Tarkus

Recording and concept

Emerson, Lake & Palmer began to work on their second studio album in January 1971.

The cover artwork was commissioned from the painter and graphic designer William Neal.

"[T]he armadillo was simply a doodle created from a fusion of ideas while working on the Rare Bird album As Your Mind Flies By. I had produced a gun belt made up of piano keys, which somehow led to WW1 armoury; nobody liked the idea, but the little armadillo remained on the layout pad. Later on we were asked to submit ideas to E.L.P. for their second album. David Herbet and I put tank tracks on the little fellow ... yet it was still basically a doodle. However, Keith Emerson spotted it and loved the idea, so we developed him further ... After hearing the substance of Tarkus on the acetate I developed the ideas along with Keith and Greg, and painted all the other creatures too."

Keith Emerson said, "To everyone, it represented what we were doing in that studio. The next day on my drive up from Sussex the imagery of the armadillo kept hitting me. It had to have a name. Something guttural. It had to begin with the letter 'T' and end with a flourish. "Tarka the Otter" may have come into it, but this armadillo needed a science fiction kind of name that represented Charles Darwin's theory of evolution in reverse. Some mutilation of the species caused by radiation ... 'Tarkus'!"

Release

Tarkus was released on 14 June 1971 in the UK on Island Records, appearing two months later in the US by Atlantic Records' subsidiary label Cotillion Records. It is one of only two ELP records to reach the Top 10 in the States, making it to  No. 9 (Trilogy, the following year, got to  No. 5), while in Britain it is their only number-one album. Additionally, Tarkus spent a total of 17 weeks in the UK Albums Chart. In Japan the album was released on Atlantic Records. Later vinyl reissues were on the Manticore label.

Tarkus was certified gold in the United States shortly after its release on 26 August 1971.

In 1993, the album was first digitally remastered by Joseph M. Palmaccio at PolyGram Studios. This remastered version was released by Victory Music in Europe and Rhino Records in North America.

Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab issued Anadisq 200 Series LP (MFSL-1-203) and Gold CD UltraDisc II (UDCD 598) remasters in 1994. These items are currently out of print.

In May 2012, Steven Wilson announced that he had recently remixed two classic albums by ELP, their first (eponymous) album from 1970 and second album Tarkus from 1971. Both albums were subsequently released by Sony 27 August 2012 as 3 disc sets. In each case disc one is a CD of the original mix (duplicating the Palmaccio master), disc two is a CD of the stereo remix in the form of an alternate version of the album, adding a lot of bonus material and previously undiscovered tracks recorded during the sessions. Disc 3 is a DVD-Audio containing lossless 5.1 surround sound mixes and high resolution versions of the 2012 stereo mixes.

Reception

Tarkus received generally favorable reviews from critics.

François Couture of AllMusic, in a three-and-a-half-star review, praised the album and said that Tarkus made "a very solid album, especially to the ears of prog rock fans – no Greg Lake acoustic ballads, no lengthy jazz interludes". Couture concluded, "More accomplished than the trio's first album, but not quite as polished as Brain Salad Surgery, Tarkus is nevertheless a must-have."

Emerson admitted that Tarkus was one of his favourite albums, "not least because the title track has taken on a life of its own."

Original vinyl

All lyrics written by Greg Lake.

2012 Remix

All lyrics written by Greg Lake.

Wilson's stereo and 5.1 mixes of Tarkus include the previously unreleased song "Oh, My Father", described by Wilson in the sleeve notes as "a wonderful Greg Lake song that seems to be a deeply personal piece about the death of his father, which could well be why it wasn't used at the time". The stereo mixes also include another unreleased song, with vocals by Emerson, entitled "Unknown Ballad" and an unreleased mix of "Mass" without vocals. The validity of "Unknown Ballad" as a real Emerson, Lake and Palmer recording has been disputed. It is a piano ballad with, supposedly, vocals by Keith Emerson, and at the end, studio chatter that seems to be Lake. In an interview about the reissue, Emerson points out that he doesn't remember having composed or played the song, and some forums have suggested that it doesn't seem to be Emerson singing. In fact, on the 2013 reissue of the 2 CD deluxe edition (by Razor & Tie), the track was removed.

Personnel

Production