My past experience with progressive rock is extremely slim. Sure, I've heard a fair share of songs by Pink Floyd and Rush, and even a few albums by other progressive rock and metal bands here and there. As a whole however, I know very little of the style that has hosted a ton of influential rock acts, including one of the genres biggest innovators, King Crimson.
So, because I feel like writing, and also because I feel like brushing up on my musical history, I figured I'd chronicle my first ever experience with King Crimson's critically acclaimed, iconic debut
In The Court of King Crimson.
21st Century Schizoid Man: I believe this is the only track on the album I'm familiar with. Although it's not even the King Crimson version that I know, as I remember Ozzy Osbourne covering the song on one of his mid 2000 releases, as well as the sampling of the chorus in Kanye West's
Power. Despite my familiarity, the track still manages to catch me off-guard, the angry distortion of the vocal's and guitar coupled with the use of the sax makes for a truly enjoyable experience. Not to mention the brilliant guitar solo and the freeform outro that really caught me off guard. If the rest of the album is this good, I'll be blown away.
I Talk to the Wind: A beautiful flute intro kicks off this track as well as the use of dual vocals. It seems as if the band has taken a step away from the high level of bluesy distortion on the previous cut. The flute solo in the middle of the track sounds familiar on this one as well, am I crazy for thinking I've also heard this sampled in a rap song? I don't know, maybe I've just heard something similar before. Nonetheless, the track is coming to a close and while I did enjoy it, I found it to be a tad disappointing after the fantastic opener.
Epitaph: Looks like the guitar is going to be featured a little bit more prominently on this track, glad to hear. Turns out the title of the track refers to "a phrase or statement written in the memory of a person who has died" which fits in incredibly well with the dystopian lyrics and methodically paced instrumentation throughout this one. It's definitely a dark song, but I'm digging it. At about four minutes in, it appears we're building to a big crescendo. The music is quiet and surrounded with ambience now, the pace even slower than before. Alright, it's now a couple minutes later and we're wrapping up. Very solid track, I'm not sold on the necessity of such a length, but the album has been great thus far nonetheless.
Moonchild: Speaking of massive songs, this one is a twelve minute epic, let's hope it makes the most of it. Early on we're getting some very quiet instrumentation hiding beneath Lake's vocals. It's giving off a really cool feeling, and now we're getting some eerie noise that I can't quite distinguish. A quick google search tells me it's a vibraphone, really cool stuff there. We're getting some more freeform improv, and I'm not exactly sure what to think. It's a cool concept, and I can see how it would be considered an influential moment, but I'm not much of a fan personally. It's been going on far too long and it's not amounting to a whole lot. This one quickly went from one of the best tracks on the album to hands down my least favorite cut.
The Court of the Crimson King: Onto the final song in the track listing which was actually the first single released from the album, and Wikipedia is telling me it's one of the band's two songs to chart in the US. Huh, I've actually heard this one before as well, although I don't remember much about it. It's promising early on thanks to the lush soundscape and incorporation of nearly everything we've heard previously throughout the project. If there's one thing worth praising King Crimson for, it's just how many instruments the five members are playing on each individual track. These guys have some serious proficiency with their instruments and the way they're able to write songs that incorporate so many different sounds is very impressive. The last few minutes of the song see's the climax of the track, only to have the band reappear to play for a few minutes longer. The melody of the track is great so it doesn't do any harm.
I can definitely see the influence and importance of King Crimson's debut release. Not only was it a great listen, but you can hear the band's passion and how the music they were creating on this record has had a huge impact on progressive music as a whole. While the length of the songs weren't always necessary in my opinion, it just comes down to not being the biggest fan of progressive rock as a whole (from what I've heard, at least.) I highly recommend the album for anyone else like me who has somehow managed to avoid one of the highest regarded prog albums ever recorded.
Favorite Tracks: 21st Century Schizoid Man, The Court of the Crimson King
Least Favorite Tracks: Moonchild
Rating: 4/5