Well, it's been a while since I've done a review, so i figured the 5 of you who actually read this would want to hear from me by now. Today i'll be reviewing King Crimson's 1969 debut album, In The Court Of The Crimson King
Before I begin, it is important to note that King Crimson's line-up was constantly changing. here is the line-up that made this particular album
- Robert Fripp – guitar
- Ian McDonald – flute, clarinet, saxophone, vibes, keyboards, mellotron, vocals
- Greg Lake – bass guitar, lead vocals
- Michael Giles – drums, percussion, vocals
- Peter Sinfield– lyrics, illumination (I have no idea what the hell they mean by "illumination")
The album begins with "21st Century Schizoid Man", my favorite song on the album. It's the heaviest song on the album, being driven by a very intimidating guitar riff, with horns sometimes coming in to give the riff even more power. Greg Lake's vocals are very distorted, and lyrically the song is very dark, with metaphorical lyrics about the Vietnam War. In the middle of the song, it breaks down into a very chaotic instrumental improv. overall it's a fantastic song, and a great way to start the album.
The next song on the album is "I Talk To The Wind". this is a much different song then the last one. While "21st Century Schizoid Man" was the angriest and most chaotic song on the album, "I Talk To The Wind" is the most peaceful song on the album. it's very calm and it is a very nice song. other than that, I don't too much to say about this one.
The third song on the album is "Epitaph". it's a very sad song, but also an epic one. the song keeps building up as it goes on. this is most evident during the reprise of the first verse. during the reprise, it is sung with much more power, and there is a lot more instrumentation. i can''t fully describe this song hear, just listen to it for yourself
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAxvyvWPhiY&feature=related
The second side of the album begins with "Moonchild". I have mixed opinions on this one. the first part of the song is a mellotron driven ballad. this part of the song is very haunting and I like it alot, the second part of the song is where i have an issue. in the second part, it goes into a 10 minute improv. Overall, the improv is pretty boring, yet it remains intresting enough to keep you listening`. i'm not entirely sure how I feel about the improv. I feel if it would be better if it were shorter. It has grown on me, I like it more now than I did the first time I heard it.
The final song on the album is "The Court Of The Crimson King". This song has an incredibly epic feel to it. everything about this song is great, I feel like it is a perfect end to the album, just like "21st Century Schizoid Man' was a perfect beginning to the album. one part I particularly love is the part near the end where it seems like it's going to end, but then the music comes back, softly at first but then later at full force.
This is one of the greatest albums of all time. almost every song on the album is great, and even the "Moonchild" manages to have some good parts to it. This is one of those albums I feel everyone should hear. The only other King Crimson album that I feel reaches the same level as this one is Red (at least out of the classic 70's King Crimson albums, 80's King Crimson is too different for me to compare). Unfortunately, the album is not on iTunes, so you'll have to buy it on CD, and it can be hard to find a CD copy since most stores don't have any King Crimson albums. Your best bet is to look for a copy of it online, or to obtain it through methods which I cannot legally endorse on this website.
Best Song: 21st Century Schizoid Man
Worst Song: The improv part of "Moonchild"
