IN THE WAKE OF POSEIDON

In The Wake of Poseidon was an immediate listen after I was blown away by ITCOTKC, but it took more than one listening session to win me over. Many believe this album to be an inferior rehash of the debut album, but I disagree. I see it as a sequel or follow up that doesn't match up to the "Court", but isn't an imitation either.

The atmospheric "filler" piece Peace - A Beginning opens the album and is obviously a theme (considering it is reprised twice in different variations in the middle and at the end of the record). This segues into Pictures of A City. This song took me the longest to appreciate, but my enjoyment of the track finally came to fruition. It is very similar to a jazzed, less hardcore version of Schizoid Man. I found the beginning to be a bit cheesy and that's probably why it took me so long to embrace it.

The track Cadence and Cascade is another ethereal little piece by the King that is a bit reminiscent of I Talk To The Wind, but a tad bit stranger. I really enjoy this track and it reminds me of a cool, misty night in the 1970s - almost a hippie ballad, in my opinion. It is a gem, for sure.

At mid-way through the album, another Peace theme comes in, but only after the most Crimsonesque song on the entire album, the title track. Greg Lake blows it away here and this is the "Epitaph" of this record. As a matter of fact, I am about to commit sacrilege here, but I like this song better. It is KC at their most powerful since In The Court Of The Crimson King at the end of the debut album.

Another irritation for most people is that I don't have much love for Cat Food (the song). This song is a bit too jazzy and everywhere. The repeating "cat food, cat food" is more annoying than anything. Thankfully nothing like Cat Food was on ITCOTCK.

Next up is Devil's Triangle, which is just a KC rendition of Holst's "Mars" (a classical piece). It is a very dark piece and fits well with this album before the coda of Peace - An End. How convenient that "Mars" (God of War) comes before Peace the end. What is that saying? How did it end? Peace meaning total annihilation? Ah ? I will end the philosophy here.

Overall, ITWOP is a grand album, but nowhere near the scale of In The Court. If anything, it is Halloween II to Halloween. A follow-up album that explores a little more unconventional variations of music, but still holds a tight King Crimson sound that was carried over from the first album. This is not a masterpiece, but it is a very enjoyable album. I would give it around a 3.8, but rounded off on the prog scale it would be a 4.

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