RED

This album gave all the members of the (perhaps must legendary Crimson line up) the change to shine one more time. This resulted in an album that I think is mainly hailed as such a classic because of one song, and that song is Starless. This, song is an ironic piece of work.....that the last studiosong they ever recorded is also regarded as their best is indeed very interesting. I remember a interview with John Wertton once where he was talking about the way music in this age came together. 'All of us were just doing something, while no one really knew what we were doing, but it all came together magically while we stood on the stage improvising. We named the song after the local bear and had another song for the next album.' I don't know if that was the case for Red....cos Starless In Bibble Black always sounded to me as a bunch of songs that came together the way Wetton is describing it. Red, really sounds to me as songs that were really written while they sit down for it, and created something. Something certainly true of Starless. In 1996 Wetton was headlining the Planet Pul Progressive Rock festival, and there he played the full version of Starless again. When I talked to him, that was the other night and he was still so extremely overwelmed by the reactions....as he said, 'The croud went balistic.' This can only lead me to the conclusion that Starless indeed is hailed by most KC fans as one of their finest moments.

The songs in between never got much attention.....I do not even know or can remember if any of them were ever played extensively....except Red itzelf, that is still played by the many new formations and revivals KC ever since those days. As one reviewer is stating...for a song that is indeed soounding so simple that is indeed quite remarkable. As being the opening song of the album I always felt the albums kicks in quite agressively, Red is quite heavy and in that way perhaps a glimpse on what was yet to come with later revivals of KC. One more red nightmare is very much the same path as Red, while the song in between, Fallen Angel, is another beautifull and soft composition with beautifull and sensitive Mellotron, that sounds quite like the beginning of Starless. Providence however is theb most experimental part and is very much David Cross's moment to shine.....where its mainly violin you hear untill about half of the song....where Fripp begins to join, with some distorted and rather experimental guitar....The violinplaying of Cross is both beautifull and experimental as we are used of him.

With That red really is an album that is or quite agressive or quite sensitive but never gets somewhere in between. Like it or leave it.......But atleast give it a fair chance.......