tarkus?!?! Sweet.
He’s back! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Trilogy + Endless Eningma (suite) are my 2 fav. ELP tracks.
The first album I ever bought.
Masterpiece
Love your reaction! That first few moments as you acclimate to where this is going is commonplace. However, you get drawn in and realize how dynamic they truly are! There’s more ELP to come. You’re just getting warmed up. You will love “Pictures at an Exhibition “ by them. Amazing stuff. They are a breed apart.
ending sounds like mission accomplished then it marches on to battle
This album is such a high mark for prog music. So many others pulled from it as inspiration.
The keyboardist for Dream Theater, Jordan Rudess, did a cover of "Tarkus" for his solo album "The Road Home". I've never heard anyone even attempt to cover that song before and Jordan nails it...big surprise. He wears the ELP influences on his sleeve big time.
Glad you had a nice break!
It is superb. Thanks, hope you managed to get some time off too!
Rachel Flower has covered lots of ELP pieces. She did Tarkus 10 years ago (she was 19 then) : ua-cam.com/video/FLT3Cb96-Mk/v-deo.html
SO SO TRUE BUDDY...
A Tokyo orchestra did a classic arrangement of Tarkus (well, some of it) and it is glorious!!!
Brividi😂
As a lifelong fan of Square RPGs and their boss battle music, this song already had the red carpet rolled out for it straight into my brain.
The story, in a nutshell: A volcano erupts, and Tarkus (a hybrid armadillo/tank) hatches next to it. He battles various animal/machine hybrids until he meets Manticore, the only 100% organic creature. Manticore (body of a lion, face of a man, with a scorpion's tail) defeats him, and Tarkus slips off into the water (Aquatarkus). All the quick, frenetic sections represent the battles. You can see why this all would have appealed to young men pre-video game era. Someone bought the vinyl, and they all sat around and listened to it (often in altered states).
Jim keeps bringing the heat. Thanks Jim.
Bosh!
Indeed
"Pictures at an Exhibition" is my favorite. Keith unchained by studio worries, but live. It was actually recorded before this one.
Masterpiece
Hi Jim
just catching up with a bit of 'old stuff' as far as you are concerned but I would really recommend listening to the triple album by ELP 'Welcome Back My Friends.. etc'. It's an album recorded live in America but is the most definitive of its type. It covers their releases from 'Tarkus' through to 'Brain Salad Surgery'. You will not be disappointed (the synth solo in 'Aquatarkus' is, probably, the most awesome we would have heard at the time) but it will take up a number of your video 'Listening To..' slots as it is six sides of vinyl!!! Enjoy when you can a moment,
This was the first album I ever bought. Bought it from a friend.
Interesting all the lifted bits and pieces of this album that you hear nowadays in soundtracks and modern tunes. Two of the three have passed but their music lives on.
Return of the mighty jim and his superb selections.
Yes, the whole side one is "Tarkus" consisting of multiple sections
Pah! Haha! The “mighty” Jim!!!! Love it! 🤣
Well, this now needs to happen:
theme song parody of "Quinn The Eskimo" with The Mighty Jim as the lyrics.
...my choice would be based on Manfred Mann's version, but the one by Phish would be alright. Just please, not the original by Dylan...
@@IllumeEltanin The Mighty Quinn - we used to play that in a band, and yes, the Manfred Mann version!
@@IllumeEltanin 😃
I saw the Tarkus tour concert in helLA... F-ing amazing! Thanx for the reminder with this fun reaction!
You should check out their debut album (ELP) and their Pictures at an Exhibition lp sometime... Chronologically, Tarkus fits between those 2 discs.
God knows why I thought to check your reaction on this..superb track..total one off band ELP..Emerson like Wakeman just superb keyboard players, with a classical approach..Palmer was a bonkers drummer and Greg Lake a very underestimated singer...sadly missed .. .happy days. .cheers
Well thanks for stopping by whatever the reason!!!
Cheers Jim...just love the show big time...doing catch up..at the moment listening to Tormato overlooking the sea in Kefalonia....all the best....
@@tonydunbar6251 oh my….. that’s my favourite thing to do ever, Greek island, headphones, music. You’re in my heaven! Hope you have access to ice cold beer too!
Keith Emerson ELP
To think this album was recorded in just a week is mind blowing. And too ahead of time compared to what was around in 1971.
Como siempre...una excelente reaccion. Sin estridencias pero con muy buen gusto. Saludos desde Argentina.
JIm ....este álbum lo vi en Santiago de CHile , su show , extremadamente grandioso ...enormes parlantes se daban vuelta al publico en su comienzo , dando una explosion de musica que nos dejo al estadio en donde estábamos con los pelos de punta y los ojos rayados ....fue magistral ....una obra alucinante de teclados de mi otro genio amado ...KEITH EMERSON......
Wow Jim, I just see you did a lot of my favorite albums recently !!! Wishbone Ash, Fish Out Of Water, Free Hand, Tarkus. It's incredible you discover them just now ! Lucky you. These are all master pieces.
The Hammond organ is the electric guitar of keyboard instruments, the Keith Emerson was the Jimi Hendrix of the Hammond.
Face melting!
Jimmy Hendrix was recruited to join ELP they would have been HELP, but I think scheduling and his untimely passing out an end to that can you imagine the music they would have produced.
@@johncavanaugh2517 Well said!
Yes, instantly recognizable album, my third favorite from them. I really love works Vol 1 & 2 by ELP. Side 1 is just awesome Jim. 👍
A happy New Year Jim, may we all come a bit closer in 2022...as for a small overview of the early years of ELP, I can recommend their live album "Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends...". Great live performances, don't know how they pulled it off, but they sure did...my favourite album.
Hey Jim! Welcome back my friend. You were missed but we didn't mind waiting. ELP! Being a diehard YES HEAD I didn't get into ELP until after my teen years. Awesome prog band, unfortunately only Carl left. YES always said they were aware of what ELP and King Crimson were doing but didn't want to follow them that closely. All three bands were working on their own ideas and identities. Jon once said these bands are so good, guys we need to practice more. Lol! Good to have you back Jim. Let's make 22 a year to remember. Time to put some miles on that turntable!😎
Why thank you Jeff! Abso-blooming-lutely! Thanks for waiting! 👍🏻😁😎
@@JimNewstead My pleasure Jim!😎
Thanks Jim! Good to have you back.
Thank you.... and it's good to be back!
Welcome back. Tarkus is one of the true masterpieces of seventies Prog. Sadly, I'm rather late to my appreciation of ELP, even though I owned the Brain Salad Surgery album as a teenager. I never could get into their more experimental stuff. One of the few benefits of being old.
I've always been a big fan of early seventies keyboard sounds like the Hammond organ or Mellotron. I prefer the guitar as more of a flavoring instrument ( ex, Steve Hackett with Genesis). BTW, I suppose you've heard all the early Genesis stuff. Even Trespass?
I couldn't agree more about the "getting older" mentality - there's nothing to prove to anyone, nothing that you're "meant" to listen to, just stuff that you WANT to listen to!
Love that you did this. Saw them live . Side 2 is totally different
Glad you enjoyed it!
Yes indeed side 2 is (at least for me) something of a let-down after side 1.
I did hear a fantastic live cover by Thierry Elias of "Jeremy Bender" which I think elevates it almost to a comparable level with s1, though.
ua-cam.com/video/jP1Ppob93dQ/v-deo.html
And the cover of Trilogy at that same concert was (I think) an improvement on the KE original)
Ci sembrava di stare sul cielo❤
Uriah Heep, need to react to Demon's & Wizards epic 1972 Gold Album right after this Album they from England 50 yrs still playing
Still one of the quickest 20 minutes in prog. Probably beaten out only by "Close to the Edge". And if you want to hear a band on speed take a listen to one of the early live versions.
Tarkus runs rings around CTTE. Yes can't make you dance like Keith Emerson can.
Have you done Trilogy yet?
Oh yes!
All the best to you jim in .the new year
Thanks buddy, and happy new year to you!
@@JimNewstead the reason I like watching your reaction videos is that you don't stop half way through the song and talk like others do which I find distracting
Why stop? It spoils thew flow of the music - and it's the music that we're all here for, not some idiot talking to the camera!!!!
"Pictures at an Exhibition" next maybe. ELP playing around with some Mussorgsky, and a little Nut Rocker thrown in at the end. Love some ELP.
Ooooo! I've got it! I've got it!
Grew up on this @ 14, kid from SI. Made me hate KISS fans. lol
Been awhile since I listen to it in its entirety, I think at some point the live version from WBMFTTSTNE became my official version.
Onto AquaTarkus. 😎🗽.
Happy New Year!
And to you, happy new year!
Keith Emerson (the keyboardist) wrote and recorded this while his bandmates were away, when they heard it they were, oy, where's our parts??? Turned out utterly perfect!
For much of the piece, Lake is virtually dispensable; it's a phenomenally full sound when you consider it can pretty much be performed live by 2.3 people .... provided those people are E, (L) and P
@@Gottenhimfella With no bass or vocals?
@@kratino Emerson plays the bass throughout Tarkus with his left hand (Lake just doubled it); if Emerson could sing, Lake would have been superfluous. This is why Lake hated the piece from the moment Emerson floated it.
@@Gottenhimfella If Emerson could sing? But he couldn't, so that's moot. Lake's work was what got people to buy the albums. His work made their singles sell. And Emerson covered bass in Tarkus only when Lake was playing lead, which was in about 15% of the piece. Lake hated the piece before it had toplines and lyrics and gained accessibility.
@@kratino it would be a shame to interrupt your flow, you have such imagination!
You mention this music sounds orchestral. You have to reckon this masterpiece was performed by THREE individuals. ELP were the epithome of grandeur in music during the 70's. I will never cease to amaze at their mastery of music and instrumental proficiency. I absolutely love their music, I grew up admiring their pieces, even though most of my friends when I was a kid and teenager didn't even know there was something like prog rock, not to mention a band like ELP. Loved your reaction.
Mamma mia
Jim, interesting reaction - and funny - waiting for the rest - especially nutrocker!
You seems specially suited to react to Mike Batt (2 important albums with the London Symphony Orchestra - at least), Roger Chapman (with and without "Family" - drowned in wine made my summer 1970! - although to young for drinking wine), and Stan Webb (Chicken Shack). All three excellent artists in the 1970s but quite overlooked today! And have you ever heard about the band the Churchill's aka Jericho from Israel? Another unknown excellent progrock band from the 1970s. Check: "Kill me with your love" - my favourite!
Cool, more interesting music to explore! Thanks Erik. 👍🏼
Sorry, my error, "Nutrocker" is at "Pictures at an exhibition", their next album.
For me the elp album with Powell on it was one of their best. I can’t find it on Spotify hut there is an epic Mars bringer of war on it!
Can you remember the name of the album?
You’re the one who bought it? 😒
@@WooBino. Nope - but I've just googled ELP - I think the band you are after is called Emerson Lake and Powell and the album you're looking for is en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerson,_Lake_%26_Powell_(album)
@@JimNewsteadHi Jim My NYC sarcastic response was for Richard Mason.
I have the Powell CD, bought it years ago I think i listen once. Couldn't get into it only because no Carl Palmer. Not well regarded amongst true ELP fans. 😎
@@WooBino. ahhh, cool! Thanks. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Olá brother,tenho esse álbum em cd uma ópera rock fantástica, saúdo desde Bahia Brasil
Jim..you are getting a taste of ELP but in all honesty the studio albums pale to their live performances...do yourself a favor and listen to the live Welcome Back My Friends to the Show that Never Ends live album and especially now you have listened to the studio Tarkus...the live version...and hold on...it is a ride
It's on the radar!
They could give Yes a run for their money on the old time signatures - the main riff at the start sounds like it's in 7/4, and with some 9/8 and then into 4/4 for the main verse
Not 7/4 but 5/4
As a wee lad in Charlotte public schools, in the late '60s and '70s, I was prescient enough to make "Tarkus", along with Pink Floyd's "Ummagumma", Genesis' "Selling England by the Pound", Strawbs' "Hero and Heroine", all Moody Blues, Gryphon, Michael Oldfield, Tangerine Dream, Yes and Cream my first album purchases, which I wish I had realized were investments. So much better with headphones! Dayem!
Moogs at that time were analog monstrosities, which, with all the wires, were a challenge to play, much less make sound like actual instruments. Keith did pretty damn well though, but I do think they would have welcomed it being played by orchestras, which would indeed come later.
All Moog sounds at the time were brand new though, so it was all good.
Mind you, the British Invasion was only 5 years old when this came out. I saw ELP fill the Charlotte Motor Speedway, with 250,000 people three years later, in '74...decade anniversary of the Invasion. Prior to the British Invasion, music in the USA, was a regressive, moribund backwash. Thank y'all forever for saving us!
I would say "You're welcome" but to be fair, I didn't really have a lot to do with the impeccable music coming out of the UK in the early morning 70s!
@@JimNewstead Sorry for my long wind. I shall blame the coffee. Speaking of which, can you get coffee with Paypal?
@@MisterWondrous David, thank you! Sadly Paypal stopped supporting Buy Me A Coffee so unfortunately you can’t. There are other ways on the BMACoffee site via credit/debit card. If you want to only use PayPal there is a link in the description towards the bottom of a PayPal.me link which goes directly to me circumventing the coffee site. But I have no expectations whatsoever. Thanks for even thinking about it!
I also only listened to this album last year, after years of seeing it in shops... Crazy that it's from 1971 ! Might I suggest listening to Fusioon, their second album ( 1974 ) is just the best !
Great suggestion, thanks.
"Tarkus" is the second. "Pictures..." the third. In 1974 they released a live album (triple) named "Welcome back ..." (the sixth? album). Is that "Fusion"?
@@erikahlander3489 Oops, was talking about the band "Fusioon" from Spain... Sorry about that.
I think Lake is underrated as a producer...
Only thing i would say is, the live version of this off Welcome Back My Friends To The Show That Never Ends is a must listen, so much better ----actually one more thing i'd say is----go on you tube and watch a young blind girl called Rachael Flowers do a version of this on her own at Keith Emersons place with Modular Moog etc, and also her playing piano on The Endless Enigma at a remembrance gig, if it doesn't bring a tear to your eye i;d be surprised.
Missing much lead guitar, but Greg's bass is all over the place supporting the keys. I do think he plays lead and acoustic sometimes.
70s Fusion
I'm late but I'm here...give me a minute and I'll be ready...😉
BTW, my favorite part of a great album is Battlefield!
It would help if you used the end of the microphone instead of the side, so we can hear your voice instead of the room...
Agreed…. Good job I’m not a professional or anything, eh?
Emerson wrote his music in a neoclassical form. Many of his major works are written in symphonic form. That is to say in multiple parts. Trilogy, The Three Fates, Karn Evil 9, etc. The truth is that his music is more a modern form of classical music, played on modern instruments, and less rock. It's one of the reasons ELP is not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
I don't think that's a reason. They are not all classical by a long shot. And their classical adaptations are played on rock instruments.
So rap and bubble gum pop are ok? Like the media,..HOF always looking for ratings=$$$ Mass America isn't going to know ELP,..so no dinero for Jann Wenner.
I've always felt (sorry ELP fans) that they weren't in the same league as top-shelf prog bands like Gentle Giant, Yes, Genesis, and Van Der Graaf Generator - but this song I totally love.
@TunesDoneByOne What, that I totally love "Tarkus"? The work speaks for itself! ;)
Oh, you mean that ELP is a second-tier prog band? Well, I think they're fine, sometimes even very good. But those other groups all give you sparks of emotional resonance, fantastical atmosphere, spiritual grandeur, labyrinthine claustrophobia, warm humor......ELP's work tends to feel very thin and dry by comparison.
Utter nonsense.
@@sylvanm4216 I agree, ELP is very good at times ,but almost all their albums seem to have a lot of filler material. I enjoy Triumvriate more for the ELP sound experience.
Each band you mentioned is fine in their own light, but to say ELP wasn’t in their league is correct. They were minor league. ELP was the major leagues, and the others could never compare! In my humble opinion!
And, while I listened to Yes and Wakeman for a while, never thought the rest (PF the exception) could keep up.
So it goes. Tastes vary.
Yes!!
Bitches crystal
🇺🇸🇬🇧
Happy New Year to you too.
I never was a big fan of ELP. Too much organ orientated, compared to the other instruments, and Keith, often, is a bit too busy showing of how good he is. I want to have a lot more guitar but I don’t get it.
Peter Gunn, is a song by them I really like.
You know Bach of course. Listen to Tocata and fugue in D-minor on a big church pipe organ. That’s what I call great organ music.
Oh, Tocata and Fugue - one of the first things I learned to play on a piano when I wasn't playing the music for my lessons!
Very... erm... organ-ic.
Very.... organ-ic but you have to be in the right Moog for it I think.
@@JimNewstead This week I've been mostly listening to Opeth, Porcupine Tree and Transatlantic! So, a bit more modern sounds. 😊
And a well organ-ized composition.
Late to the comments, but one of my favorite things about the Tarkus album is, despite the complexity of the music, the arrangement is quite sparse - especially for prog rock standards. There is a very effective use of silence and breaks without many overdubs. (In fact, after Trilogy where they used all that technology had to offer, they went back to creating "live capable" music with Brain Salad Surgery.
...you asked part way thru "What is this?" or words to that effect.
To which I can only say:
"It's prog, Jim, but not as we know it."
But of course we do know it - just had to say so. Must be the Nth-hundredth time I've heard Tarkus - one of the in-rotation LPs in the student 6th form college room, back around '71..72.
All the best & Great reaction!
Pleased to have entertained your ears!
Tool's lead singer really should give thanks to Greg lake, John wetton, Adrian Belew and Damo Suzuki... just putting that out there 😏
I’m sure he has. He’s credited KC as a major influence and also toured with them
Who the hell is John Wetting?! I think you mean John Wetton (R.I.P.).
@@chrissilverhand1 typo mate my apologies, shit happens
@@chrissilverhand1 I hope my correction of Mr Wetton's name made your day a little bit more enjoyable sir .
@@melvinwomack3717 I'm sure it did Melvin, I'm sure it did. My keyboard typing skills are atrocious, and the auto correct function throws out some very weird corrections from time to time!
Well, that was 25 minutes well-wasted! I have this on a picture disc. Methinks I'll have to give it a spin myself tonight.
Fun fact: the first time he heard what Keith Emerson was planning for this record, Greg Lake said, "I think you should save this for your solo album". And not in a nice way.
I think that's a compliment, in that you *enjoyed* it! Yes, it's a good twenty five minutes, but wasted? Hmmm.... :)
Time well-wasted, when I should have been working.
That's it
No need to bother with side 2
There are good tracks on side 2
Indeed there are Konteros!
@Retro Rambles - well, I did bother. I enjoyed it!
Tarkus is a highlight, for side 2 you might lower your expectations a little bit.
Frits V is absolutely right. Tarkus is absolute brilliance. Side 2, not exactly legendary.
Bitches Crystals!!!! The Sheriff is fun to play.......unreal......." 'am or cheese.....'am or cheese!"
clean that record dawg
My favorite ELP album, followed closely by Brain Salad Surgery.
Thanks Bill!