IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING

In the Court of the Crimson King begins with one of the band's best-known songs. "21st Century Schizoid Man (Including "Mirrors")", inspired by Henry Kissinger's brutal bombing campaign in Southeast Asia, is one of their absolute high points. The song's main riff is fierce and unconventional, using guitar, sax, and distorted bass to scorch the listener. Greg Lake's fuzzed vocals only add to the atmosphere. Following a pair of short verses, the song plunges full-bore into odd-time, jazzy madness. This composition is an astounding mission statement from the band, and even despite the many shifts in their sound over the years, the searing, experimental proto-metal of this song remained a key component of the act's identity.

"I Talk to the Wind" is the only song on King Crimson's debut without subsections, and it was the only one originally written for Giles, Giles & Fripp that made it onto this record. Warm flutes and reeds give this cut a floating, idyllic feel, and Lake's vocals are delicate and alluring. Fripp's guitarwork channels jazz once more, albeit in a more sedate form than on the album opener. I love "21st Century Schizoid Man", but this is, for my money, a stronger overall composition and close to a perfect psychedelic folk piece.

Speaking of perfect (or near-perfect) compositions, side one of ItCotCK closes with "Epitaph (Including "March for No Reason" and "Tomorrow and Tomorrow")". Mournful clean guitar, dramatic Mellotron, and rolling percussion lend immense yet restrained weight to this song. Lake's vocals are again a highlight, and the occasional stab of piano and acoustic guitar add wonderful, sharp contrasts to the song's richness. In its midsection, reeds are given prominence over a minimal backing. "Epitaph" ends on a melodramatic note, but the band sells it, one hundred percent. This is not overblown; it is the perfect amount of blown.

Side two starts off quite promisingly. "Moonchild (Including "The Dream" and "The Illusion")" begins as a subdued, morose, and very pretty piece. Haunting Mellotron, simple guitar, and the occasional bit of percussion meld to make a song which balances stark, ethereal eeriness with trepidatious hope. However, after about two-and-a-half minutes, what was up to this point a flawless album (in my eyes) hits an immense stumbling block. And this would be a stumbling block which would plague almost every single release King Crimson ever put out. Simply put: Robert Fripp loves improv, but he's not very good at making it interesting. 

"Moonchild" meanders for a punishing ten minutes of aimless jazz noodling. I actually never listened to the whole thing until about a year ago when I purchased a vinyl copy of this album and I was physically unable to skip this song's extended jam. It is a dull, monotonous slog with nothing of value. It is a festering, open wound on this album's face, and this album's face is famously horrific enough as it is.

After the longest ten minutes of your life, the album's final song?"The Court of the Crimson King (Including "The Return of the Fire Witch" and "The Dance of the Puppets")"?is a majestic, glorious composition on which to end. Mellotron and multilayered vocals lend this cut a fittingly regal air, and Sinfield's lyrics are gothic and fascinating. There's a lovely, extended flute solo over gentle, folky backing between the verses, and the main theme roars back more powerful than ever after a brief calliope interlude. 

It really is a pity "Moonchild" is ten minutes longer than it needs to be. Otherwise, this would be an absolutely perfect record.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2024/04/15/deep-dive-king-crimson/