In The Court Of The Crimson King - King Crimson > Reviews > The first and only of its kind

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	Wouldnt know it was made 30 years ago
Disadvantages:	Art Work

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

King Crimson should never be referred to as a band, the only way to view and refer to these guys is as a progressive rock group. A group that has passed the test of time; for around 30 years these guys have been on and off the music scene, yet somehow evading most public press. At one stage in their early career, beginning on January 13th 1969, they were ear-marked to be the next Beatles. King Crimson did better; staying out of the public focus enabled them to create truly magnificent masterpieces.

In the Court of the Crimson King, King Crimson's debut album, originally released in 1969 was to set the standards for progressive rock for the next decade. The distinctive cover art should not put anyone off; I don't want to analyse the art as I feel it's better if you analyse it yourself and put your own twist upon it.

Containing only 5 tracks all of around 8 or 9 minutes in length, this is a sit back and feel your spine tingle album. At points you will feel compelled to stand high upon your desk and sing with Greg Lake (lead vocalist), and at other moments you can do nothing but sit back and let the music guide you into an almost hypnotic state.

21st Century Schizoid Man the first track on the album, is hard hitting and starts with a impact. Expect large variety of instruments and some legendary drumming (from Michael Giles). On the first listen of this track some may not like it as its different, feeling like several pieces of music strung badly together, however, the jazz-rock section in the middle, strung onto the rest of the song is what makes it so good. Nothing like dancing down the road to amazing jazz-rock.

In sharp contrast track 2 - I talk to the Wind feels like coming off a sugar rush in comparison to 21st Century Schizoid Man. This is when you can sit back and appreciate the vocals and the instruments at their best. The use of the flute and awe inspiring lyrics/ poetry makes this a much needed rest and setup for the rest of the album.

Track 3 entitled Epitaph encompasses exactly what you would expect from an Epitaph and more. The use of vocals and strong exaggeration of syllables make this top track of this album. One feels the frustration, anger and pain in Lakes vocals throughout, he catches every emotion perfectly and is backed up with unique guitar playing from Fripp.

Moonchild, track 4 contains at the end what feels like improvised jazz section for 10 minutes at the end. No matter how many times I listen to this it still sounds different every time as though it never follows a set pattern of making music. At first I dismissed this section of the album as being nothing new but how often do you listen to an album and find it different every time, not very often and especially with more modern albums.

Track 5, In The Court of the Crimson King, probably King Crimsons best known track tops off this album and leaves you in an elated state. I find it hard to describe this track in words and by now I sincerely hope that you have taken the decision to purchase this album. This album should be on everyone's list of things to listen to before you die.