IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING

So, I'll say I'm at 2.5 on this. I owned the LP at one point, but mainly played 21st Century Schizoid Man. As time went by I also got to know Epitaph and the title track. I don't know I Talk to the Wind or Moonchild very well, though I am certain I have heard them before. Now, this album is often referred to as the "First Prog Album," but I have questions. I personally think prog started by 1967, possibly even sooner. But certainly, Sgt. Pepper, Days of Future Passed, Piper at the Gates of Dawn qualify as (at least proto-) prog. And Zappa put out Freak Out! In 1966. Regardless of all of that, there is no question of the album's impact on the burgeoning prog-rock scene and it's certainly a game changer in terms of the level of playing on it. Without further ado, let's dig into what is doubtless one of the most important early prog albums of the era.

Track 1 - 21st Century Schizoid Man (Including Mirrors)

Wow, what a punch in the face this opening track is! Even today, 55 years later, it packs a wallop! I can only imagine how people reacted in 1969. (I was alive but still in diapers when it came out, and wasn't really aware of it until the mid-to-late 80s). I believe that I actually heard April Wine's cover of it first (outstanding, if you've never heard it), and In the Wake of Poseidon was the first KC album I ever owned. Enough background, play the song! OK, here we go?

After nearly 30 seconds of odd sound effects, that opening riff comes at you like a ton of bricks! Then Greg Lake's vocals come in with the ominous effect on the voice before we have another round of the intro riff, and a second verse. After one more repeat of the opening riff, the band is literally revving up for what comes next, with an accelerando of a three note pattern. Then bang! At around the 2 minute mark, we have an aural onslaught like nothing most listeners at the time had ever heard before. Chaotic sounding, yet precision playing. Michael Giles drumming is underrated, as he and Greg Lake on the bass hold it all together. The band is playing a fast jazzy riff. Robert Fripp's manic guitar playing takes over at around 2:45 with a sustained, somewhat dissonant guitar solo. Following Fripp's solo, woodwind man/multi-instrumentalist, Ian MacDonald, blows a free jazz solo, while Fripp degenerates into feedback. Giles & Lake subtly bring the band back together at around 4:15 with a descending bass line. At 4:24 the jazzy riff comes back. If you think it's been an insane ride up to this point, "you ain't heard nothin' yet!" At 4:38, they, on a dime, launch into some of the most impossibly precise complicated musical phrases ever recorded. I have to admit, that even though I have had a transcription of it before, I never had the patience to try to get it down. To call this expert level playing is an understatement. Fripp and MacDonald are in complete unison with each other while Lake & Giles are spot-on accurate on the rhythm (Lake is playing root notes of the phrases). I have heard this countless times and am still blown away by it. They have dynamic level shifts and staccato segments. The playing is simply stunning, even though the section is under a minute long, it is unforgettable. Then at around 5:20 Giles plays a tasty drum fill that brings the band back to the jazzy riff that began at around 2 minutes. Lake is walking all over his bass like a madman. At around 5:45, they play a repeating phrase that'll almost make you think the record is stuck for a brief moment which brings them back to the opening riff. Lake sings another verse, and the riff comes back one final time, before they return to the 3 note accelerando from earlier, but this time play it until it loses control. They have a false ending then have one last bit of chaos before the song ends. I need to catch my breath.

Track 2 - I Talk to the Wind

Apparently the band needed to catch their breath as well, as the next song falls into the "and now for something completely different" category. As mentioned, I don't know this one as well, but I do know it is a quieter, more peaceful song. It begins with overdubbed, high-pitched, harmony flute lines from Ian MacDonald, with subtle accompaniment from the others. Lake, with harmony vocals from MacDonald enters at around 13 seconds. This one seems to be a bit of poetic lyricism from an official band-member Pete Sinfield. He is credited with providing "lyrics and illumination" (gotta love the 60s!). Here are the lyrics from the first verse and chorus:

Said the straight man to the late man

Where have you been?

I've been here and I've been there

And I've been in between

I talk to the wind

My words are all carried away

I talk to the wind

The wind does not hear

The wind cannot hear

It reminds me a bit of Christina Rosetti's famous poem "Who Has Seen the Wind?" This song is very mellow and relaxed, especially following the onslaught of 21st Century Schizoid Man. MacDonald takes a flute solo beginning at 2:53, followed by a mellow guitar solo from Fripp. Lake's vocals are smooth and soothing, and MacDonald does a nice job on the harmonies. After a false ending, MacDonald plays another flute solo. Giles plays nice drum fills throughout, despite the mellowness of the song. This one immediately segues into?

Track 3 - Epitaph

This one has two sections as follows:

- a. March for No Reason

- b. Tomorrow and Tomorrow

While this one is also a slow track, it is quite different from its predecessor. A dramatic timpani roll sets the stage and ominous minor key mellotron orchestration comes in (played by Fripp). This one, to my ears, takes inspiration, at least in sound and mood, from the Moody Blues' Nights in White Satin. After a dramatic introduction, lake begins singing, almost inaudibly at around 40 second in, and the accompaniment is very subtle, with primarily bass & drums until around 1:09, when the dynamic level increases a notch and Fripp strums a big acoustic guitar chord. Subtle mellotron creeps back in, and then they hit the chorus and play a syncopated chord on the second beat of each measure. The rhythm becomes steadier at around 2 minutes while lake repeats the phrase "I fear tomorrow I'll be crying," three times. Fripp takes a short, mellow guitar before the next verse begins at around 2:30. Things begin to change at around 3:45 with a big mellotron crescendo that leads to an acoustic guitar led instrumental section. MacDonald has several wind instruments overdubbed, while the band plays a pattern where there is a subtle downbeat on the 1st beat of each 4-4 measure, then a drum accent on the 2nd beat, and an acoustic strum on the third beat that sustains. To me the effect is like cannons being fired. Mellotron chords, Lake's bass, and MacDonald's aforementioned instrumentation round out the sound. A drum fill at 5:15 brings the rhythm back to being steady and the next verse is sung. Lake's singing is wonderfully expressive. The 1-2-3? rhythm pattern returns in the accompaniment. "I fear tomorrow I'll be crying?" is repeated numerous times as the vocals fade out and the instrumentation continues in an orchestral manner before fading out a minute or so later. An epically dramatic song to round-out side one.

Track 4 - Moonchild

This one also has two sections as follows.

- a. The Dream

- b. The Illusion

This is the other track that I don't know very well from this album, even though it is the longest one, at a little over 12 minutes in length. It begins in a bit of a mournful tone to my ears. Lake begins singing after a brief introduction. He has an effect on his voice again. I like how Giles plays cymbals that match the rhythm of his singing. Fripp plays subtle, jazzy guitar chords, as well as feedback sounds. Following 2 verses, at around 2:30 quiet, sustained notes pause the rhythmic motion of the song, setting up for something to happen. What, I don't know, or at least I don't remember. Apparently, the opening 2 and a half minutes are, part A-The Dream, while the remaining 11 and a half minutes are a free form instrumental composition by the band (Part B- The Illusion). They are certainly in no hurry to get anywhere. Giles joins the quiet music at around 4:30 with some soft random drum fills. I think there is a bit of John Cage influence here, as it seems to be random "chance" music (whatever happens, happens). MacDonald eventually joins in with random vibraphone tinkling. Thus far (8:30) the song is still very quiet, despite the random musical phrases from the band. I have not noticed Lake's bass in this improv. It seems to be mainly Fripp, MacDonald & Giles. This one is not so much my "cup of tea." (I understand now why I have forgotten all about this track.) I like more solid arrangements, which we get in abundance on the next track.

Track 5 - The Court of the Crimson King

This one also has two sections as follows:

- a. The Return of the Fire Witch

- b. The Dance of the Puppets

While I love 21st Century Schizoid Man, and enjoy Epitaph, I think this is my favorite track from this album. Curiously, both Prog Archives and Wikipedia list the song as being 9:22, while iTunes says it's 10:02. Not sure why the player says it's 40 seconds longer; we shall see.

I love the intro of this one, a simple drum lead-in ushers in big mellotron sounds with a steady rhythm section underneath it. It is a very stately and majestic melody, indeed. However at 30 seconds in, everything drops out and Lake begins singing, with arpeggiated acoustic guitar accompaniment. Bass and flute join on the third phrase and the music crescendos until the title line "for the Court of the Crimson King!" is sung and the introduction theme returns in all of its glory. (all of this is in the first minute of the song. Another verse follows, this time with Giles playing snare rolls and drum fills. The intro theme returns again. But at around 2:20, four sharply strummed acoustic guitar chords take us into an instrumental section, with Giles' cymbal work, Lake's bass, and staccato organ chords providing motion while variations on the theme play over the top. A drum fill at 2:50 harkens the return of the main theme. Another verse follows at 3:20, this time, a harpsichord enters the mix. Another recapitulation of the main theme returns, this time followed by a quieter flute solo section. Fripp joins in with some mellow guitar bits, Giles tinkles the ride-cymbals, while Lake implies the chord changes in the bass notes. (I feel like I'm back in music-theory classes in college and analyzing a classical piece.) I love how Giles matches MacDonald's flute trill at the end of the segment (5:20). I am also finding this to have an almost rondo form as the "A section?the main theme?keeps returning. However, after the flute feature, it does not. After a brief transition, we have a variation on the verse, THEN the theme returns. This time it repeats a few extra times, building up to a big finish of part A of the song?The Return of the Fire Witch. As the closing chord of that part fades out, Giles returns to his beloved ride-cymbals and taps out a few notes, softly. At around 7:20, mellotron flutes begin to play a variation of the main theme from part A, that reminds me of the intro to The Beatles' Strawberry Fields Forever. This is the start of The Dance of the Puppets portion of the song, part-B. I can almost see dancing marionettes here. But at the 8 minute mark, the main theme returns in a big way. There are variations in instrumentation, but the song ends in a big crescendo at 9:23, according to the time on my iTunes player. Now what about those extra 39 seconds?let's see. It initially seems like there is nothing but silence, but then at about 9:41 there are sounds. Very low pitched. It seems like instrumental sounds, possibly in reverse, yet, almost like a lion grunting, but not quite roaring. According to Wikipedia, it's this?

After the end of The Court of the Crimson King, there is a hidden track run from 9:41 to 10:00 on some pressings.

Well, there we go. Perhaps someone can shed some more light on it for me.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

Well, once again King Crimson makes me have to split my rankings. I love tracks 1, 3, and 5. If the whole album was up to that level, it'd be an easy 5 out of 5 stars for me. But no?Track 2 is just kind of OK for me; I don't hate it, but I don't love it either. However, after the first 2.5 minutes of track 4, Moonchild, I could do without the rest of it. I'm sure someone will tell me they think it's the best bit on the album, and if they do, then good for them. It's just filler for me. So, on the strength of the odd-numbered tracks, and the OK-ness of track 2, I'll only deduct a half a star, and call it a 4.5 out of 5 stars. That puts it on par with Discipline, and just below Red at 4.75 stars. (I gave Larks' Tongues in Aspic a fair-to-middling 3.5 stars, and Lizard, only 2.5, to sum up the KC albums that made the list.) I know that's sacrilege for some, as many consider this album to be the holy grail of prog albums, but that one is up next for me ;)

Clicking 4, but really 4.5!!