ISLANDS

A review about a K.C. album is probably the most subjective and biased piece of writing to be written about any release from any band. Trust me on this. Everybody loves and hates KING CRIMSON. Each album gets its detractors and its followers. And the thing about this band is that nobody stands still: you either hate it so badly it will give you stomach aches each listen or you love it so much you'll defend it to your death.

The line-up on this particular release is quite special because we have as main driving force not only Fripp, as usual, but also saxman/fluteman Mel Collins. On compositions such as "The Letters" or "Formentera Lady" his melodic sax or flute or whatever the hell he's playing at the moment show up and enlighten everything. Collins is the man in quite a few moments. Fripp, as usual, is a master, and on "Sailor's Tale" a solo comprised solely of chords is both impressive and inventive. A nasty, damn nasty (in a good way of course, hehe), foreshadowing of what's gonna come up in albums like LARKS' TONGUES IN ASPIC, RED, and all the way up to THRAK and THE POWER TO BELIEVE. Vocalist/bassist Boz does his duty on vocals. Specifically in this album he perhaps does not demonstrate his capabilities to the fullest but in the live release "Live at Summit Studios, 1972" Boz pulls an incredible live performance of the quality of Greg Lake. Boz singing "21st Century Schizoid Man" is as ad hoc as it gets. The man can sing. Refer to the high pitched insane throat-splitting semi-growls on "Ladies of the Road" (specifically "Stone headed frisco spacer") to get an idea of what he can do. They just didn't use this guy well in this album, and he probably was rather unconscious of his rare talent to give you the impression he's having a psychotic breakdown. Furthermore, the bass he plays of course is weak, but bearable. It doesn't kill this album at all. Wallace is alright, some fills are interesting, nothing that special. Which is rather bad for Crimson standards. He quit soon after the touring was done, and that is good. The sooner Bruford gets here, the better.

I must say that Fripp's classical attempt in "Prelude: Song of the Gulls" is very effective. The pizzicato decorating the bowed strings as they lay down the foundation for the song, the chord progressions as they intertwine and subtly merge into each other, the slight silences so very well placed, the question and answer between violin and woodwind. Beautiful. The man pulled a Brahms. Sublime and gorgeous.

Get this album. It's worth a listen. I rate it exactly a 4.2 and not a 5 due to: Boz on bass, Keith Tippet not joining the band (you wasted a hell of a pianist there, Fripp), Ian Wallace not impressing me (I have high standards for Crimson drumming after hearing Bruford and Mastelotto double up on "B'Boom", even though they chronologically come up like 25 years after this album), and because of those lyrics sometimes. My theory is that since the instrumentation in Crimson is so awesome, we all expect awesome lyrics. I believe Sinfield could've done better. He DID do better at some points (i.e. 21st Century Schizoid Man, Moonchild, Pictures of a City, Cirkus). It's still not that horrible and it won't ruin the album for anyone. I've heard way worse lyrics that these from other bands (Dream Theater? or Winds?).

Once again, K.C. is THE MOST subjective band out there. Which makes them all the more beautiful to me. Don't take any suggestions about K.C. albums. To decide if you like them, you've got to listen to them. Sometimes a few times to realize that you do get your money's worth, and oftentimes much, much more.