Lizard....WTF

The best lyrics on "Lizard" are to the track "Happy Family", a song about the Beatles. (Uncle Rufus = Ringo, Cousin Silas = George, Nasty Jonah = John and Judas= Paul; their pic + Yoko Ono (the wife of "Nasty Jonah") appears on the cover).

Edited by BaldFriede

Progger wrote: TheLostChord wrote: This album is miserable, any back up on this??? It sounds NOTHING like the first two and is MAD weak. The only good stuff is lady of dancing water and the first 5 minutes of Lizard, which are phenominal, with Anderson. The rest is garbage.. Like 90% of King Crimson albums [Red being the only exception] it is like you say. GARBAGE!

A long time ago that's what I used to think, but now after listening to King Crimson's albums, I love all of them! Red is defintely a very raw (about 3 different instruments on one album; a rarity in prog!) and quite brilliantly structured album. Though i appreciate albums like Lizard, which I do not particularly favour above some albums, but still do enjoy somewhat. I'll agree that Haskell's vocals are not really enjoyable for me to listen to; I kind of feel like I'm listening to like a cheesy children's album.

I'll appreciate Lizard, especially how early it was made. The way the instrumentation is laid out on the mizing of album is quite brilliant. I kind of get lost in the Cirkus song like I really am in a circus. Definetely Lizard isn't quite up to par with some albums, but it's a very different album.

The only way I can describe Lizard is like children's music album, just because of how playful the music is on it.

 

 i think you are a bit right.

 For me the best KC album is Islands, and then Larks tongues in aspic, RED, In a wake of Poseydon, Starless and bible black

BaldFriede wrote: The best lyrics on "Lizard" are to the track "Happy Family", a song about the Beatles. (Uncle Rufus = Ringo, Cousin Silas = George, Nasty Jonah = John and Judas= Paul; their pic + Yoko Ono (the wife of "Nasty Jonah") appears on the cover).

I didn't know that! What can I say? ROTFL!!!
I love Beatles, yet knowing this Happy Family gains another 10 points up my liking ladder!!!

I love the first song "Cirkus", but otherwise I find it boring, and even annoying.

Man Overboard wrote: TheLostChord wrote: Maybe i do need to listen to it more, but can someone back me up that when a PROG album is an "acquired taste" it isnt the bands best work, or even a great work.  Most prog listeners can hear a song on the first listen and say "ok, thats a great song!" Lizard doesnt give any of that! Sir, I'm gonna have to ask you what the hell you've been smoking.     Albums that are easily accessible are also easily forgettable and reveal all of their secrets right away.  Albums that are thick, dense, and difficult have much more of a chance of being works of art.  Speaking of which, I used to dislike Lizard, but this thread made me curious to pull it out again...  and now I'm LOVING it.

 

You better.

KC are, like, your favourite band and you don't even like their best album. That's kinda lame.

There is anoter hidden allusion in the lyrics of "Happy Family". The line "Jude so sweet" makes any German with a little knowledge of history automatically think of the anti-semitic movie "Jud Süß" ("Jude" is German for "Jew", "Jud" is a derogatory short form for it. "Süß" is German for "sweet"). The main character is depicted as a greedy and malevolent character in the movie. Since Paul McCartney is one of the richest people on earth (I think he even makes the top 20 poll), this is a somewhat fitting, though very nasty comparison.

No, Judas definitely is McCartney. Jonas is Lennon, Rufus is Ringo Starr, and Silas is Harrison. Look at the pic of the Beatles on the album cover of "Lizard". You can see McCarteny alias "Judas" draw his "pruning knife" there, Lennon alias "Jonah" with a bottle, out of which his wife as a ghost appears, Ringo alias "Rufus" in baggy trousers and Harrison alias "Silas" meditating.

Edited by BaldFriede

Maybe my interpretation of the lyrics go too far there. But the song is definitely about the Beatles, with the characters as I assigned them. You just need to take a look at the album cover for that to recognize them, once you know they are there. And McCartney had always been the one to write the sweeter songs within the Beatles, like "Yesterday"; Lennon had a rougher edge.

BaldFriede wrote: Maybe my interpretation of the lyrics go too far there. But the song is definitely about the Beatles, with the characters as I assigned them. You just need to take a look at the album cover for that to recognize them, once you know they are there. And McCartney had always been the one to write the sweeter songs within the Beatles, like "Yesterday"; Lennon had a rougher edge.

Anybody interested in the Lennon vs McCartney rift should listen to John's How do you sleep? from his 1971 album Imagine. Take a look at the lyrics:


So Sgt.Pepper took you by surprise
You better see right through that mother’s eyes
Those freaks was right when they said you was dead
The one mistake you made was in your head
Ah, how do you sleep?
Ah, how do you sleep at night?

You live with straights who tell you you was king
Jump when your momma tell you anything
The only thing you done was yesterday
And since you’re gone you’re just another day
Ah, how do you sleep?
Ah, how do you sleep at night?

Ah, how do you sleep?
Ah, how do you sleep at night?

A pretty face may last a year or two
But pretty soon they’ll see what you can do
The sound you make is muzak to my ears
You must have learned something in all those years
Ah, how do you sleep?
Ah, how do you sleep at night?


The lines I quoted in bold refer explicitly to McCartney's songs before (Yesterday) and after the Beatles split up (Another Day)
Quite harsh, isn't it?