RED

Easily my favourite King Crimson LP, this heavy album still rates in many magazine polls as amongst the best heavy rock LPs of all time. It was such a pity that this proved to be the swansong of the Wetton, Bruford, and Fripp incarnation of the band, and indeed the '70's incarnation, as Fripp called it a day soon after.

The title track absolutely blasts out of a decent set of speakers. Thundrous riffs intermingle with incredibly paced drumming, this is as hard as KC got in this period, and it certainly still holds its own now.

I really enjoy both Fallen Angel, especially Wetton's vocals, and One More Red Nightmare again moves at a cracking pace, with a great sax solo put in to boot.

The disappointment, and the track which prevents it from being a perfect five stars, is Providence, a pointless piece of noodling, especially the Cross violin parts, it really feels out of place in all around it.

This is a shame, because the actual KC swansong, Starless, is one of the finest prog rock tracks ever written, and still my personal favourite mellotron moment at the end of the track, when the instrument blasts out to the accompaniment of woodwind and a huge bassline from Wetton. His vocals are extremely delicate, and Fripp, who knew he was disbanding the outfit, puts in a really thoughtful guitar piece, which extends for many minutes without ever losing the listener's attention. This, of course, is simply the buildup to one of the most explosive ends to a track ever written.

Four stars, but, if you forget Providence, one of the most essential purchases for any prog collection, and worth buying for Red & Starless alone.