IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING

King Crimson's observation, or In the Court of the Crimson King has got to be one of the most beautiful albums I have ever heard in my life. The record starts out with the booming, aggressive '21st Century Schizoid Man', clad with Robert Fripp's insane guitar solo and the protesting vocal work that intermittently weaves throughout the song in between the heavy guitar chops. This track is followed by a quick switch(which can easily be compared to manic-depression) to 'I Talk to the Wind', a beautiful track that literally brings me to tears. This ventures off into the next two tracks which are the long winding road to '[In] the Court of the Crimson King', which is a fantastic anthem that brings the record to a crashing end.

After this record stopped, I sat there, heart pounding, ready to flip the record and start it over again. This album is a pure essential to not only prog fans, but any listener(whether they be familiar with many forms of music or complete neophytes).