RED

King Crimson is more a band I artistically respect rather than listen to with immense infatuation. RED is a King Crimson album that has everything that I could ask for in prog except for a good replayability factor. With songs like the proto-metal fests in the title track and ''One More Red Nightmare'', the delicate ''Fallen Angel'' and the classic ''Starless'', anyone interested in the prog rock world should discover the album. It has Wetton's unique bass sound, Fripp's guitar wizardry, Bruford's precise drumming and a smattering of other odd instruments like sax, violin and cornet. In my mind, all of these songs are very good, but none reach the heights of ''great'' other than ''Starless''; plus, it's one of those albums I simply overplayed to the point of boredom. Don't get me wrong, this is a powerful prog rock album that shouldn't be missed out on. Get it with the warning that it might get old if played way too much, although that should apply to every album.

Also, I happen to like the live improvisation ''Providence'', featuring Wetton's commanding bass performance.