CREATING TARKUS ACCORDING TO KEITH EMERSON
[from “Pictures of an Exhibitionist”]
Carl and I would often test each other’s sightreading abilities writing out complicated rhythms in odd time signatures. One day, he carne into my dressing room and drummed out a pattern on his practice pad.
‘What time signature’s this then?’
‘It’s either 10/8 or 5/4,’ I said, ‘but Frank Zappa would refer to them all as one.’
By coincidence, Carl’s drum pattern happened to fit a left-hand ostinato figure I was working on and I made a note to pursue that direction as soon as the tour was over.
About a month later, the idea had some semblance of form, albeit a strange one, and I rang Greg up.
‘Can you come over? There’s something I want to play you on the piano. I’m rather excited about it. It doesn’t appear to have either a time or key signature.’
An hour later, the doorbell rang and I led Greg into my music room.
‘I’ve been working on this piece since Carl played me a rather obscure drum pattern. I’ve got this image of us creating a vast ‘sheet of sound’ that defies conventional structures. There doesn’t appear to be one set time signature or a key signature but the total effect played by the three of us could be very prolific.’
I suddenly realised that my words were not having the slightest effect, I might just as well have tried explaining the concept of ‘Origami Wall Plugging’ to a fish. I turned awkwardly, and began hammering away at the piano. When I’d finished, I turned back to see Greg still staring blankly at me.
‘Well?’ I asked.
‘I think if you want to play that kind of music, you should play it on your solo album.’
I was ... well, I wasn’t yet ready to do a solo album, but now that he mentioned it ...
‘But I want us to play it. I know it sounds complicated, but it’ll have a tremendous effect with all three of us playing it together,’ I pleaded.
‘Im really not interested in that sort of thing,’ he said turning and walking out.
I was straight on the phone to John Gaydon.
‘That’s it!’ I said, ‘the band’s finished!’ I went on to relay the events of the last hour
‘But you cant split up now, not over something so petty, surely!’
‘Yes I can. I’m sorry, I just cannot go on working with such a negative attitude. The first album was hard enough”
‘Look, let’s all get together for a meeting tomorrow and discuss this sensibly,’ and with that John hung up.
I phoned Carl next.
‘Do you remember that I 10/8, 5/4 drum pattern you played some time ago?’
‘Ah? Oh yeah’
‘Well, I’ve written a piece of music over it.’
‘Great!’
‘Well, not so great. I just played it to Greg who (lady refuses to have anything to do with it.
‘How can he do that without even trying It? I mean ... 1 haven’t heard it yet ... don’t my opinions count?’
‘Exactly. I’m sorry, Carl, I don’t think I can continue with the band. John wants us to have a meeting tomorrow but I don’t hold much hope.’
The following evening, I arrived at John’s residence and walked into an atmosphere that had the consistency of cold porridge on soggy toast.
David Enthoven, Carl and Greg had obviously been talking at great length prior to my arrival and, by the looks on their faces, hadn’t got very far.
‘What is It about this piece you’ve written that’s so important?’ John asked me compassionately.
‘It’s everything I’ve always wanted to play and with this band’s capabilities we’ll blow every other band clean off the stand playing it. But perhaps Greg is right, perhaps it’s the right time to start my solo album.’
‘It’s just not commercial,’ countered Greg.
I detected a certain pleading in his voice. I offered. ‘Was the unison line in 20th Century Schizoid Man” commercial? No! But it was King Crimson’s biggest hit.’
‘But that had a song’
‘What’s to say that this piece shouldn’t go into a song?’
‘By the time you’ve got through playing all that esoteric rubbish you won’t have a fuckin’ audience,’ Greg implored.
David intervened. ‘Greg, what’s the harm in at least trying it?’
‘Yeah,’ said Carl. ‘I haven’t even heard the piece yet. It might be complete crap but I think we should give maestro here the benefit of the doubt.’
‘Believe me,’ said Greg, ‘This is not the right direction for the next album!
‘What is, Greg? Have you written anything for it yet?’ said John.
‘No, but . . . ‘
‘So what’s to lose? At least give it a try In Advision Studios tomorrow,’
‘I’ll tell you what’s to lose,’ said Greg, ‘wasting studio time, recording crap. That’s what’s to fuckin’ lose!’
‘You’ll be paying for it anyway because it’s too late to cancel the booking.’ said David.
That settled it! The next afternoon. Eddie Offord hung back in the control room. He’d sensed there was enough static in the air to drive all his 16 tracks. Greg selected the appropriate 48 soft graphite pencil from his collection of many and opened his newly acquired manuscript book.
‘What are the notes?’ he asked rather sulkily.
This wasn’t quite the attitude one wanted when embarking upon a voyage in the dark, gripping to the sides of a ship that was so obviously sinking. Some holes had to be filled.
‘F...B flat...E flat...B flat...A flat...E flat...’
‘Wait! Let me learn that bit first.' Greg practised it up to speed, jotting the notes down as he went.
I ignored the fact that, as he wrote his part do in big capital letters above the staves of the manuscript paper, he could just as easily have written it out on blank legal foolscap. But at least it gave the appearance and importance that this was proper music he was writing. The next bits were learned in much the same fashion. Two days later a complete transformation had taken place and we were ready to start recording.
Gone was the dark cloud of doubt as Greg threw himself wholeheartedly into a piece that did not have a name.
‘Put some Moog on there and, Carl, a gong here?’
I was relieved. I didn’t care who wore the producer’s cap, my madcap composition was going further than I could have hoped for. The first song, that I hoped Greg would sing, came quickly. But I feared the changes might upset the further developments. It was the B fiat, E flat. G triad holding over a C root that changed suddenly to a C sharp that gave me the most concern in its acceptability. I needn’t have worried. My vocal squawkings of the song over the same chords were enough to encourage. We were on a roll and, as a result, the entire Tarkus album was recorded in only two weeks! By way of celebration, we jammed an impromptu rock number ‘Are You Ready. Eddie?’, named after our engineer Eddie Offord and his 16 tracks.
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Fonte: Grupo “EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER - TITANS OF PROG” no Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/groups/757251034329952/?multi_permalinks=4010690795652610
Post de Robin Binford 2021-06-14 - 6:17pm
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E, para quem não conhece, aqui está... Tarkus: https://youtu.be/WKNOlDtZluU
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