|
| Reviews
|
 In
the Court of the Crimson King (1969)
A beloved album by most King Crimson fans, and I believe their
biggest commercial success to date. This album is widely regarded
as being the first progressive rock album ever, or at least
the first that showed the various stylistic tendencies of the
then fractured movement in a definitive and musically overwhelming
whole. This is the album that really got the ball rolling.
The amount of praise constantly heaped upon it originally led
to me to sort of a letdown when I first heard it, but I've gradually
grown to appreciate it much more. The leadoff track, "21st Century
Schizoid Man", is probably King Crimson's most well known song,
with an instantly recognizable riff and a jarring sound. However,
its hard rockish tendencies don't really fit into the dark and
lush symphonics of the rest of the album, so I usually tend
to skip it. The rest of the album is a dark, profound work that
positively drips with almighty mellotron and a generally melancholy
tone. "Epitaph" and "In the Court of the Crimson King" are absolutely
massive. All in all, this is a must-have album. It's widely
available and probably pretty cheap so there's no excuse not
to have it. This laid the foundation for progressive music for
years to come. -
Greg Northrup [2000]
Click
Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
 In
The Wake Of Poseidon (1970)
Very similar
to ItCotKC, and whichever album you hear first you'll
probably like, though I think the title track from In The
Wake... is the best song on either album. This really epitomizes
the darkly symphonic tendencies of this era. As a whole, the
album is clearly modeled after the first, but for obvious reasons
it is not the standard bearer that the first was. Musically
though, I find them to be of basically equal merit.
- Greg Northrup
[2000]
Click
Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
 Lizard
(1970)
One
of the more controversial albums in the KC catalogue, in that
there is a wide variance of opinion on it. This is an extremely
jazzy album, and a departure from the previous two. There
is also a host of new personnel to support Fripp on this album,
which explains the drastic change. The first track, "Cirkus"
is wonderful, and one of my favorite Crimson tracks ever,
based around a darkly addictive piano/vocal melody that gradually
builds up with some extremely interesting lyrics. Most of
the rest of the album tends to wander around, occasionally
losing my attention. Songs often degenerate into pointless
jazz improvisation, before building up into focused and energetic
climaxes. However, allowing the generally darkly abstract
and jazzier side of Crimson to gently wash over you makes
this a great album to relax to. Pretty good, but definitely
not representative of Crimson in any way. -
Greg Northrup [2000]
Click
Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
 Islands
(1971)
Islands
is either heralded
as either an underapprrecciated masterpiece or the worst
of all the 70s King Crimson albums. I guess the truth, as
usual, is somewhere in the middle. A decent album with a
number of redeeming qualities, I think it flows rather well
from beginning to end, but doesn't really jump out and grab
my attention at any point. The highlights are definitely
"The Sailors Tale", which is, in my opinion, one of the
better and more exciting extended improvs that KC ever did,
and the lush closer "Islands". "The Letters" is also very
good, and I find the rest of the album marginal at best.
Like Lizard, a decent album, but not representative
in the least. -
Greg Northrup [2000]
 Larks'
Tongues In Aspic (1973)
This
is full throttle King Crimson, and arguably their finest
moment. Fripp ressurrected the band with a new lineup that
including drummer Bill Bruford and bassist John Wetton,
both virtuosos in their own right. Also in the fold was
violinist and mellotron player David Cross, who added a
symphonic dimension to the harshly metallic core trio. From
beginning to end the album totally throttles the listener.
The mix of the insanely heavy instrumentals like "The Lark's
Tongue in Aspic" Parts I +II, and the more downbeat and
vocally oriented songs make this album a perfect mix of
King Crimson at it's best. The ballad "Book of Saturdays"
and the beautiful "Exiles" showcase John Wetton's voice
at it's finest. Another member with a fairly significant
impact was auxiliary percussionist Jamie Muir, who added
a textural excitement to the improvisational moments on
the album.
- Greg Northrup [2000]
Click
Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
 Starless
And Bible Black (1974)
Another
full and consistent album, featuring the same lineup as
the previous one, Lark's Tongue in Aspic. Again,
a great mix of insane improvisational stuff and beautifully
structured symphonic songs like "The Night Watch" and "Lament".
Half of this album is apparently recorded live, and the
improv "Fracture" makes a case for the best improv in the
Crimson catalogue. A powerful album, though I prefer both
is predecessor and the next album, the magnificent Red.
-
Greg Northrup [2000]
 Red
(1974)
Biting, metallic, aggressive,
impossibly dense and magnificently complex. Nearly
flawless with the exception of the rather meandering improvisation
"Providence", which I always skip. However, the sheer brilliance
of the rest of the album makes up for this one misstep.
As good as any other King Crimson album. Closer "Starless"
makes a case not only for the most poignant and beautiful
King Crimson song ever, but as one of the greatest progressive
rock songs of all time. The song opens with beautiful
mellotron washes and an endearing vocal melody, before entering
into an extended jam, and then returning in triumph to the
main theme. It's a toss-up between this and Lark'
s Tongue in Aspic, though, if forced, I would probably
have to take Lark's Tongue.
- Greg Northrup
[2000]
Click
Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
 In
the Court of King Crimson (2002)
By
Sid Smith
Helter Skelter 2002
Followers of King
Crimson can sleep peacefully in 2002. The myths, rumors
and misinformation have finely been put to rest. Sid Smith’s
In the Court of King Crimson is as close as your
going to come to an official biography of the band, (outside
of Mr. Fripp writing one himself) and a beauty it is.
Mr.
Smith has laid out, in a detailed and highly enjoyable
reading format, the history of one of the premier progressive
and experimental bands of the 20th century. Taking us
through Crimson pre-history up to the present, Mr. Smith
journeys through the Crimson years adding informative
interviews with various band members and contributors,
past and present, on the ongoing legacy. With detailed
comments on each album, the story unwinds from year to
year, along with a chapter on most of the contributing
members and non-members toward the end of the book, making
this a must read for the converted. Those wanting to gain
insight into the musical adventures of a band that have
been a part of the musical landscape for well over 30
years but not yet Crimson aficionados will still enjoy
this. Without spoiling the books contents for the readers,
I for one, having been a dedicated Crimson follower since
witnessing the devastating evenings in 1973/1974 as Fripp,
Bruford, Wetton and Cross took to the stage, proceeding
to change my perceptions of the musical world, and learned
through the book many facts that I thought were long lost
to history.
Sid
Smith’s In the Court of King Crimson will be one
of those books I’ll be pulling out of my collection from
time to time to accompany me on my listening experience
throughout the Crimson catalog. Highly and irrevocably
an essential purchase for anyone interested in all things
“King Crimson”.
- Mark Gaines [July 2002]
|
|
