ISLANDS

In 1971, King Crimson's ever changing lineup shifted once again. Previous vocalist and bassist Gordon Haskell had left the group right after the release of the band's third album, Lizard. Drummer Andy McCulloch had exited along with Haskell. Only guitarist Robert Fripp and multi-instrumentalist Mel Collins remained. Fripp at this point was the last remaining member of the original lineup which featured the Giles brothers, Ian McDonald, and Greg Lake. In order to put together another band to tour and record, Fripp recruited singer Boz Burrell and drummer Ian Wallace to patch up the holes in the group. Because King Crimson needed a new bassist badly, Fripp decided to teach Burrell bass in order to fill both vocal and bass slots. King Crimson once again entered the studio and recorded their fourth album, Islands.

The album continues the dark atmosphere that the band had previously explored but with a jazz flavor due to the addition of Robin Miller and Mark Charig who play both Oboe and Cornet respectively. Mel Collins's saxophone and flute talents are also prevalent. Two more guest musicians who join King Crimson are Harry Miller, a double bassist, and pianist Keith Tippet.

The album itself opens with the dark Formentera Lady a song that starts with a very gloomy bowed double bass solo by Harry Miller. Chimes and flute melodies complement the intro while Burrell's innocent vocals permeate throughout. The song changes shape with a simple bass riff that carries the song throughout. The saxophone makes it's introduction throughout the latter part of the song along with some ghostly wailing by sopranist Paulina Lucas. The bass sax and violin playing all conjure images of Middle Eastern ports and bazaars with dhows drifting across the water in the background.

The song fades into the next one Sailor's Tale. Featuring a monotonous drum hi-hat beat, an angular bass line, and some nerve wracking sax playing, the listener has the feeling that they are trapped on a clipper ship at sea while a horrific storm passes over them. The third song The Letters starts with a soft guitar intro accompanied by Burrell's vocals before kicking into high gear with some intense horn and violin riffs. Burrell at one point during a quiet interlude shouts Impaled on nails of ice! while the saxophone just plays lazily around before the song ends.

The notorious Ladies of the Road follows this. The lyrics describing various sexual encounters between man and woman have been reviled as being misygonistic. The song's jazzy melody is marked by a simple drum beat and a weird carnival type of sound during the choruses. The bass and drums repeat the same ryhthm throughout while the guitar snarls inbetween with bizarre solos.

Prelude: Song of the Gulls is the strangest track on the entire album. This instrumental track features heavy string parts that dance around and provide the listener with a feeling that they are floating above the ocean and looking down through the eyes of a gull. The final song and title track Islands. This gentle song closes the album and features soft piano, guitar, and cornet playing. Although not a favorite among King Crimson fans, I find this album to be very much a favorite of mine and an essential for checking out the more avante garde side of King Crimson.