IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING

Yes! Here I am reviewing the album that arguably started at all. The father of prog. Not only is it the father of prog, but also has the honour of being (in my opinion) the greatest debut album of all time. This album showed that King Crimson meant business.

A description of the music: It's really hard to classify this album with a certain sound. "21st Century Schizoid Man" is a jazzy track with a blaring saxophone and very distorted vocals. The dual saxophone solo uses an effect that screeches and hurts your ears, but is actually quite enjoyable. An amazing track! "I Talk To The Wind" is a very pretty flute ballad with beautiful vocals from Lake. "Epitaph" is an incredibly powerful song with pessimistic lyrics. Lakes vocals here are great. "Moonchild" starts out very wonderfully, then gets to the part that seperates true fans. 10 minutes of very quiet experimentation is not for everyone, but if you just lie down, close your eyes, and relax this is really pretty. Otherwise, you may want to skip this track after the vocals are done. "The Court Of The Crimson King" has incredibly forgiveable repitition. While it repeats itself often, it doesn't matter because the power of this song never fades and remains constantly enjoyable from beginning to end. The mellotron riff here is just unforgettable.

PROS:

Opening and closing: This album opens really powerfully with "21st Century Schizoid Man," which is sort of a misleading track to how the rest of the album will be, but is an incredibly powerful opening. "The Court Of The Crimson King" is also an amazing closer and the sudden screech and end is one of my favourite endings of all time.

Flute work: I love the flute work on this album. It may not be on par with Ian Anderson, but then again who is? The flute is just beautiful on "I Talk To The Wind" and the flute sections of "The Court Of The Crimson King" are very powerful.

Uniqueness: This album is just so unique. "21st Century Schizoid Man" is just one of those tracks where nothing sounds like it. Many people have attempted to imitate the sound of King Crimson, but have never captured the essence of the band or their greatness.

Vocals: The legendary vocals of Greg Lake are at their finest on this album. His best track is "Epitaph," where he puts the necessary emotion into the lyrics and makes them very powerful.

CONS:

Moonchild: Unless you're lying down and relaxing, the 10 minutes of experimentation is nigh impossible to really enjoy. For some it'd be impossible to enjoy at all. This is a problem as it takes up a decent chunk of the album.

Song ratings: 21st Century Schizoid Man: 10/10 I Talk To The Wind: 9/10 Epitaph: 10/10 Moonchild: 8/10 if you can abide the experimentation. 1/10 if you can't. The Court Of The Crimson King: 10/10

Recommended for: Fans of old music. People who love the magic of the flute.

My rating: 5 stars. This is the probably the most important album in prog history. If you are interested in the early roots of prog its mandatory you have this in your collection.

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