IN THE WAKE OF POSEIDON

I'm honestly thunderstruck by such a low overall rating posed on this one. "In the Wake of Poseidon" stands on its own as one of the greatest achievements in progressive rock history, without any exaggeration. Standard critics that undermine this piece of work by way of comparing it with ITCOTKC should really take a minute or two to listen with attention this amazing album.

Right from the start, with Peace: A Beginning, you already know the journey is heading towards unexpected horizons. Pictures Of A City, In The Wake Of Poseidon, Cat Food and The Devil's Triangle are heavily jazz-influenced songs that sparkle with their strongly written lyrics and an extremely demanding sound, finally consolidating KING CRIMSON's hierarchy.

Nonetheless, we should take this one step by step. The three different songs called Peace (A Beginning, A Theme and An End) are a kind of mirror variation of the general theme which is often repeated in the entire album. This might sound as musically repetitive, but actually it's quite the contrary. You have to pay enough attention in order to find out the when it is played again, because of the great creativity with which it is reprised. This includes, of course, subtle drumming indications, quick guitar riff hints, passacaglia-style bass lines and sax modal approximations.

On the other hand, Pictures Of A City is a song filled with contrast and dynamic that enables a proportion of true rhythm rarely experienced in rock music. The guitar parts are amazingly well driven, with motives unbinding and establishing intimate dialogue with the other instruments, especially saxophone and bass. The quicker parts, that include a kind of rock-jazz-blues progression with intricated guitar riffs is simply marvelous.

Cadence and Cascade, and In The Wake Of Poseidon are naturally more in the guise of the last album. They propose a series of widespread instrumental atmospheres strengthened by beautiful and poetic lyrics that establish with attitude the whole concept of the album.

Cat Food can be considered one of the most important songs in rock history. It achieves what many progressive rock bands from the 60's to the 2010's never could: combine with success 20th century modernist (or atonal, or contemporary) concert music, jazz, country/blues and rock in one single piece. And this by means of separating explicitly the functions of every single instrument: piano on atonality and "indeterminacy", guitar on jazzy solos and country/blues harmonies, bass and drums on the remaining of the creative bonding that can make the whole picture posible.

We could go way further on the specific details of this masterpiece anytime, but for now I would be very pleased if this review encouraged you to listen carefully to "In The Wake Of Poseidon" and wait for the best to happen. You will not be disappointed at all, that's a total guarantee.