IN THE WAKE OF POSEIDON

King Crimson set the tone for seventies progressive rock with their dazzling debut album which proved to be hard to topple. The line-up changed significantly, but Greg Lake still sings on most of the songs and of course Robert Fripp handles the guitars and mellotrons. Peter and Michel Giles are still present on this record, but would leave the band to record their own album in this King Crimson style with Ian McDonald (who also played on the King Crimson debut). Jazz pianist extraordinaire Keith Tippet was introduced to the band (most notably on the song 'Cat Food'), whose performances would hold center stage on follow-up 'Lizard'.

On 'In The Wake of Poseidon' the band would try to consolidate its style in stead of further it, which would be the record's main criticism. 'Pictures of a City' is an acid jazz rock track with distorted vocals (just like '21th Century Schizoid Man'), 'Cadence And Cascade' is a majestic ballad (like 'I Talk to the Wind') and the title song is an epic symphonic prog aria (much like 'Epitaph'). Though these tracks are in and of themselves still top tier majestic symphonic prog songs with beautiful classical and jazz music influences - but the obvious parallel styles are a bit of a letdown. On side two the loose jazz-rock song 'Cat Food' is a great break, but the twelve minutes of the 'The Devil's Triangle' is only partly interesting with its heavy mellotrons and soundscapes. The final track 'Piece - An End' is to short to leave much of a mark and so the record ends a bit unrewarding. Now most would say this album is one of King Crimson's less important records of the seventies, but I would say its still essential because the first four tracks are just way too good to skip.