| In The Court Of The Crimson King | review #2 | review #3 | review #4 | 1969 |
| In The Wake Of Poseidon | review #2 | 1970 |
| Lizard | review #2 | 1970 |
| Islands | 1971 |
| Earthbound (live) | 1972 |
| Larks' Tongue In Aspic | 1973 |
| Starless And Bible Black | 1974 |
| Red | review #2 | 1974 |
| USA (live) | 1975 |
| Discipline | 1981 |
| Beat | 1982 |
| Three Of A Perfect Pair | 1984 |
| The Compact King Crimson (compilation) | 1987 |
| The Concise King Crimson (compilation) | 1993 |
| THRAK | 1995 |
| B'Boom (live) | 1995 |
| Thrakattak (live) | 1996 |
| Epitaph (live) | 1997 |
| The Night Watch (live) | 1998 |
| Absent Lovers (live) | 1998 |
| Cirkus (live) | 1999 |
| The ConstruKction Of Light | 2000 |
| Heavy ConstruKction (live) | 2000 |
| Vrooom Vrooom (live) | 2001 |
| Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With | 2002 |
| Ladies Of The Road (live) | 2002 |
| The Power To Believe | 2003 |
While Yes might have been more defining of the aspects that characterize a stereotypical prog rock outfit (both in a good and bad way), and The Nice arguably were the very first, King Crimson, for the first 15 or so years of their existence at least (the last 10 or so have more or less been spent attempting to fuse their 70's and 80's period together, both to good and bad effect), actually fit the literal definition of the term 'progressive' better than any band I can think of. Of course, this has a large part to do with the fact that the only constant in their lineup - the unbelievably talented and quite intriguing personality of guitarist Robert Fripp - often surrounded himself with a varied 'revolving door' supporting cast of talented (and occasionally, not all that talented) musicians to constantly push the boundaries of art rock, whether it be the huge bombastic Mellotron and horn-dominated prog sound of In The Court, the hard avant-garde buildup pieces of Larks' Tongues In Aspic, the flawlessly played, calculated New Wave style of Discipline, or whatever.
This type of approach quite often leads to exciting results - not only is Fripp arguably one of the most professional and creative guitarists around (check out the tones he frequently gets from his instrument - his guitar soundscapes often sound like synthesizers, and the other various effects he comes up with are as influential as KC's classic songs themselves), but such unbelievably talented musicians as Drum God Bill Bruford of Yes fame, vocalist Greg Lake (who went on to gain fame as frontman of Emerson, Lake and Palmer), and bassist Tony Levin (who has played with a ridiculous amount of bands in his career) have passed through the ranks, and these are just a few of them, mind you. Their with collaborations Fripp allows a huge amount of technically stunning jams and arrangement ideas never quite duplicated by anyone else before. In the latter period, there's even been a few classic 'normal' songs courtesy of guitarist and pop/avant garde songwriter Adrian Belew, who has been the only other member to remain with the band the last 25 years.
However, while Fripp and the gang have produced a quite sizable amount of classic music (a catalog that is actually quite diverse in the long run) that ranks among art rock's best ever in my opinion (in more than a couple of the specific 'periods' of KC at that), like a lot of boundary-pushing bands who often take considerable risks, the Crimson catalog is often extremely inconsistent, ranging from perfect tension-building pieces of incredible complexity and layered, even gorgeous, ballads (to name a couple examples), as well as almost unlistenable atonal improvs (many of them coming out of a live setting - their tendency to shift between great and ehh applies to the stage as well) and other misguided excursions into heavy experimentation. I suppose that's part of where a review site like this one serves its' purpose - to guide the potential KC listener into what album are the most worthy classic essentials, but I suspect they already know which ones already. *cough*InTheCourtOfTheCrimsonKingLarksTonguesInAspicRedAbsentLovers*cough*
--Nick Karn
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(Nick Karn's review)
HIGH POINTS: In The Court Of Crimson King, 21st Century Schizoid Man, Epitaph, I Talk To The Wind. LOW POINTS: Moonchild.
This may not be the first prog rock album ever released, but In The Court Of The Crimson King is undoubtedly the first showcase the true potential this magnificent style could have. It's also King Crimson's initial offering, and if it weren't for a serious flaw on side two, it might be a true candidate for the best debut album ever recorded. Led by guitarist and major egomaniac Robert Fripp, this incarnation of the band (whose lineup would be anything but stable over the years) included one of the great vocalists of the late 60's and early 70's in Greg Lake, later the frontman of another seminal prog outfit Emerson, Lake And Palmer, and without Keith Emerson to hog the spotlight, he gives a simply vintage performance. But he's sure not the only contributor here - along with Fripp's guitar work, there's also a rich blend of jazzy horns and arrangements to go along with a sound completely unlike anything else out there.
The opening track here is probably one of the greatest startoff songs off all time, the 7 minute "21st Century Schizoid Man". It's led by terrifyingly bloody distorted Lake vocals and menacing lyrics that create one hell of a mood, and the horns just drive the verses perfectly with their distinct melody. The instrumental passage in the epic (Mirrors) is also a totally awesome, chaotic jam that holds attention throughout its' entire length. It builds back up on the same scary verses it began on, and it ends in a perfect fashion. The second song, on a totally different note, is a soft flute-led ballad "I Talk To The Wind". It may seem like a really pompous song, and it probably is, but all of it completely justified. The main melody is extraordinarily pretty, and Lake really treats it elegantly - his vocals, suprisingly, sound really dry, but that just about enhances the mood of the song. It's just incredibly majestic and life-affirming, a mood a song like this just couldn't create if it was 'soulless'.
The first half closer "Epitaph", meanwhile, is truly one of the finest epic ballads I've ever heard. Sung with such sorrowful conviction as if the world was ending, with the lyrics 'confusion will be my epitaph' being particularly fitting, the mellotrons here create a huge sound over the slow, apocalyptic tempo. Sure, maybe it could be considered overlong, but with the magic captured here within its' heavily Mellotron dominated vibe produces such an effect that this is a song I wish were never over. Quite unlike the side two opener, "Moonchild", the main point of controversy for every reviewer of this album in existence. It does start off as a pretty nice ballad for about 3 minutes, and I'd probably call this portion of a song sort of a lesser attempt at capturing the mood of "I Talk To The Wind" (which is certainly no slouch), but what comes after that... ugh.
The breakdown, basically, is that this whole song is well over 12 minutes long, and in a move that's probably all too typical for this band, it degenerates into a nearly unlistenable mellotron noodling. Well, actually, it merely starts as if it's going to be a fadeout of little atmospheric flourishes, but then it just keeps going! For 9 more minutes! I've always said this bullshit might as well have been done by little kids messing around in the studio - it's that tuneless and directionless. For the whole entire time, you get a great cure for insomnia, and a horrible musical experience. Any album, no matter how classic the rest of it might be, should be punished for a waste of tape this serious, and this is no exception. This is a serious shame, especially on account of what precedes it, but more importantly, what follows.
To close the album on a thankfully high note is the 9 minute title track, and it might actually be my favorite piece on the whole album. The lyrics are very cartoonish, and done by a band of lesser stature like Kansas, they would probably be unbearable, but in the amazing musical landscape of this album, they create a really intriguing effect. The verses, led by powerful Lake vocals (of course), have a slow build to them, but the real majesty to the track is that transition point from where Lake sing the song title to the awesome harmonies. The overall vibe of the track is seriously otherworldly - I don't know how they got such a perfect atmosphere where it literally seems like you're in a fantasy world while listening to it, but they pulled it off. Plus, the false ending to the song is simply genius, providing a gorgeous close to end the album on just the right note. I swear, the way it just comes back is probably one of the most orgasmic musical moments ever.
Basically, like everyone else has said, this could have been not only the greatest progressive album of all time, but one of the greatest albums ever done by anyone. Take out "Moonchild" (or at least replace the final 10 minutes or so of it with something resembling an interesting mood, structure, or melody) and I could consider this one of the most obvious 10's imaginable. Put "The Devil's Triangle" in its' place, in fact, and you'd have one of my five favorite albums ever. But since that chunk of the album is total garbage, I have no choice but to take a point off, and if the rest of the album wasn't so brilliant, this could actually be an 8. Nevertheless, go out and get this right now if you are at all into progressive rock. It's one of the seminal records in its' history, and contains its' share of the most inspiring moments ever done by a band in that field. And so ends the first chapter of this long and confusing journey.
You people out there have no idea how torn I am on this album - out of the 5 songs on here, 4 of them are just breathtakingly stunning, perfect, gorgeous, exciting, jazzy, wonderful creations, among the best I've ever heard by ANYBODY. On the other hand, the fifth song features TEN MINUTES of pointless noise. Ten flippin' minutes of it. Which leads to a certain problem - do I give this album a 10 based on the 4 flawless creations and ignore the blemish, or do I dock a point or two for about a fourth of the album being rotten?
Before I decide, let's take a tour down the four GOOD songs. The opening "21st Century Schizoid Man" is probably the closest thing to a well known song here, and it's fantastic - the woodwinds, horns, guitars, and highly distorted, frightening vocals all build up to terrify the listener, building up into a fast, furious, fantastic jam in the middle before bleeding back into the opening bits and ending in a fantastic, dissonant blitz. Fantastic beyond words, much like the tune that follows it, the majestic, jazzy "I Talk To The Wind", which is almost overlooked by some people, but not by me, oh no. It's got a great, mellow, pleasant atmosphere, complete with fantastic vocals and an AMAZING flute solo outro. It provides a perfect contrast to the violent craziness of "Schizoid".
"Epitaph" sounds quite a bit like the Moody Blues, and is just as good as anything that band ever did. Gorgeous mellotrons, melancholy vocals, and fantastic musicianship all add up to making this one of the grandest tunes I've ever heard. The closing title track is no worse. It's so downbeat and depressing, yet strangely reassuring as well. Plus, it has a PERFECT ending, pretending to go away, then coming back very quietly and growing to a spectacular climax. Like I've said many, many, many times before, these 4 songs are all among my personal favorites.
Too bad the longest song on here has to suck. Yep, like many others have before me, I'm going to have to bash "Moonchild". It starts out so pretty, just like the other songs on the record. In fact, if the song stopped after about 3 minutes, I'd have no problems with it, maybe even proclaiming it to be a minor masterpiece. Unfortunately, after that, the group enters into an arty noise collage that lasts for 10 minutes. 10 minutes! The whole album lasts for 43 minutes and 56 seconds, and ten minutes of it is damn near unlistenable. The noise doesn't build, it isn't scary, it isn't interesting, and it isn't creative. It's just mellotron noise with some occasional tap-tap-taps from the drum. And it lasts for 10 minutes! Aaargh! That brings the tune up to something like 13 minutes, and for that there is no excuse. So, unfortunately, I have to drop one point off the rating, as I'd never ever ever forgive myself if I let "Moonchild" be on an album that I gave a perfect score to. Basically, ignore the 9 I'm giving this (which is a damn good rating anyway) and go out and buy this like it was a 10. Ignore "Moonchild", or skip ahead after the first 3 minutes, and you're dealing with a masterpiece of the highest order.
Well, well, well. The first prog rock I'd ever experienced. Courtesy of George Starostin's fairly glowing praise of it, I copyright-infringed (ie downloaded off Napster) this album, and then liked it so much I bought it the first time I saw it. This is one of the most revolutionary albums ever put out in all honesty. Excepting the Nice's debut in late '68, this was the first prog-rock record released, and it was the first to make a blip on the public's radar. It got rave reviews (as well it should!), and made King Crimson an overnight success. 5 songs, and 4 of them are magnificent. The 5th is...well, we'll get to it in it's due time. In the meantime........
The opener, 21st Century Schizoid Man is every bit the classic it's become. Robert Fripp shows off his shrieking licks and groovy playing style, all while the rest of the band attacks the song with astonishing fury. The encoded vocals, blaring horns (saxophone I assume), and manic drumming make the song an aggresive look at the future. They then apparently get really calm on the next number, I Talk To The Wind. This one is a flute and mellotron driven ballad with some (typically) good vocals from Greg Lake. It's also the shortest song, clocking in at less than 7 minutes. It's a very pretty ditty, much like the ones being recorded within months by Apollo 18 which is a fantastic band out of Texas featuring yours truly and if you wish to order your cd in advance let us know we'd love your money......sorry bout that. I got carried away there. Actually, we'll likely not sound a thing like King Crimson, but oh well.
Anyhow, our third song is truly awesome and grand. Epitaph has to be one of my favorite prog-rock creations ever...this strikes so many emotional nerves in me. Plus, Greg Lake turns in a FANTASTIC lead vocal, even if it's a bit poorly mixed. It's still great. Now we hit the lowpoint. Monnchild starts out as a simply gorgeous ballad...for about three minutes. Maybe my favorite three minutes on here, truth be told. But then, it degenerates into a mellotron-noodling session. Or a horn-noodling session. The operative word here is noodling. I could take maybe 5 minutes of that, but 10? You gotta be kiddin' me here. Such a shame that such a lovely song gets turned into such a waste of tape.
Oh well. The title track is great...it sounds (to me) very wintery and dreamy, like a scene out of a fairy tale. This may be the most "solid" tune, with every aspect being perfect and immaculate. Overall, this is one great album and a panorama of beauty, grace, and elegance with 10 minutes of musical scenery reminiscent of Newark. I do recommend this one to ya, mis amigos, but please be smart and don't develop a taste for mellotron-noodling and then get a recording contract. But do buy our cd...we'll have it recorded (cheaply) by October! Honest!!!
Nick. Philip. Kevin. Ya know I love you all (especially Nick for letting me scream and cuss through 50 or so albums on his site), and all of your assessments of King Crimson's first album are about 90% on! However, about the remaining 10% I do diverge from your opinions drastically. But I'll get to that soon enough. So let's begin. Side 1 of this album is THE blueprint for prog albums for years and years to follow. For example, our little specimens (King Crimson.. duh!) choose to bust into the album with a little quiet organ noodling, followed quickly by the hard-rockin', acid-drippin' "21st Century Schizoid Man", containing a psychotic instrumental break in the middle that, I'm sure, had a hand in the crafting of several bold prog cuts we all know and love. I'm thinkin' "Gates of Delirium"? I'm thinking "Trilogy"? Enh?
And then, a well-placed acoustic number, "I Talk To the Wind", provides a great counterpoint to the crazy jazz-rock juggernaut that preceded it. Let's talk about "I Talk To the Wind", okay? Beautiful fluteyness! Oh sure, these guys weren't the first to use a flute, but "Wind" does contain one or two of the most beautiful flute solos this side of "Nights in White Satin"! So, yeah, well worth your time, sir. And I think I can, without a rebuttal, point to THIS as the model for your favorite acoustic "breather" songs, as you see sandwiched in between all sorts of Genesis and ELP epics of years after. "Epitaph" is easily one of the most emotional sections of music ever laid down on vinyl/magnetic tape/plastic. Tension is just built up and built up in expert fashion, and the release provided by that exploding E minor chord in the middle is almost too much to handle sometimes. Imagine seeing a full moon being covered up by thick, dark clouds. Then listen to "Epitaph". "But I fear tomorrow I'll be crying..." Indeed.
"Moonchild". Moon-fucking-child. I love this tune. The first section is another great breather, a la "Wind". Perfect placement between "Epitaph" and the next 9 minutes, which, incidentally, are the 9 minutes of this album that i agree with no one on! NO ONE!!! Well, maybe that weird Paul Walker fellow on Prindle's site. For both he and I LOVE every single minute of "Moonchild". ALL OF IT(!). Does it go anywhere, you ask? Up my ass, maybe, but no, you're right, there is no real "form" here. But look at it this way: these guys were obviously fucked up on some kind of psychedelic at this point in time. "Moonchild" could be looked at as this kind of disjointed stumble through a trip at night, with little owls and bats fluttering and hooting about and insects making the noises that they supposedly make. But, seeing as I have never tried psychedelics (true story), I'll just stick with the "moonlight-sound-painting" section of my above theory. Take it as you will. Just a thought, anyway. Whoo!!!!
So, there's another tune, blah blah blah, the title track, blah blah blah. I'm sorry, it's just so hard to get excited about this one. I mean, the main parts are nice, sure, but the tune is just sooooo repetitive! And waaaay too long. "Boring" does not even begin to describe it. I mean, I should not have to look at my watch, wondering when a song will be over! Anyway, bottom line: I LOVE 3/5 of this album. Another 1/5 or so is very nice, and the rest is enh. Or plhbbt, whichever you prefer. However, I cannot, with clear conscience, deny this record's influence on the progressive rock movement of the early 70's, and frankly, neither should you, sir! Because, for once (if only once), I am right (if only in my own mind). So, a 9 for this one! Bring on the whores!
Huh? No whores? Well, I'll take a sheep and a bottle of Cuervo, please.
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(Nick Karn's review)
HIGH POINTS: Pictures Of A City, The Devil's Triangle, Cat Food. LOW POINTS: the Peace songs.
The endless revolving door shift for the band begins here. The primary songwriter on the last album Ian McDonald as well as Michael Giles left the lineup, and after finishing his work on this upcoming album, Greg Lake also left KC to form a more pretentious outfit where his singing talents could be overshadowed by virtuosic musicians. That only left founder Robert Fripp alone in the forest with a really stupid lyricist (Pete Sinfield) and another singer/bassist that would later take over that duty on the next effort (Gordon Haskell). But to show everyone that the band in fact was not dead as many speculated, Fripp decided to make an effort that is in many ways a complete clone of In The Court. Therefore it sucks. According to Mark Prindle, anyway.
Well, actually, the notion that this effort is a ripoff album is both half true and half false. The 'true' part of it is that all three of the full-length songs on side one are more or less in exactly the same style as their counterpart on the debut. The good news, though, is that they're good, sometimes even great, recreations of their styles. The great comes in the "21st Century Schizoid Man" knockoff "Pictures Of A City", which is also driven by a horn riff and insanely fast and furious middle jam with very little in the way of lyrics. But it rules! The power of Lake's vocals here are enhanced by really heavy distorted riffing over them, and the melody is powerfully engaging. The noisy buildup and ending are definitely no slouch either. The lyrics are crap, of course ('spice, ice, dance, chance', eh?) but they're easily eclipsed by such awesome music.
The "I Talk To The Wind" counterpart, "Cadence And Cascade" is a rather nice acoustic ballad that marks Haskell's first appearance on vocals, and the job he does there isn't really all that noticeable, being a bit emotionless overall, but the melody in the refrain is extremely pretty, as is the flute soloing. The title track doesn't quite fare as well ripping off "Epitaph" (with touches of "In The Court..."), mostly because it has almost exactly the same melody, the lyrics are pretentious as opposed to majestic, and the arrangement makes it seem overlong. But with that being said, it does have a great Mellotron sound that's even fuller than before, and the acoustic guitar touches in there are interesting, so overall, I'd say it's good.
As far as the 'false' part of the ripoff accusations go, the second side songs really bear little resemblance to anything off the debut. "Cat Food" is a really weird jazzy pop song with dissonant piano work all over the place, and the sheer conviction Lake brings to the melody here is completely breathtaking, even to the point where the cartoonish lyrics ('don't think I am rude if I tell you that it's cat food... 'NOT EVEN FIT FOR A HORSE!!') are downright hilarious. The 11-1/2 minute instrumental "The Devil's Triangle", despite the length that would suggest another "Moonchild" horror, is actually something that would have made In The Court... an unbeatable classic by replacing it, as it's an extremely interesting, scary, and experimental track dominated by a steady marching beat and a bloody Mellotron. This track is actually not that easy of a first listen, as the totally bizarre dissonance and sometimes repetitiveness of it may be somewhat offputting for someone who isn't used to this kind of stuff, but I can tell you as someone skeptical of sound collages I really dig it, even if it could have been trimmed a little.
But what really should have been trimmed out are the short "Peace" interludes that begin and end the album, with a nice acoustic instrumental ("A Theme") stuck in the middle. It mostly has Greg Lake singing really pretentious and moronic lyrics in acapella about how peace is a stream, a word, a dawn, a love, a bird, whatever. Ugh. At least these interludes are in total less than 4 minutes long, but there's really no reason for their existence, especially since this is the one spot on the album the lyrics are almost impossible to ignore. But regardless of the overall lyrical quality and the ripoff nature of its' first half, the album's just great, and it's a quite worthy successor to In The Court.
This is a self rip-off if I've heard one. Every track on here, excepting the stupid Peace ditties, sounds like In The Court. As it is, that's fine because I love that album. But it's still a ripoff. Since it is, I won't waste space describing each song. I'll waste it some other way. Pictures Of A City is a ripoff of 21st Century Schozoid Man, but it actually surpasses it's model in my opinion. Cadence And Cascade is basically I Talk To The Wind II without all the woddwinds. It's not as good, but it is pretty. The Devil's Triangle is also similar to 21st Century Man, but it's much more sci-fi like. Apparently, Robert Fripp IS Flash Gordon.....ok, that was lame. He does look odd in the pictures from that era. Cat Food is a jazz rocker. Nuff said.
Now, I do have to complain about the three Peace songs. They suck like a Hoover vacuum. Pompus, annoying, and they have no redemptive value whatsoever. Also, the title track is The Return Of The Son Of Epitaph. Nuff said. Now, as much of a carbon copy this is, the songs are all lovely, and the Peace reprises are at least better than 10 minutes of messing around with a mellotron and calling it music, which is what I call Apollo 18's debut recording which is only a mere $5 preorder today and....I'm shameless, aren't I. Grace Slick, if you read this, we want to cover Somebody To Love because I sing it as good as you. But deeper, cause I'm a guy. Duh. Well, anyways, this album is as good as the first one. Not as groundbreaking, but then again, it's easier on the ears courtesy of a lack of Moonchild.
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(Nick Karn's review)
HIGH POINTS: the 'Prince Rupert Awakes' portion of Lizard, Cirkus. LOW POINTS: Happy Family, most of the remainder of Lizard.
Ugh. Where do I start with this one? I guess it was inevitable Robert Fripp couldn't continue on the same In The Court ripoff path forever as suggested by the last one, and the result is an admirable shift away from that sound into much more jazz and neo-classical, jam-based areas. Of course, this causes the material to be a bit more complex in nature than the first two albums, but that doesn't mean it's an improvement. In fact, the songs are a huge falloff from what came before, filled with monotonous jam passages that just don't go anywhere (and some of them are dissonant and ugly too). But that's not all - no longer do we have Greg Lake's spectacular singing to make the most banal of Pete Sinfield lyrics come to life. Nope, the new guy in his place, Gordon Haskell, just sounds like an overwhelmingly silly court clown in his delivery, sort of like Jollo from King's Quest VI if you've ever played that game. I am not kidding you. Maybe he's not technically awful, but he sure doesn't help the material at all.
Okay, maybe with one exception. The opening track "Cirkus" is actually quite an impressive song - somehow, Haskell's vocal delivery works with Sinfield's ridiculously cartoonish lyrics, mostly because the melody is really interesting and weird in a great Crimson kind of way, and the arrangement is fairly dramatic and builds quite nicely, with the energetic rhythm section and that great riff popping out in the instrumental breaks. But on other tracks, like "Indoor Games" (which just sounds like a dull saxophone based tune with corny synth playing and an uninteresting melody), his presence makes an already merely passable song sound more mediocre.
And of course, there's "Lady Of The Dancing Water", a completely forgettable ballad that sounds decent while it's on (the flute playing is nice), but it's essentially defines the idea of a song that's just 'there'. The one really awful moment on this album, though, is just about unlistenable, maybe one of the worst songs I've ever heard. The thing that gets me is that "Happy Family" could have been decent, with a nice synth riff, a neat quirky melody and interesting lyrical concept about the Beatles' breakup, but no... the extremely unpleasant combination of the effects they use on Haskell's voice and the astoundingly tuneless instrumentation throughout the jam here is nauseating beyond my ability to express.
The band's first sidelong attempt in the title track doesn't really improve on things. Oh sure, it does have its' moments - the opening part 'Prince Rupert Awakes', despite utterly horrible lyrics, is a fantastic pop number with none other than Jon Anderson of Yes in his vintage Time And A Word style, with an incredible melody and 'na na na's at the end. The short piano parts emerging out of that section right before a long jam have a beautiful, water-like ambience to them, there's a fairly decent apocalyptic riff that pops up somewhere near the end of the tune, and the short 'Big Top' section that ends the song takes the 'chewn up tape' premise in an amusing way. But that's it - these moments take up much less than half of the song's actual 23 minute length. The rest of the time, I just hear extremely boring and rambling jazzy instrumental jamming and dull atmospheric portions that fail to interest me in the least. Other than the first 6 minutes of each half (which rule), that's pretty much the story with this album - the remaining 30 minutes or so range from passable to boring to completely horrible, so that comes to a not so great rating. Here's proof that change isn't always good.
My keyboard just broke for a moment (the down arrow key got stuck down for a few seconds), perhaps in an attempt to stop me from writing this, but I will not give in. I really do honestly like this album a whole lot. It took quite a while to get used to, and it goes without saying that there will be many MANY people out there who will always hate this album, but no me. Realize that out of my little trilogy of underrated albums (the others being Yes' Drama and Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother) this is by far the one that receives the least praise. Most people call Atom Heart Mother plain good (when it's actually one of the greatest albums ever), and Drama just okay (when it's really the best thing Yes would do until Talk), but the vast majority of people HATE Lizard. Both Mark Prindle and George Starostin give it a 4 and every comment for this album I have read hates it as well (John McFerrin said it blows, Rich Bunnell called it lame). Well ladies and gentlemen I just don't think this is true.
There are lots of nutty jams that, as I said, take a long time to get used to. To be honest I hated "Cirkus" and "Indoor Games" the first time I heard them, but now I've realized that they're okay. I still can't stand "Happy Family" though (yet I will admit it does have an interesting vocal melody), so this album is certainly flawed, even if not nearly to the degree everyone says. The opening "Cirkus" has little moments of beauty spread everywhere, and some pretty neat drum rolls too. "Indoor Games" is a catchy follow-up with a nice happy feel to it, and is a whole lot better than "Happy Family" which follows. To close off the first side is "Lady Of The Dancing Water," a very short, yet very pretty piece. While it's definitely not "I Talk To The Wind", in my opinion there could not have been a better way to end Lizard's first side.
Then there is the side-long title track which is, and I'm not afraid to say it, a masterpiece. George Starostin called it something like a "sea of boredom." NOT TRUE. This song is not boring at all, and is certainly on my top ten side-longs, maybe even top five. It has everything you need: mood, feeling, atmosphere, beautiful melodies, guest singer Jon Anderson, and the best and most structured jams on the album. It's split up into several different parts, the first of which is "Prince Rupert Awakes," just a neat little pop song, with our friend Jon Anderson on vocals. Then it fades into a soft and pretty melody, beginning "Bolero - The Peacock's Tale." The piano in the background has this sort of ocean wave sound to it, flowing through the music in such an incredible way. After this little bit the song delivers a wonderful jazzy jam, before again returning to a beautiful little melody. How brilliant!
Quiet music and soft vocals (and there is actually very little singing on this song, and most of what singing we do have is done by Anderson in the "Prince Rupert Awakes" section so that Haskell guy, who is not very good at all, only sings a very little bit) are the first part of "Dawn Song," a mini-section of the third part, "The Battle of Glass Tears." It's so peaceful and gentle before a big BOOM comes in and blasts us with another great jam in the second part of "Glass Tears," "Last Skirmish." Man, that jam is simply awesome! The five-note foundation allows for so much fantastic music that it becomes hard to describe.
This would be my favorite part of the whole song if we didn't have "Prince Rupert's Lament," the final piece of "The Battle of Glass Tears." Yep, "Lament" is in my opinion the best part of the whole song. I can't really explain why, but no other section of "Lizard" has ever moved me like that one does. "Lament" fades out and then, is the song over? Nope. A short, somewhat pointless, yet very fun "The Big Top" finishes off the album with a much different mood than you'll find anywhere else on here. Some might dismiss it as a bit of filler, but I enjoy it way too much to say that. And so end's this great epic and my bet for King Crimson's best song.
I'm serious when I give this album the same rating as Red; heck I may even like it more. Lizard may be an acquired taste, but dammit, not enough people are willing to give it enough time. Please listen many many many times and hope that one day the wonder of it all will sink in. Or maybe I'm just a too big of a prog freak. Either way Lizard receives way too much criticism than it deserves, since it is truly a great album.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Islands, Prelude: Song Of The Gulls. LOW POINTS: Sailor's Tale, Formentera Lady.
Another year, another big lineup change for Robert Fripp's band. Thankfully this time, the change is a welcome one - Gordon Haskell is gone from the lead vocal/bassist spot, replaced by Boz Burrell - does anyone else find it hilarious that such an inaccessible band like Crimson once employed members of both Bad Company and Asia (read on for the representative from that band)? Anyway, Islands is usually regarded as one of the weakest albums the band ever put out, a misguided pursuit into somewhat lighter (maybe their most mellow album ever), classically-influenced territory than before amongst some bad atonal jams. I personally can't say it's worse than the last album, though, as there is a fair amount of good, extremely well written, material here, with some of the most beautiful melodies of Fripp's career. Just be prepared to sit through some of his more unlistenable music.
Which, unfortunately, is what dominates the first two songs (and they're 17 minutes long combined!). Amongst all the flute, violin and piano doodling in the opening "Formentera Lady", for instance, it's hard to figure out just what point or direction gets accomplished during that song whatsoever, with a couple completely uninteresting melodies, awful attempts choir vocals in the background, and a general blandness to the 'romantic' feel it has. It just drags on and on, much like the damn near completely tuneless instrumental "Sailor's Tale" - aside from the main bassline that starts it off and a neat Fripp guitar solo, there aren't any musical ideas that hold interest here. Just incredibly ugly and boring cacaphony - come on,the instrumentals I've recorded are more interesting and developed than this crap. I don't know what they could have been thinking...
Oh well - at least they had the sense to give the listener something to look forward to during the rest of the experience, as the awful material is really pretty much limited to the first two wastes of tape. Well, the heavier instrumental breaks of the side closer "The Letters" are pretty ehh, but at least they're short, and the remainder of the song is a combination quiet guitar ballad with some of Pete Sinfield's honestly intriguing storytelling, and a bombastic ending part where Boz belts out 'IMPALED ON NAILS OF ICE!' "Ladies Of The Road" even has the neat diversion of having Beatles-ish harmonies on its' chorus, which gives a really lovely contrast to an otherwise lyrically 'naughty' song. It's pretty good, though, with a more raw sound than the rest of this stuff.
And of course, they saved the two songs that come pretty damn close to being masterpieces right at the end. "Prelude: Song Of The Gulls" is the most classically influenced one, with a beautifully well structured symphonic arrangement that definitely ranks as a convincingly moving and gorgeous high. The closing title track is an even better display of majesty, as that 9 minute ballad boasts the most compelling melody here, perfectly suited for Boz to sing. The lyrics are also strangely effective in spite of all their pretentiousness, and the horn breaks throughout that merge perfectly with the piano-based parts for a totally uplifting experience, especially at the closing moments of the song. Good thing they ended this mightily inconsistent album on a high note to help salvage another flawed effort from this period of KC, which is recommendable overall, but I would more heavily recommend its' followup as a showcase for even better things to come...
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COMMENTS
[email protected] (Tom Hamilton)
Three years after Islands came out, and late in high school when I was wandering into Crimson Mystiqueland, I plunked down my $4.50 or so for a copy of this. I was disappointed...I mean come on, listen to these dirges...
K.C. fans, especially those early cult-hungry initiates, can convince themselves that it's all good stuff. This is now likable for how bad it is (a recurring phenomenon with Crimson) as for how good. Formentera Lady reminds me of a lost afternoon at my suicidal English auntie's cottage (whom does not exist). Ladies of the Road is a highlight. Sure, it's sexist...boy that's never happened in R&R. This is a swanky guitar and sax entree with mock-Beatles harmonies in refrain. Pete Sinfield's lyrics: Again so bad here that he's good.
Bobby Fripp treats the dedicated to a vinyl reach-around at the end of side two by keeping the mics on while the session breaks down...stupid, pointless, and unintentionally funny. Make sure your in depression-proof vest when you give this a listen. Comedic value alone gets this a 4 1/2.
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: The Talking Drum, Larks' Tongues In Aspic (Part Two), Easy Money. LOW POINTS: None.
Just as it looked as if Robert Fripp would finally crumble under his own weight after two disappointing efforts, he assembles a new lineup that's arguably just as professional and tight as the one from In The Court. By now, Fripp on guitar and mellotron is joined by a castaway from another prog rock superband Yes (Bill Bruford), a bass player who sings like he's about 70 years old and would later go on to form Asia (John Wetton), an alleged nutcase on umm... percussion and allsorts (Jamie Muir) and of course, violin playing (courtesy of David Cross) that leads a strange sort of beauty to the chaotic jamming on here. There's also a new lyricist Richard W. Palmer-James, but he scarcely gets a chance to attempt to overrun the songs with real stupidity like Peter Sinfield. The reason being that well over half of this album is instrumental, and many of these such compositions are simply overpowering in the way they effectively build tension within each other, and Fripp's guitar tone is so awesome throughout.
The 13 minute opener "Larks' Tongues In Aspic (Part One)" is admittedly lacking in some parts - it takes forever for the song to get going, since the opening marimba part is overlong, plus the softer violin portions do get dull in places. The way the tension slowly starts to build up from the quieter to the heavier sections here, however, is positively genius - the way Fripp's intense guitar tone rises out of the gradual build of the rhythm are truly the reason for the song to exist. There's also some really interesting chaotic, though not really dissonant, jamming portions in the middle, as well as the haunting spoken portion toward the end, that round the composition quite nicely. So I would say even though the track has its' flaws, the things it has going for it very much outweigh its' weaker moments.
The other two instrumentals that close Larks, though, are a huge reason why I very much love the album. Perhaps my favorite is "The Talking Drum", which I've heard as an aural description of an elevator going down to hell. Not only does that aspect of the song make it cool, but it has one of the most awesome simple, but mesmerizing, basslines I can think of in a song. It builds just as effectively as "Larks One" does, with the violin and heavy guitar fills and Bruford's appropriately 'talking' drum at the beginning with the fly noises over it. The overall effect is so thrilling that I wouldn't hesitate to call it the best on the album. The sequel to the title track comes damn close to it, though, as this is the place to go to hear Fripp in all of his glory here. The in your face (and very unique) guitar tone rules, and there's also an incredible riff for it, not to mention the violin breaks work perfectly with it, the cute little 'larks' noises are a nice touch and the ending is a powerful burst of energy.
These two tracks may be phenomenal masterpieces, but that sure doesn't mean the vocal songs aren't really good for the most part. The biting social critique "Easy Money" is probably the best of them, as it manages to rule in a totally different way than the final instrumentals. You could possibly accuse the groove of being overly plodding and the jam being overly boring, but I can't accuse it of such things (though it might be slightly overlong) - it thuds along in a mesmerizing way, especially the bassline that keeps repeating throughout. The vocal burst at the beginning is a lot of fun, and the verse melody happens to be the catchiest part of the album. Then there's "Book Of Saturdays", which pretty much lives up to its' great title, as its' a delicate, but strangely ominous, guitar ballad. The refrain melody is also beautiful, and overall, the song works as a nice, short interlude.
The remaining vocal number "Exiles" is probably the weakest cut on here, though even that one has its' very appealing qualities. The sound effects at the beginning are somewhat eerie, the main acoustic guitar part is beautiful, and the melody is quite similar to the grand epic tradition of "Epitaph". What leaves a little to be desired about it, though, is the arrangement - it meanders around a bit too much, and the flow of the song breaks off a few too many times for me to call it a success. It's still a fine song, though, and it makes be glad to see the low point is still far superior to something like "Moonchild". In all, Larks' has to rank as one of the most exciting and hard-hitting albums of the Crimson output, with only a few choice moments throughout that don't thrill me that much preventing it from a higher rating. The last two songs, however, are an essential part of your prog rock library, so go get this!
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COMMENTS
Was very disappointed with this album at first. Had a hard time getting over the thin and slightly primitive production....however the songs, particularly the last 2 eventually won me over...very artsy and experimental....preluding the giant leap in power and imagination that was to come with the awesome Red!!!
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: The Great Deceiver, The Night Watch. LOW POINTS: Starless And Bible Black.
Since the audience at King Crimson shows probably just loved to hear their live improvisations (or else Robert Fripp just felt like playing them), they decided to take the innovative step of not only recording them in a live setting, but overdubbing the crowd noises out of the final product, and then passing it off as a new studio release! As far as I know, that's how most of this record came about (and I believe the archive release The Night Watch is the same show from which these pieces originated). Unfortunately, while the jams on Larks were truly inspired, carefully constructed, displays of professional playing and effective tension-building, these ones, probably played pretty much on the spot, just don't seem to have much purpose for existence. Don't get me wrong - they aren't exactly awful pieces or anything like that, as some of them do catch fire at points, and the playing is typically excellent, but there's no real reason to hear them again.
Which is a shame, because the material that resembles songs on here is fairly good, the opening "The Great Deceiver" in particular. What a neat song this one is, as there's a lot of really cool features here, from the almost defiantly dissonant, but still strangely and chaotically musical, verses with bizarre lyrics throughout, the hard rocking, catchy chorus, and the wonderful fast violin part in the intro. And "The Night Watch", while having a noisy guitar-led intro that might suggest chaos, is actually a gorgeous ballad once it gets going. The briskly sung melody is a very breathtaking hook, and the general romantic atmosphere created by that melody, plus the interplay between the guitar, bass and subtle Mellotron textures is really nice. To a lesser extent, "Lament" overcomes its' lack of memorable melody at least a bit to rock somewhat hard and tight near the end, building up nicely from its' quieter, introspective sounding verses.
The remainder of the album, though, is composed pretty much entirely of instrumental pieces, other than a brief vocal appearance on the incomplete groove "The Mincer", which apparently just stops on account of the tape running out, creating a jarring effect. The only thing is that it does so almost just as it's starting to get going. And the rest of the jams? Well, I'll admit the only one that I could entirely do without is the title track, and not because it's one of the ugliest, most dissonant things in the world, but because it goes on for 9 minutes without doing anything, and it just seems to drag on and on. Yes, the band is tight, but if there's nothing in the piece that hooks me, nothing that I can remember after it's over, than it's all just one epic BLAH. But while the other ones can be pleasant and inoffensive to listen to, they sound like the kind of stuff you would more likely be hearing on an 'unreleased songs' or 'B-sides' album than a serious effort.
These remaining jams do have some good qualities about them that ultimately save them from the garbage can (and the 'low point' status), though. I'm not quite sure why "We'll Let You Know" gets particularly knocked in relation to the other tracks - the groove is quite on the bizarre side, but it's not really that dissonant or anything, and it doesn't go on for too long (less than 4 minutes). "Trio" is somewhat more peaceful, with the violin/bass interplay working well as background music, though it's a little too mellow and directionless to be anything substantial at all. And while 11 minutes is way too long for the closing "Fracture" (and it gets very boring and pointless in several places), at least half of it builds nicely, and parts of it sound like a rockin' cross between "Larks Part Two" and "Red", which is just fine by me. But again, it gets too excessive. See, very little of Starless is bad (it's actually a half-decent album on the whole) but I believe King Crimson history would be better off if the two best songs were carried over to that other '74 album, and the rest just remained in the can as curious, but inessential, outtakes.
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(Nick Karn's review)
HIGH POINTS: Starless, Red, One More Red Nightmare, Fallen Angel. LOW POINTS: None.
Now where did this one come from? Well, truthfully, earlier King Crimson records (particularly Larks) had their share of heavier moments, but it's only here, on their 70's swan song, where they suddenly turn into a hard rock/metal outfit. It seems as if Robert Fripp has taken "Larks Part 2" and built much of the album around it - the songs here seem to be based on really intense and heavy riff passages, with the same friggin' awesome fat guitar tone he used on that earlier classic number. As a result, Red is probably the album that people are thinking of when categorizing Crimson as a hard rock band (among other selected moments like "21st Century Schizoid Man"), since this is as close as the ever got to that type of style. This is also quite possibly Bill Bruford's very best drumming performance in this era of the band, as his great use of fills and percussion perfectly complements the powerful heaviness on display.
The basic structure of Red might also seem familiar - there's five tracks on this one, with the hardest rocking moment (title track) as the opener, the most ballad-like ("Fallen Angel") as the second track, and the most 'avant garde' ("Providence") as the fourth one. Yup, it's In The Court Of The Crimson King I'm thinking of. And not only that, the song material on here lives up to that album and then some. The aforementioned title track? I'll be damned if that one doesn't boast one of the coolest crunchy riffs of all time, and it just gets pounded into your head throughout in such a tight and intense way for 6 minutes, plus the doomy violin break about halfway in is also a perfect complement to it. I'm not really sure if instrumental metal gets any better than that. Amazing.
The heavy edge even creeps up into that ballad, "Fallen Angel" - sure, the verses are a pretty delicate acoustic-tinged moment, with John Wetton's vocals complementing them perfectly, but that chorus? It features an appearance of another great riff where it sounds as if everything's falling into a downward spiral and Wetton's yelling 'faaaaaaaaaaaaaalllen aaaaaaaaaaaaangel' in apocalyptic fashion over Fripp's noisy guitar and the sax accompaniment. Speaking of Wetton, he definitely makes his presence felt on "One More Red Nightmare" - temporarily taking over the spot of Richard Palmer-James, he actually wrote the lyrics for this one, and the 'fear of flying' subject matter really matches the chaotic nature of the music, with the paranoia coming through his '70 year old man' vocal style. Fripp and Bruford, however, also makes the song great - the former ontributes another kickass guitar riff, and the latter's choices rhythm here are particularly appropriate, from the clattering tone of the opening parts and instrumental breaks to the addictive 'clapping' sounds in the verses.
Of course, it's at this point that the band tries to make their obligatory attempt to screw up the flow of an absolute classic with their long avant-garde piece here at 8 minutes. However, while I don't exactly love "Providence" and will admit that it does drag toward the end (plus it's structurally insubstantial), I think this 'song' is a lot more interesting than most people give it credit for, even if it makes the rating a little shakier. The first half of it is especially cool, as the disjointed pieces of guitar and bass feedback, violin and flute that appear throughout make it sound almost like music not unlike what you would find it a neat haunted house or something to that effect. Unlike "Moonchild", it does have an actual interesting atmosphere, so I don't see what could make it any worse (I think it's significantly better). And the atonal bass/drum interplay is a novel idea for a minute or two before it starts to get a bit old.
I can't even worry about that track, though, when it's followed by the true masterpiece here. I'm not sure why this didn't get recorded for the previous album, but in any case, the 12 minute "Starless" is an absolutely towering epic. It starts out normally enough in a ballad vein - the Mellotron and guitar work, as well as that majestic vocal melody, are particularly beautiful, and I adore how it comes full circle with the chorus. And as beautiful as the main vocal body of the song might be, the instrumental portions of the song have it topped in terms of mindblowing impact. The dark nature of it may be extremely simplistic, but that four-note bassline of doom interplaying with that one-note repeating guitar line (both of which occasionally go through key changes) works.
Especially since this portion of the song serves as a great vehicle for Bruford to go absolutely wild on the drum kit, and his playing on here is a huge reason why I call this album a high point of his drum powers. And you just have to love the way it suddenly breaks from that doomy part into an absolutely incredible frenzied horn-driven jam in which the playing is extremely tight and exciting, plus it reprises the intro melody at the end to close the album on a great note. Well, come to think of it, it actually ended the King Crimson experience for a good seven years or so until their completely different revival, but this is not only about as good a swan song for the band as could possibly be imagined (plus a culmination of just about every musical direction Robert Fripp had pursued to this point), this is also my favorite Crimson album, one of the best hard rock albums ever, and easily a huge highlight of 1974.
I'm not a huge King Crimson fan nor have I heard a whole lot of their work so I can't make much of an introduction to this album. Instead I'll just get into the music itself without commenting on any changes in the band, or calling it a step up or down from the previous album, Starless And Bible Black, or anything else like that. There are only five tracks on this album, and they're mostly taken up by really long jams, the majority of which are quite entertaining. Well, "Providence" is a load of crap, a completely pointless eight minute piece that sounds fairly similar to the last nine minutes of "Moonchild" from the band's first album, except it's even more dumb and boring. It gets a little more interesting around the five-minute mark, so there's a plus.
Anyway, as for the good songs on here, uh, take your pick. The other four songs are just great. For example the title track is a heavier song, completely instrumental. It's very melodic and full of many memorable moments. These two qualities are found all over this album, one of the reasons Red is so great. Following the title track is "Fallen Angel," which is just as good as the opener. The chorus is especially nice, and the drum work from Bill Bruford is great too. My favorite track, "One More Red Nightmare," is supported by nice vocal work and a steady beat making the seven minutes fly by quickly. The closing "Starless" is the longest on here, a big twelve minutes in length. It's quite a peaceful song, and another great one too. Again the time passes easily and enjoyably, making it an excellent note to close on.
There are a bunch of King Crimson fans who consider Red to be the band's masterpiece, but I'll disagree. This album is a great one, but from what I've listened to not the best thing KC ever did, especially since "Providence" sucks too much for me to give this album anything more than an 8. Unlike the debut, the good stuff is not quite classic enough to bump it up a point (I'd personally give In The Court Of The Crimson King a 9 since songs like "Epitaph" and "I Talk To The Wind" are better than anything on here). It doesn't matter though since these five jams are good enough to deserve a recommendation. And even if you're not the type who likes to listen to long jams Red can serve as fine background music for a variety of activities. So pick up a copy soon. You'll enjoy it in some way or another.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Elephant Talk, Matte Kudasai, Frame By Frame. LOW POINTS: The Sheltering Sky.
Originally, this album wasn't meant to be a King Crimson record, but since Robert Fripp had in reality been the leader of several different sounding bands under the name anyway, I suppose it isn't a surprise that his formation of a new group called Discipline, featuring holdover Bill Bruford on drums, guitarist and vocalist Adrian Belew, and the almighty session bassist Tony Levin, became an actual Crimson album with that title, seven years after Red. Be warned, though, that if you're expecting something in the vein of prog or even hard rock - the album in general is very far removed from that style. It's pretty obvious that Fripp was soaking in the influences of New Wave and post punk at around this time, no doubt helped by his work with Peter Gabriel and the Talking Heads, and it also doesn't hurt that Belew's vocal style can really pass for Heads' frontman David Byrne at some points. In fact, Discipline sounds a whole lot like an album from that band's rhythmic 79-80 period, albeit filtered through Fripp's unique vision.
So how's Discipline hold up? Well, there are some people who would go as far to say it's one of the best of the entire decade, though I wouldn't go that far, as fine as it is. Mostly because side two of the album isn't what I'd exactly call great - I'm particularly looking at the first instrumental "The Sheltering Sky". Sure, Fripp pulls out some really neat guitar sounds on this one, and it gets pretty moody at times, but while it might have worked as a 4 minute piece, it instead rides on the same dull worldbeat groove for 8-1/2 minutes, so I can't help but call it way overlong and boring. Likewise, "Thela Hun Ginjeet" and the title track have excellent moments - the former is some weird chant pushed forward by fast guitar interplay prototypical for the album (as well as a New York City related diatribe spoken by Belew between those), but it gets a bit repetitive and lacks in interesting dynamics. And the latter is probably the best on the side, with its' fine interplay between the two guitars and Bruford's engaging polyrhythm style, though again, it gets a little repetitive and doesn't quite hypnotize me enough to call it totally awesome.
But side two, while still good, is pretty much overshadowed by the greatness of the first one - well, at least the first three songs here. The opening "Elephant Talk" is where the Heads influences really come through - it's sort of a Fear Of Music-esque groove where David Byrne.. err, Belew throws out as many synonyms and interpretations of 'talk' as possible through five verses (i.e. first verse uses 'A' words, last verse uses 'E' ones) in a frantic, totally ridiculous vocal delivery, and the result is hilarious, especially in the opening line of 'TAAAAAALK?!?! It's OOOOOOONLY TALK!' Can't beat the 'elephant noises' from what's probably Fripp's guitar, either - this is definitely my favorite song here. The fan favorite "Frame By Frame" is a lot more serious, but not much less awesome - dig the interplay between the lightning fast bassline and guitars and the way it contrasts the haunting verses (love the vocal delivery here), which totally make the song into a classic.
The lightest song here, "Matte Kudasai", shows how much beauty an otherwise pretty soulless album can have - the guitar tone Fripp gets here is heavenly and atmospheric (and the actual instrumental melody is no less great either), while the fantastically poppy vocal hook ('sheee waaaaaits in the aiiiir, maaatte kuuuudasai...') makes for one of the most resonant performances in KC history. There's definitely a weird contrast between this and "Indiscipline", the one time the band attempts chaotic hard rock here. In between the heavy riffage, feedback and drum bashing, though, comes a completely whack-ass stop start bass groove where Belew speaks excerpts from some sort of letter to his wife (including the famous repeating 'I repeat myself when under stress!' line). Weird. You would have never expected Fripp and his band of weird people to come to something like this only being familiar with In The Court Of The Crimson King now, would you? And to be sure, Discipline is quite the acquired taste, but with enough patience, it can be quite rewarding... in an odd sort of way.
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COMMENTS
Are you sure it's not Adrian Belew with the guitar with the elephant noises? I recall Belew being credited with a guitar that made similar noises on other albums...
Elephant talk and indiscipline alone are totally worth the price of the cd!
Great meaningful music!!!
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Sartori In Tangier, Heartbeat. LOW POINTS: Requiem.
You know, although Discipline was really quite an excellent record when it wanted to be (side one!), it becomes evident on here that this early 80's version of King Crimson isn't anywhere near the quality of their previous incarnation. At least in the studio, they weren't. I will say this, though - several songs on here follow the lead of "Matte Kudasai" and actually incorporate emotional beauty into the mix for once, with nice pop balladry and all from good old Adrian Belew. Too bad much of the album also gets too bogged down in an unassuming and dull atmosphere even during the edgier songs, while at other points, they're merely coasting on the interplay style of "Discipline" to the point of almost cloning it at times. And not only that, but near the end Robert Fripp decides that he wants to be all challenging and atonal and all that nonsense (sound familiar?), resulting in some unnecessary ugly jam bits as well.
So as you may have gathered from that, this is kind of a mess of an album, but not without some impressive material. Witness on "Heartbeat", where Crimson actually come close to becoming 80's pop sellouts! Slick production and melody there, eh? Luckily, that's a damn catchy vocal hook, and Fripp's odd guitar work, with backwards textures and solos thrown in, keep it from being too normal. In addition, "Sartori In Tangier" is a great funky instrumental, with more of those odd yet strangely melodic Eastern-style guitar noises perfectly interplaying with the kickass bassline. Very smooth and uplifting, and probably my favorite track on here. To a lesser extent, I also like the sentimental yet moody ballad "Two Hands", featuring lyrics by Margaret Belew. It doesn't have that much of a vocal hook, but while it's on, it's very attractive, with an especially nicely constructed ending and kinda complex structure.
The other songs don't really grab me that much, though. The opening "Neal And Jack And Me" and "Waiting Man" may be decent, but both sound somewhat melodically awkward, especially the former - what is this, "Discipline, Part 2", only with automotive lyrics added so listeners might not actually notice that? Whatever. At least the latter's sometimes dull worldbeat soundscape would be really improved in concert, though. "Neurotica", meanwhile, is probably the most insanely structured song on here, with all these tempo shifts and spoken word rants ala "Thela Hun Ginjeet", though just because it's so out there doesn't mean I have to find it pleasurable listening (it's not bad, though, just more of a intriguing curiousity than anything else).
It's the two songs right at the end, though, that keep Beat from possibly reaching 7 territory in spite of all its' flaws. I'm not sure what the limited circle of fans that's supposed to find this kind of stuff appealing is like personally, since there can't be many of them out there. The ugly repetitive guitar riffing on the otherwise decent "The Howler" and the unstructured Starless And Bible Black worthy meandering crap of the closing 6-1/2 minute instrumental "Requiem" (just a bunch of technically complex noise to me) certainly ensures that I won't be joining that elite group any time soon. Not that this could have been anywhere near a great record without those 'songs', though - it's still a big letdown in quality after Discipline, showing this lineup faltering a bit on the album's relatively skimpy 35 minute length. This should definitely be one of the last Crimson albums to get, in my opinion.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Three Of A Perfect Pair, Sleepless, Man With An Open Heart. LOW POINTS: Industry, Nuages (That Which Passes, Passes Like Clouds).
I guess the disbanding of 80's King Crimson after the tour for this album goes to show that pop songwriters like Adrian Belew can't really co-exist as a creative force in the same band with Robert Fripp for very long. Indeed, the different songwriting approaches of both are much more separated than before, to the point that Three Of A Perfect Pair can almost be divided into a 'pop song' side and an 'avant-garde atmosphere / noisemaking' side. A King Crimson analog of Sticky Fingers? Well, there's one pop tune on side two and a New Age piece on side one just to mess with the balance a little, but the general division is the same. It's also thankfully a bit of an improvement over Beat, since it has more knockout tracks this time around, but it also shares some of the same flaws of inconsistency and dull, unenergetic production as before, and the potential of most of this stuff is still more realized in a live setting.
That doesn't prevent most of the first half from being very successful, though. The title track is actually one of the most fantastically catchy songs Crimson ever wrote in any era - it may be built on the "Discipline" guitar interplay pattern again, and lyrically it's pretty much a hard-to-figure mad love story, but the melody, layered vocal harmonies and odd rhythm really catches hold of me to the point where I can't get that damn chorus out of my head, plus that guitar solo's anything but normal. "Man With An Open Heart" is almost as infectiously catchy, with a great Eastern based melody and Fripp's guitar sounds effortlessly wrapping around it, and "Model Man" is also pretty cool, with a neat uplifting chord progression that grooves along nicely, and the slower, more yearning chorus is pretty affecting, if slightly out-of-place with the rest. Wow, three pretty accessible, really good pop songs all on a single Crimson album? Neat.
Oh, wait, actually four. There's also "Sleepless", another song that would be given more personality and energy on stage, but it still rocks on here, too. It's hard to believe, but a single remix of it was actually a dance floor staple at the time, confirming my suspicions that these guys are sellouts. In any case, that bassline is awesome (go Tony Levin!), though while the melody is also really catchy, not much else really jumps out about here like it would on stage. Anyway, outside of those first four songs, this album's a bit... uh... rough going. There are other worthy moments later on - "Dig Me" is an interesting piece, with whacked out guitar noises emulating the smashing of cars at a landfill and strange vocal effects over spoken word lyrics, while the closer "Larks Tongues' In Aspic Part III" has a fast barrage of guitar riffs and electronic drums, though the song runs out of steam halfway through, from then on just plodding around slowly and aimlessly without much interest.
The remaining three songs on here I don't really like at all, and taking into account the quality of those and the general weaknesses of the album, this is a rather shaky 7 I'm giving out here. "No Warning" reverts right back to the atonal jamming of before, though at least it's at least tolerable, and it doesn't last for all that long. But "Industry" and "Nuages (That Which Passes, Passes Like Clouds)"... I don't really need another "Mars: The Bringer Of War" only updated for the 80's (so much for Fripp not looking back on his past) with dull factory imitating atmosphere going on for 7 minutes, nor do I need sleep-inducing New Age blah that might be inventive in terms of guitar sound, but it doesn't engage me in the least. To be honest, I like "The King Crimson Barbershop" bonus track (a hilarious novelty that shows KC can poke fun at themselves) more than anything after that first four song stretch. This material needs more energy, goddamn it.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Walking On Air, Dinosaur. LOW POINTS: None.
There are probably several bands in rock history that have disbanded for a very lengthy period of time (i.e. more than five years or so) and reformed, but I really can't think of many that have emerged from a long hiatus twice, as King Crimson does here. I guess Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew and the rest of the 81-84 lineup felt compelled to get back together again, but this time around, they had a couple new friends join them - stick player Trey Gunn and drummer Pat Mastoletto, which effectively gave the band two players at each position, a 'double trio', if you will. THRAK's setup is a potentially interesting idea, for sure, and not only that, the sound Crimson seems to be going for is a cross between the early 80's New Wave guitar interplay and atmospheric passages, and the intensity of the 73-74 hard rock/avant garde period, with mid-90's production, interspersing the heavy jams with typical Belew pop songs for a good, accessible mix.
However, while nothing on this album is close to bad or anything, the material is kind of hit and miss. A lot of the jams just aren't all that interesting, especially with the opening "VROOOM" sounding like conventional mid 90's hard alternative with a Crimson touch (and annoying speaker separation), and "VROOOM VROOOM" being a heavier but way less memorable and powerful take on the structure of "Red". Sometimes they'll hit upon a great idea, like the main theme on "THRAK" and its' scarier interpretation of "Larks' Part III" (I can see how they'd want to build unlistenable live improvs on this song), or the great buildup of soundscapes on "B'Boom" before it turns into a dull, indistinguishable drum solo, but cool moments aside, these instrumentals definitely pale in comparison to their best efforts. Not to mention there's all these silly 'codas' and pointless minute long atmospheric "Radio" links that have no reason to exist, and I also can't shake the self-parody feeling these comical song titles bring to mind.
Still, all these instrumentals are still at least nice to listen to and of course played professionally, though it's the vocal songs that are the better half of the album. Not because I don't appreciate KC jams, but these songs are just more well-written. There's still filler that doesn't accomplish that much - the brief "Inner Garden" links marry spare guitar lines with absolutely silly pretentious lyrics, and the odd funky rock song "People" is uneven (the verses are clunky and awkward and the lyrics are dumb social commentary stuff, but the Police-style rocking chorus and great drumming on the apocalyptic coda are awesome!), but in general, this stuff pulls the rating up. The balladry of "One Time", while a little generic, has a fine buildup and tense melody, plus its' atmosphere really matches the blue and black overtones of the album cover well, and "Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream" has overly repetitive, but fun verses mixed with fantastically chaotic, dissonant instrumental sections that work in spite of themselves.
The big reason THRAK gets as high as a solid 7, though, is the presence of two of the greatest songs Crimson have done in the Belew era, and the best on the album by far. "Dinosaur" effortlessly mixes the heavy riffage side of the band with an amazingly majestic structure, clever self-mocking lyrics, and an eerily Lennon-ish vocal melody. I'm not sure the Mellotron noodling in the middle was needed, but otherwise, it's a simply classic pop song. Additionally, "Walking On Air" might be the greatest ballad they've done in any era (I consider "Epitaph" something else altogether), and it sneaks into my top 10 Crimson songs due to a hauntingly beautiful, emotionally striking atmosphere. The melody is gorgeous (almost like U2 at their best), and coupled with the musical backdrop of that brilliant moody bassline and backwards Fripp guitars, it rounds out a fantastic 1-2 punch early on in the album. Too bad the rest just isn't as inspired, but hey, it's still a good, but flawed, comeback anyway, and for me, even an improvement on Three Of A Perfect Pair (though I may be in the minority on that one).
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Sleepless, Indiscipline, Red, Thela Hun Ginjeet, Waiting Man, Larks' Tongues In Aspic (Part Two), Matte Kudasai, Man With An Open Heart, Sartori In Tangier. LOW POINTS: Entry Of The Crims.
King Crimson in the 80's were a decent band in the studio and all, but it just didn't seem that their songs were quite carried to their fullest potential. If this archive release is any indication, though, it's a completely different story when the four members of this incarnation actually got together on stage, and the results here (a concert from the final night of the Three Of A Perfect Pair tour, as 'articulately announced' by Adrian Belew early on in the show) show the band in top form. These songs now attains so much more energy and tightness, without the dull, sometimes overly mechanical and awkward tone of before, and as a result of this and the band's overall professionalism, I can't think of any songs here that are worse than their studio versions (and some of them blow the originals away!). Additionally, you've got Bill Bruford's electronic drums establishing themselves as the coolest things ever, an extremely well-chosen setlist that omits most of the weaker stuff, and some of the best production I've ever heard on a live recording.
Of course, being that this is essentially a separate KC inarnation, there isn't much pre-Discipline stuff performed here (just "Red" and "Larks' Tongues In Aspic (Part Two)"), but that proves not to be much of an issue. Given the high quality of the performances and the fact that they represent all the highs from the 81-84 albums, Absent Lovers is really all you need from this period of Crimson. To use one example, after one listen to the live "Thela Hun Ginjeet" with its' barrage of electronic drums, insane energy, and guitar fireworks, you'll never want to go back to it on Discipline again (at least I certainly don't, as much as I liked it before). It's also interesting how a really good pop song like "Man With An Open Heart" can become even greater of an addictive force with just that added extra punch to the sound, or how a faster tempo can add total excitement to a formerly pretty moody instrumental on "Sartori In Tangier".
Even some of the stuff I didn't like that much before turns out better - I still don't really love "Industry" or anything, but the Fripp guitar soundscapes are much more hypnotizing this time, not to mention the rhythm section has a lot more of an aggression, so that's something. Even better, "Waiting Man" is transformed into the great worldbeat epic it wanted to be but never came close to in the studio, with a lengthy, gripping percussion intro, a much more passionate, less awkward vocal delivery, and some fantastic guitar tricks throughout. Of course, there are a couple songs I'm still not won over by - "Discipline" continues to feel ho-hum in a dull and repetitive way to me, and apart from the first minute or so where Bruford's electronic drums rock the house, I still fail to see how "Larks' Tongues (Part III)" comes anywhere close to the first two, though it's more energetic in the first half and better overall, I'll give it that.
Nevertheless, though, these flaws mostly have to do with me not liking the originals in the first place, not necessarily their performance quality (well, except the opening 'warmup' of tuneless noisemaking "Entry Of The Crims", which that might have sounded cool if you were at the show, but on my stereo it sucks). These are about the only noticeable weaknesses I can find here, though, and when surrounded by some of the mindblowing stuff, they're overshadowed at least somewhat. I mean, check out the disc closing "Indiscipline", which has some of the absolute greatest drumming I've ever heard in my life (heck, the same can be said for the album as a whole - Bruford rules), especially in the short solo, and the way it gets transformed into a spoken word reggae epic is really cool and quirky. And needless to say, the heavier parts here are incredibly awesome in their intensity, making it one of the best Crimson performances ever.
Even better, though, is their near God-like rendition of "Sleepless" here, with its' great Tony Levin bassline pounding itself into your skull even more, not to mention the guitar work here has a really ominous and chaotic, yet controlled, atmosphere that I didn't get anywhere near as much from the studio version, and the vocals suddenly gain a desperation to them as well. Man, it rules in perfectly capturing the life of an insomniac! They can even handle the less intense songs just as well - "Matte Kudasai" is just as gorgeous if not more so than before, with even more of a heavenly quality to Fripp's guitar tone, and "Heartbeat" is still as beautiful a singalong crowd-pleasing pop tune as it ever was. I really like how this period of Crimson balances out the 'weird stuff' (as "Industry" and "Dig Me" are referred to) with perfectly pleasant tunes like this, which makes them even more appealing.
Oh, as for the two 70's tunes they do here, neither "Red" or "Larks' Tongues (Part Two)" really kill the originals like some of the others, nor are they as crunchy, but they do gain a different dimension. There's the excellent live energy, especially the way Levin's bass grooves along and the way they manage to replicate the middle part of the former, plus the latter performed with two guitarists is quite a treat, and the way it gets really bass-heavy later on is absolutely wonderful. Finally, "Frame By Frame", "Three Of A Perfect Pair" and "Elephant Talk" are performed just as well as the originals, the last one of which is probably my favorite 80's KC song in the studio, so I'm thrilled that it closes the show. If I were a fan in 1984, I'd have never guessed this material would become as near-classic as it is on stage, but of course, I also would have been only four years old at the time. Great stuff - a little short of a 10 because I'm not quite that excited over this era of the band, and there are a few flaws, but a very solid 9 anyways. It's probably my second favorite Crimson record, actually.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: ProzaKc Blues. LOW POINTS: The World's My Oyster Soup Kitchen Floor Wax Museum, Into The Frying Pan.
This time, the reunion of Crimson in the mid 90's only lasted one album and tour, and afterwards, the various members of the band split into various 'ProjecKcts', and by the time Robert Fripp got the urge to actually record as King Crimson again, Tony Levin and Bill Bruford had left the band, with Gunn and Mastoletto becoming the sole 'rhythm section'. Unfortunately, by this time Fripp or the band didn't appear to have much new to say now that the ProjeKcts had seemingly drained them of actual creative ideas, and so the resulting album I can only describe as the work of a Crimson cover band who doesn't know what the hell they're doing. References to their past songs abound on quite a bit of this material, whether it be the general feel and arrangements are similar, with minor reworkings of the same riffs and melodies, or even in the titles (yes, there is a fourth part to "Larks Tongues' In Aspic" on here).
That's not the big problem that kills the album, though. The production job is terrible, with an overly murky, low-end sound, and the way in which often unpleasant guitar tones and nearly constant pounding electronic drums are layered really irritate me and can cause headaches at the same time. Plus, what happened to Belew's vocal melodies on here? "Into The Frying Pan" and "The World's My Oyster Soup Kitchen Floor Wax Museum" have just plain retardedly ugly 'hooks', compounded by some stupid vocal effect on the former, and incessant rhythms on the latter. I could practically write an essay on how atrocious "Oyster Soup" is - it pounds over and over again for 6 minutes over a headachey rhythm, the 'get... set... get... wet' chorus hook and 'whoooo' chants throughout are appallingly stupid, the verse melody's not even there, the guitars and awful MIDI piano solo are the definition of tuneless, there's Lizard-level gibberish that passes for 'lyrics', and there are probably more annoying features that I can't think of now.
It's not like the rest of the album is bad, but factoring in those two horrible wastes, the overall bland sound, and the 'past KC references' stuff, I really can't call it more than low-level mediocre in the long run. I'd say everything else on here has at least something going for it, though. There's the opening "ProzaKc Blues", which is, well, blues done King Crimson style, so of course, it's really screwed up. Belew's vocals have really neat effects put on them to give them a low, grumbling tone, the lyrics are hilarious in a parodic way, and there's quite disorienting rhythm section interplay (bass and drums playing in different time signatures) to go along with the traditional sound. The other noticeable highlight is probably the closing "I Have A Dream: Coda", which might have really distracting drums and an overly long buildup, but it's got a good anthemic vocal melody for once, with a majestic synth(?) background and lyrics namechecking major events that happened in the 90's, so that's interesting.
As far as the other three songs, all retreads of past glories, they're listenable at least, but like much of the Starless And Bible Black improv-based jams, there's no need to hear them again. The obviously SABB influenced "FraKctured" has two mildly interesting themes based on both complicated fast riffing and creepy, slow guitar lines, but both just repeat themselves ad nauseum for 9 minutes without actually developing at all. Then there's that aforementioned "Larks' Tongues In Aspic (Part IV)", which is decent on its' own, but considering it's a really obvious weaker cross between "Red" and the second and third "Larks" (for 9 minutes again), I could care less about it. And finally, the title track has a cool opening rhythm with Fripp and Belew interplaying single notes back and forth with each other (what a great idea), but it also later turns into a really blatant "Discipline" clone three minutes in, with only an interesting speaker-shifting chanting hook holding interest when it gets to the 'song' part.
All in all, while certainly not awful, this album is extremely disappointing in several ways, and maybe even worse than Lizard as Crimson's studio nadir. I really wonder how much of their energy the members actually devoted to the ProjeKcts around this time, considering the album's bonus track, a ProjeKct X composition called "Heaven And Earth", is somewhat better than anything on ConstruKction itself - it's a really cool soundtrack-ish epic that builds along quite impressively with a hard rocking touch to it. Fortunately, they'd correct a large part of the mistakes of this effort with the followup. Stay tuned.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Dangerous Curves, Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With, Elektrik, The Power To Believe II. LOW POINTS: None.
I know some people will say that King Crimson used to be known as one of the only progressive bands that actually progressed from album to album, 'never looking back on their past' and all that crap, and they'll add that The Power To Believe doesn't really offer anything new to this legacy, but really, their musical direction hasn't offered much new since Discipline, and by now, I'm pretty much used to the idea Crimson not breaking any new ground. Instead, this album does the 70's and 80's hybrid thing way better than before - it combines all the great aspects I loved about it, adding much improved production, a lot better sense of how their instrumental workouts should be constructed, an even more careful and accessible balance between their experimental and normal side than THRAK, and enough interesting creative left turns to make it a triumphant comeback, almost undoubtedly my favorite KC studio album since Red. Sure, maybe the lack of new ideas is a flaw to a point, but not a huge one, and more importantly, it doesn't drop to the overt self-plagarism level that ConstruKction often did.
The centerpiece of the album, of course, is the four part title track, a division of which might seem pointless but actually works surprisingly well. It's actually introduced in a 43 second a cappella version that opens the album as a love song, but considering the disturbing effect used on those vocals and the interpretations later on, it's really creepy for a love song. This is apparent later on in the album in the title track's second part (a huge highlight on here), which is basically a 7 minute buildup piece that emphasizes that unsettling feeling even more, with collages of sound effects and guitar noises that give way to a lengthy segment of scary and incredibly effective bell-sounding worldbeat style percussion jamming (which appeared as "Shoganai" on the pre-release Happy With... EP). The third and fourth versions are quite decent at carving their own identity as well - part three a slow and pounding evil-sounding industrial theme that incorporates "Deception Of The Thrush" from the ProjeKcts, and part four a short New Age-ish closer to the album.
Yeah, I should probably have mentioned that the band does borrow some material from the ProjeKcts, which is kind of cheating to a point, but hey, they're good instrumentals that also manage to fit perfectly into the framework of the album. One of their contributions, "Dangerous Curves", is actually my personal favorite, as it's one of the most terrifying buildup songs I've ever heard. Comparisons to "The Talking Drum" can be made, of course, as it flows in much the same way, but that doesn't mean this 'sequel' isn't brilliant in its' own right, as it's actually more effective at what it does in some aspects. The incessant repeating heavy riff slowly rises in volume in absolutely breathtaking ways, with all sorts of great background noises and some of the best drumming I've yet to hear from Pat Mastoletto, who throws in a lot of cool fills off the addictive rhythm to hold my attention. Quite a change from the electronic onslaught of ConstruKction, that's for sure. This is one of those songs that's absolutely ideal for scaring the crap out of you driving down a dark road, much like Black Sabbath's "Megalomania".
Its' follow up song also had been released before ("Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With", here in a shorter version than that aforementioned EP of the same name), but it was just on a ripoff stop-gap release almost nobody bought anyway. Its' inclusion after "Dangerous Curves" on here is one of the greatest sequencing jobs I've ever heard, allowing the album's mood to drastically shift from being dark and terrifying to absolutely cracking me up without relenting in intensity. It's pretty much a parody on nu-metal, but it's not only one of the funniest style parodies I've ever heard - for me it also ranks up there with any 'nu-metal' songs I'm aware of. It rocks even harder and more confidently than most of that genre (especially for 'old farts' like KC!), the chorus is in equal parts extremely catchy and unfairly hilarious ('I guess I'll repeat the chorus!' etc), the lyrics brilliantly mock the style's limitations, there's great offbeat chanting of the title, and later on, there's one of the most bizarre guitar solos Robert Fripp has ever come up with this side of "Three Of A Perfect Pair". In short, it's another classic.
These are a large part of the high points of the album, but the rest is really no slouch either. Even the more 'backwards looking' tracks like "Elektrik" work - this song's very similar to "The ConstruKction Of Light" in tone, but it's pretty defining of the album in how they take an existing okayish song idea, work on it a bit and make it into something excellent. They add a peaceful woodwind-sounding intro and outro, throw out the "Discipline" cloning parts (and all stupid lyrics), give it better production, emphasize the 'techno' elements to a more entertaining and less cold extent, and add a convincing heavy touch in places. In a similar vein, "Level Five" strikes me as a far more dynamic and intense piece than any of the instrumentals on ConstruKction or THRAK, even if, again, it doesn't incorporate much formally new. It does move through at least four or five effective heavy riffs and really neat electronic tinges to the drumming, and it's actually entertaining for all its' length, which I couldn't say about similar attempts before.
Finally, to round out the album there's two more Belew 'pop songs' in "Eyes Wide Open" and "Facts Of Life", neither of which are great, but they're definitely not bad either. The former (which also appeared on the Happy EP) is another one of those trademark 'moody' ballads of his, and a pleasant one at that, and the latter, regardless of its' pointless "Radio"-style introduction, has a really disorienting vocal melody to go along with raw heaviness and a bizarre Alice Cooper-ish quality in the vocals. It tries to be 'ugly' in a complex fashion in the tradition of stuff like "Into The Frying Pan", but somehow it entertains me. Maybe it's that catchy chorus. Or maybe that King Crimson cover band knows what they're doing this time! Yeah, that must be it. What an excellent, well-flowing, and varied album this is in refining what modern KC does well, even when ithey're not actually progressing much.
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