The Real Story Behind ELP's 'Tarkus' | Music Aficionado
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The Real Story Behind ELP's 'Tarkus' | Music Aficionado Related PHOTO COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES The Real The Real Story Behind 'Close To The Edge' Interview Story Behind ELP's 'Tarkus' < Greg Lake and Emerson, Lake & Palmer POSTED BY JOE BOSSO Passion And Warfare: Steve Vai SHARE ON FA Gets Inside His Masterpiece Interview AUGUST 30, 2016 Emerson, Lake & Palmer cracked the UK top five with their self-titled 1970 debut Seriously Weird: How Kansas Pioneered American Progressive Rock album, but it was Interview their 1971 follow-up, Tarkus, that went all the way to the top of the charts. The <=""> <=""> <=""> <=""> Editors' Picks Search Members' Picks Members Next http://web.musicaficionado.com/main.html#!/article/The_Real_Story_Behind_ELP_Tarkus_by_joebosso?invitedBy=greglake[10/14/2016 1:58:10 PM] The Real Story Behind ELP's 'Tarkus' | Music Aficionado record is generally regarded as the The Real Story Behind "Owner > Of A Lonely Heart" Interview band's masterpiece as well as a milestone in progressive rock. Mention the word Ian Anderson: My Best And "masterpiece" to Worst Gigs Of All Time Interview bassist/guitarist and singer Greg Lake and he accepts it good-naturedly (he prefers the band's 1972 recording, The Real Story Behind Jethro Tull's 'Stand Up' Trilogy), but he Interview readily admits that the term 'progressive rock' makes him bristle. "I just don't like it," he says. Steve Lukather: My Best And "'Prog' or 'prog Worst Gigs Of All Time Interview rock'—it all sounds so elitist and pretentious. I prefer http://web.musicaficionado.com/main.html#!/article/The_Real_Story_Behind_ELP_Tarkus_by_joebosso?invitedBy=greglake[10/14/2016 1:58:10 PM] The Real Story Behind ELP's 'Tarkus' | Music Aficionado the word 'original.' When we made 'Tarkus,' we were The Near Rebirth And Tragic End Of Deep Purple trying to be different. Interview You can't categorize a band that was going its own way, as we were." Along with 12 Reasons Why Power Trios Rule the debut Exclusive Tarkus album and Emerso Lake & Pictures at an Palmer Exhibition, 'Tarkus' has recently received the expanded, remastered and re- Dream Theater’s John Myung Is Sweet On The Jelly Jam issued treatment (a Interview batch of other ELP deluxe discs are to follow in the coming months). In an in- depth interview with Music Aficionado, Creedence Clearwater Revival Are Never, Ever Reuniting Lake reflects on the Interview writing and recording http://web.musicaficionado.com/main.html#!/article/The_Real_Story_Behind_ELP_Tarkus_by_joebosso?invitedBy=greglake[10/14/2016 1:58:10 PM] The Real Story Behind ELP's 'Tarkus' | Music Aficionado of the groundbreaking record. Mark Farner Lets Loose On Grand Funk Railroad's Critics Interview The Real Story Behind The Byrds' "Eight Miles High" Interview Bitches Crystal (Live in Craig Chaquico's Best And Budapest 1997) Worst Gigs Of All Time Emerson, Lake & Palmer Interview ELP and Yes were the two prime movers of the—I'll say it —"progressive The Real Story Behind "Frankenstein" rock" scene of Interview the early '70s. Did the two bands mix? http://web.musicaficionado.com/main.html#!/article/The_Real_Story_Behind_ELP_Tarkus_by_joebosso?invitedBy=greglake[10/14/2016 1:58:10 PM] The Real Story Behind ELP's 'Tarkus' | Music Aficionado Funny you should ask that, because Alex Skolnick Picks His Top 10 Chris Squire and I Jazz Albums Interview used to live together. We shared an apartment in London, although funnily enough, our two bands didn't really mix. But Chris Why Dave Stewart Has The Magic Touch and I were close Interview friends for a long time. Did Chris mind being called George Thorogood Picks His 5 "progressive Biggest Musical Influences Interview rock"? I don't know. It wasn't even a term that was used at that time. And when we did hear it, it just left that feeling of being Chad Smith On The RHCP's Sonic Gamble – And Triumph smart-ass. That's not Interview what we were about. http://web.musicaficionado.com/main.html#!/article/The_Real_Story_Behind_ELP_Tarkus_by_joebosso?invitedBy=greglake[10/14/2016 1:58:10 PM] The Real Story Behind ELP's 'Tarkus' | Music Aficionado I just don't like the word. I don't like the connotation of it. Like I said, we were Billy Duffy: My Best And Worst trying to be different. Gigs Of All Time Interview We didn't want to fit in. We wanted to be seen as an individual entity. That was the struggle. One way that we attempted to be Graham Nash Opens Up: David Crosby, New Love, And Latest original was, instead Solo Album Interview of looking to the blues or Motown or gospel or country and western— basically, American music—as the roots 7 Reasons Why I’m Not Taking My Wife To Oldchella for our rock music, Exclusive we tended to look more towards European-influenced music. Both Keith and I liked classical music as a hobby, How Dave Cobb Became The so that became a http://web.musicaficionado.com/main.html#!/article/The_Real_Story_Behind_ELP_Tarkus_by_joebosso?invitedBy=greglake[10/14/2016 1:58:10 PM] The Real Story Behind ELP's 'Tarkus' | Music Aficionado World's Hottest Producer Interview real avenue of inspiration. Beyond that, we just tried to make music that didn't sound like anything that had gone before it. Leslie West: My Best And Worst Gigs Of All Time Interview I'm not telling you anything that you don't know—the critics were not kind to ELP. How Danny Kortchmar Helped Craft Classic Rock Interview No, they were not. But you know, you've got to break eggs to make omelets. ELP played a lot of live shows, Blue Öyster Cult's Eric Bloom: My Best And Worst Gigs Of All and we had the Time Interview public's reaction to go by. We knew people enjoyed our music. No matter what the critics said, we knew that when Meredith Wilson Wins Guitar we stood on that http://web.musicaficionado.com/main.html#!/article/The_Real_Story_Behind_ELP_Tarkus_by_joebosso?invitedBy=greglake[10/14/2016 1:58:10 PM] The Real Story Behind ELP's 'Tarkus' | Music Aficionado Center's Studio Automatic Contest Interview stage and performed our music, the people loved it. It was that simple. And to be honest, we didn't care what the critics thought. Fighting For "More Than Words": You should never The Real Story Behind The Classic Hit believe your own Interview publicity. If someone said something nice about ELP, yeah, that was great—we loved it. But you Why The Band America Ruled have to remember The Airwaves Interview that if some people like you, other people won't. That's the way of the world and one has to accept that. Remembering The Pretenders' James Honeyman-Scott Interview I spoke with Keith several years ago, and he mentioned that 'Tarkus' http://web.musicaficionado.com/main.html#!/article/The_Real_Story_Behind_ELP_Tarkus_by_joebosso?invitedBy=greglake[10/14/2016 1:58:10 PM] The Real Story Behind ELP's 'Tarkus' | Music Aficionado was his favorite The Real Story Behind "American Pie" ELP record. Interview Where do you place it in the group's canon? It's very difficult, because all the Dee Snider Still Isn't Gonna records we made Take It Interview were very different, although the first five or six were made in the same way—I produced them all. For me, my favorite How Many Of These '70s One- Hit Wonders Do You would be 'Trilogy.' Remember? Exclusive The reason I say that is because that's when the band had really developed its artistic identity. It was also a time in How Many Of These '80s One- Hit Wonders Do You which there was a Remember? Exclusive huge movement in the development of http://web.musicaficionado.com/main.html#!/article/The_Real_Story_Behind_ELP_Tarkus_by_joebosso?invitedBy=greglake[10/14/2016 1:58:10 PM] The Real Story Behind ELP's 'Tarkus' | Music Aficionado musical technology. These two things came together, and How Many Of These '60s One- that's why that Hit Wonders Do You Remember? Exclusive particular album would be my particular favorite. On the other hand, 'Tarkus' was a complete conceptual Vince Gill's Top 5 Tips For Guitarists sound and a feeling Interview all its own, so I can understand why Keith liked it so much. I also think from a keyboard player's point of Kenny Wayne Shepherd Picks His Top 10 Blues Albums Of All Time view, it was Interview something that challenged him. He felt pride at being able to play those things. It meant a lot to him. How Al Di Meola Rocked The Fusion World With 'Elegant Gypsy' Interview Was 'Tarkus' an easy record to http://web.musicaficionado.com/main.html#!/article/The_Real_Story_Behind_ELP_Tarkus_by_joebosso?invitedBy=greglake[10/14/2016 1:58:10 PM] The Real Story Behind ELP's 'Tarkus' | Music Aficionado make? It's a strange word —"easy." It's like Rob Halford: My Best And Worst "work." Was it work? Gigs Of All Time Interview Not really. We enjoyed doing it so much. Did we sweat? Yeah, we did. Did we encounter frustrations? Yeah. Was it challenging? Yes, it was. There were moments of difficulty that we had to overcome, but at the end of the day it Mark Morton's Top 5 Tips For was a tremendous Guitarists Interview sense of satisfaction that we'd ended up with this complete work that we felt proud of. The band was a unit, a family. They were happy times. We really were riding on the http://web.musicaficionado.com/main.html#!/article/The_Real_Story_Behind_ELP_Tarkus_by_joebosso?invitedBy=greglake[10/14/2016 1:58:10 PM] The Real Story Behind ELP's 'Tarkus' | Music Aficionado crest of a creative wave 'Tarkus' followed the debut record in a very short period of time.