IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING

At first I thought of giving this album 4 stars because I think it is overrated compared to King Crimson's later stuff, but after listening to it again, to remind myself, I couldn't resist giving this fantastic album 5 stars.

I still remember the moment when I first played the Court, being blown by sheer power of saxophone of Schizoid Man. That moment was THE moment which fully turned me into progressive music lover. Many people argue if this is the first progressive rock album: I think it's not, but it is arguably the most important one. Would we enjoy Genesis or Yes had not King Crimson release this album? On to the review.

21st Century Schizoid Man, the opening track, catches you unready. After few seconds of silence, killer sax comes and blows you away. Imagine putting this on in 1969! Not long after, Greg comes with his distorted vocals, singing about dystopian world of 21st century. The whole song, and album cover too, sets the mood for the album. It's all about apocalypse, about man destroying himself and the world. After vocals, there is some excellent sax work again and Fripp's amazing solo, one of my favorites by him.

After the chaos of the first track comes something mellow to make you rest: I talk to the Wind. Beautiful guitar and flute work. Greg softly sings about depression and loneliness, I believe.

Oh, famous Epitaph. My favorite track on the album. Amazing mellotron and guitar work sets the mood for the song, and I love how the drums sound, somehow fitting. The thing that fascinates me the most about the song is the lyrics and the way Lake sings it, with such passion. I can feel his pain for the human race. At the moment of writing, Epitaph is my third favorite track by King Crimson.

Ah, the famous Moonchild. As a stand alone song, it is weak, because of that super long improvisation which essentially does nothing interesting. However, it fits nicely into the album, with improvisation part providing a final break before we set our feet to the Court of the Crimson King. It's really astounding to enjoy random sounds in almost silence, and then drums kick in, revealing the last track...

And here we are, in the Court of the Crimson King, at last. I consider this song to be an epic, despite it being only 9 minutes long. It has that atmosphere which makes you think: now this must be 30 minutes long! It is also, in my opinion, the most progressive track on the album. Every instrument is great, but I have to give the edge to drums. Fantastic work.

I really encourage anyone who hasn't heard this album (I doubt there are many people of that sort here) to immediately listen to it.