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 Stunning debut-- pinnacle of late 60s progressive rock. March 28, 2005
Michael Stack (North Chelmsford, MA USA)
123 out of 129 found this review helpful
In the life of any music fans, there are albums that change the way you perceive music-- "In the Court of the Crimson King" was, for me, one of them.
The original King Crimson band-- Robert Fripp (guitar), Ian McDonald (keys, reeds, vocals), Michael Giles (drum kit, backing vocals), Greg Lake (bass, vocals), and Peter Sinfield (lyrics) was a group positioned to do something great-- when Ian McDonald joined Giles, Giles & Fripp (an off kilter pop band and the prototype for King Crimson), and eventually the arrival of vocalist Greg Lake, the band's former pop sensibilities were largely replaced by a neoclassical form and a love for improv. The only resulting document of this group in the studio is this album.
I'm going to briefly jump into the sound before talking about the music-- if you're not interested, skip to the next paragraph. Fripp has remastered the album for what seems like the millionth time-- this time from the original session tapes. The result is stunning-- there's a clarity here not present on previous editions, the production seems to have slightly changed, Lake often sounds like he's singing right in your ear, the vocal harmonies, always for me one of the things that separated this album from similar acheivements (the stunning playing of Fripp and Giles being the other) are clear and distinct. And for an album of dynamic, it has long gone without any clear hearing-- "Moonchild", which often sounded like unfocused tinkling, finally sounds coherent on record. From a sonic standpoint, this is finally the treatment the record deserves.
The music is this album is breathtaking-- the sound is in some ways very 1969-- mellotrons abound, lead playing splits between reeds and guitars, and a unique, high tuned drum sound, but there's a certain timeless quality to some of the tracks that make it stand out, even when seeped in the technology of the time. The album's opener, "21st Century Schizoid Man", is the closest thing to a hit the band had-- a group composition, the song opens with a whisper, mellotron effects, before exploding into power chord guitar and wailing sax-- Lake's voice, neveer a favorite of mine, takes a powerful and harsh edge and runs through two verses before the song breaks into a syncopated rhythm over which McDonald (on sax) and Fripp both take brilliant solos before coming back around to the verse again. By the time this ended for the first time, I was hooked. The level of playing on here, in particular hearing the four musicians playing complex lines in unison, will grab hold of anyone. Combine that with a great metal hook, and you've got something in many ways overwhelming.
The following track, "I Talk to the Wind", is quite the opposite-- delicate, with quiet guitars, reeds, a brilliant flute solo, and soft harmonies, makes you realize this band is not a one trick pony. This may be the finest lead vocal Lake has ever sung-- he sounds relaxed, confident, and without that air of pretension that so often dominates his singing. Again, simply breathtaking, but in its own way. Skipping ahead a bit to "Moonchild", the first two minutes are similar-- quiet musical performance and a great lead vocal from Lake before meandering into an extended guitar, vibes and drums improv. While the trio improv is a bit overlong, it does (at least on this edition, not nearly as well on previous ones), work without having a feeling of draggin.
The other two tracks on the album are really the only ones that lack a timeless quality, largely in part because they're dominated by the lush mellotron strings that clearly point to their era. "Epitaph" is probably my least favorite track on the album, dark, building, boiling, with some great guitar work from Fripp, I find it (and to a lesser extent the album closer) marred by Lake's overblown vocal delivery. The album closer, again dominated by the string sounds and Lake's vocal, is also washed in vocal harmonies, features a really incredible reed bridge, and some great distorted guitar interplaying with the mellotron-- while it feels dated, its one of those period pieces whose performance is so brilliant and whose composition is so strong, it gets past its sound.
The album was one of a kind-- while Crimson would continue and produce many stunning albums, McDonald and Giles abdicated leaving Fripp to continue. This is an effort that would never be repeated-- it also, unfortunately, established King Crimson as a progressive rock band, a sound that, by the mid-70s, they largely abandoned, and by the 80s, they totally turned their back on. Nonetheless, its a great record, and definitely should be heard.
The single most influential album of progressive rock ever released May 24, 2006
Jeffrey J.Park (Massachusetts, USA)
34 out of 37 found this review helpful
Released in 1969, this incredible album by King Crimson not only established a new genre of music (progressive rock), but single-handedly established the different models subsequent prog bands would follow. In short, all of the elements that characterize prog (especially ensemble virtuosity) came together in one place on this album. Many musicologists (including this prog-obsessed biologist) regard In the Court of the Crimson King as the single most influential album of progressive rock ever released.
The band members on this album include Robert Fripp (electric and acoustic guitars); multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald (saxophone, flute, piano, organ, mellotron); unbelievably good drummer Michael Giles; Greg Lake (bass, vocals); and last but not least Pete Sinfield (lyrics). All of the musicians are excellent and set new standards for ensemble virtuosity that would be taken up in earnest by the major English prog bands including Yes, Genesis, ELP, Gentle Giant, Van der Graaf Generator, and Jethro Tull. I should note that the influence of King Crimson was not just restricted to England and spread throughout continental Europe, particularly Italy - listen to any early PFM album (1972-1974) for proof.
The pieces on the album cover a broad spectrum of styles, moods, tempi and dynamics ranging from all out rave-ups to delicate passages comprised of just flute and soft cymbal work. The opening track 21st Century Schizoid Man features blistering riffs played in unison by several musicians and at breakneck speeds. There are sections of this piece that are vaguely reminiscent of the furious pace of be-bop jazz. In stark contrast to this all-out assault is the quiet and contemplative piece I Talk to the Wind, which showcases Ian on the flute. Epitaph is my favorite piece out of King Crimson's entire recorded output and features (in all its glory and splendor), the mellotron with string setting. This instrument, with its haunting and sweeping textures, lends this piece (and the album) an emotional sophistication that is truly something to behold. The 12'13" Moonchild is an odd piece that is more of a sound collage than anything else. Specifically, it opens with a brief and somber guitar passage and Greg on vocals, which then gives way to a very experimental and "free-form" instrumental passage that features various percussion instruments and delicate guitar parts (they verge on "noodling"). In fact, there are moments where the "noodling" gives way to sections of near silence. The opening flourish of the closing track The Court of the Crimson King breaks the listener out of the reverie induced by Moonchild, and is structurally somewhat similar to Epitaph - just like Epitaph, it features a ton of mellotron with some great ensemble work and is pretty haunting.
With regard to this particular iteration, the sound quality is excellent and is perhaps better than the other versions out there.
All in all, this is a landmark recording with far-reaching influences and is very highly recommended along with Larks Tongues in Aspic (1973) and Red (1974).
End of and era start of a new era August 15, 2005
A. Cox (New York, NY United States)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
Some critics have made a compelling argument for 1969 being the greatest year in rock, with the last Beatles albums and the first Zeppelin Albums, and a whole lot in between this marked the end of era and the beginning of a new. This album was one of the landmarks in this amazing year, each track is different, and represent such different views they could be by differnt bands, but when you listen to this album, that isn't the feeling you get. Each track is individually crafted; from the unbelievably heavy 20th Century Schizoid Man (even the 2 great albums of Zeppelin didn't have a track that produces this amount of drive), through the wistful I Talk To The Wind on through the lyrical Epitaph, psychedelic Moonchild (Syd Barrett would have been proud!) and finally the Storytelling title track. This album after 30 years of listening still sends shivers down my spine, and is still one of my all time favourite albums!
Though never a big band, the band and it's members became pervasive through 70's, 80's and 90's rock. Pete Sinfield continued writing and went on to also produce. (including Roxy Music's 1st album, their 2nd, For Your Pleasure, being at least as good, if not better that Court!) Lake went off to ELP (some interesting but mostly very over blown prog/symphonic rock!) and Asia, whilst Fripp (one the greatest and innovative British guitarists ever) continued the band whilst also producing some amazing session work especially his work with Bowie and Eno. MacDonald played in many bands including being a cofounder of Foreigner! And of Giles who knows!
King Crimson cuts the first great progressive rock album May 1, 2005
Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota)
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
Time and time again we are confronted with artists who put out a great debut album and never climb that high ever again. When it comes to talking about the paradigmatic example of such a phenomenon my choice would be King Crimson and their debut album "In the Court of the Crimson King." Released in 1969 with its distinctive cover art, this was the album that set the standard for progressive/psychedelic rock for the next decade. Except for the title track the songs are ensemble efforts by guitarist Robert Fripp, drummer Michael Giles, bass player and lead vocalist Greg Lake, keyboard player Ian McDonald, and lyricist Peter Sinfield.
The best track on the album is the first, "21st Century Schizoid Man," with its big main riff and jazz-rock middle section ("Mirrors"). The music is somewhat distorted at times, but that does not stop the group's musical virtuosity from coming through. As you would expect from the title, the song paints a picture of dystopian future that embodies the worst tendencies of the late 1960s, and remains the standard by which other progressive rock epics are judged. In terms of political sensibilities nothing comes close. The song also stands out because the following track, "I Talk to the Wind," is more folk-rock and constitutes a sort of cleansing of the palate before proceeding to the rest of the album (it is actually a song members of the group had played on earlier efforts).
The title track is not the best King Crimson song, but it is probably their best known one (and the one song that was written just by McDonald and Sinfeld). The conceit is of a medieval court afflicted by a black queen, fire witch, and other equally dark images heading for total destruction. It is a daring finality, teetering on the brink of the sort of bombastic pomposity that often afflicted progressive rock (Emerson, Lake & Palmer's "Tarkus Suite," with its synthesizer excess is the example that springs to mind). Musically on this album as a whole it is McDonald who makes the biggest mark on the album, playing mellotron and assorted other instruments like saxophones, although Fripp's guitar is also prominent. When I was growing up the singing voice I most wanted to have was Greg Lake's, and this is the album when he sounds the best. The result is that "In the Court of the Crimson King" is one of the albums that has to be considered when you are making a list of top albums from the Sixites or in the history of progressive rock music. It does not matter that King Crimson had a revolving door lineup and that it would take them years to come up with anything close to this classic album.
a timeless masterpiece in early progressive rock December 19, 2006
Sharpphoto (New York, New York)
11 out of 12 found this review helpful
Blending elements of several forms of music, including classical, jazz, and folk, four young British musicians banded together in 1969 as King Crimson and recorded a five-song masterpiece. Looking back in time to the year when this album was released, it has oftentimes been said that King Crimson's first album, "In the Court of the Crimson King", was a milestone in rock music history that marked the beginning of a new branch in rock music henceforth called, "progressive or art rock." However, it would be amiss to claim here that this group had accomplished this feat all alone. There were a number of other prominent rock groups at the time such as The Moody Blues and Deep Purple who were likewise experimenting along the same lines. Both of these groups had also been strongly influenced by classical music, and The Moody Blues, in particular, released two groundbreaking albums that same year. These two albums, "On the Threshold of a Dream" and "To Our Children's Children", were phenomenal in their own right. Like King Crimson, The Moody Blues prominently used a relatively new instrument at that time called, the mellotron. In addition, certain harsh and heavy passages from this album by King Crimson have, at times, been credited as being a strong influence in the formation, and early development, of yet another form, or branch, of rock music, namely, "heavy metal." And now, and most fortunately, King Crimson's debut album, "In the Court of the Crimson King", has, once again, been remastered using the latest advances in digital technology for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.
The early stages of this group's formation saw three friends, Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, and Peter Giles, enter the studio and record a number of songs together under the name of "Giles, Giles, and Fripp." Robert Fripp was a versatile guitarist with the ability to play a wide range of styles. Along the way, they were joined by Ian McDonald, a multi-instrumentalist, who played various woodwind instruments and who also played a number of different keyboards, including the mellotron. When one of the Giles brothers left the band, he was soon replaced with Greg Lake on bass and vocals. With the final addition of Peter Sinfield as lyricist, the group was formed. The year was late 1968.
The album's strong appeal, no doubt, lay in the group's prominent use of the mellotron. Without its use, the album would certainly not have reached masterpiece status. This instrument (actually, an amalgam of prerecorded tapes) replaced the diverse sounds of an entire philharmonic orchestra. Rock groups had already been experimenting, and recording, with the mellotron for sometime, ever since the Summer of Love. The Rolling Stones, for one, first began to use the mellotron in 1967 when they were writing songs for their upcoming album, "For Their Satanic Majesties Request." The Rolling Stones, too, had a talented multi-instrumentalist in Brian Jones. During the psychedelic era, musicians from various groups, ranging from David Bowie to Pink Floyd, took an interest in, and a quick liking to, the mellotron, especially with its outworldly sounds. However, the Stones soon returned to their R&B roots, abandoning further experimentation in that direction with the mellotron. The Moody Blues, on the other hand, who had previously employed the full services of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, found the mellotron to be a suitable replacement for the orchestra, and they soon integrated the new instrument into their recordings (and also into their upcoming touring plans.) Mike Pinder of The Moody Blues became quite proficient with its use.
The Rolling Stones did not forget their brief experimentation with the mellotron, and their affection towards it. And when it came time to introduce to the public, especially their fans, their new line-up in the summer of 1969, featuring guitarist extraordinaire Mick Taylor, at a free concert in London's Hyde Park, they invited King Crimson to precede them on stage. It was a great honor. The group's unconventional approach to rock music that day blew away the crowd. Needless to say, these Stone's fans knew that they had just experienced something very special musically, something new and refreshing. It had been the public debut of King Crimson!
The end for King Crimson's stellar initial line-up was nonetheless near. While on tour in North America to support the release of their debut album, tensions within the band became apparent. Giles and McDonald declared that they planned to leave the band at the conclusion of the tour and record together. Their ensuing album entitled, "McDonald and Giles", unsurprisingly had much of the same feel as King Crimson's debut album. It is worth a listen. Greg Lake soon thereafter left the band, too, to form the supergroup, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, with Keith Emerson on keyboards (formerly with the band, The Nice) and Carl Palmer on drums (formerly with Atomic Rooster.) This band's popularity, especially with fans of progressive rock, soon eclipsed the popularity of King Crimson. Before he left King Crimson, however, Greg Lake began work with the remaining members of the band on several tracks for the band's second album, "In the Wake of Poseidon." Further down the line, Ian McDonald founded another prominent group in the mid-1970's. This band, Foreigner, with time, made its own significant contribution to rock music history, too.
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