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 Brilliant. November 5, 2005
Michael Stack (North Chelmsford, MA USA)
58 out of 61 found this review helpful
"Red", in many ways, is the definitive King Crimson album and statement, the song itself as much as the album. The closing statement by the '70s Crimson, "Red", came after much struggle and turmoil within the band, and the recording sessions would be the straw that broke the camel's back-- the band, by this point consisting only of Robert Fripp (guitar, mellotron), John Wetton (bass, vocals), and Bill Bruford (percussion), further augmented by another melody player on most tracks, fell apart compeletely.
The album opens on a dark note-- the title track, an instrumental masterpiece composed by Fripp and generally regarded as one of the great statements of the band, lives up its reputation. Powerful, dark, and with a haunting bridge, it grabs hold and pulls the listener with it. Unlike previous Crimson albums, when the mood evolved, a state of darkness remains on this one-- "Fallen Angel", alternating between ballad form verses (featuring some totally stunning guitar work from Fripp) melts into a dark chorus (featuring a riff Fripp first tossed around in an improv when this band first came together) where several layers of guitars are added together with a positively haunting cornet solo by Mark Charig on top of all of it. The piece shows how far this band has come-- the musicians are pretty much psychic in their playing, and Wetton's vocal resonates a condidence he's never displayed.
Speaking of confident delivery, on "One More Red Nightmare", Wetton sings the piece, which runs at a breakneck pace, flawlessly. One of my complaints on the previous record was that his vocal sounded rushed, here again completely self-assured, there's no rushing. The piece also features jaw-dropping drumming from Bill Bruford and a monster sax solo courtesy of former band member Ian McDonald. The track that follows, "Providence", is actually a live improv from the city of the same name and as such, David Cross performs on violin. Remarkably, its the closest thing to a light moment on the album, which is to say it isn't as dark as the rest of the album. It still has an air of mystery about it and builds, but to my ears, never quite amounts to much.
The album's closer is probably the most stunning, "Starless", a piece in two movements. The first is a mellotron-string driven ballad with brilliant liquid-tone guitar playing from Fripp, a lovely soprano sax solo from former Crim Mel Collins, and a passioned vocal from John Wetton. This melts into a building section, highlighting Bruford's percussion again as Fripp plays repeated figures over and over again until the guitar and distorted bass echo each other and the piece explodes-- McDonald plays another brilliant alto solo, full of fire and passion before the two saxes restate the theme and the piece erupts like never before and comes to a conclusion. Its one of those magic moments on record, definitely a moment of pure brilliance.
This was unfortunately the last work of the '70s band-- McDonald was supposed to rejoin, but in a surprising move (given band history), Fripp left, which effectively ended Crimson for a further six years.
This album is another candidate for "the" Crimson masterpiece-- I don't think its quite as good as "Larks' Tongues in Aspic", but it is much more digestable. Essential.
Seething fury February 7, 2007
Jeffrey J.Park (Massachusetts, USA)
14 out of 15 found this review helpful
This 1974 release would prove to be the last studio album from King Crimson until their radical transformation/rebirth in 1981. Robert Fripp was quoted as saying that King Crimson's dissolution in 1974 occurred at a time when all of the English bands in the (progressive rock) genre should have ceased to exist. While I do not necessarily agree with everything Mr. Fripp has said regarding progressive rock over the years, Red is indeed a mighty recording upon which to close a very exciting chapter in King Crimson's recorded history.
The KC lineup in 1974 is considered by many to be the finest progressive rock lineup to record and included Robert Fripp (electric and acoustic guitars; mellotron); John Wetton (bass and lead vocals); master drummer/percussionist Bill Bruford; along with David Cross (violin); Mel Collins (soprano saxophone); Ian McDonald (alto saxophone); Robin Miller (Oboe); and Marc Charig (cornet). I think it goes without saying that the guys in KC during the 1973-1974 timeframe were some of the finest musicians around. The ensemble work is simply out of this world, and Bill Bruford once again demonstrates how to properly use the drum kit. What is missing from this lineup are softer acoustic textures - this record seemed intent on blasting the VU needle all the way into the "Red". This is a good thing by the way.
The five pieces on Red range in length from 6'00" to 12'18". Musically, the pieces on Red present a thunderous wall of sound that is menacing and at times somewhat violent. Jagged and frantic guitar parts, heavily distorted bass parts, and wall shaking drumming dominate the album, with comparatively delicate woodwind parts scattered throughout. The ensemble work is unbelievable and the Bruford/Wetton rhythm section never ceases to amaze. With respect to the pieces themselves Red, Fallen Angel, and One More Red Nightmare are more or less similar in terms of tempo and heaviness, while Providence is a very experimental piece that would not have been out of place on Starless and Bible Black (1974). The lengthy Starless however, is another personal favorite (along with Epitaph) and builds slowly, starting off with a very haunting melody played quietly by the band along with layers and layers of mellotron (with string setting) and John Wetton's excellent vocals. This placid introduction then gradually gives way to the seething fury that was established on the first three pieces and is largely instrumental - Bill Bruford really rips on the closing section of this piece.
Well there you have it. Red is an exceptionally fine example of English progressive rock and is very highly recommended along with In the Court of the Crimson King (1969); Larks Tongues in Aspic - 30th Anniversary Edition Remastered (1973); and Starless and Bible Black - 30th Anniversary Edition Remastered.
Crimso's crowning achievement for the '70s March 2, 2006
Kid A (Boulder, CO)
11 out of 12 found this review helpful
It's possible there has never been another band on the face of the planet that has gone through as many changes musically and with personnel as King Crimson. An astounding wealth of talent has passed through this band since their beginnings ca. 1968.
Their extraordinarily diverse sounds throughout the years makes it impossible to say which album is the "best". It is truly an apples and oranges comparison.
Personally, I prefer this era. Starless and Bible Black was good. Larks' Tongues in Aspic was utterly fantastic in its eccentricity, but Red is by and far their most incredible accomplishment. Hard, dark, and eerie, Red captures a mood that was probably quite appropriate considering the band disintegrated in the summer of 1974.
This album doesn't display quite the bizarre behavior from Larks' Tonuges (think Larks' Tonuges Part 1), although Providence meanders a bit and could probably have been tightened up. However, with Crimson you get what you get, and what you get is pretty damned good, even (or perhaps *especially*) when they were improvising.
The instrumental Red has been more or less a concert standard for them since they got back together in 1981, and with good cause. Fallen Angel is beautifully dark, and One More Red Nightmare's frantic pace draws you in, making you want to listen over and over again.
I suppose part of the magic of this album may be the release these guys must have felt when their soundscape opened up after the departure of previous members. Three-piece outfits with such talented musicians generally tend to overachieve. Sometimes that's good and sometimes it's bad. In Red's case, though, you just can't deny the brilliance of Bill Bruford's drum prowess, John Wetton's pounding bass and incredible "rock" voice. I won't even bother to try to describe Fripp's presence. If you know Crimson and Fripp, I don't have to explain. If you don't, there's no way to describe it. You must listen.
This is a must have for any prog music fan. End of story.
The "IT" album March 7, 2007
Jack Smith (W-S, NC uSSa)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is the peak.
In my humble opinion, there are many great King Crimson albums. But, this is THE one. The peak.
Bar none.
Period.
Discipline IS a close second. Nothing else comes close.
If you are new to Crimson, I can say nothing else but, start here.
Ah the Memories December 29, 2006
Lonnie E. Holder (Columbus, Indiana, United States)
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
King Crimson created one of the earliest masterpieces of progressive rocking, "In the Court of the Crimson King," that didn't push the envelope of rock, it ripped through the side of the envelope. "Red" is an incredible album that marked the end of an era for King Crimson, an era that also heralded the imminent demise of classic progressive rock.
The album starts with "Red," an instrumental that has elements similar to some of the elements on "In the Court of Crimson King." The song kicks off with a series of guitar riffs, drums and bass, leading into exploitation of the musical theme. While the lead guitar periodically uses the theme as a launch platform, it returns to the same theme once again to maintain the continuity of thread. At nearly 3 minutes into the piece we get string bass taking the lead in the theme, and the lead guitar falls into the background. The string bass provides an ominous feel, a sense of impending something...doom perhaps. Then the lead guitar takes back over, repeating the original theme with variations. The instrumental ends with a series of climbing riffs into a discord that make you start to feel like perhaps there is a positive ending, but the discord ending on a downbeat immediately changes the feeling of the end.
"Fallen Angel" implies a younger brother dying in a drug deal gone wrong ("Risk a life to make a dime"). The cornet is prominent until about halfway through the song, when the song segues into a bridge. After the bridge the lyrics are repeated from the second verse, until the "Fallen angel" chorus when all the instruments play counterpoint to the fade out. This song is very sad.
"One More Red Nightmare" starts with heavy bass and drums, adding in mellotron, sounding ominous. This song is actually hilarious. The singer is on a plane when the plane starts dropping out of the sky. However, the singer wakes to find that the whole flight was a dream, he's actually on a Greyhound bus. The supporting music is about as whimsical as King Crimson gets on this album, which is to say, only modestly. There is an extended bridge after the first two verses where there is a dream-like feel to the music, leading to the third verse where the singer finds that he is on the bus. After that the music takes on a joyous/relieved feel, celebrating life. The ending is abrupt and...
the beginning to "Providence" is as slow as the end to "One More Red Nightmare" was abrupt. Violin leading to small pieces of additional music, in and out. Think "Moonchild," but done better. This instrumental would make a good soundtrack for a horror film. At about 5 minutes in the music begins to accelerate, and the instruments begin a serious counterpoint that seems improvisational, and perhaps is, leading to the string bass that finishes off the instrumental, not abruptly, but not in a fadeout either.
"Starless" finishes the CD with 12 minutes of song and instrumental. The song kicks off with about 4 minutes of beautiful lyrics and music that transitions into bass and lead guitar with drums and blocks, slow...building, building, building, almost forever, it seems, but at almost 8 minutes in the lead guitar starts into a fevered pitch, sustaining what came before, until at 8:40 or so you are on the runway, blasting off at just past 9 minutes. The music moves and rocks, the saxophone providing the lead for a while...then mellowing back out, the calm before the raucous, rocking end.
The CD is ominous. It is dark. Do not listen to it when you are feeling down. Mellow, okay. Down, no. One small thing: this music is addictive. Once you listen to it, the diode photons may wear the plastic off...
Enjoy!
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