STARLESS AND BIBLE BLACK

I'm sure most of you reading this already know the history of this album (if you don't, read the other reviews or check out wikipedia), so I'll just get right to the music:

The first track is "The Great Deceiver," one of my favorite tracks from the album. It begins off with a menacing riff, before calming down a bit when the vocals come in. However, it builds up the power again as the song moves along. Despite being more experimental, this song still has an identifiable structure, which helps the listener ease in to the even more experimental improvisational songs. 9/10

The second track, "Lament," is also a good one. Beginning off with some softer guitar, mellotron and violin work, it's one of the prettier moments on the album. After about a minute, it transforms into a rocker, and a pretty good one at that, with some nice guitar by Fripp. 8/10

The third track, "We'll Let You Know," is the first live instrumental on the album. Although it has its moments, the song as a whole never really clicks together. Maybe actually watching them play it or hearing it in a live setting would make it seem a bit more interesting. Nothing special. 5/10

The fourth track, "The Night Watch," is another highlight of the album. The live opening is pretty cool, which segues into some very nice violin by Cross. Wetton sings this pretty well, and the more delicate mellotron and percussion work (as well as some guitar) mixes well with the distorted guitar. Although quite uncharacteristic for this period King Crimson's work, it's a very nice song. 9/10

The fifth track is "Trio," is another live improvisation, although much more gentle than "We'll Let You Know." It begins with very soft and gentle violin and mellotron by Cross and Fripp. Wetton joins in about half way through, also playing very well. Cross' violin solo is very nice, too. The absence of Bruford's percussion was definitely a good decision. 7/10

The last short track is "The Mincer," another live track. In my opinion, it's a little bit better than "We'll Let You Know" because it seems more coherent. Fripp has a pretty nice guitar solo on this track. Bruford's drumming is also pretty good, and definitely helps keep things together. Although it begins as improv, Wetton does have some vocals near the end of the song, before it comes to an abrupt halt. 6/10

Finally, we get to the title track, "Starless and Bible Black," an extended live instrumental/improvisation. It begins slow (and a bit boring, in my opinion) but it builds up it's power as the song moves on, with great work by all the band members; powerful bass by Wetton, great drumming by Bruford, amazing guitar by Fripp, and nice mellotron by Cross. 8/10

Last but not least is "Fracture", my favorite track of the album, another extended instrumental. The beginning alternates between gentle guitar and violin work (with interesting percussion thrown in), a powerful riff with the whole band playing with full force, and more gentle (and later very speedy) guitar work. The song builds its power into the hard-rocking climax of the song. The dynamic and stylistic contrast in this song further demonstrates the skill of the band members. Although they all play well, Fripp really shines through with his guitar work on this track. 10/10

Overall: 8/10. A very strong album by a very talented band. Although "Starless and Bible Black" has it's weak points, the strength of the good songs balances the album out. A must have for King Crimson fans, and a good choice for any prog fan.

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