LIZARD

"Lizard" is certainly a very interesting and enjoyable album, with some rather unusual mixes of prog rock and free-jazz. It is one of the toughest King Crimson albums to get into, so many repeated listens or revisiting this work would be recommended. The psychedelic "Cirkus" is a main highlight for me, which rattles your senses with its dark, haunting mellotron and emphatic drumming. Mel Collins' work on saxophone here happens to be a personal favourite few moments on the whole album. I think that Keith Tibbet gives some of the songs a chaotic feel with his peculiar playing style on piano and keyboards. But I am often partial to the softer songs, especially the ones by KC. Therefore "Lady of the Dancing Water" is another highlight. It contains some of the most attractive flute playing available anywhere. The delicate horns and woodwinds are lovely too. The 23-minute epic title track is quite a beast and also has some immense moments, particularly during the first half where it features Jon Anderson on vocals. I think the most accurate rating for "Lizard" should be three and a half stars.