"Forgotten" Crimson Albums

Islands, by far out of the three, my fav. Poseidon is very good, but I have to agree with the critics on this one, a reproducion of ITCOTCK. The Devils Triangle is very annoying to me. I'd rather listen to Holsts original (Mars)  than this clear uncredited rip-off.-I do however adore Cat Food!

Lizard is good. Haskell-hit and miss. Happy Families and Indoor Games,two of my all time favourite Crimson tunes. Haskells "Goofy" voice however does take away from the seriousness of Crimson. I wish Jon stuck around a little longer on that album.

Islands is perfect. Boz the perfect voice, the feel of the album perfect for the era. Next to ITCOTCK, I personally rank Islands at the top of King Crimsons kingdom.

"The perfect record for the person you like least of all, but are forced for one reason or another to buy them a present. I can discern neither melody nor sense in any of it so it's not for anyone with my plebian and simple tastes. The abyss where modern jazz and rock meet. Beautiful sleeve."
                                                                             --The Evening Standard, 12 December 1970

Now that gets my vote, hands down. 

Possibly my favorite Crimson album.  If you listen closely with headphones you can read Gordon Haskell's thoughts as he surpresses the impulse to chop his old school chum Fripp up into small pieces for making him sing the ridiculous (yet totally-appropriate-to-the-music) lyrics. He is probably laughing (at the end of "Indoor Games") to keep from crying.  

"Cirkus" might be the all-time mellotron song.  But my favorite aspect of this album might be the absolutely hellacious, shredding display of acoustic guitar playing that RF puts on on side one.

Another beautiful record, highly underrated at that.  The eardrum-perforating guitar solo on "A Sailor's Tale," with RF channeling the immortal Sonny Sharrock.  "Ladies of the Road," oh my! she ate all the meat you gave her, did she?  And the title track, with that harmonium that can bring you to tears, man that sh*t got me through adolescence.  Kind of a soundtrack for the end of the 1960s, this album.

The title track is a bona-fide Crim Klassik, with a playout at the end that rivals any prog ending you can think of.  Great Sinfield lyrics, too, ripped from tomorrow's headlines as the malfeasant & misguided maniacs in power do their best to keep Humanity submerged in the murky depths of the Piscean Age.  F*ck 'em, the Aquarian Age will dawn whether they like it or not!  Love and Creativity for everyone, except maybe them.  Let them be left behind to eat Cat Food, I say.  A world still on the scales, waiting (weighting?) to see what the end is gonna bring. 

I kind of wish they'd have put "Groon" on here, just to balance the epic with the jazzy a little more... I guess that one is tacked on the end of the latest CD incarnation.  Great VCS3 wind on the Holstean "Devil's Triangle" on "Mars," or whatever you call it.  Many like this one better than the Screaming Schizoid Face album that preceded it, even though this one re-enacts that one's pattern of silence vs. crescendo almost verbatim.  I guess Capt. Eno was right, repetition is a form of change.  Also contains one of RF's great acoustic lovefests, a theme appropriately titled "Peace".

All three of these records are indispensible, period.

Thos 3 are very diffrent from eachothers probobly becaus they all have diffrent lineups, very hard to shoose wich one is best or worst, i like all 3 of em very much.

el böthy wrote: Lizard a thousend times! Its my third favorite KC album

My third or (fourth) as well. Despite some slight minus (the bass player's voice), I regard it as KC's top achievement for their Sinfield-era.

   Regards.

On one hand a very easy decision for me. On the other hand all 3 albums are 5 stars IMO so I will say few words on each one of them.

1. Lizard - After Red my most loved KC's album and I said in the past I suspect I have heared it more than any other album. The darkness of Cirkus, the jazzy sarcastic of Indoor games & Happy familly, the mekody of Lady of the dancing water, the classical Prince Rupert awakes & the bolero and above all the amazing dark kick in the stomach of Battle of glass tears. So this is what I voted for.

2. Islands - beautiful melody of the title track, great classical prelude, dark jazzy sarcastic Ladies of the road, dark Sailor's tale. Only formentera lady comes from a different place but an interesting one. Above all The letters - great lyrics & greater is how the music in between make me feel exactly the emotions of the betrayed wife.

3. In the wake of Poseidon - The first side of the record (I had all of them on vinyil) is the same in idea as their debut (except the presence of peace which for me is the least important in the album). First a dark dysonant - Pictures of a city which is a great track. Second a quiet ballad - Cadence & cascade that is less popy than I talk to the wind and more deep IMO. Third comes the bombastic epic - the title track that reminds me a lot of Epitaph, both in words, music and atmosphere. I kind of think this one ia a disappointment even if it's quite nice. The second part differs totaly from the debut introducing jazzy Cat's food and the instrumental The devil's triangle. This one is the first in a line that goes throgh Sailor's tale to Lark's, Fracture, Red up to Level five being one of the things only King crimson can write.

Is it obvious I love this band ?