WITHOUT INTRODUCTION

At ELP's inception, someone in the press began a rumor that there was a supergroup called HELP: Keith Emerson, Greg Lake, and Carl Palmer with Jimi Hendrix on guitar. For those who would imagine what such a quartet would sound like, Polyphony comes close in my mind, fusing Hendrix's psychedelic guitar style with ELP's take on Hammond-based symphonic progressive rock. Tarkus lovers must absolutely seek this out.

"Juggernaut" Following a methodical organ and bass-led introduction, this first piece adopts a Middle Eastern flavor with a series of piercing slide guitar chirps. The Moog line that follows is similar to Aquatarkus. In fact, I'm inclined to think of "Juggernaut" as "Tarkus, Jr." The bulk of the piece features dazzling organ runs, heavy electric guitar, and frenzied drumming. The vocal passage that appears nearly nine minutes in is reminiscent of early Genesis (Trespass comes to mind).

"40 Second Thing In 39 Seconds" This oddly titled track is a brief synthesizer in tremolo mode, followed by deep tones. It is unfortunate that it was not developed into a full-bodied piece.

"Ariel's Flight" The longest track begins in a dissonant fashion, seemingly borrowing from ELP's debut. The lead guitar makes use of a slide and volume pedal. For a while it takes on a pace similar to the Apocalypse in 9/8 segment of Genesis' "Supper's Ready."

"Crimson Dagger" More organ and electric guitar working in tandem over a rapid rhythm section begins the closing opus. Midway through, it assumes a lighter, charming visage, topping it off with the best vocal performance on the album.