IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING

In the Court of The Crimson King is a historically important album in that it was probably the first full-fledged progressive rock album by a 100% progressive rock band. That being said, it should get five stars because of its historical importance. If you enjoy progressive rock you should definitely have this album. While I am going to give this album five stars, it is not a perfect album (if there is such a thing). The first song 21st Century Schizoid Man is probably one of the best album openers ever. The song really grabs the listeners attention and holds it for the whole song. There are multiple solos through out the song and all are very good. Basically, the song sounds heavy and somewhat frightening, but in a good way. The next song, I Talk to the Wind, is very mellow and peaceful; this is a nice contrast to the first song. This song reminds me of The Moody Blues, but the playing sounds much more confident.

To sum up the rest of the album, you have Epitaph and The Court of the Crimson King, which are both great songs but both sound very similar in style. Both have lots of melletron, and are slower paced with a sort of regal feeling. In my opinion, The Court of the Crimson King is the better of the two songs. Epitaph is good, but it sort of plods along, never really changing. I find my mind wanders easily during this song, but it is a good song. The other song Moonchild is good for about 2 minutes, and then it turns into a strange improvosational exercise with no real structure of any kind. This part is very quiet and goes on for about 9 minutes. That's probably the biggest downfall of the album.

In closing, this is a great album, probably not the best and definitely not my favorite. The album is worth the price of admission for the first two tracks and the last. If you enjoy progressive rock, then you should probably invest in this album.