Court or Wake? King or Posieden?

1 nil......

Edited by Snow Dog - February 17 2013 at 04:36

In the Court may have lost its sparkle, but In The Wake is like a wake - not terribly enjoyable at all.

Oddly I play Wake more than Court. Its a lot heavier. The debut is almost too pretty like some sumptious work of art to be admired from a distance only.

The first sides invite direct comparisons, and Court always comes out on top. "Pictures of a City" is too comfortable in its lumbering groove to achieve the sheer trauma of "21st Century Schizoid Man", not to mention the lyrics are atrocious ("spice ice dance chance" - is this a nursery rhyme or what?). "In the Wake of Poseidon" comes close to matching the simple elegance of "Epitaph", but what always irks me is how each verse ends rather unresolved. A song like this doesn't benefit from subverting the listener's expectations, harmony-wise. Plus, it lacks a real chorus. "Cadence and Cascade" is pretty good, but the melody is simply not as memorable as "I Talk to the Wind".

The second sides are different, but still Court wins out. "The Devil's Triangle" and "Moonchild" are just about equally pointless, content-less and dull, but at least the latter has the first two minutes going for it. And while "Cat Food" is kind of amusing, it's obviously no match to Court's title track. The "Peace" tracks are okay, but hardly a substantial part of the album. So in other words, Court wins on every count.

It's been too long since I've heard In the Wake of Poseidon. I only have it on record.

Please, no video in my thread. We all know the songs

^I appreciate you removing the video. You could have the links to the video here of course. 

Edited by Snow Dog - February 17 2013 at 05:20

ITCOTCK. The sequel only repeats the ideas that were already present in the debut (and in Holst's suite, of course).

BaldFriede wrote: "The Devil's Triangle" actually is based on "Mars, the Bringer of War" from the "Planet Suite" by Gustav Holst. It is actually a real shame King Crimson gave no credits whatever to him on that album, especially when you think of how fussy Robert Fripp is with having his own work used against his will. Just compare; you can find both on YouTube.

I always liked "The Devil's Triangle", and despite the recent revelations (my knowledge of Holst and other classic composers is minimal at best), I still find it cool sounding. "Cat Food" remains my favorite track by far of ITWOP, but it's still not as quite at the level of the title track, 21CSM and "Epitaph" off the debut, so the debut wins out.