ISLANDS

Whereas Lizard was King Crimson's jazziest album, Islands is arguably King Crimson's most classically influenced album, utilizing cellos, flutes, and other instruments of that sort. The music on this album is actually very lush and atmospheric, especially in the opener song "Formentera Lady", though the vocals often sound a bit off, and "Song of the Gulls" is entirely a classical composition. Also noticeable on this album is a profound folk influence which comes through greatly and combines fluidly with the classical influences. This album is usually regarded as unimportant in the early King Crimson catalog, but I think the sound on this album is great and I recommend it highly.