SLEEPLESS: THE CONCISE KING CRIMSON

"Sleepless: The Concise King Crimson" is a compilation of King Crimson and was released in 1993. It's a compilation album that comprises tracks from seven studio albums of King Crimson, "In The Court Of The Crimson King", "In The Wake Of Poseidon", "Islands", "Red", "Discipline", "Beat" and "Three Of A Perfect Pair". Despite it covers almost all their albums at the time, it miss to it tracks from "Lizard", "Larks' Tongues In Aspic" and "Starless And Bible Black".

"Sleepless: The Concise King Crimson" has fourteen tracks. The first track "21st Century Schizoid Man" including "Mirrors" is from "In The Court Of The Crimson King". It's a heavy song very close to the hard rock style. It has a great improvisation with some jazz influences. It's notable the distorted vocals by Lake. It became very influential to the future of the progressive metal style. The second track "Epitaph" including "March For No Reason" and "Tomorrow And Tomorrow" is from "In The Court Of The Crimson King". It's a notable and beautiful track, which would become one of the best and most beautiful symbols of the progressive rock music. It's one of my favourite progressive rock songs too. The third track "In The Court Of The Crimson King" including "The Return Of The Fire Witch" and "The Dance Of The Puppets" is from "In The Court Of The Crimson King". This track is with "Epitaph" one of the best and most beautiful symbols of the progressive rock music. It represents a hymn to the symphonic progressive rock music. The fourth track "Cat Food" is from "In The Wake Of Poseidon". It's composed as something between jazz and rock, making an interesting fusion. It's very strange but very curious too. It also features a neat vocal work from Lake and has also some tasty guitar work by Fripp. This is an edited version. The fifth track "Ladies Of The Road" is from "Islands". It's a theme with a lyrical tone and is a song playfully sexist. The vocal choir reminds me The Beatles. This is probably the nearest thing on that album capable to be a proverbial hit single. The sixth track "Starless" is from "Red". It's the lengthiest track on that album and it's a real masterpiece, one of my favourite King Crimson's songs. It's a great dark song with Wetton's melancholic voice. This is a classic song from them. This is an abridged version. The seventh track "Red" is from "Red". It's an instrumental track, very powerful and heavy. It features heavy guitars, an incredible bass line and a unique drumming style. It shows the band's ability to feature multiple time signatures in only one song. It sounds very futuristic, even now. The eighth track "Fallen Angel" is from "Red". It's a very beautiful ballad with great vocal performance by Wetton. It has beautiful musical arrangements that include reverse delays and Mellotron lines, which give to it a unique flavour. The ninth track "Elephant Talk" is from "Discipline". The four players twisted and turn their way through an unbelievably complicated and yet somehow almost danceable. Fripp and Belew guitar works are excellent, making a very powerful force, showing a great chemistry between both musicians. The tenth track "Frame By Frame" is from "Discipline". It represents another great musical moment. It's a more subtle work with amazing band instrumental passages and some tasteful guitar duets. Fripp's own performance of extremely fast and repetitious guitar work is simply amazing, and Bruford's drumming work which ranks among the best of his career. The eleventh track "Matte Kudasai" is from "Discipline". It's a very beautiful and nostalgic song. The instrumental backing contains itself a great mood to the song. This track also features the best vocals on that album and proves that Belew is a fine singer. The twefth track "Heartbeat" is from "Beat". It has beautiful guitar tones, a good bass line and nice lyrics and vocals. This is undeniably a cheesy and pop song, but this is still a great song. Probably, you may actually have heard it on the radio from time to time, which is a real rarity with King Crimson. The thirteenth track "Three Of A Perfect Pair" is from "Three Of A Perfect Pair". It has tight harmony vocals from Belew that soar over top of some intricate guitar work from Fripp and a great drum work of Bruford. This is a very solid track. The fourteenth track "Sleepless" is from "Three Of A perfect Pair". It begins with a fast bass line that is soon joined by Bruford's bass drum beat and Fripp's altered guitar sound. It sounds very nice. However, this is probably my least favourite song on that album. This is a remixed version.

Compilation: I'm not very pleased with this compilation album despite it have some really great tracks. For instance, their masterpiece "Starless", which is, in my humble opinion", one of the best prog tracks ever made is shorted to a blasphemous and incomprehensible small extract. Of course we can't forget that it has "21st Century Schizoid Man", "Epitaph", "In The Court If The Crimson King" and "Elephant Talk", for instance, which are some of the best things ever made by King Crimson. Still, I can't accept that masterpieces can be amputated to can be part of any compilation album. By the other hand, would seem to be natural that it should have tracks from the other three albums. But, King Crimson never was a band of singles and compilations. Anyway, I think "The Young Persons Guide To King Crimson" and "The Essential King Crimson: Frame By Frame" are better options. It's a compilation for collectors and fans only.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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