IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING

In the Court of the Crimson King is a fun album, a must for prog fans but marred by limitations in the lyric writing. The ensemble playing is flawless. The strength of the album lay in the orchestrations, for which Ian McDonald, later of Foreigner fame, is largely responsible. He uses multiple reeds including a bass clarinet, which seems to reference Miles Davis Bitches Brew. The reeds accent the mellotron beatifully. 21st Cent. Schizoid Man is a prog classic and in live performances became a ten - twleve minute improvisation. Epitaph and the title track are beautiful and the use of mellotron esquisite. The lyrics in general are a bit amateurish and mar the album with such ear sores as rhyming 'been' and 'in between' and alliterations like 'purple piper played.' The track "I Talk to the Wind" is a silly response to the Dylan classic. Many people see this album (and the later Red) as an early expressions of hard rock. I don't hear it. Most of the album is actually quite quiet; the use of dynamics to paint mood is the one of the album's strong points. I do not believe that this is the first prog album. I would argue that the roots of prog go back to Nutrocker, (1961) Phil Spector (1962) and George Martin (1966-7). By 1969 acts like The Moody Blues and esp. The Nice and Procol Harum had already defined the genre. But the album is a classic and no doubt a must for any prog enthusiast.