Hammering em' out.
Album: In the Court of the Crimson King
Artist: King Crimson
Genre: Progressive Rock
Suggested by: TechnicLePanther
Familiarity: I've heard the whole thing before, but only a couple songs more than once.
1. 21st Century Schizoid Man - A bit of noise at the start, and then right into it. The main riff is awesome, supplemented by some epic sax. And then the famous distorted vocals come in. The lyrics are awesome. After a couple go-arounds, we're launched into the wild section of the song. Giles percussion lays down the feel, Lake's awesome bass enhances the funkiness, and Fripp's wild guitar playing ties everything together. Ian McDonald's woodwinds are the icing on the cake. This song is frickin' awesome. Back into the vocal section one more time, and in typical Crimson fashion, there's a huge buildup to a short ending. Amazing.
2. I Talk to the Wind - The lyrics to this song are extremely famous, and deservedly so. The jazzy feel of this one is awesome. I especially love the harmonics on the guitar. This song is also amazing.
3. Epitaph - This album is absolutely beautiful, and this song is a testament to that statement. The almost orchestral compositions are incredibly atmospheric and mellow, and Lake's vocals are appropriately emotional. Then the acoustic guitar comes in, and I'm in heaven. The small section near the middle with only guitar is almost as beautiful as the solo from "Is There Anybody Out There?" (if you have to ask, I'll tell you. But seriously, just look it up and pretend you knew the whole time). Nevertheless, this track is great. Great lyrics, great melody, great accompaniment. So far, this album is on a track to a perfect score from me.
4. Moonchild - Also beautiful, and much darker than the other tracks. It's still great, but in terms of composition, it's a bit of a blemish. It's experimental big time, but I'm not sure it really fits with the rest of the album either, or even the rest of the song. I get that it's trying to be atmospheric and all, but it doesn't totally do it for me, especially closer to the middle. Can the last track pull the album back to a 10/10?
5. In the Court of the Crimson King - Yes. This song is awesome from the start. The composition is great. The songwriting is great. The execution is great. Everything about this song is great. It's just... that good. I love this song so much.
This album is a work of art. It's certainly not perfect, however, as the fourth song wasn't quite as good as the others. Still, this album merits a great rating.
OVERALL RATING: 9.5/10