IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING

King Crimson

Eclectic Prog

4.64 | 4736 ratings

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Ok! This is the beginning of the incredible prog sub-genre Symphonic progressive rock. This 1969 album by King Crimson is a really essential recording for every prog rock collection.

1-21st century schizoid man: One of my fauvorites. This song introduced me to this band, it's amazing. It's a hard, dark rocker with a very agressive distortioned voice by Greg Lake. It has a lot of tempo changes and complex rock sections. I especially like the way the overdriven guitar and the sax are combined. Probably, my fauvorite KC song (...for the moment, 'cos I'm not a really huge fan yet. I've got to get more of their records, I've only got USA, a part from this one).

2-I talk to the wind: The softer side of symphonic prog: A lot of woodwind instruments by Mr. McDonald, soft background guitar and nice vocals. The way they combine the instruments makes the song interesting. For some reason, it reminds me of Genesis' Tresspass.

3- Epitaph: An 8-minute+ epic with powerful acustic guitars, nice drum beat, amazing vocals, and the bass and mellotron making the sound of the piece richer. There are complex sections of chords and changes of mood. I like the part in which the mellotron goes in crescendo, till it reaches its peak and goes back to softness.

4-Moonchild: A song divided into two sections: a.The dream: a soft 2:30 minute (approx) song with soft mellotron, calm vocals, soft cymbal sounds and background guitar. b.The illusion: 10-minutes of quiet jam: featuring soft and weird guitar sounds, rare percussion and vibes, mostly. Some say this is pointless, but I think it's a way to leave the listener quiet and resting his/her ears, to get prepared for the " gran finale".

5-In the court of the Crimson King: The closing epic. Another mellotron-oriented track, with acustic and electric guitars, majestic drum-work, flutes and other woodwinds, and, of course, tremendous vocals and bass by Lake. There's also a sublime background chorus.

Not to be missed!!! If you're looking for an essential prog album, and you haven't got this one, don't think it twice, just get it! This is the start of Symphonic prog, so it's essential for everyone's prog collection. Tremendous!!

N-man | 5/5 | 2006-4-16

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