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Tarkus

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work

Tarkus · After a tour of Europe the group took their places again in January 1971 at Advision Studios in London. Greg Lake produced and Eddy Offord was again the sound engineer. Keith Emerson wrote the twenty-minute title piece, and when he played it to the others Lake nearly walked out. After a conversation with the managers he stayed, contributed musical ideas and wrote the lyrics. The piece has seven parts and, according to Lake, is about the senselessness of war. The cover shows an armoured monstrosity, half armadillo and half tank. For the second side the group had no material ready, so a series of separate songs in widely differing styles was put together.

Tarkus was released in June 1971 on Island Records and reached number one on the British album chart. It is the only album by the group to do so. In the United States it reached number 9.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Tarkus and notice the changing time signatures in Eruption: how do drums and keyboards keep hold of each other? At the end of the piece, hear the Moog in Aquatarkus.

Track list

  1. 1Tarkus (i. Eruption, ii. Stones of Years, iii. Iconoclast, iv. Mass, v. Manticore, vi. Battlefield, vii. Aquatarkus) [2012 Remaster]20:38Apple Music ↗
  2. 2Jeremy Bender (2012 Remaster)1:47Apple Music ↗
  3. 3Bitches Crystal (2012 Remaster)3:58Apple Music ↗
  4. 4The Only Way (Hymn) [2012 Remaster]3:47Apple Music ↗
  5. 5Infinite Space (Conclusion) [2012 Remaster]3:22Apple Music ↗
  6. 6A Time and a Place (2012 Remaster)2:59Apple Music ↗
  7. 7Are You Ready Eddy? (2012 Remaster)2:10Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗

See also

Categories: Albums and songs