armadillo needed a science fiction kind of name that represented Charles Darwin's theory of evolution in reverse. Some of the species caused by radiation", at which point he came up with "Tarkus". The "Tarkus" on the front cover is made from whitened bones from the skeleton of a devoured lizard. Release Tarkus was released on 14 June 1971 in the UK on Island Records, appearing two months later in the US by Atlantic Records' subsidiary label Cotillion Records. It is one of only two ELP studio albums to reach the Top 10 in the United States, making it to (Trilogy, the following year, got to ), while in Britain it is their only number-one album. Additionally, Tarkus spent a total of 17 weeks in the UK Albums Chart. In Japan the album was released on Atlantic Records. Later vinyl reissues were on the Manticore label. Tarkus was certified gold in the United States shortly after its release on 26 August 1971. Reception Although it is now considered a quintessential progressive rock album, Tarkus received generally unfavourable reviews from critics upon its release, such as David Lebin in Rolling Stone who wrote: "Tarkus records the failure of three performers to become creators. Regardless of how fast and how many styles they can play. Emerson, Lake and Palmer will continue turning out mediocrity like Tarkus until they discover what, if anything, it is that they must say on their own and for themselves." François Couture, in a retrospective review for AllMusic, said that Tarkus is "a very solid album, especially to the ears of prog rock fans – no Greg Lake acoustic ballads, no lengthy jazz interludes". Couture concluded, "More accomplished than the trio's first album, but not quite as polished as Brain Salad Surgery, Tarkus is nevertheless a must-have." Paul Stump's 1997 History of Progressive Rock praised the album's title track but criticized the "enervatingly portentous lyrics" and the traditional form of the solos (beginning and ending on downbeats, using blues voicings). He also said the two comedy songs ("Jeremy Bender" and "Are you Ready Eddie?") "have aged embarrassingly." Emerson said that Tarkus was one of his favourite albums, "not least because the title track has taken on a life of its own". In 2015, Sean Murphy of PopMatters ranked Tarkus the 21st best classic progressive rock album of all time. Reissues In 1993, the album was digitally remastered by Joseph