Telegraph Avenue, released their first album in July of 1971 (reissued by Repsychled as CD 1006), an LP that achieved the best sales of that year in Peru. Only a few months later, Walo Carrillo left the band so that he could be available for new musical projects. Upon returning home in January of 1972, Walo Carrillo found a letter from Guillermo Van Lacke, sent from Argentina, announcing his imminent arrival—along with his young friend Dario Gianella—in Lima, Peru. They were coming by bus from Buenos Aires, with only a Les Paul guitar and whatever clothes they could hold in their hands. Their intention, according to the letter, was to find a drummer and to form a hard rock band. Walo also had an interest in playing hard rock music, so perhaps these friends could form a band together? And so, once they arrived in Peru, Guillermo brought a bass from Casa Daim, and start he, Dario, and Walo began to play together. After a short search for a singer, Alex Nathanson also joined them. Meanwhile the other members of Walo’s band Telegraph Avenue were trying without success to stay together. Telegraph Avenue played their last gig in April. Walo announced that same day the birth of a new band: Tarkus, the name a direct reference to the Emerson, Lake & Palmer album. Now, the work began in earnest. Guillermo and Dario stayed at Walo's, and together they wrote more than twenty songs in a short period of time (although only eight ended up on their album). They recorded the tracks for their LP at MAG Studios, and by July 1972, the Tarkus album was released, with a sober cover design by Walo. Tarkus did not have many live performances. The first of these select few was at the Union Church, in a Roosevelt High School kermesse (a mass said on the anniversary of the foundation of a church or in honor of the patron), where the band emerged, clad like monks, onto a dark stage. During the song ‘Tema para Lilus,’ Alex held a lantern, just like the character from the inner spread of the Led Zeppelin IV album, shocking the audience. And this was the album release party! Tarkus did have a short tour visiting the provinces, playing at Chimbote and Trujillo, and in a funny private party as well. At the time, the members of the band were more focused on their personal issues rather than recording a second album, knowing right away that their sound would be too loud for the local rock scene of 1972. On the other hand, Dario was a real mess, thanks in no small part to his exciting way of life. So, in the search for some peace of mind, he decided to join “Los Niños de Dios”, a religious brotherhood which forbade him to play music that didn't praise the Lord. With Dario gone, the band took a recess that lasted forever. Guillermo left for Argentina seeking a new guitarist. Meanwhile, Walo (drums) and Alex (bass and backing vocals) began to rehearse with Germán Cabieses (guitar and backing vocals) and Melissa Griffiths (lead voice). They formed Ganimedes, a heavy rock band with a melodic female vocals. Unfortunately, no recordings of this band were made. Four months later, Guillermo returned to Peru with a new guitar player: Carlos Salomón. But by that time Telegraph Avenue was regrouping, adding fifth member Germán Cabieses. Guillermo went back to Argentina and played for few months with La Banda del Oeste and Aguafuerte, but he never recorded again. Darío joined forces with Alex in 1976 to record an album dedicated to his religious brotherhood called: “Los Niños de Dios.” Any faint ideas for Tarkus to reform were definitively discarded. Now, thirty-five years later, this lone Tarkus record represents the origins of Peruvian heavy rock. Tarkus is issued here in a second edition by Repsychled Records, keeping the original art, but including never-seen photos and additional information that was not included on our Deluxe CD release of the same title. Both Repsychled Records compact disc issues were taken from the master tapes—the sound carefully handled, using tube equipment for the remastering process, in order to preserve the strength of the original record. This record must be played really loud! Andrés Tapia del Rio - Repsychled Records. Translated by Vincent Tornatore – Lion Productions