LIZARD

As a person who is not a prog rock fanatic, just a person who listens to the best of every genre of music, and who isn't insistent on ever lauding or blowing smoke up any genre or band whatever they turn out, and who is currently in one continuos session listening to the entire KC back catalog in chronological order to find what has stood the test of time, ie is listenable to non fans as well as fans, "LIZZARD" has been the weakest studio album so far. the track lizzard itself is way to self indulgent and does not hang together well over its 23 minute duration, sounds like too many disparate bits ill coordinated slapped together, indoor games is particularly weak. Prog rockers sometimes like acid jazz fans or fusion jazz nuts in there fever to defend the genre they enjoy, become defensivley enthusiastic about their pet loves, and begin to turn a blind eye to disharmony and clashy sounds, or grow so perverted as to love in the same way as harmonious sounds, musically the benefit of going "off piste" is to at some point thematically return to some coherence and harmony, King crimson at there most experimental are very very hard work audibly, Lizzard sounds like to many practice jams that shouldn't have made it on to the album. i will be making a list of all tracks 4 stars and up for the entire catalog it will be interesting to see how this compares to others views here, but this album getting 4.1 stars is deceptive in that it only allows 0.9 stars of quality difference for all the other KC albums to exist in, this is unrealistically enthusiastic no band is that consistent. Only lady of the dancing water on Lizzard makes it to 3 stars imo and thats generous.

Quality KC tracks in chronological album order four out of five stars and up imo:

track 1-4 In the court of the crimson king track 1,3,4,5 In the wake of poseidon track 4,6 Islands track 1-4 Larks tongues in aspic no tracks Lizzard tracks 2,3 Red tracks 2,7 Discipline no tracks Beat (album to generic > heavy studio production values) no tracks Three of a perfect Pair track 6 Vroom track 2,4,10,14 Thrak cd1,trk1 cd3,trk7 Heavy Construkction

The overall arc of KC imo like most bands seems to be, to remain consitent for a bit and then as they get further from their youthfull inception they lose coherence this is natural and normal. KC's attempts to reinvent themselves by gambling with lineup changes etc sometimes come up with things that are worth it, but have also created quite a Large spoil heap to get there and Lizzard is in that pile I'm afraid. Beat and half of three of a perfect pair also, seem to sadly be coated throughout with the same sour disharmonious cyclic repetitive guitar loop riffs, and the eighties restylings and fetal era based contemporary sound style clonings dont stand out in the era itself, as tracks of significance, except perhaps as influences for things to come later, all of purpose, but not standing the test of time from a listenable perspective in their own right. Vroom imo opinion weak, Thrak a little return of flavour, but by this point as with allot of bands of this age albums are beginning to more and more to repurpose and regurgitate things past, and the sound so different that by the time you reach the bloated studio/Live "Heavy Construkction" the King Crimson of 2000 is as to be expected i suppose, another band completely, in all but name, Ok robert fripp is consistently there but still its just not really KC. theres too many samey overtly for the sake of it experimental abstract rock / noise awkward tone poems that arent adding to anything or going anywhere, in my opinion experimental means it shouldn't really make it onto an album on the basis that experiments should often be the exploration that leads up to a work and not the work itself, and as for including his censorship of photography statement on the audience as track worthy of including, its pure filler for the fanatics crimson fans. Beyond 2000 I have fearing, not yet trod the path to "the power to believe" I will get there though.

many will disagree, but I presume there ear is not crimson fresh, but crimson trained.

Share this KING CRIMSON review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to ancientscream
• Report this review (#474073)
• Buy KING CRIMSON music online with PA partners
• Show all KING CRIMSON MP3/Stream
• Go to KING CRIMSON page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Lizard page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for KING CRIMSON related discussions