IN THE WAKE OF POSEIDON

Before we get the the review, lets get some background knowledge on the album. The year is 1969, and In The Court of the Crimson King is a huge hit. Half the band leaves very soon afterwards. Sinfield, Fripp, Lake (sort of), and Giles are left. They figure "Why fix an album structure that isn't broken?" The result is In the Wake of Poseidon. A solid, yet very misunderstood album. Now here's the review.

Peace - A Beginning: 6/10 A calm, decent opener to the album. It feeds right into the next track. "Peace" is a recurring theme on the album, which helps it flow a lot better than the debut did. Don't get me wrong from my rating, the song is great, but thereis just not enough to warrant a higher rating.

Pictures of a City: 8.5/10 A bizarre, speedy song compared to the first track. Has a nice solo and jazzy breakdown. If I had to compare it to Schizoid Man, as many people do, I would say it holds up pretty well, and even may have done a better job. Obviously the album is better produced, and more slick, but don't forget that sometimes, the original is just better because it's the one more people remember. I prefer Schizoid Man to this, but that doesn't mean it's a weak track at all. As a matter of fact, it may be the strongest track on the album.

Cadence and Cascade: 7/10 The calm song after the bizarre song. Again, when compared to the debut, it isn't as good, but its still the better produced song. This is the recurring theme with this album: better produced songs than the debut, but it doesn't make them classic just because they are technically better. Oh and lets not forget, Gordon Haskell sings the vocals on this track, whereas Greg Lake sings the rest of the album.

In the Wake of Poseidon: 8/10 The Epitaph of the album, if you will, but when it comes down to it, who cares? Epitaph was an amazing, strong track, and so is this. Its an amazing song from start to finish and if you pay attention to the song, it does some things completely different from Epitaph. Just because the songs sound similar at times doesn't make the album a track for track ripoff.

Peace - A Theme: 6/10 Here we see another "Peace" track, and like I mentioned earlier, they help the album flow better but that's really their only purpose, which limits them to a 6/10.

Cat Food: 7:10 A bizarre track to say the least. If you ever wanted to know what "pop" KC would have sounded like, this is probably it. The band just kind of goes crazy for 5 minutes while Lake sings about processed food taking over peoples minds. This song is something that can't be compared to anything on the debut, which to be honest, helps freshen up the album after a somewhat similar A side.

The Devils Triangle: ?/10 Hear me out with this one. The track was adapted from the 1969 band's live arrangement of Gustav Holst's "Mars: Bringer of War" from his The Planets Suite. I'm not really sure what to think of it. Its not bad by any means (I think), and its not something we saw on the debut, so its fresh. I think I like it, but its just such a bizarre track. As far as I can tell, it is comprised of 3 movements, and each are very different from the first. Its a very, very complex track, and I see it as a track that should be respected (due to its complexity), rather than liked. Call me a cop-out because of my rating, but I honestly can't come up with one.

Peace - An End: 6/10 The final "Peace" track, and the final track on the album. Yet again, it helps the album flow and finish up nicely. This is probably the best "Peace" track on the album, as it combines elements from the first 2 to make a nice closer.

Thank you for reading my review. I hope you enjoyed my personal view on "In the Wake of Poseidon". Like I alluded to earlier, I believe the A side of the album is more comparable to the debut. When in comes to the B side, I feel like all the material is fresh, which helps the album not be a track-for-track copy of the debut.