King Crimson's little success?

Well, today it might be but I don't think it always was. Also, not more than ITCOTCK. However, I do think that after Curt Cobain name checked it a lot of people got on the "Red" bandwagon. 

To add to what others have mentioned, commercial success is about creating a juggernaut.  About making a brand out of the band's music.  A brand means a certain amount of predictability and accessibility.  Fripp was not particularly interested in either.  He was not interested in limiting himself either to an image or to a record label notion of what would sell.  This obviously extracted a price in terms of how successful a particular album could be but on the other hand, he has, over a period of time and with the contributions of his very able fellow musicians, created a catalogue of albums that cater to a wide range of tastes (within prog) and are widely respected and sought after within the prog community even today. 

Fripp would perhaps envy what Rush achieved to some extent (I doubt it, because his only concern was satisfying himself rather than the audience).  They didn't dumb down for mass appeal but walked the fine line between accessibility and complexity and kept selling out stadiums.  Like Pink Floyd, they showed there is a certain approach that CAN be followed to maintain your integrity and still create something that appeals to a lot of people.  But Fripp decided early on that he would go in the direction that compelled him and if the audience wouldn't go along, so be it.  Somewhat like Wilson's solo albums, he has been content with a modest level of success that makes the venture viable without blowing up the band to the big time.

In Fripp's case, I wonder if he didn't understand why popular audiences seemed to shun him?  His original "Giles, Giles & Fripp" even lampooned that possibility!*

It's not for lack of trying....Fripp's guitar work on Bowie's "Heroes" is lauded as one of the signature sounds of the era, and that song certainly remains very popular.  

The man is truly an enigma.  He pivots from humor, to avant-garde, to punk rock/new wave, & back again!   He's the closest thing we have to a "national treasure" of prog!  

*Giles, Giles and Fripp stand poised to grasp the pinnacle of success - yea, the acme of achievement - to bask in the sunshine of of mass-adulation and thrill to the ecstasy of millions.  Or else to plummet into unplumbed depths of ignominy, unloved, unheeded and poor.  Giles, Giles and Fripp stand poised.  

Interesting that, although being a prog fan for 50 years, I'd never heard of Red until I joined this site.

I later found it in the vast collection of prog rock albums I inherited, listened to it a few times and sold it with all the other albums that I didn't find worthy. I just don't see what the fuss is about.

Rush were selling out stadiums? Really? 

and the Night Watch!

I once read Fripp say that in so many words. He said that the first album was the only one that was threatened by commercial success. I'm not sure why he was afraid of the band becoming commercial except that maybe he felt that it somehow meant he would have play more poppy sounding music or something. Can you imagine if Pink Floyd broke up just before Dark Side of the Moon? They would now be about as well known as King Crimson.