ISLANDS

This is a calm, sort of relaxing listen compared to other King crimson albums. When the mood strikes, it is absolutly perfect. There are some missteps on this album, such as the solos on ladies of the road. Overall, this album fits the title. Imagine being on an island. It is calm and relaxing, the breeze ruffles through your hair. Yet, it is somewhat melencholy because you are the only one on the island. You sit back and reminisce about groupies and jealous diabolical love triangles while watching the seagulls.

This album is essentially post-rock before post rock. If you like explosions in the sky, this might be up your ally. That said, this might not appeal to prog fans. It is not technical at all, but rather beautiful. Song of the Gulls actually might qualify as classical music. In other words, many prog fans will find this boring. Pfft! Such a view seems inane to me. In my opinion, if beauty bores you, then your mind is lacking.

This album is the last crimson effort featuring the lyrics of Peter Sinfield. 70's prog lyrics get no better then this, and it is a bloody shame he didn't do more with them. Read them yourself. It is poetry, not mere lyrics. It is dense poetry, to be sure. Allusions, imagery, phonetic elements of poetry, and symbolism are rampant throughout. None of the lame story-telling crap that typifies prog lyrics.

This album is a must have for fans of Crimson, and for anyone who wants a large 70's prog collection. Unlike some other King Crimson albums though, it isn't necessary to have this one to understand where lots of prog comes from.