IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING

This fantastic album has almost zero flaws. It starts off with the heavy metal-ish '21st Century Schizoid Man,' which has some great heavy-metal saxophone. Normally I don't care much for the sax, but this is an exception. The middle of the song in which everyone starts jamming is called Mirrors, and I love how they give names for all the little interludes in their songs.

The next song, I Talk to the Wind, is nice and mellow and relxaing. Great lyrics and great vocals. I also think that Crimson were the first 'rock' band to include flutes in their music.

The next track, Epitaph, is tied for my favorite song on the album with the title track. The way it starts out with that great little lead-lick from Fripp, then it goes into the super quiet moving verse, then the powerfully emotional chorus. There are also a few interludes in this one too, like March for No Reason. This song features some great mellotron.

What I am about to say about the next track, Moonchild, has been said before. The first two and a half minutes are excellent, with great vocals and melody, and imaginative and colorful lyrics. But then it comes nine minutes of just messing around on their instruments for some truly boring stuff.

The title track is so unbelievably awesome, with its great classic mellotron riff, great guitar riffs from Fripp, great, medieval style lyrics, and then when you think its over, but the drums kick the mellotron riff back in and its just fantastic.

So this is a great album. Almost perfect. However, since the greatness of the other songs can make up for the junk on Moonchild,I'm giving it five.