IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING

When I told the guy who runs the only used records shop in my town I did not know King Crimson, he urged me toward this album and I can thank God he did.

To me, this album should be the first one to be listened by someone who wants to go further Floyd's mainstream album. It should be the gates leading to the realm of prog music. For me, In The Court of the King Crimson is a concept album going through five different moods. You must listen from the first to the last one without skipping any of them.

First, you get the incredibly super-fast with a kind of grunge and trash feeling, yet so well executed, 21st Century Schizoid Man. Really, I wonder how the band manage to play so well on this one. It looks like they took a normal song and played it a hundred times faster than it should, but it sounds really well. I shall call it the «Amphetamine Song».

Then, you get the surreal I Talk to the Wind. This is the kind of song you can't help but listen to the lyrics, whatever you are doing. Everything in this song is incredibly clear, polished. Each instrument can be easily heard form the others and each instrument and they form something incredible when they are placed altogether. I shall call this one the «Crystal-Clear Song».

Third one, and certainly the darkest one, is, of course (!), Epitath. When the singer (I dont know who sings on this one, shame on me!) sings "The Wall on which the prophet wrote...", it's got a kind of very deep and dark feeling. The electronic instrument, which I guess is a mellotron, plays a superb part here giving all the song. And the song ends on a big crescendo with the unknown singer saying "And I fear tomorrow I'll be crying". This is the «Depressive Song». Almost reminds me f#a# infinity.

Ok flip your record, you're good for 2nd side.

Moonchild is already much more light. You could almost associate it with I Talk to the Wind. But after a few minutes, the song gets almost perfectly quiet for some time, with some noises disturbing the silence. You could compare it to someone having a big accident; he was well alive until a certain point and then he hits something. For some time, he struggles to live. He does not want to die yet. But he will come back much more stronger (weird analogy isnt it?). Sure, it seems very boring, but I think it is essential for the album. Without this almost silent part, this album really would not have been the same. This one is the «Accident Song».

I was told the end is always the most important. King Crimson respects this guideline. After a silent part, The Court of the King Crimson resurrects and is very powerful. This song manages to incorporate almost every mood seen so far. Energic, druggy, ethereal and dark might be good adjectives for this one. And I really like the way it really ends. Just when everybody thought it was over, it goes on one last time, before finally fading. And you stare at your turntable with trembling hands. «The Ultimate Song» (Cheesy nickname, but it's representative)

Really I cannot really see bad points with this record; I picked an easy choice since it's my first review ever. 5 stars!

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