KING CRIMSON

This album is very special to me, as some of the first progressive rock songs I heard are from this album. ITCOTCK has a very particular sound that I think no later album has. Now a brief review of all the songs on "In The Court of The Crimson King". The first song "21st Century Schizoid Man" is a powerful introduction to this masterpiece, with a great riff at the beginning, and a strong vocal part, then a very jazzy instrumental begins that ends with the intro riff, the song ends with what It seems to be a crazy improvisation. The second song "I Talk to The Wind" is a beautiful piece with some brilliant moments and my favorite part is the flute solo, this part is magical, also this song is the shortest on the album. The third song "Epitaph" begins with an introduction that could be described as epic, then the atmosphere calms down and the vocals begin. I cannot describe the whole song, it is an experience in itself, but I will say that my favorite part is the instrumental interlude where if I remember correctly, a clarinet was present, a pretty good part for which it is never too late to listen again. The fourth song "Moonchild" is a beautiful ballad with somewhat mysterious lyrics, this song is interesting, because after two minutes, a quite calm and atmospheric improvisation begins, which also, in some parts, it seems that the instruments are having a Conversation, I like this song, but I feel that it is a little less good than the others and that it had the potential to be better. The fifth and last song "The Court of The Crimson King" begins again, with an epic intro, this song, like "Epitaph" is a masterpiece, which has many memorable moments, but in my opinion, the Best of all is when the song is about to end and an instrument begins that at first is very calm and that ends with the main theme of the song, the first time I heard it, I was simply stunned. As a final conclusion, I think that everyone who is interested in the world of Progressive Rock should listen to this album, it is unlikely to regret hearing a work like this, five well-deserved stars.

1974 saw the Crimson King bring two fabulous records to the light of day - the first one of them often gets forgotten, maybe neglected, somewhat underappreciated, for reasons more than obvious. But this is just not right; 'Starless and Bible Black' is studio album #6 for the band, released in March, and the first one to have most of the material recorded live, and just a couple songs recorded entirely in the studio. Is it really shocking at this point in the band's career when the new studio album sounds nothing like any of the previous releases? There are no more symphonic inclinations, like in the first two albums, no more avant-garde jazz quests or romantic explorations, like on the third and fourth albums, and certainly no more 'classical crossover' (If we may describe it in this way), like on the fifth one - this is different; the sound is abrasive, unusual and unwelcoming. The presence of several live recordings means that most of the material on 'Starless and Bible Black' is highly experimental, borderline meaningless, and strongly improvisational. Blended with some studio recordings and edited out in the studio before release, this 1974 album has to be one of the more challenging but nonetheless essential examples of progressive rock.

Alongside Fripp, the listener will notice Bill Bruford on drums and percussion (taking this role after the spontaneous departure of Jamie Muir, a personal favorite and a man who brings a pretty unique flavor to the Crim's fifth album), John Wetton on bass and vocals, and David Cross on violin, viola, Mellotron - King Crimson's personal Paganini. It is the very presence of Cross that adds so much value and intrigue to this mysterious recording, his soloing, the manic violin parts, sometimes melancholic and sometimes hectic, the phrasing all add up to his account.

The album starts off with the two tracks that were entirely prepared in the studio, two fantastic and more straightforward rocking songs from King Crimson, 'The Great Deceiver' and 'Lament'; however, this does not mean that they are anything close to the standard and ordinary hard rock songs from the same time. Then comes the instrumental 'We'll Let You Know', about which all I could say is: why isn't this groovy bonanza a 15-minute composition, it feels like it could have been a true masterpiece of experimental rock. 'The Night Watch' is an observation upon Rembrandt's painting of the same name, 'Trio' is a dramatic instrumental piece, featuring the talents of Fripp on the Mellotron, Cross on the violin, and Wetton on the bass; It is not exactly clear what the purpose of this composition is, or why it was featured on the album. Finally, side one concludes with the menacing live recording 'The Mincer', a shortened version of the presumably very long improv.

Side two contains just two epic instrumentals, the murky title track, and the strangely uplifting and exciting 'Fracture'; They flow into each other almost seamlessly, forming this tremendously pleasant experience of enjoying some of the best experimental rock music from any band ever. Must-hear compositions for the fans of the Crim that might have missed these excellent instrumentals for whatever reason.

'Starless and Bible Black' is far from being a perfect album because it is simply a horrendous one! It is an album that invites you to listen, contemplate, not move, and decide; It is a proposal by King Crimson, an unwelcoming call to contemplate the sounds of the light and the shade.

Saying King Crimson means putting decades of progressive rock history in a name. From '68 onwards - with the necessary breaks - it is necessary to remember the deeds of the London band, capable of establishing itself as a pillar of the genre and innovating the sound from time to time with influences of all kinds. In 1995 THRAK was released, an album that aims to emerge among timeless masterpieces such as In the Court of the Crimson King and Discipline (to name two) and which sees in the studio the consolidated "double trio", a line-up composed by two heterogeneous bodies capable of autonomous management and which are the keystone of production, in particular the double drums of Bill Bruford and Pat Mastelotto who will be able to carve out moments of pure delirium.

Listening to THRAK doesn't start out in the best way. The first two tracks are in fact rather dull, and at times the flatness pervades both the guitar work and the rhythm section. It is necessary to note in the initial VROOOM the presence of the aforementioned double trio, whose musicians find themselves cooperating in the central mix, and then break away in the following fourteen songs in the right and left channel. Marine 475 perhaps knows how to be more convincing than the previous track, despite its anxious and successful atmosphere being ruined by a structure that can be approached to a chant. Dinosaur raises the quality, and the good number of musicians at work is more convincing, thanks also to the discreet vocal section that frames it. A piece that on the whole will know how to enter the listener's mind due to its catchy refrain and not too articulate structure. The roundup continues with another slightly cloying song, forgettable though not bad, namely Walking on Air. However, it is the fifth and sixth tracks that make THRAK much more interesting and charismatic to the ears of the most fussy listeners. On the one hand B'Boom is an ascent from distant tribal references, whose rhythm section knows how to amaze thanks to the absolute protagonist role of a technical solipsism, a great drum solo in the form of a prog rock song in a climax that will satisfy anyone. . The title track, on the other hand, is probably the most successful track, above all thanks to the intricate sounds and good guitar lines, all managed and orchestrated by a sparkling rock energy capable of raising the tone of a not exactly memorable record. Wanting to lay a demarcation line with the first part of the album, THRAK is therefore the bearer of an anxious, dizzying and at times playful climate with the prog tones typical of the King, all marked however by a lack of compositional inventiveness that does not always make it attractive to more demanding palates this first tranche. Inner Garden is a moment of quiet and relaxation materialized in a convincing arpeggio and in fitting vocal lines. Inner Garden II, twelfth track, concludes the circle continuing in perfect symbiosis with the first part: sonority, down-tempo and emotional impact; sufficient compositional work, capable of immersing the listener in meditative environments. Almost identical speech for the latest VROOOM VROOOM and VROOOM VROOOM: Coda that together create a final organic of the opening track. Appreciable riffs, claustrophobic musicality and peaks of pure rock; a distant echo of military march makes these three tracks a single organism of good quality. The most progressive piece of the lot is missing, namely People, with its syncopated and richly intertwined jazz style, good bass accompaniment and fresh guitar work. The conclusion is a source from which stoner, jazz and fusion sounds flowed with convincing vocal lines, a song therefore that knows how to assert itself and does it with character. The forty seconds or so of Radio I are superfluous to evaluate, as well as Radio II (both tracks of mere transition), while One Time returns to calm and consequently flat tones, manifestations of a record in which the most "romantic" refinement is lost in a glass of water of banality and sonorous flatness. Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream is another little gem of jazz influences. A pleasant riff accompanies short solo sections and a vocal work not to be disdained. The explosions of the song are able to enhance the formation of the London band, the goliardic rock outbursts take over especially in the final moments making us reassure from the asepticity of some of the pieces mentioned.

THRAK is not a masterpiece, it is not an unmissable record and opinion can hardly safeguard this harsh truth. To condemn it would be incorrect, since King Crimson have certainly not forgotten how quality music is composed and to consider this record a real flop is excessive. So is it a recommended disc? Indifferent, on the other hand, is fitting for the eleventh studio work of these pillars of progressive, a work that presents funny songs, very pleasant at times, alternating with forgettable and extremely bite-free songs. It can therefore be listened to or it can be obtusely ignored, and certainly the Crimson King has produced many other masterpieces with which to bless one's ears.

'Earthbound' is the first live album by King Crimson, released in June of 1972, and recorded at various venues in the United States; Interestingly, this album has become infamous for its poor sound, which unfortunately has not been improved much on subsequent remasters... However, I am really frustrated that this is often the reason for which this very curious recording gets snubbed undeservedly. It is a live album that captures the Crim with the following lineup: Robert Fripp, Boz Burrell, Mel Collins, and Ian Wallace, one of the most short-lived incarnations of the legendary band, and one that focused on creating versatile jazzy compositions, sometimes very distorted and very chaotic - just like the bulk of the material on 'Earthbound'!

Let's not forget that this live album also fits in right between 'Islands' from 1971 and 'Larks' from 1973, so at a transitory period for King Crimson who are always seeking out new challenges, so to say, perpetually shifting their style and band members, and progressively moving forward with each new album. Of course, what would a KC live album be without '21st Century Schizoid Man'? So, this one kicks things off, followed by a track called 'Peoria'; This one could be classified as an instrumental, despite the fact that it features scat vocals from Boz... and the results are surprisingly satisfying! Next up is 'Sailors Tale' from the then-new album, an entirely instrumental track, that gradually fades out after some five minutes, just in time for the title track to begin. This is another jazzy, kind of lo-fi instrumental, not aided by the terrible recording quality, but nonetheless interesting to hear. Finally, we get a 15-minute instrumental epic called 'Groon', which is simply mental...

Far from being the best King Crimson live album, 'Earthbound' is certainly a must-hear for anyone who considers themselves startled and intrigued by the multi-flavored legendary band. The quality of the recording is really bad, but the material on it is what makes it a delightful listen.

This is one of the better live KING CRIMSON recordings that I've heard. A double live set of music containing about 2 1/2 hours of music. A couple of the musicians I haven't heard of in Bill Rieflin and Jeremy Stacey but I was so glad to see Gavin Harrison on here as he makes every recording he's on sound better. And especially thrilled to hear Mel Collins on here, and what a performance! I like the quote in the liner notes about KING CRIMSON "The precision of an orchestra, the freedom of a Jazz band, and the power of a Rock band". Hard to argue that this isn't the greatest band ever. But it's all about tastes and a lot more isn't it? This was recorded on June 28, 2017 in Chicago and man this is impressive. Still I have 5 or so live CRIMSON records I'd rate above this one. The weak link for me is Jakko Jakszyk's vocals but he's pretty good here, kind of hit and miss. So many great tunes here but I'll mention four from each disc that stood out for me.

The two "Larks' Tongues In Aspic" tracks are two of my favourites from disc one. The guitar on Part 1 after 5 minutes with the drums and bass just before it all mellows out with flute is incredible. Check out the guitar before 8 minutes as well. "Neurotica" is a surprise entry for me from the album "Beat" I'm not big on. This version has Mel's sax on it and it's quite "Discipline" like. "The Lizard Suite" is my final favourite from disc one. 11 1/2 minutes of bliss right here. The second half especially just kills.

Disc two has so many good tracks but I went with "Easy Money" just because I love that tune. Same with "Level Five" my favourite from "The Power To Believe". Just the band showing off it's muscles. "Starless" is majestic and beautiful. How about the guitar screaming over that rhythm section before 8 minutes and beyond. Lastly "21st Century Schizoid Man" the almost 16 minute version. The first time I heard this song it was covered by APRIL WINE on an album I owned so I knew it well. Didn't even know about KING CRIMSON in the early 80's sadly.

There's a ton of live records available by so many different versions of this band over the decades and this is one of the better ones in my opinion.

1984 saw the return on the record market of the great poker of aces (Fripp, Bruford, Belew, Levin) constituting the King Crimson, an English band that has always been recognized among the spearheads in the history of progressive rock and, more generally, as of the history of music of the last fifty years. Ours, now stable for several years and with a couple of albums behind them as always dedicated to the brazen avant-garde sound research, are back with the third and last album of the 80s, Three Of A Perfect Pair. The disc in question is to be counted among the most particular creations of Robert Fripp's project, at least for how it is structured internally. In fact, this work, if taken in its vinyl version, sees side A dedicated to compositions, according to Fripp himself, more "linear" and "accessible", while on the second side of the platter it is possible to come across more complex and crazy, so as to be able to satisfy the different types of public. This feature makes Three Of A Perfect Pair a unique work of its kind and the clear division between the two degrees of complexity arouses curiosity, almost as if they were two weights and two measures.

Representative of the group on this occasion can only be the famous bassist Tony Levin, from what one can guess author of most of Three Of A Perfect Pair: a schizophrenic as unforgettable Sleepless develops on the thick strings of his bass in a tortuous path made of the most difficult techniques to learn for an aspiring professional, while using the stick in Nuages for example to remember the main component that a few years later would inspire the solo projects of another bass king, Sean Malone in Gordian Knot.

The feeling of the band does not wait to show itself off from the first seconds. The title track in the first position manages to evoke the sounds present throughout the album, confirming itself as the symbolic track of the disc not only for the name but also and above all for the instrumental part that composes it. Hopping on his way towards the end, sees the usual Levin this time grappling with the psychedelic synths chosen with refinement to enhance the magical and disarming atmospheres of the song that after a few minutes leaves the baton to another masterpiece called Model Man: touching and exciting to tears, the portrait of a man like everyone else: an imperfect man in one word, but willing to give everything he feels in possession to avoid those moments of silence, embarrassment and discomfort that often constitute a relationship. Industry breaks the fate of the album with about seven minutes of instrumental, hallucinating and hypnotic laboratory, an amazing experiment that introduces one of the most successful pieces of the group. Dig Me is one of the shorter tracks in this big box of 1984, despite everything it finds time to perform in two very pleasant choruses generated by some classical guitar chords and the madness of acid and metallic sounds. But it doesn't stop there. Now it's up to drummer Bill Bruford to roll up his sleeves and duet with the nauseating and obsessive atmospheres of a No Warning exotic fruit of existences alien to reality, perpendicular universes unknown to most. The disc ends with the captivating sound of the third part of Larks' Tongues In Aspic, another purely instrumental piece that adds meat to the fire with intrepid guitars, courageous in joining the counter-tempo fight of bass and drums.

Three Of A Perfect Pair plays 100% King Crimson. It is certainly a very particular album, which sometimes winks at more easy listening solutions, albeit in a purely prog and avant-garde context, especially for the time in which the aforementioned work was released. We are faced with a different work, but of absolute quality and quantity of details and ideas, absolutely worthy of ending up in the collection of every music lover and of course King Crimson.

That the King Crimson line-up remains unchanged from one album to the next is an absolute novelty in the history of the English group. The leader Robert Fripp before then had always renewed his creature, even with minimal line up changes, in order not to remain stagnant in an already defined sound, but the alchemy of the Discipline group and its perfect temporal collocation can only push him not to change anything for the next Beat. We are in the new wave era, in the early 80s: Fripp, after working with Brian Eno, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, the Talking Heads to name just a few, has decided to re-establish his creature, the Crimson King, perfectly aware of how much and how the world of rock had changed in those seven years of hiatus. The 1970s are light years away, but his style has evolved in the meantime and has remained perfectly in step with the times. For this Adrian Belew and Tony Levin are impeccable choices: technically monstrous but very modern musicians, already tested by the collaborations with the aforementioned artists, who put them in contact with Fripp himself. Bill Bruford, while keeping away from the new wave, has immersed himself in jazz fusion, without losing any of his unusual skills on drums. Thus it was that Discipline became an unforgettable record and Beat another jewel of rare beauty.

King Crimson created a unique style which in turn influenced the inspirers themselves. Beat becomes almost danceable in certain points, also due to the space given to the rhythm part which, with Levin's Chapman Stick and Bruford's drumming flair (whose combination almost rivals Bruford - Squire and Bruford - Wetton), becomes irresistible . But the classic harmonic complexity of the British is not lost, and the two six strings often and willingly mess up the cards with alienating effects and polyrhythms, crowned by the singing expressiveness of the great Adrian Belew.

Neal and Jack and Me immediately shows a band in great shape, capable of going from exceptional grooves to dreamy melodies with a disarming naturalness. Obvious references to Kerouac and his best friend Neal Cassidy in the title and in the text of the song, which contains all the characteristics of Adrian Belew's songwriting, from the almost pop verses to the rambling narrative. Heartbeat then is a perfect new wave single, a classy love song for which our team even made a video clip. The lead guitar refers to Book of Saturday, but the piece is the demonstration of the modernity of the King Crimson project, always true to itself but never dated. Thus world music bursts with arrogance in the instrumental Sartori in Tangier, a reference both to a book by Kerouac and to the city of Tangier, in Morocco, where many writers of the Beat Generation have lived. You can breathe the air of Africa, dance to the notes of a rocking rhythm section, dream about the strongly oriental guitar solo and the ecstatic organ of Fripp. Waiting Man continues in the same vein, singing about the return of a man from a long journey with sounds capable of perfectly evoking African landscapes, its warm colors, its natural elements. The crescendo takes the piece to more and more electric territories, where the two six strings return to mingle and confront each other, before leaving the tail to Belew's melancholy song. Neurotica brings to life the free jazz instincts of the group on a delusional spoken word, which subsides only in the central part of the piece, built through continuous ups and downs pulled by a sensational Bruford. Two Hands is a sort of ethnic ballad whose text is the result of the hand of Margaret Belew, wife of Adrian. Levin, with only percussion to accompany him in the rhythm, follows guitar and voice with essential counterpoints, proving once again that he can do anything with the instrument that he first made famous in the world of rock. The dissonances in The Howler return with force, which conceptually takes up the protest cry of the famous poem "Scream" by Allen Ginsberg. Thanks also to the tribalisms of the ex - Yes, a psychedelic and -that- unhealthy atmosphere is created. Requiem at first brings to mind the ambient experiments of the White Duke at the time of Heroes and Low, but then as Fripp's guitar indulges itself, the piece turns into an acid and free jazz, an angry closure and the result of improvisations and contrasts of various nature between the two guitarists of the group.

The final mix was in fact problematic due to quarrels between Robert Fripp and an increasingly self-confident Adrian Belew, who even at one point removed the band's mastermind from the recording studio. It took three days and manager Paddy Spinks' careful words for Fripp to return to the room. He then said that he had nothing to do with the mix of Beat, thus continuing a long tradition of production difficulties for Crimson, who however did not fail with this ninth record album to bring great music to the ears of critics and fans.

This is a very nice return of King Crimson.

This album is very interesting, it's like a fusion between Red and Discipline with good atmospheric sounds.

The first song "VROOOM" is a very good introduction to the album, being quite heavy and at the same time, with a sense of mystery, this song is intertwined with the following "Coda: Marine 475", this song has a style quite similar to the previous one, ending with a fade out, after this, begins the first song that has lyrics "Dinosaur"

I don't want to focus so much on the rest of the album as it would take me too long, so I'll only review the last two songs. The penultimate "VROOOM VROOOM" is again an instrumental song, which in my opinion, is even more powerful and better than the first. The last song "VROOOM VROOOM: Coda" is a continuation of the previous one, following the same style. Both are very good songs that I highly recommend, other songs that I recommend from the album are "Dinosaur" "Walking on Air" "One time" and "Sex, Sleep, Eat, Drink, Dream", I also think that this album does not have bad songs.

Highly recommended to those who have already listened to previous albums, especially if they liked some like "Discipline" or "Red". Anyway, if you haven't heard anything from King Crimson yet and want to start with this one, go ahead, it may seem a bit strange, but it's part of the magic of the album.

Much like the zombies in your favorrite horror movies, King Cromson was noted fro coming back from the dead time and time again, With Thrak, Fripp brings the monster back to life for the mid-90's. with a heaping helping of what he thought was cool at the time, including the strange song titles and a general laid back but modern sounding groove. This is the rare King Crimson album that has everything: good songs, excellent technical playing and menacing instrumentals. So this is a great way to get into King Crimson's later catalog. In addition, the musicians Fripp has enlisted for this incarnation are absolutely outstanding. This is an album every prog entusiast should hae.

Here is my first-ever ProgArchives review! And how fitting that it be, at one point, my favorite, and the second of which I believe I'd ever heard, from the great music Collective that is and was King Crimson.

As many would agree, this is, for me, my absolute favorite line up, David Cross here included. To speak about him immediately, the Counterpoint that he has with Robert Fripp here is excellent and a necessary function of what makes this album so great and interesting (especially given its majorly improvised nature). There are times of amazingly virtuosic bass playing from John Wetton (I would think an underrated bassist in the context of the Pillars of Prog), some of the most interesting percussive elements, apparently all of which from Bill Bruford, that Bill had ever played in my opinion, some of the most exquisite experimentation from Fripp, and, for me, some of the best lyrics in all of Progressive Rock (see "Lament" and "The Night Watch" for the best of the best from this release).

It is no secret to those who know me how utterly baffled I am by Larks' Tongues in Aspic (and its undeniable status as beloved and critically acclaimed). A quick aside, the title track is really the only thing that does it for me. This though, Starless and Bible Black, is in great competition, alongside Red and ITCOTCK for me, as the best output King Crimson has to offer. [Full disclosure: it as it this present time, though it shall be remedied very soon, that I have only heard a handful off of Discipline and Beat in particular. Forgive me.]