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KING CRIMSON

Eclectic Prog • United Kingdom


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King Crimson picture
King Crimson biography
Formed in London in 1968 - Several hiatus & reformations (1981,1994,2007 & 2013) - Still active as of 2017


" When you want to hear where music is going in the future, you put on a King Crimson album."
- Bill Bruford, 1995


For all its break-ups, periods of non-existence and fluctuating methodology, King Crimson remains one of the interminably compelling bands playing within the domain of rock music to this day. Widely acknowledged as being the harbingers of the art-rock genre with their monumental 1969 album "In The Court Of The Crimson King", they paved the way for innovative art-rock/progressive rock bands such as Yes, ELP etc etc. in the early '70s as well as providing a stimulus for more recent neo-progressive bands like Tool and The Mars Volta through their post-progressive work in the early '80s and '90s. More of a frame of mind than a style, the music of King Crimson has constantly sought out sustenance through amalgamations of existing forms of music, veering away from any contemporary mould, nullifying any notions that it is necessary to adhere to proven formulas in order to create commercially feasible music.

From its formative years in Bournemouth, England in the late '60s, King Crimson's unwavering guiding light has constantly emanated from the abstruse intellect of guitarist Robert FRIPP. Although he maintains that he is not the band's leader per se, he attributes the band's enduring viability to the collective brilliance of its individual members even though it seems to disband and reform at the wave of his magic wand. Fripp began playing guitar at the age of eleven with 'Trad. Jazz' perfomer Acker Bilk providing him with early inspiration. By the age of 18, he was playing with a hotel band in his hometown of Bournemouth performing at bar-mitzvahs and weddings while developing his distinctive guitar style which incorporated many classical techniques. While other early influences included such diverse sources as Bartok, Debussy and Django Reinhardt, he was particularly drawn to the 1967 Beatles song "A Day In The Life" which, he claimed, affected him in similar ways as classical composers and it was around this time his designs for King Crimson began to take form. In early '67, after playing with other local pop outfits, he joined two brothers...
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KING CRIMSON discography


Ordered by release date | Showing ratings (top albums) | Help Progarchives.com to complete the discography and add albums

KING CRIMSON top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.64 | 4720 ratings
In the Court of the Crimson King
1969
3.84 | 2428 ratings
In the Wake of Poseidon
1970
4.13 | 2469 ratings
Lizard
1970
3.85 | 2162 ratings
Islands
1971
4.42 | 3247 ratings
Larks' Tongues in Aspic
1973
3.94 | 2092 ratings
Starless and Bible Black
1974
4.57 | 3756 ratings
Red
1974
4.14 | 2250 ratings
Discipline
1981
3.09 | 1409 ratings
Beat
1982
3.29 | 1384 ratings
Three of a Perfect Pair
1984
3.68 | 1286 ratings
THRAK
1995
3.06 | 309 ratings
ProjeKct Two: Space Groove
1998
3.15 | 961 ratings
The ConstruKction of Light
2000
3.36 | 278 ratings
ProjeKct X: Heaven and Earth
2000
3.96 | 1380 ratings
The Power To Believe
2003
3.54 | 625 ratings
Jakszyk, Fripp and Collins: A Scarcity of Miracles
2011

KING CRIMSON Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

2.52 | 461 ratings
Earthbound
1972
4.06 | 567 ratings
USA
1975
2.91 | 36 ratings
Strange Tales of the Sailors
1991
4.57 | 416 ratings
The Great Deceiver: Live 1973 - 1974
1992
3.71 | 191 ratings
B'Boom (Official Bootleg - Live in Argentina)
1995
2.77 | 231 ratings
THRaKaTTaK
1996
3.79 | 215 ratings
Epitaph, Volumes One & Two
1997
4.47 | 350 ratings
The Night Watch
1997
3.74 | 162 ratings
Epitaph, Volumes Three & Four
1997
4.46 | 352 ratings
Absent Lovers - Live in Montreal, 1984
1998
3.81 | 52 ratings
Live at the Jazz Café (ProjeKct One)
1998
3.83 | 58 ratings
Masque (ProjeKct Three)
1999
3.39 | 46 ratings
Live Groove (Projekct Two)
1999
3.50 | 34 ratings
West Coast Live (ProjeKct Four)
1999
3.69 | 149 ratings
Heavy ConstruKction
2000
4.05 | 150 ratings
VROOOM VROOOM
2001
3.75 | 126 ratings
Level Five
2001
3.99 | 178 ratings
Ladies of the Road
2002
3.76 | 102 ratings
EleKtriK
2003
4.61 | 115 ratings
The Collectable King Crimson - Vol. 1 (Live in Mainz, 1974 + Live in Asbury Park, 1974)
2006
2.93 | 48 ratings
The Collectable King Crimson - Vol. 2 (Live in Bath, 1981 + Live in Philadelphia, 1982)
2007
3.84 | 46 ratings
The Collectable King Crimson - Vol. 3 (Live at the Shepherds Bush Empire, London, 1996)
2008
3.56 | 43 ratings
The Collectable King Crimson - Vol. 4 (Live in Warsaw,2000)
2009
3.87 | 39 ratings
The Collectable King Crimson - Vol. 5 (Live in Japan,1995)
2010
2.35 | 12 ratings
The Crimson ProjeKct: Official Bootleg Live 2012
2013
3.00 | 2 ratings
The Crimson ProjeKct: Official Bootleg Limited Edition (Live Record at Club Citta' on Mar.15.2013)
2013
3.00 | 2 ratings
The Crimson ProjeKct: Official Bootleg Limited Edition (Live Record at Club Citta' on Mar.16.2013)
2013
3.25 | 4 ratings
The Crimson ProjeKct: Official Bootleg Limited Edition (Live Record at Club Citta' on Mar.17.2013)
2013
3.47 | 47 ratings
The Crimson ProjeKct: Live in Tokyo
2014
3.09 | 122 ratings
Live At The Orpheum
2015
4.66 | 161 ratings
Radical Action to Unseat the Hold of Monkey Mind
2016
4.59 | 66 ratings
Live in Vienna + Live in Tokyo 2015
2017
4.51 | 87 ratings
Live in Chicago
2017
4.48 | 25 ratings
Uncertain Times
2018
4.56 | 79 ratings
Meltdown: Live in Mexico
2018
4.67 | 38 ratings
Music Is Our Friend (Live in Washington D.C. and Albany, 2021)
2021

KING CRIMSON Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

4.09 | 48 ratings
The Noise - Frejus 1982
1984
4.61 | 33 ratings
Three of a Perfect Pair - Live in Japan
1984
3.34 | 58 ratings
Live in Japan
1996
4.45 | 159 ratings
Deja VROOOM
1999
3.82 | 153 ratings
Eyes Wide Open
2003
3.94 | 85 ratings
Neal and Jack and Me
2004
3.87 | 19 ratings
Inside King Crimson 1972-1975 An Independent Critical Review With David Cross
2005
4.29 | 53 ratings
Live In Argentina 1994
2012
4.65 | 132 ratings
Radical Action to Unseat the Hold of Monkey Mind
2016

KING CRIMSON Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.88 | 119 ratings
The Young Persons Guide To King Crimson
1976
2.24 | 75 ratings
The Compact King Crimson
1986
3.00 | 1 ratings
1989
1989
3.68 | 62 ratings
The Essential King Crimson: Frame by Frame
1991
3.06 | 52 ratings
Sleepless: The Concise King Crimson
1993
3.00 | 2 ratings
The First Three
1993
3.03 | 31 ratings
Schizoid Man
1996
3.39 | 50 ratings
Deception of the Thrush: A Beginners Guide to ProjeKcts
1999
3.85 | 100 ratings
Cirkus - The Young Persons' Guide To King Crimson Live
1999
3.62 | 86 ratings
The ProjeKcts
1999
4.57 | 58 ratings
The 21st Century Guide to King Crimson - Volume One (1969-1974)
2004
3.52 | 45 ratings
The 21st Century Guide to King Crimson - Volume Two (1981-2003)
2005
4.02 | 34 ratings
The Condensed 21st Century Guide 1969 - 2003
2006
3.47 | 19 ratings
King Crimson - 40th Anniversary Tour Box
2008
4.77 | 129 ratings
In the Court of the Crimson King, 40th Anniversary Edition (5CD's + DVD)
2009
3.83 | 63 ratings
Lark's Tongue In Aspic (the complete recordings)
2012
4.04 | 66 ratings
The Road to Red
2013
3.87 | 44 ratings
The Elements (2014 Tour Box)
2014
4.53 | 45 ratings
Starless
2014
3.75 | 20 ratings
The Elements (2015 Tour Box)
2015
3.36 | 20 ratings
THRAK BOX
2015
3.19 | 15 ratings
On (And Off) The Road (1981-1984)
2016
3.77 | 13 ratings
The Elements (2016 Tour Box)
2016
3.77 | 24 ratings
Sailors' Tales
2017
3.78 | 9 ratings
The Elements (2017 Tour Box)
2017
4.76 | 21 ratings
Audio Diary 2014-2017
2018
3.25 | 8 ratings
The Elements (2018 Tour Box)
2018
4.76 | 8 ratings
1969-1972
2018
4.75 | 8 ratings
1972 - 1974
2019
4.40 | 10 ratings
A Mojo Anthology (Rare, Classic, Unusual and Live 1969-2019)
2019
3.34 | 18 ratings
Heaven & Earth
2019
3.89 | 9 ratings
The Elements (2019 Tour Box)
2019
4.47 | 19 ratings
The ReconstruKction of Light (2LP version)
2019
3.33 | 3 ratings
Mister Stormy's Monday Selection, Vol. 4
2020
4.00 | 10 ratings
The Elements (2020 Tour Box)
2020
4.34 | 13 ratings
The Complete 1969 Recordings
2020
3.00 | 2 ratings
Mister Stormy's Monday Selection Vol. 5
2020
4.38 | 8 ratings
An Alternative Guide to King Crimson (1969-72)
2020

KING CRIMSON Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

4.44 | 74 ratings
The Court Of The Crimson King
1969
3.49 | 66 ratings
Cat Food
1970
4.00 | 35 ratings
The Night Watch
1974
3.79 | 55 ratings
Epitaph
1976
3.97 | 28 ratings
Discipline 12'' Sampler
1981
3.29 | 29 ratings
Matte Kudasai
1981
3.83 | 12 ratings
Elephant Talk
1981
3.76 | 17 ratings
Thela Hun Ginjeet
1981
3.36 | 36 ratings
Heartbeat
1982
3.19 | 24 ratings
Sleepless
1984
3.78 | 9 ratings
Three Of A Perfect Pair
1984
2.25 | 23 ratings
The Abbreviated King Crimson: Heartbeat
1991
3.63 | 158 ratings
VROOOM
1994
3.44 | 9 ratings
Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream
1995
3.86 | 29 ratings
Dinosaur
1995
2.50 | 2 ratings
AAA Sampler
1995
3.33 | 3 ratings
THRAK (4 Track Sampler)
1995
3.22 | 30 ratings
Live in Jacksonville, FL 1972
1998
3.37 | 35 ratings
Live at The Marquee 1969
1998
3.29 | 12 ratings
King Crimson - A Beginners' Guide To The King Crimson Collectors' Club
1999
3.92 | 35 ratings
The Beat Club, Bremen 1972
1999
3.43 | 21 ratings
ProjeKct Four: Live in San Francisco - The Roar of P4
1999
4.44 | 33 ratings
On Broadway - Live in NYC 1995
1999
4.01 | 32 ratings
Live at Cap D'Agde 1982
1999
3.38 | 32 ratings
Live in Central Park, NYC, 1974
2000
2.77 | 22 ratings
Nashville Rehearsals, 1997
2000
2.41 | 24 ratings
Live at Moles Club, Bath, 1981
2000
4.16 | 39 ratings
Live at Summit Studios, 1972
2000
3.22 | 31 ratings
The VROOOM Sessions 1994
2000
3.90 | 31 ratings
Live in Detroit, MI 1971
2001
3.60 | 38 ratings
Live at Plymouth 1971
2001
4.13 | 39 ratings
Live in Mainz, Gemany 1974
2001
3.21 | 19 ratings
ProjeKct Two: Live in Northampton, MA
2001
4.18 | 8 ratings
The Guide to Larks' Tongues in Aspic (Parts 1-4)
2001
3.43 | 32 ratings
Live at the Zoom Club 1972
2002
3.42 | 110 ratings
Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With
2002
3.51 | 22 ratings
The Champaign-Urbana Sessions, 1983
2002
3.72 | 38 ratings
Hyde Park, London, 1969
2002
4.15 | 20 ratings
Live in Nashville, TN 2001
2002
3.48 | 24 ratings
Live in Berkeley, CA 1982
2002
3.35 | 21 ratings
ProjeKct One: Jazz Cafe Suite
2003
3.88 | 32 ratings
Live in Guildford 1972
2003
3.36 | 22 ratings
Live in Orlando, FL, 1972
2003
2.88 | 17 ratings
The Power To Believe Tour Box
2003
3.15 | 24 ratings
Live at Fillmore East, November 21 & 22, 1969
2003
4.08 | 17 ratings
ProjeKct Three: Live in Austin, TX, March 25, 1999
2004
4.07 | 23 ratings
Live in Philadelphia, PA , July 30, 1982
2004
2.96 | 18 ratings
Live in Brighton, 1971
2005
4.06 | 26 ratings
Live in Heidelberg, 1974
2005
3.80 | 23 ratings
Live in Warsaw, June 11, 2000
2005
2.50 | 2 ratings
ProjeKct Two: Live at I.C. Light Music Tent 1998
2005
4.50 | 2 ratings
ProjeKct One: London Jazz Café
2005
0.00 | 0 ratings
Prix D'Ami, Buenos Aires, Argentina, September 28, 1994
2005
4.00 | 1 ratings
Zoom Club, Frankfurt, Germany, April 12, 1971
2005
5.00 | 1 ratings
Zoom Club, Frankfurt, Germany, April 13, 1971
2005
4.00 | 2 ratings
ProjeKct Four: Live at Fox Theatre
2005
4.67 | 3 ratings
ProjeKct Three: Live at Cactus Cafe
2005
4.75 | 4 ratings
ProjeKct Four: 7th Note, San Francisco, California, November 2, 1998
2006
0.00 | 0 ratings
Ulster Performing Arts Centre, Kingston, New York, November 14, 2003
2006
0.00 | 0 ratings
StadtHalle, Cologne, Germany, October 14, 1981
2006
0.00 | 0 ratings
Broadway Theatre, Buenos Aires, Argentina, October 7, 1994
2006
0.00 | 0 ratings
Musemplatz, Bonn, Germany, June 6, 2000
2006
0.00 | 0 ratings
University of Texas, Arlington, Texas, October 6, 1973
2006
0.00 | 0 ratings
Place de Nations, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, August 4, 1982
2006
3.00 | 1 ratings
Stanley Warner Theatre, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 6, 1972
2006
0.00 | 0 ratings
Palace Theater, New Haven, Connecticut, December 9, 2001
2006
0.00 | 0 ratings
Teatro Carlo Felice, Genova, Italy, June 21, 2003
2006
0.00 | 0 ratings
Kennedy Centre, Washington D.C., June 27, 1974
2006
0.00 | 0 ratings
The Roxy, Los Angeles, California, November 23, 1981
2006
4.00 | 1 ratings
Riverside Theatre, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, March 8, 1972
2006
0.00 | 0 ratings
Apollo, Glasgow, Scotland, October 23, 1973
2006
3.00 | 1 ratings
Zoom Club, Frankfurt, Germany, April 14, 1971
2006
4.00 | 1 ratings
Zoom Club, Frankfurt, Germany, April 15, 1971
2006
5.00 | 1 ratings
Palazzo dello Sport (Palasport), Brescia, Italy, March 20, 1974
2006
3.22 | 9 ratings
ProjeKct Six: East Coast Live
2006
3.73 | 11 ratings
ProjeKct Two: Live in Chicago, IL 1998
2006
4.26 | 19 ratings
Live at the Wiltern, 1995
2006
4.20 | 15 ratings
Live in Munich 1982
2006
2.78 | 17 ratings
Live in Denver, CO 1972
2007
3.90 | 10 ratings
Projekct Three: Live in Alexandria, VA, March 3, 2003
2007
4.21 | 19 ratings
Live in Kassel, 1974
2007
4.00 | 3 ratings
ProjeKct One - London Jazz Café
2007
3.67 | 3 ratings
ProjeKct One - London Jazz Café
2007
4.00 | 4 ratings
ProjeKct One: London Jazz Café
2007
0.00 | 0 ratings
Congresgebow, Den Hague, Netherlands, May 15, 1995
2007
0.00 | 0 ratings
The Convention Hall, Asbury Park, New Jersey, July 31, 1982
2007
0.00 | 0 ratings
Park West, Chicago, Illinois, March 14, 2003
2007
0.00 | 0 ratings
Palace Theater, Greensburg, Pennsylvania, December 2, 2001
2007
0.00 | 0 ratings
House of Blues, Los Angeles, California, October 23, 2000
2007
0.00 | 0 ratings
House of Blues, Los Angeles, California, October 24, 2000
2007
0.00 | 0 ratings
Poplar Creek Music Theatre, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, June 22, 1984
2007
0.00 | 0 ratings
Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, June 29, 1974
2007
0.00 | 0 ratings
Olympia, Paris, France, June 25, 2000
2007
0.00 | 0 ratings
Teatro Cervantes, Malaga, Spain, July 5, 2003
2007
0.00 | 0 ratings
Stadttheater, Augsburg, Germany, March 27, 1974
2007
0.00 | 0 ratings
Hitomi Kinen Kodo, Tokyo, Japan, October 10, 1995
2007
0.00 | 0 ratings
Omiya Sonic Hall, Omiya, Japan, October 12, 1995
2007
0.00 | 0 ratings
328 Performance Hall, Nashville, Tennessee, November 9, 2001
2007
0.00 | 0 ratings
328 Performance Hall, Nashville, Tennessee, November 10, 2001
2007
0.00 | 0 ratings
Technical College, Hull, England, November 10, 1972
2007
0.00 | 0 ratings
The Pier, New York, NY, August 1, 1982
2007
0.00 | 0 ratings
Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Columbus, Ohio, April 28, 1974
2007
0.00 | 0 ratings
Zeleste, Barcelona, Spain, June 27, 2000
2007
0.00 | 0 ratings
Teatro Kursaal, San Sebastian, Spain, June 28, 2000
2007
0.00 | 0 ratings
Riviera, Madrid, Spain, June 29, 2000
2007
4.00 | 1 ratings
ProjeKct Three - Live at Poor David's
2007
2.50 | 2 ratings
ProjeKct Two: Old Lantern, Charlotte, Vermont, June 30, 1998
2007
3.50 | 2 ratings
ProjeKct Four - Live at Richard's On Richards
2008
0.00 | 0 ratings
Mann Music Centre, Philadelphia, PA, June 29, 1984
2008
0.00 | 0 ratings
Music Hall, Austin, Texas, November 1, 1995
2008
0.00 | 0 ratings
Music Hall, Houston, Texas, November 2, 1995
2008
0.00 | 0 ratings
Richards Club, Atlanta, Georgia, June 23, 1973
2008
5.00 | 1 ratings
Armoury, Wilmington, Delaware, February 11, 1972
2008
0.00 | 0 ratings
Irvine Meadows Terrace, Laguna Hill, CA, June 9, 1984
2008
0.00 | 0 ratings
Olympia, Paris, France, April 9, 1973
2008
0.00 | 0 ratings
New Theatre, Oxford, England, November 25, 1972
2008
0.00 | 0 ratings
Aichi Kosei Nenkin Kaikan, Nagoya, Japan, April 20, 2003
2008
4.00 | 1 ratings
ProjeKct Two: Park West, Chicago, Illinois, June 5, 1998
2008
4.00 | 2 ratings
ProjeKct Four: Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR, October 30, 1998
2008
4.13 | 15 ratings
Live in New York, NY 1982
2008
4.08 | 12 ratings
Live in Philadelphia, PA 1996
2008
4.17 | 15 ratings
Park West, Chicago, Illinois, August 7, 2008
2008
3.75 | 16 ratings
Live in Boston, MA 1972
2009
4.29 | 26 ratings
Live in Zurich, 1973
2009
4.12 | 16 ratings
Live in Milan, 2003
2009
3.50 | 2 ratings
ProjeKct Three: Live at Electric Lounge
2009
4.00 | 5 ratings
Jazz Club, Chesterfield, England, September 7, 1969
2010
4.00 | 1 ratings
Grande Ballroom, Detroit, MI, February 18, 1972
2010
4.00 | 1 ratings
Live in Chicago, IL 1995
2010
4.00 | 1 ratings
ProjeKt Two: Irving Plaza, New York, NY, May 7, 1998
2010
4.30 | 20 ratings
Live in Toronto, 1974
2011
4.04 | 5 ratings
Live in New Haven, CT 2003
2011
4.00 | 1 ratings
Auditorium, Miami Beach, FL, February 25, 1972
2011
3.00 | 1 ratings
Arie Crown Theatre, Chicago, IL, February 19, 1972
2011
3.00 | 1 ratings
The Barn, Peoria, IL, March 10, 1972
2011
3.00 | 1 ratings
FairGround Coliseum, Indianapolis, IN, March 11, 1972
2011
3.00 | 1 ratings
Sound Track, Denver, CO, March 13, 1972
2011
3.00 | 1 ratings
Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA, March 21, 1972
2011
3.00 | 1 ratings
Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, LA, March 31, 1972
2011
4.00 | 1 ratings
City Hall, Sheffield, England, October 19, 1971
2012
5.00 | 1 ratings
Massey Hall, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, November 11, 1971
2012
0.00 | 0 ratings
Web Theater, Phoenix, AZ, November 16, 2001
2012
4.00 | 1 ratings
Academy of Music, New York, NY, November 24, 1971
2012
4.00 | 1 ratings
Greens Playhouse, Glasgow, Scotland, May 28, 1971
2012
3.00 | 1 ratings
Marquee, London, England, August 11, 1971
2012
3.00 | 1 ratings
Weeley Festival, Clacton, England, August 28, 1971
2012
0.00 | 0 ratings
Promowest Pavilion, Columbus, OH, November 29, 2001
2012
0.00 | 0 ratings
12th and Porter, Nashville, TN, June 14, 2001
2012
0.00 | 0 ratings
12th and Porter, Nashville, TN, June 15, 2001
2012
0.00 | 0 ratings
12th and Porter, Nashville, TN, June 16, 2001
2012
0.00 | 0 ratings
12th and Porter, Nashville, TN, June 17, 2001
2012
3.00 | 1 ratings
City Hall, Sheffield, England, May 29, 1971
2012
0.00 | 0 ratings
Lakewood Civic Auditorium, Lakewood, OH, November 30, 2001
2012
2.00 | 1 ratings
Marquee, London, England, August 9, 1971
2012
0.00 | 0 ratings
Performing Arts Centre, Milwaukee, WI, June 22, 1974
2012
2.00 | 1 ratings
Hyde Park, London, England, September 4, 1971
2012
0.00 | 0 ratings
Arena, Frejus, France, August 27, 1982
2012
4.00 | 1 ratings
Greyhound, Croydon, England, September 19, 1971
2012
0.00 | 0 ratings
Convention Centre, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, June 25, 1974
2012
3.00 | 1 ratings
Public Hall, Preston, England, October 9, 1971
2012
2.00 | 1 ratings
Winter Gardens, Bournemouth, England, October 15, 1971
2012
4.00 | 1 ratings
The Crimson ProjeKct: Official Bootleg Live - Extended Edition
2014
5.00 | 1 ratings
The Crimson ProjeKct: Premium Pass
2014
3.88 | 5 ratings
Plumpton Festival, Plumpton, England, August 09, 1969
2015
4.11 | 9 ratings
Live at the Marquee 1971
2015
3.43 | 7 ratings
Recorded Live On The 2014 US Tour
2015
4.47 | 79 ratings
Live In Toronto
2016
3.90 | 11 ratings
Rehearsals & Blows (May-November 1983)
2016
3.36 | 28 ratings
Heroes
2017
0.00 | 0 ratings
Palace Theatre, New Haven, United States, November 18, 1995
2019
0.00 | 0 ratings
Le Capitole Theatre, Montreal, Canada, September 20, 1973
2019
4.00 | 1 ratings
De Montfort Hall, Leicester, England, October 18, 1971
2019
0.00 | 0 ratings
State Fairground, Oklahoma City, United States, April 24, 1973
2019
0.00 | 0 ratings
Salle Playel, Paris, France, November 19, 1973
2019
0.00 | 0 ratings
Parc des Expositions, Orléans, France, September 23, 1982
2019
0.00 | 0 ratings
Majestic Theatre First Show, Dallas, United States, June 9, 1973
2019
0.00 | 0 ratings
Majestic Theatre Second Show, Dallas, United States, June 9, 1973
2019
3.71 | 7 ratings
Cadence and Cascade
2019
3.80 | 5 ratings
The Mincer / Law of Maximum Distress
2019
3.40 | 5 ratings
The Terrifying Tale of Thela Hun Ginjeet
2019
3.50 | 8 ratings
21st Century Schizoid Man
2019
3.89 | 9 ratings
Live in Newcastle 1972
2019
3.60 | 5 ratings
Inner Garden
2019
3.80 | 5 ratings
Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part 1
2019
3.40 | 5 ratings
Ladies of the Road
2019
3.17 | 6 ratings
Space Groove II
2019
3.17 | 6 ratings
Eyes Wide Open
2019
4.00 | 5 ratings
Prince Rupert Awakes
2019
4.00 | 5 ratings
Requiem (Extended Version)
2019
3.67 | 6 ratings
Starless/Red (Edit)
2019
3.00 | 5 ratings
Yoli Yoli
2019
3.83 | 6 ratings
Frakctured
2019
3.36 | 11 ratings
Cat Food (EP) (50th Anniversary Edition)
2020
0.00 | 0 ratings
Guildhall, Portsmouth, England, December 15, 1972
2020
0.00 | 0 ratings
Guildhall, Preston, England, November 30, 1972
2020
0.00 | 0 ratings
Avalon Ballroom, Boston, United States, November 12, 2003
2020
0.00 | 0 ratings
Canyon Dinner Theatre, Agoura Hills, United States, October 31, 2003
2020
0.00 | 0 ratings
Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, United States, November 05, 2003
2020
0.00 | 0 ratings
House of Blues, Anaheim, United States, October 28, 2003
2020
0.00 | 0 ratings
House of Blues, Los Angeles, United States, October 29, 2003
2020
0.00 | 0 ratings
National Auditorium, Mexico City, Mexico, November 19, 2003
2020
0.00 | 0 ratings
Orpheum Theatre, Phoenix, United States, October 27, 2003
2020
0.00 | 0 ratings
Pageant Theatre, St. Louis, United States, November 07, 2003
2020
0.00 | 0 ratings
Park West 1st Performance, Chicago, USA, November 08, 2003
2020
0.00 | 0 ratings
Park West 2nd Performance, Chicago, USA, November 09, 2003
2020
0.00 | 0 ratings
Theatre St. Denis, Montreal, Canada, November 11, 2003
2020
0.00 | 0 ratings
Warfield, San Francisco, United States, November 02, 2003
2020

KING CRIMSON Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 USA by KING CRIMSON album cover Live, 1975
4.06 | 567 ratings

BUY
USA
King Crimson Eclectic Prog

Review by TenYearsAfter

5 stars MY FAVORITE KING CRIMSON ALBUM, AND A HIGHLIGHT IN PROG HISTORY.

The music of Seventies era King Crimson evokes strong mixed feelings to me: I love their melodic Mellotron drenched symphonic rock on ITCOTCK and their propulsive dark climates on Red, but I dislike their jazz and avant-garde elements on many other albums, often too cacophonic for me, Fripp's 'organized chaos' musical theory doesn't appeal to me.

My favorite King Crimson album is the live album USA (from 1975, with 1974 recordings) featuring Robert Fripp, Bill Bruford, John Wetton and David Cross. Guest musician is Eddie Jobson with violin on Larks' Tongues and electric piano on Lament, these are studio overdubs, due to the poor sound quality of David Cross in these tracks.

I was very pleased with the 30th Anniversary Edition in 2002, re-released on Fripp his Discipline Global Mobile label, in a wonderful package with a hardboard cover, a 12-page booklet and 3 bonus tracks.

The music delivers King Crimson at their artistic pinnacle: propulsive, inventive and dynamic drumming from Bill Bruford, agressive and powerful bass work and wonderful, very distinctive vocals from John Wetton, 'chainsaw-like' guitar runs and compelling Melllotron waves from Robert Fripp and beautiful violin play (along keyboards) from David Cross. The one moment the music is mellow with soaring Mellotron, the other moment aggressive or complex featuring amazing interplay and virtuosic soli.

My highlights

Exiles : After a short experimental start a slow slow rhythm follows, with a beautiful blend of moving electric guitar runs, intense Mellotron violins, and melancholical vocals and violin. The sumptuous conclusion features majestic Mellotron, in its full splendor.

Easy Money : First a slow rhythm and a powerful sound, then dreamy with soaring Mellotron violins, and Fripp's distinctive howling electric guitar, turning into the 'chainsaw' sound, very intense that typical King Crimson Mellotron and guitar duet.

21st Century Schizoid Man : A compelling ominous climate, distorted vocals, then a powerful accellaration, with blistering guitar work, powerful drums and a growling bass. Nex a slowdown featuring howling violin, turning into a furious sound and exciting interplay. In the end the Mellotron joins, the music turns into close to cacophonic, but impressive, this is the unique King Crimson sound.

Starless (bonustrack, close to 15 minutes) : First a dreamy start delivering wailing violin, moving Mellotron violins, soon joined by melancholical vocals. Then gradually swelling and ominous with slow but powerful bass runs and twanging electric guitar, shivers down my spine! Halfway a heavy outburst, the music turns into aggressive with howling, often very biting Fripperian guitar, and powerful drum beats from Bruford, one of the most exciting and compelling moments in prog history! The music culminates into a heavy up-tempo with blistering guitar (replacing Mel Collins his saxophone on the studio LP) and a furious rhythm-section, trademark King Crimson. In the end Mellotron violins join the bombastic atmosphere, goose bumps!

Despite some moments that are not my cup of tea (avant garde/experimental) I consider this album (especially the reissue) as a masterpiece, with King Crimson at its artistic peak, delivering that unique blend of dreamy Mellotron soaken parts and a powerful sound with a dark and agressive undertone.

 Music Is Our Friend (Live in Washington D.C. and Albany, 2021) by KING CRIMSON album cover Live, 2021
4.67 | 38 ratings

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Music Is Our Friend (Live in Washington D.C. and Albany, 2021)
King Crimson Eclectic Prog

Review by Warthur
Prog Reviewer

5 stars King Crimson's late-period, live-focused revival has come to an end, and so we're currently (as of the time of writing) in a King Crimson hiatus. Such things have not been uncommon over the band's life, though clearly Robert Fripp is not going to be with us forever and there's a sense of greater finality this time, not least because the most recent lineup's live performances have found the band reconciled with every phase of their illustrious past.

Music Is Our Friend is a capstone to this era - not as long as some of the encyclopedic live releases, but not redundant either, since there's a different atmosphere this time around, the melancholy of this era of the band coming to a close blending with the hope inherent in being able to perform again after COVID lockdowns disrupted touring plans. Everything seems a bit less tense and more laid back - this isn't quite easy listening King Crimson by any means, but there's a gentleness creeping in we're unaccustomed to hearing from them. We don't quite get to a King Crimson answer to Steely Dan by any means, but we're not miles away from that either.

The closing rendition of Islands is aptly chosen - a beautiful song, and a highlight of the album in question, and a piece which Fripp rediscovered his love for whilst working with Steven Wilson on the King Crimson archival releases of recent years, it was a song which marked the end of one incarnation of the band when it came out and serves just as well here. King Crimson has spent 50 years insisting to us that "confusion will be my epitaph"; here there is a faint chance that tranquility, peace, and acceptance might be the King's epitaph instead.

 Three of a Perfect Pair by KING CRIMSON album cover Studio Album, 1984
3.29 | 1384 ratings

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Three of a Perfect Pair
King Crimson Eclectic Prog

Review by Boi_da_boi_124

4 stars Review #149!

A cruelly underrated KC record. Discipline was too artsy to most for commercial, despite its efforts. However, although it still got overlooked, Three Of A Perfect Pair was an overall better dive for the mainstream, not necessarily a better album. The band didn't aim for less complex than Discipline, instead they aimed for more catchy. And boy, is this catchy! Songs like the title track, 'Sleepless', "Industry', and LTIA III are perfect examples of King Crimson being accessible, but whilst losing none of their original wacky charm. It's really something that should be treasured instead of under shadowed or blatantly hated by KC fans and the general public. It's a gift! Man, I could really go for a Jello mold right now. (Ha!)

 Meltdown: Live in Mexico by KING CRIMSON album cover Live, 2018
4.56 | 79 ratings

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Meltdown: Live in Mexico
King Crimson Eclectic Prog

Review by Warthur
Prog Reviewer

5 stars Epic, long-haul live journey through every conceivable phase of King Crimson, from their earliest roots as pioneers of symphonic prog rock through their improvisational mid-1970s phase, their 1980s New Wave era, and their more recent reincarnations, plus every phase in between, all captured by the impeccable late 2010s lineup on a set of Mexico dates. Rather than presenting a single show, this gives you a massive collection spanning over 40 compositions and improvisations. The 2010s King Crimson has put out several of these sprawling multi-disc sets, but they've all been pretty grand, and this one is no exception. (It also includes a rare live performance of Fracture, which makes it worth looking into even if you've got one of the other sets.)
 Discipline by KING CRIMSON album cover Studio Album, 1981
4.14 | 2250 ratings

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Discipline
King Crimson Eclectic Prog

Review by Hector Enrique
Prog Reviewer

4 stars After "Red", a despondent and jaded Robert Fripp declared the end of King Crimson. It seemed then that one of the seminal and fundamental chapters of progressive rock was over. But, once again, as all that could be expected from the band is the unexpected, seven years later the Crimson bird surprisingly rises from the ashes with "Discipline", their eighth album.

The umpteenth mutation of the band comes with a more modernised production, with the innovative Frippertronics, a device created by Fripp's labyrinthine mind, which generates a sound loop using his guitar as an ally and creates a repetition effect related to the electronic and the nascent new wave movement, with the also innovative bass-guitar "Chapman Stick" of the recently incorporated Tony Levin, both of them standing out in several passages of the album, as in the satirical "Elephant Talk", a critique of the talk show culture and the opinionated media, in the tense "Frame by Frame", or in the anecdotal and funky "Thela Hun Ginjeet", all songs guided by the insidious voice of Adrian Belew, ex-collaborator of David Byrne's Talking Heads.

And the album's brief space for reflection with the gentle "Matte Kudasai" and its arpeggiated description of warm landscapes is only a respite to give way to the band's most recognisable side, experimentation as an imperious need to express itself, with the aggressive and unbridled "Indiscipline", the stratospheric ramblings of Fripp's synthesised guitar accompanied by Bill Bruford's infinite and hypnotic Central African wooden drumming in the mystical "The Sheltering Sky", and the balanced "Discipline", with a persistent Fripp again taking the lead at the helm of his Frippertronics accompanied by the band's measured instrumental support. A disciplined closing...

"Discipline" marks a new beginning for King Crimson, with an album that, beyond its need not to pigeonhole itself with anything in particular, begins to incorporate into its style the trends that the decade of the 80's brought with it.

Very good.

3.5/4 stars

 Starless and Bible Black by KING CRIMSON album cover Studio Album, 1974
3.94 | 2092 ratings

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Starless and Bible Black
King Crimson Eclectic Prog

Review by Hector Enrique
Prog Reviewer

4 stars Faithful to the compulsion to experiment and improvise as fundamental energy sources to develop their works, King Crimson take a step further with the complex "Starless and Black Bible", their sixth album (although to call it complex in the case of Robert Fripp's band is like saying the most common thing). Studio recordings and live improvisations, isolated from the sound of the audience, force the listener to a new exercise of concentration and maximum attention in order to enter the schizoid Crimsonian universe.

Difficult to digest tracks like the disconcerting "We'll Let You Know", the chaotic order of "The Mincer", or the intemperate "Starless and Bible Black" and Fripp's screeching and persistent guitars, contrast with Wetton's peaceful and grave voice in the precious "The Night Watch", a title taken from one of the works of the Dutch painter Rembrandt, with the relaxed and instrumentally magical "Trio" and David Cross's violins overlapping with Fripp's guitars, and also with the excellent and extended instrumental dalliance "Fracture", dominated almost from beginning to end by Fripp's errant and distorted guitars again, in a constant half-time with jazzy airs and reinforced by Bruford's drums. One of the album's best.

A hypnotic cocktail full of chiaroscuro sensations, from which only the agile and catchy critique of consumerism "The Great Deceiver" and the nostalgic and at the same time unleashed "Lament" are spared. Curiously, both songs, with more conventional structures, are the only ones on the album recorded in the studio.

"Starless and Bible Black" is one of the few King Crimson albums in which the same musicians from their previous work, "Lark's Tongues in Aspic", were kept on, and it was also the ideal transition to the indispensable "Red".

Very good.

3.5/4 stars

 Live in Chicago by KING CRIMSON album cover Live, 2017
4.51 | 87 ratings

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Live in Chicago
King Crimson Eclectic Prog

Review by Warthur
Prog Reviewer

4 stars Solid King Crimson live recording from their most recent period of activity - an era focused on live touring and integrating songs from all eras of King Crimson into a cohesive tapestry reflecting the band's musical evolution over the span of decades. If you've heard releases like Radical Action (To Unseat the Hold of Monkey Mind) this will be broadly familiar territory, and doesn't add much which is especially revolutionary over that, but taken on its own it's an entirely capable release from a highly confident lineup of the band which, at this point, had gelled well as a group and were able to tackle songs from anywhere in the band's vast repertoire with aplomb.
 Larks' Tongues in Aspic by KING CRIMSON album cover Studio Album, 1973
4.42 | 3247 ratings

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Larks' Tongues in Aspic
King Crimson Eclectic Prog

Review by Hector Enrique
Prog Reviewer

4 stars Robert Fripp's ability to incorporate new musicians and yet always sound like King Crimson is significant to say the least. On the other hand, even without elements so present in previous works, such as Mel Collins' saxophone on "Island", the feeling is that the absences are not missed. Everything changes to remain the same seems to be the motto, and "Larks' Tongues in Aspic", the band's celebrated fifth album, confirms this, with a forcefulness that comes close to the brilliance of the debut "In the Court of the Crimson King".

The novel sounds of the kalimba, African-rooted percussion played by newcomer Jamie Muir, Fripp's distorted and pioneering metal guitars, the haemorrhagic drumming of ex-Yes drummer Bill Bruford, and the debut violin of David Cross, come together at the very beginning of the album, in the extensive "Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part One" to structure a proposal that knows no labels and constantly redesigns its own musical cosmos, where there is room for the also recently incorporated John Wetton to deploy his melancholic voice in affable melodies, as in the brief and arpeggiated "Book of Saturday", or in the tenebrous and at the same time beautiful "Exiles", one of the album's great moments.

And as experimentation was always the fuel that stoked the fire of motivation in the Brits (rather in Fripp and his circumstantial band mates.... ), both the raspy "Easy Money" and its strange percussive sonorities along with Fripp's overlapping guitar solo in a weary gait, and the intriguing "The Talking Drum", a title taken from another African percussion simulating the sound of vocal strings and featuring Wetton's persistent bass and an instrumental base crackled by Cross's arabesque violin, are the prelude to the screeching "Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part Two", with Fripp very active again on guitars and in conjunction with the whole band, bringing the album to a resounding conclusion.

Excellent

4/4.5 stars

 Islands by KING CRIMSON album cover Studio Album, 1971
3.85 | 2162 ratings

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Islands
King Crimson Eclectic Prog

Review by Hector Enrique
Prog Reviewer

4 stars The compulsive need of Robert Fripp and his band to compose works that are dissonant with the prevailing conventional structures, but at the same time use them to create just such a contrast, finds a new chapter with "Island", the fourth album by the unclassifiable King Crimson. Elements of jazz, classical music and rock are intermingled with the mission of creating an instrumental chaos that challenges the senses and forces the listener to the complicated task of entering into them and interpreting their messages.

From the indolent opener "Formentera Lady", through the lingering instrumental "Sailor's Tale" and the intriguing "The Letters", to the latter-day beatlenian "Ladies of the Road", "Island" features the wandering, dislocated sax of Mel Collins, and the distorted, screeching guitars of Fripp, as common elements that persist in disrupting the melodies of each piece, under the mantle that the jazzy, incisive drumming of newcomer Ian Wallace bestows upon them.

And as with King Crimson, the only thing to expect is the unexpected, the last section of the work offers two pieces of considerable value: the orchestral "Prelude: Song of the Gulls" and Robin Miller's oboe, and above all "Island", homonymous with the album's title, dominated by a restful and melancholic melody that the also recently arrived singer and forced bassist Boz Burrell unravels with great sensitivity, accompanied by Keith Tippet's delicate piano, Mark Charig's cornet, and Fripp's ever-present mellotron. The best track on the album.

After the recording of "Island" and following the constant dynamic of King Crimson, both Burrel and Wallace left the band with only one album completed, and frequent guest Tippet would no longer be called upon.

3.5 stars

 Lizard by KING CRIMSON album cover Studio Album, 1970
4.13 | 2469 ratings

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Lizard
King Crimson Eclectic Prog

Review by Hector Enrique
Prog Reviewer

4 stars Barely six months after the release of "In the Wake of Poseidon", King Crimson are back with the third album in their discography, the reptilian and defiant "Lizard".

From the disturbed "Cirkus (including Entry of the Chameleons)" with Gordon Haskell's pained singing, the sordid mellotron contrasted with Robert Fripp's crystalline acoustic guitars and Mel Collins' wandering saxophone, the album would not let go of that experimental and daring character characteristic of the avant-garde and unconventional Fripp and his alter ego King Crimson. Like the complex "Indoor Games" and "Happy Family", pieces that rely on jazz structures as a common thread that constantly challenge with bewildering and overwhelming developments, supported by Andy McCulloch's raw drumming and Collins' sax and flute interactions.

After so much instrumental insanity, a little sanity appears with the gentle "Lady of the Dancing Water" and Collins' delicate flutes accompanying Haskell's serene singing, and also with the opening fragment of the "Lizard" suite, "Prince Rupert Awakes", performed by guest Jon Anderson over Keith Tippet's soothing piano and Fripp's lingering mellotron. One of the best on the album.

And the eponymous title piece, "Lizard", is a suite that brings together all the ingredients of the unmistakable Crimsonian sound: a metaphorical passage from the warrior story of Prince Rupert, a prominent figure of the colonial 17th century, gives way to a bipolar tussle between oboes, saxophones, trombones and mellotrons from "Bolero - The Peacock's Tale", with McCulloch's timid drum roll in the background, through the tripartite and unhinged "The Battle of the Glass Tears", which is crowned by a sustained guitar solo from Fripp, to the circus-like "Big Top", a short, haunting and gloomy epilogue that brings the extended piece and the album to a close.

Like Greg Lake and the Giles brothers after "In the Wake of Poseidon", newcomers Haskell and Cullock also left the band after "Lizard", leaving it without a singer, bassist and drummer at the same time. Incoming and outgoing musicians became a constant dynamic in the daunting life of King Crimson.

3.5/4 stars

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