In The Court Of The Crimson King

I would definitely place this in my top five favorite albums of all time. Though it isn't immediately accessible, with repeated lessons, its genius is slowly revealed. It's a five song set, with incredibly varied, consistently high-quality material throughout. It arguably has no real down time or "filler," with the possible exception of the wandering experimentation on Moonchild. Even that is debatable, however, as some experimentation is always welcome on any album.The album is great from start to finish, and really has no equal. There is no other album which compares to this one in style--not even King Crimson's later efforts. This "golden period" in their career was one which was never repeated. Though they were able to capture a similar level of originality and grandiosity in later albums (In the Wake of Poseidon, Red) they never did reach the same level of quality as on their debut.1. 21st Century Schizoid Man - Sets the perfect tone for the album. Epic, overblown and sporadic, moving in many different directions all at once. Mystical, political, jazzy and experimental, this is one of King Crimson's most well-known and noteworthy tracks. It isn't the absolute best on the album, but does an excellent job of grabbing the listener and making them wonder what else is in store over the course of this unique album. The band's creative, free-form style is showcased excellently on this opening piece.2. I Talk to the Wind - If you thought that the whole album was going to be comprised of the hyperactive, jazz-infused rocking out which was flaunted during the previous track, think again. I Talk to the Wind is a laid back, introspective song. It's dreamy and folk-like, and makes evident King Crimson's ability to restrain themselves as a band, and resist the urge to rock out in order to write varied material. A wholly satisfying song, which complements the album perfectly. Includes a cool little jam with mellotron and drums at the end.3. Epitaph - After the break that was I Talk to the Wind, King Crimson take us on another extravagant adventure. This time, the tone is less quirky and more sincere, with lyrics that verge on heart-wrenching. The subject matter is earnest and grandiose, with otherworldly, expansive instrumentation and a reflective, powerful vocal performance by Greg Lake. The creative, off-beat and glorious drumming talents of Mike Giles are put to excellent use, especially as the song builds to its towering climax. This is easily one of the most enjoyable songs on the album, and stands as one of the greatest examples of King Crimson's importance.4. Moonchild - Here is another more relaxed, toned-down track, with a greater emphasis on experimentation than I Talk to the Wind. Esoteric and unpredictable, Moonchild is quite mysterious and beautiful in its downbeat, fractured nature. Though the song can be eerie and unappealing to listen to on its own, due to its lack of resolution and meandering nature, when taken in context with the rest of the album, it's an eccentric masterpiece.5. In The Court of the Crimson King - This is the track which everyone has been waiting for, by the time they're through with the rest of the album. The title track is a sprawling, prog rock masterpiece, which utilizes every single one of the band's strengths. The lyrics are especially fantastical and relevantly surrealistic. Robert Fripp's mellotron once again steals the show by adding a healthy dose of psychadelic, awe-inspiring, layered harmony over the rest of the band. The song is over 9 minutes in length, with a false-ending 7 and a half minutes in. The song goes quiet, and then a keyboard plays a twisted, stripped-down version of the main melody, before the other instruments join in for an encore of the song's infectious, inspiring chorus. This time, however, Greg Lake takes a break and a strange "electricity" patch is used on the keyboard to great effect. Some of the finest moments in prog rock come at the end of this magnum opus.

Debut of classic progressive rock band King Crimson, In the Court of the Crimson King is an absolute must have for not only prog rock fans, but those who have an appreciation for the history of music. In 1969, this album, released on island records, gained a very large following almost immediately for its use of classical instruments such as flute, clarinet, trumpet, sax, and what would soon become a staple for the band, the Mellotron. Each track is beautifully crafted, and quite long, the shortest being around 5 minutes. Although hints of progressive rock have definitely been around before this albums release, this album marks a golden age of progressive rock, and for the band itself.The album opens with 21st century schizoid man. The song starts off with a heavy riff, and a quite verse. After repeating this, the song goes into about 5 minutes of quick, heavy, and unrelenting rock called mirrors. This track perfectly sets up what you can expect to hear from this album, delightful and unapologetic insanity. After returning back to the original riff, the song ends with a blast of random improv. This abruptly shifts to I talk to the wind, a shorter and gentle song to let the listener relax after 21st century. This song features some beautiful flute and clarinet playing by Ian McDonald, and poetic and quiet lyrics by Greg Lake. After this, the song transitions into Epitaph, the complete opposite of what we've listened to before. While I talk to the Wind was gentle, Epitaph is dark and foreboding. The music Swells gracefully with Lake's vocals on this track, which shows off perfectly the bands relationship at this time, especially between guitarist Robert Fripp and lake. Onto Side B, we start off with moonchild. The song starts off mystically, very quiet and "distant". After a couple short verses, the song throws away any structure it had and goes into about 6 minutes of Improvisation between the band. Its a long listen, with guitar plucks, rogue drums, and sometimes the band will come together to make a very short cooperation with their improv. Finally, we reach the title track, which is epic and grand finale to this album. This is definitely one of the highlights to this album, along with epitaph and 21st century.Is this album for everyone? No. Its a very challenging listen on your first go, with instrumentals that sometimes make absolutely no sense, and seem to drag on, but this I think is the true beauty of this album. Its unapologetic with its musical styles, and demands you to look deeper into the music.