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King Crimson - Larks' Tongues in Aspic CD (album) cover

LARKS' TONGUES IN ASPIC

King Crimson

 

Eclectic Prog

4.42 | 3250 ratings

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The T
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
2 stars I seriously can't understand what this band has that makes people drool all over their releases. I can agree with the near-perfection of ITCOTCK, a brilliant album, one of the best in all rock (not just prog), but this one, "Larks' Tongues in Aspic" is for me nothing but self- indulgence taken to the extreme, trying to disguise showing-off as "experimentation".

Just like another respected reviewer who rated this album with two stars, I have to say that, where it not for the last track, I would've given this exercise in musical indigestion a 1-star rating. The first track is nothing but jamming of the lesser kind recorded, with the addition of violin to make it sound "experimental", even though the inclusion makes no musical sense (I have to admit that, for the few minutes when the violin is present, at least the music appears to have some direction.) There's no discoveries here. Nothing new. This was done decades ago with real purpose. The next three tracks are more traditional but rather forgettable, nothing like the monuments in ITCOTCK. Wetton's voice (who, if you are a modern prog fan who has never heard KING CRIMSON but has heard THE FLOWER KINGS, sounds exactly like Roine Stolt) is good enough to make these tracks better than they actually are. "Easy Money" in particular is a totally average affair. Finally, the album raises from the darkest pit with the second part of the title track, where Fripp seems to have decided to bring some sense into the music with interesting riffs and playing with odd time signatures.

Experimentation doesn't equal quality. And uninspired cacophony doesn't equal experimentation. Then, this album is neither experimental nor is it a high quality one. It's just an attempt by first-class rock musicians to become larger than life, it's an ego show based in nothing but an image. The band created an image with their debut album, and by the time this thing was released, it's clear they really thought they were above everything. Their image as prog gods got to their heads, and they really believed they were ones.

And gods can do anything... even make art out of drivel.

But they really aren't gods.

The T | 2/5 |

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