LARKS' TONGUES IN ASPIC

Part of me wants to give this album the perfect score. All the tracks are amazing. But I can't ignore the fact I dislike Wetton's vocals. As much as I love his bass playing, the vocals put me off.

Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Part One - This is a masterpiece. Unbelievable how everyone appears to fly in different directions, but it remains a cohesive whole all the time. Amazing. Mindboggling. 10/10

Book of Saturday - For me, this is the weakest track of the album. Largely due to the singing. Fripp's guitar is great. The rest is average at best considering this is King Crimson. 7/10

Exiles - This is a beautiful track. A 10 out of 10. If it weren't for the singing. That is not up to par. The most painful part is at 4.30 - 5.15 8.5/10

Easy Money - Another great track. Fripp shines again. But as with other tracks on this album, the singing is not up to par. 8/10

The talking Drum - This is a stunning instrumental. Every one of them gets opportunities to take centre stage and shine. I love the drive of this track 10/10

Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Part Two Bass and drums are the stars of this masterful instrumental. They drive the track forward in intriguing and bold ways. Letting the violin and guitar shine too. 10/10

Often, I don't mind if vocals aren't top-notch. I know other great bands with mediocre vocalists. But here, it is different. I am happy Wetton's vocals improved over time. Especially when they created Red.

A near-perfect album. 4.5 stars, rounding it to 4 stars.