IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING

This is where true progressive rock started. Many critics call this the masterpiece of prog and some say the same thing with the band itself. One of the most famous and craziest of all prog-rock tunes, 21st CENTURY SCHIZOID MAN opens up the album. Greg Lake's distorted vocals make it hard to understand the lyrics and sometimes the chaotic horns may get too chaotic, but this song is still a very satisfying experience. I TALK TO THE WIND is a very quiet piece with calm guitars and soaring flutes. This song is magnificent! EPITAPH is filled with mellotron and the only fault I can find in this song is that the opening verse is almost too quiet to hear. MOONCHILD is another great song, at least until two and a half minutes. A very quiet jam consists for the next ten minutes of the song. That's right, ten minutes! The first two minutes of the jam are completely tolerable, almost pleasant. But the rest of the song is strange and eerie and is reminiscent of old Pink Floyd instrumentals. Moonchild is too long and drawn out. It could have easily been kept at 2 minutes. The title track is one of Crimson's greatest achievements and is the best song on this album. It is very mystical and Greg Lake delivers an excellent performance.

Overall, In The Court Of The Crimson King remains one of progressive rock's greatest masterpieces and deserves a high rating.