King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King (1969)
Summer's here kids and we all know what that means! Its time for Prog Rock Saturdays at "Vinyl in the Valley"!
And what a way to start things off with King Crimson's debut, the incomparable In the Court of the Crimson King.
The opener, "21st Century Schizoid Man" is a heavy metal, prog-rock masterpiece. From Robert Fripp's chainsaw-sounding guitars, to Greg Lake's distorted vocal, with lyrics like "politicians funeral pyre / innocents raped with napalm fire", the song is a futuristic epic thinly veiled as a Vietnam-era protest song. What a way to kick things off!
Immediately following the shit storm of "Schizoid Man" is the genteel and harmonious (and flute-filled!), "I Talk To The WInd" that morphs into the the wailing and mellotron-heavy, "Epitaph" which sounds like the soundtrack to some apocalyptic spaghetti western!
Time to flip!
Side Two opens with the psychedelic ballad, "Moonchild" containing more mellotron, cryptic lyrics ("Playing hide & seek with the ghosts of dawn") and crooning vocals by Greg Lake. Following "Moonchild" is a ten minute meandering space jazz jam which leads into the crowning achievement of this LP, the epic "In the Court of the Crimson King."
If an alien came down to Earth and wanted to know what "prog rock" sounded like you would probably be best off playing this song (if not the entire album!) There's black queens, jesters, a fire witch, a juggler and more all hanging out in the Crimson King's court and all in all it sounds like THE place to be! Imagine prog rock nerds hosting a Halloween party with this album as the theme! (Not exactly a party that would have a problem with crowd control!)
Overall, this album is a must listen. Its weird, melodic, timeless and big.
Two great movies that have featured songs from this album: Vincent Gallo's antihero masterpiece, Buffalo 66 (1998), and Alfonso Cuaron's dystopian science fiction film, Children of Men (2006). Check 'em out!
RATING: 5 Cat's Foot & Iron Claws out of a possible 5
And what a way to start things off with King Crimson's debut, the incomparable In the Court of the Crimson King.
The opener, "21st Century Schizoid Man" is a heavy metal, prog-rock masterpiece. From Robert Fripp's chainsaw-sounding guitars, to Greg Lake's distorted vocal, with lyrics like "politicians funeral pyre / innocents raped with napalm fire", the song is a futuristic epic thinly veiled as a Vietnam-era protest song. What a way to kick things off!
Immediately following the shit storm of "Schizoid Man" is the genteel and harmonious (and flute-filled!), "I Talk To The WInd" that morphs into the the wailing and mellotron-heavy, "Epitaph" which sounds like the soundtrack to some apocalyptic spaghetti western!
Time to flip!
Side Two opens with the psychedelic ballad, "Moonchild" containing more mellotron, cryptic lyrics ("Playing hide & seek with the ghosts of dawn") and crooning vocals by Greg Lake. Following "Moonchild" is a ten minute meandering space jazz jam which leads into the crowning achievement of this LP, the epic "In the Court of the Crimson King."
If an alien came down to Earth and wanted to know what "prog rock" sounded like you would probably be best off playing this song (if not the entire album!) There's black queens, jesters, a fire witch, a juggler and more all hanging out in the Crimson King's court and all in all it sounds like THE place to be! Imagine prog rock nerds hosting a Halloween party with this album as the theme! (Not exactly a party that would have a problem with crowd control!)
Overall, this album is a must listen. Its weird, melodic, timeless and big.
Two great movies that have featured songs from this album: Vincent Gallo's antihero masterpiece, Buffalo 66 (1998), and Alfonso Cuaron's dystopian science fiction film, Children of Men (2006). Check 'em out!
RATING: 5 Cat's Foot & Iron Claws out of a possible 5
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