Tank (song)
Encyclopedia
Tank is the penultimate song from the British
Progressive rock
group Emerson, Lake & Palmer
's debut album. The song was intended to showcase drummer Carl Palmer
's unique drumming style. The song is also the first appearance of the Moog synthesizer
in ELP's catalogue.
provides a short bass solo over Palmer's drums . Keith Emerson
comes in energetically with a trio of keyboards: two clavinets and a piano. The trio's combined improvisation goes on for about a minute, which then Emerson and Lake trade bars of soloing with Palmer.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
group Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer, also known as ELP, are an English progressive rock supergroup. They found success in the 1970s and sold over forty million albums and headlined large stadium concerts. The band consists of Keith Emerson , Greg Lake and Carl Palmer...
's debut album. The song was intended to showcase drummer Carl Palmer
Carl Palmer
Carl Frederick Kendall Palmer is an English drummer and percussionist. He is credited as one of the most respected rock drummers to emerge from the 1960s...
's unique drumming style. The song is also the first appearance of the Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
in ELP's catalogue.
Beginning
The song is segued from the explosive end to "The Three Fates" by an upbeat drum pattern by Carl Palmer. Greg LakeGreg Lake
Gregory Stuart "Greg" Lake is an English musician, songwriter and producer, best known as a vocalist and bassist of King Crimson, and the bassist, guitarist, vocalist, and lyricist of Emerson, Lake & Palmer.-1960s: King Crimson:...
provides a short bass solo over Palmer's drums . Keith Emerson
Keith Emerson
Keith Noel Emerson is an English keyboard player and composer. Formerly a member of the Keith Emerson Trio, John Brown's Bodies, The T-Bones, V.I.P.s, P.P. Arnold's backing band, and The Nice , he was a founder of Emerson, Lake & Palmer , one of the early supergroups, in 1970...
comes in energetically with a trio of keyboards: two clavinets and a piano. The trio's combined improvisation goes on for about a minute, which then Emerson and Lake trade bars of soloing with Palmer.
Drum Solo
Palmer then goes on a long and fast drum solo which lasts for at least three minutes. During the solo, Palmer exhibits all parts of his drum set (which includes tubular bells and a gong). At the end of his drum solo at 4:05 after Palmer's fast snare drum action is phased and panned quickly to the left and right can be heard four very low-pitched drumbeats. This sound is special due to the extremely low frequencies of it.End
Emerson plays a riff of F-G-Bb-Ab on the Moog (marking its first appearance on any ELP song), while Lake and Palmer lock in a tight, marching rhythm. Emerson goes on a two-minute improvisation on the Moog which lasts until the song fades out.1977 Remake
ELP did a 1977 version of Tank that was slightly faster, featured an orchestra, but dismissed the original's drum solo. This version was released on Works Volume 1.Personnel
- Keith Emerson: ClavinetClavinetA Clavinet is an electrically amplified keyboard instrument manufactured by the Hohner company. It is essentially an electronically amplified clavichord, analogous to an electric guitar. Its distinctive bright staccato sound has appeared particularly in funk, disco, rock, and reggae songs.Various...
, PianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, Moog SynthesizerMoog synthesizerMoog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled... - Greg Lake: Bass GuitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, GuitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
(on 1977 release) - Carl Palmer: drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...