IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING

Arguably the first true progressive rock album, and one of the finest of the genre. I don't think it's perfect though. There are some things that stop it from being a perfect album. This record has very strong opening and closing tracks. "21st Century Schizoid Man" and "The Court Of The Crimson King" are fantastic songs. Epic in every sense of the word.

Some weaknesses are, in my opinion, "I Talk To The Wind" and "Moonchild". I'm always waiting for "I Talk To The Wind" to take off and go into a different musical section, but it stays the same for 6 minutes. It features a nice flute solo at the end which goes into "Epitaph", a song that I have no problems with. However, the song after, "Moonchild" is good for the first 2 and a half minutes but then goes into a long improvised bit that has no real structure. This could have been cut by 5 minutes; it wouldn't have lost much if it was edited.

Even with these minor setbacks, In the Court of the Crimson King is still a solid album. The 2 tracks at the start and the end are excellent. Can I recommend an album based on 2 songs? Yes, yes I can.