IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING

King Crimson's first effort is widely acknowledged as the seminal 'progressive rock' album, which speaks to how well it has aged. The cover art has a definite in-your-face quality to it, and is nothing short of startling. I can't imagine what this picture of human terror would have looked like next to other LP sleeves back in the day. At the very least, an eye-grabber.

The artwork fits the tone of the first track, 21st Century Schizoid Man. This song will first surprise you, then rock you with its straightforward yet chilling ascending riff, led by a howling saxophone. Enter the distorted loudspeaker vocals (an effect which greatly helps to gruff up Lake's otherwise smooth voice), and dark lyrics of a vaguely Orwellian future, and you've got a frighteningly good intro track. Alongside frenzied lead guitar and sax solos and fast and catchy riffs, lengthy solo sections also showcase Giles' agile drumming, which is at once technically impressive and melodic, a rare feat among drummers. This fast, tightly played section overheats until it crash lands back on that unstoppable introductory riff. This is the apex of the song. After a final vocal section, the track comes to a chaotic conclusion, which is perhaps a little anticlimactic, but since this is the intro track, that's not a bad thing.

I Talk to the Wind provides a calm and flowing counterpoint to the first track. The unusual chord progression of this song sounded completely new to me when I first heard it, but it had a natural beauty to it as well, and the woodwinds work perfectly for this (especially given the song's title). The highlight here is the clarinets' harmony behind the vocals and soloists. Again, Giles' drumming is excellent, remaining engaging while not at all overpowering the song. Another top-notch track.

Epitaph, the third track, retains the slower pace of the last track, but brings back the dark tone of the first. The mellotron used here sounds a little dated with its strings setting in full force. Much like track two, the best part of this song is its use of woodwinds in the bridge, particularly the deep, dark bass clarinet passage, which is a magnificent mix of classical and rock. However, this song has not aged as well as the rest of the album, and the overused mellotron strings and Lake's vocals both make Epitaph sound out of date.

Moonchild is a solid track for about two minutes, but the remainder of this 12-minute track consists of some pointless noodling on individual instruments. It is too experimental and just doesn't work with the album as a whole. This abstract experimentation was a gamble that didn't really pay off. I would have liked to see where they could have gone with this song, but instead it goes nowhere.

Sitting through the final ten minutes of Moonchild does make the title track's symphonic refrain ring out all the more gloriously. This is the mellotron at its best, perfectly accompanied by unforgettable vocal harmonies. This melody evokes a sense of awe quite appropriate for the song's subject matter. This track also contains the finest of the flute solos on the album. After the song and the album have apparently ended in a thundering climax, The Dance of the Puppets commences. The organ lightly goes through the motions of the chord progression with a restrained flute setting. Then the refrain blasts through a final time, building to a noisy and abrupt end. This song, a masterpiece in itself, is a perfect ending to the album.

In the Court of the Crimson King is a masterpiece of its time, but not a timeless masterpiece. I consider this mandatory listening for any prog rock aficionado, but mostly because of its originality and its place in prog rock history. Musically it is not without its flaws (listening all the way through does bore me at points), and there are better King Crimson albums to come. Still it is undeniably superb progressive rock, and essential for prog fans. If you haven't heard it, go find this album and listen to it.