IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING

This is the cream of the crop. The quintessential prog-rock album. This album didn't necessarily define a genre (Because no one ever has or will sound like KC.) This did however define a certain thought process. It defined that ability and creativity can be combined to make a music of higher thinking. A better kind of music. The music of the future featuring musical elements of the past. Elements of Psychedelia, Classical and Jazz are all over this album.

21st Century Schizoid man starts you heavy. This song has everything that psychedelic music was moving toward. Horns and crazy sound fast guitar. Screaming vocals and funky drums. One of the greatest breakdown/jam sections to be in a song for the time. The rest of the album is slower but just as epic.

I Talk To The Wind starts softly with some beautiful flute harmony. In fact Greg has some beautiful vocal harmonies in this song. A pastoral passage through the wind. Every instrument compliments each other perfectly.

Epitaph is a very powerful song both lyrically and harmonically. Though the drums aren't the strongest element in the band they do a perfect job on this track in particularly. The music truly accentuates lyrics. Peter Sinfield's a great modern poet. These lyrics in particular are amazing especially the chorus "Confusion will be my epitaph as I crawl a cracked and broken path. If we make it we can all sit back and laugh. But I fear tomorrow I'll be crying. I fear tomorrow I'll be crying." This is a track that can be listened to any time any day any week of any year and have the same affect upon oneself.

Moonchild's vocals are the first impression. This track is orchestrated very beautifully. Very folk yet much more. Psychedelic spaciness around the 2:30 mark that's very trippy. Fripp is jazzy in the sense of Wes Montgomery. Very pre-atonal pre-crazy guitar tuning Fripp. Almost can't tell this is the same man. Though if one listens closely you can see how he will develop in the future. This track is great but it doesn't have the replay quality that the other tracks do. Mainly because of the psychedelic softness that is the bulk of the song.

In The Court Of The Crimson King is the title track. This song is epic. The chorus with its vocal harmonies carrying it. Though I wish there was a little more to the song it is still the perfect song to end the album.

This album defined a generation. 4 stars.