In The Court Of The Crimson King [Remastered] - King Crimson > Reviews > Neuro-Surgeons Scream For more

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	Outstanding
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Completley Defines The Genre Of Prog Rock
Disadvantages:	The Density of Sound Can Be Unappealing

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

It is becoming quite the done thing for old progressive rock bands to re-master their back catalog for CD. I wholeheartedly approve of this kind of shenanigans especially when you get one of the classics of the genre like this one with a fantastic booklet, which features all the original artwork and extra press clippings and photos. When the re-mastering is done under the guidance of the artist it is even better as this leads to a better sonic experience. This reissue of King Crimsons classic In The Court Of The Crimson King, is a perfect example of this. It is also released on Robert Fripp's Discipline Global Mobile label (http://www.dgmlive.com/) which means that the artist has complete control over the record, which is an added bonus, as you now the cash is going where it should go, to the artist.

King Crimson were founded by guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Michael Giles in 1969. The name was coined by lyricist Peter Sinfield as a synonym for Beelzebub. The album In The Court of the Crimson King and Observation by King Crimson was released in 1969 and has been an enormous influence in psychedelic, progressive rock, and heavy metal music. Robert Fripp claimed that the object of King Crimson was to make intelligent heavy metal music, however this was probably after the fact so it can be treated with a certain amount of cynicism. However there is no escaping the fact that this album was hugely influential in the development of progressive rock over the next 30 years and beyond......

The star of the album is not just Robert Fripp's guitar work but the Mellotron a completely unique musical instrument. It was the first sample based keyboard instrument. It was a direct ancestor the Chamberlain. The machine has a bank of parallel linear strips of magnetic tape, each with approximately eight seconds of playing time; playback heads underneath each key enable performers to play the pre-recorded sound assigned to that key when pressed, and the sound on each individual tape piece is recorded at the specific pitch of the key that it was assigned to. (1). The result of all this is an instrument with a totally unique sound and it is great for producing dark dense psychedelic sounds.

The album starts off in fantastic form with "21st Century Schizoid Man" it's heavily distorted vocals, driving mechanical and Jazzy rhythms and piercingly loud saxophone and guitar set the tone. That combined with the dark visions in the lyrics you can see their influence on generations of musicians. In 1969 very few other dared to sound this abrasive. They have even been credited as having a major influence on Industrial Metal but again that is fairly doubtful, taking too much credit for stuff is not always a good thing. Fripp's guitar tone during the solo section is heavy and almost atonal, something that only sonic visionaries were capable of in 1969. The pace is then abruptly mellowed out for "I Talk To the Wind" with gentle flutes carrying a simple melody and almost twee harmony vocals, though the subject matter is still fairly dark but whimsical. It also starts to explore shifting musical themes that would later be employed by many working in the field of ambient music.

The contrast between the two opening tracks is fantastic and the juxtaposition of them adds a certain cohesive feel to the beginning of the album.

"Epitaph" explores lyrical themes that would be recounted by many a heavy metal band with the opening lines of "The wall on which the prophets wrote is cracking at the seems". Though this is no spandex clad homoerotic macho workout. The track opens with a dramatic crescendo of melotron sounds, acoustic guitar plucking and ethereal electric guitar. The vocal is so low in the mix it is almost inaudible. Though there is power and heaviness in the music achieved by its sheer understatement. Their are guitar clangs to add to the drama of it all, but here it is the mellotron that stands out. It adds density to the sound that can only be achieved by the use of this unique instrument, proof that you can make heavy music without being heavy.

"Moonchild" provides relief from the previous track with a light airy feel. Light jangly guitars and whimsical lyrics make it a welcome break from the density of sound that "Epitaph" had. An like the other mellower tracks here it explores light musical themes that would become a major influence on ambient music in the future, with the sound the instrument makes being as important as the melody.

The song cycle on this album completes with "The Court of The Crimson King" which could be described as a defining moment in the history of progressive rock with, swirling majestic mellotrons and organs, breaks of acoustic whimsy, dense harmony vocals and dark if not down right strange subject matter. The song shifts effortlessly due to the exceptional musicianship of the players, and comes together as one dense cohesive lump.

This album is truly fantastic and for prog rock fans it is essential, as it did along with the works or sonic visionaries like Van Der Graaf Generator define the genre. This incarnation of King Crimson was sort lived as musical differences caused them to split in December of 1969, but King Crimson would continue in one form or another under the helm of Robert Fripp. however this line up of Robert Fripp (Guitar), Ian McDonald( Reeds, Woodwind, Vibes, Keyboards, Melotron, Vocals), Greg Lake (Bass, lead Vocals), Michael Giles (Drums, percussion, Vocals) and Peter Sinfield (Words and Illumination) is considered by many including myself to be the definitive one, and this is the definitive King Crimson Album.

(1) Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mellotron