"Tarkus" stands as the second studio album by the English progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer, hitting the shelves on June 14, 1971, under Island Records. After completing their debut tour across Europe in late 1970, the group took a hiatus from touring in January 1971 to focus on recording their next album at Advision Studios in London. Greg Lake assumed production duties for the album, with Eddy Offord serving as engineer.
The album's first side features the ambitious 20-minute conceptual title track, composed by keyboardist Keith Emerson. Despite initial friction between Lake and Emerson regarding the track's direction, they ultimately collaborated on its creation, with Lake contributing musical ideas and penning the lyrics. The second side of the album consists of a collection of unrelated tracks showcasing various musical styles.
"Tarkus" ascended to the top spot on the UK Albums Chart, marking the band's only album to achieve this feat. It also secured a spot in the top 10 worldwide, reaching number 9 in the US. The album attained gold certification in both the UK and the US, with the latter recognizing sales of over 500,000 copies. Over the years, "Tarkus" has been reissued and remastered multiple times, including a stereo and 5.1 surround sound edition by Steven Wilson in 2012, featuring bonus and previously unreleased tracks from the original recording sessions.
