Tarkus

For many years Emerson, Lake, and Palmers "Tarkus", their second studio lp, was and still is one of my favorite progressive/classic rock albums of all time. Released in 1971 after the release of the hugely successful first lp, Tarkus was and is still ahead of it's time. Releasing a side long suite of the title track was unheard of in 1971, but ELP pulled it off. ELP hardly ever was this aggressive and ferocious in their musicianship. Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer play so wonderfully together, the layers of keyboards and drums, just fit together and with such precision, this track has to be heard to be believed. And of course Greg Lake vocals and beautiful guitar playing, just round everything out. And now the first two ELP lp's have been released in Deluxe Editions, and you can't ask for more. I picked up both, and was very pleased with how they have both been handled. Each edition carries 3 discs, 2 compact discs, and a 3rd Dvd audio disc. Disc 1 contains the original remastered lp. The second disc contains, brand new 2012 stereo altenate mixes of the songs, plus some unreleased tracks. Disc 3 is where most people will want to look into. It contains brand new high bitrate Advanced Resolution 5.1 surround sound mixes of the lp's, and also high resolution stereo mixes of songs taken directly from the original master tapes. Unfortunately some of the original masters for the first lp have either dissapeared or are missing, so one or two of the 5.1 mixes of songs (Tank with drum solo, and most of The Three Fates) from the first lp are not included. Also the ending of "Knife Edge" is different due to mixing problems. These tracks are substituted with other tracks to fill out the lp as close as possible to the original. It almost works but not perfect. You can listen to the whole complete lp in remastered stereo tho, and it still sounds wonderful. As far as "Tarkus" goes, the whole complete lp is mixed into beautiful Advanced Resolution (which is the highest quality) 5.1 surround sound and if any lp should be heard in surround, this is it. Originally recorded in 16 track stereo, the sound now opens and expands like originally intended. The album is clean, with nice bass response, spacious rear activity, and much more detail than ever before. Once again, the keyboards, and drums and percussion have to be heard to be believed. You will never hear "Tarkus" sound better. It is a beautiful listening experience. You must have a Dvd audio player with correct analog audio connecting cables to hear it uncompressed in Advanced Resolution Surround or Stereo, although you can also hear it in excellent DTS 5.1 (no Dolby Digital) and High Resolution Stereo on regular dvd players (with standard optical cable hookup). You also get nice reproductive lp covers, photos, liner notes explaining the history of the lp's. So although slightly dissapointed with the first lp (although it is understandable) I am extremely pleased with the 2nd lp, so all in all, I highly recommend both of these Deluxe Editions for either the die hard ELP fans or even new listeners who would like to get a true introduction to just how great a band ELP were and still are. I am sure the rest of ELP's original lp's will be released in same Deluxe Editions in the not so distant future. This was a group whose recorded output should be heard in the highest format possible.

This is a review of the new 3 disc DELUXE edition of TARKUS. It would take a couple weeks of listening to fully grasp the entire project. (Especially the 5.1 aspect)I cannot imagine any serious TARKUS fan not wanting this set. This is a dream come true release for me, because it this was always my favorite ELP album. I went straight to disc number two "The alternate mixes" and it was great. There are aspects in here that I had never heard before. It feels like Wilson took the music and performed an autopsy on it. As if he cut into it and the listener is now sitting inside amongst the pieces. Sonically I find that the mid-frequencies really benefit from Wilson 's work. I hear much more in the drumming and bass definition than ever before. There are other things I hear which I never noticed before. I have heard several versions of this disc, including the MSFL version, and this is the winner mastering-wise. We know the multitracks were used here, so this is as good as it has been. Too me, Tarkus is ELP 's heaviest album.The bonus tracks are interesting, although the Greg Lake song "Oh, my father" has a strange drum beat from Palmer that just does NOT groove. Struck me as an awkward drum track actually. Was great to hear these and they make a nice adition.I was a little disappointed that the cardboard cover seems a bit flimsy. It is not as sturdy as other "Deluxe Editions" but perhaps being a 3- disc version they cut back on weight. The booklet is a bit disappointing too, as the only thing I found interesting was the Steven Wilson remarks. Who are these people that are working in graphics today? Why float text over photos? It makes it hard to read! *Wilson would do well to issue a DVD where he just talks at length about what he found/discovered or was challenged by in working on material like King Crimson/Tull/ELP. It would make for a fascinating product. The 5.1 disc is well done as usual and once again Steven Wilson has delivered!After several listens I come away feeling as though Carl Palmer and Emerson are just monsters on this album. Their playing is just incredible. I still remember Lake 's comments while being interviewed on the "Beyond the Beginning" DVD about how TARKUS "didn't make a very good concept."> No one cares about whether it was a good concept or not! The music and the imagery are immense! No disrespect intended to Greg Lake but the more I think about the big picture of ELP, its history, the reunion-era Producer troubles, the High -Voltage festival horror, the stronger I feel that it was Emerson and Palmer who made/make this group soar.Yes, Lake's voice was great and the lyrics on this particular album were cool, but without Emerson and Palmer it would never be so revered. In my opinion this is Carl Palmers best work. I guess I have been spoiled by the King Crimson releases and give the 4 stars only because there is no video content. There is no doubt that this is a great bargain. I paid $23 for the import version (and a week earlier release date) but for the lower price of the U.S. version this is an astounding deal and non-brainer for a serious fan.