Stripping a myth - the truth about ITCOTCK

I don't know if it's the "first prog album", but it was a BFD when it came out to a lot of the musicians in the nascent (English) prog scene.  I think its impact is fairly substantial.

BaldJean wrote: and what exactly is a BFD? Black Flag Disqualification? Boston Fire Department?

While I agree with Dean on not getting too pedantic about classification, that's precisely what tends to happen whenever a few proggy albums prior to ITCOTCK are highlighted.  You get that "hey n00b, don't you know ITCOTCK is the first prog album" kind of response and if it is indeed not such an incontrovertible truth (and I broadly agree with Bald Jean that it isn't), at least people could be less emphatic about the way they state it.  I love ITCOTCK but it's become a holy cow now, so I welcome contrary perspectives on it, whether they concern its bragging rights to the 'first' epithet or just its perceived quality.

HolyMoly wrote: Black Flag Disqualification is one of the principles on which this site was created, in an indirect sort of way.

I certainly agree that the reverence many afford to this album is perhaps overstated (given the review average score of 4.59 (farcical, given the content on offer)

The OP is listed as a Prog Reviewer with a total of 17 written reviews but has not yet reviewed this album. Perhaps this represents an opportunity for someone whose opinion is afforded a weighted rating to address the perceived anomaly between recorded score versus post match analysis?.

The T wrote: ITCOTCK is a masterpiece of rock music whatever sub-genre you want to put it in.

C'mon T, by any yardstick it's a curates egg - brilliant in  places but heinously sucky in others

BaldJean wrote: "I Talk to the Wind" is most definitely a pop song. a beautiful one with a nice instrumental midsection, but nevertheless a pop song. not prog at all

I should listen to more pop music then.

The T wrote: I think it is a round egg full of protein and that, if left to hatch, produces quite a mighty bird.

Oh you corn fed Darwinian dame bitch you, as a very experienced rock and  classical aficionado, you have to admit that there just might be portions on ITCOTCK that betray the inexperience of the nascent (uncategorised) style?

The wise money is on a categorical 'no' hereabouts c.o.c.k.s.u.c.k.e.r

ExittheLemming wrote: The T wrote: ITCOTCK is a masterpiece of rock music whatever sub-genre you want to put it in.  C'mon T, by any yardstick it's a curates egg - brilliant in  places but heinously sucky in others

I love all of it unreservedly.

BaldJean wrote: what never fails to amaze me is how many people give 5 stars to this album and make bad comments about the second part of "Moonchild". are they aware that this second part constitutes almost a quarter of the album? how can an album of which nearly 25% are bad be a 5 star album?

I agree sister, we ain't weighing bananas here that's for sure. There are similar appraisals of ELP's Tarkus based entirely on the suite that appears on side one (of the original vinyl)
That's why your valued appraisal of the first Crimson album is well overdue for submission to the PA database. Collaberators who don't just play into the hands of the site's detractors