STARLESS AND BIBLE BLACK

Of the three John Wetton era King Crimson studio albums, this one is the lesser. Which means in this case is only rates a meager four stars. Some songs sound pieced together, and therefore not quite complete. The two tracks that open the album fall into this category. But despite that flaw, both Thr Great Deceiver and Lament are both great prog songs. The former, one of the most uptempo vocal based songs of the seventies Crimson, provides quite an energetic opening to the album. And the latter (with the band's imminent breakup after the next album underlining my theory that when a band starts writing songs about how horrible it is to be in the music industry, it's time to hang it up), has some very cool rhythmic interplay.

The second half of the album is where the greatness lies. The Mincer (Did they really have to edit the ending on the CD? I like how the tape runs out on the first side of the LP.) Starless And Bible Black and especially Fracture show the height that this band was capable of.

And Bruford, not without the assistance of Jamie Muir, really shows is grasp of intricate percussion on this one.