Lizard - 1970
Personnel:
Robert Fripp - Guitar, Mellotron, Keyboards.
Gordon Haskell - Bass, Lead Vocals.
Andy McCulloch - Drums.
Mel Collins - Saxophone, Flute.
Keith Tippet - Piano, Electric Piano.
Robin Miller - Oboe, Cor Anglais.
Mark Charig - Cornet.
Nick Evans - Trombone.
Peter Sinfield - Lyrics, VCS3 Synthesizer.
Jon Anderson - Guest Vocals On Track #5.
After 2 great albums... The band was already on the verge of coming to an end... Lake had bailed for ELP (Sinfield would eventually join them) and Michael Giles left along with his brother Peter... Leaving Fripp and Sinfield as the only original band members remaining.... Bringing in vocalist/bassist Gordon Haskell (an old classmate of Fripp who also guested on Cadence & Cascade), drummer Andy McCulloch and session musicians Robin Miller, Mark Charig and Nick Evans as the new blood... Fripp, Sinfield and co. set out to make a bold new record... Lizard is a drastic change in sound from ITCOTCK and ITWOP. While the classical and medieval influences are still present, here Crimson take in heavier influences from free form jazz and avant-garde music, resulting in a much more complex, aggressive and radical sound that KC would push even further with their following albums.... As Lakes official replacement, Haskell provided a very different feel to the music, a deep tenor, Haskell sang with conviction and a cynical, evil snarl... Impressive for a guy who openly disliked Sinfields lyrics, and wasn't exactly satisfied with the new direction the band decided to take on this album, hence why he left the band shortly after the albums completion, his contribution however is still a important factor here... Obviously by adding instruments like trombone, cornet, oboe and cor anglais (basically an oboe pitched in F) Crimson were going for an even thicker, lusher sound... This is also one of the first albums to incorporate the VCS3 Synthesizer, which bands like Pink Floyd, The Who, Hawkwind and Roxy Music would popularize in the future... While it's critical reception was mixed at the time and fans today are still devided when concerning the quality of this album... I personally consider it their strongest work after ITCOTCK and Red, they take the everything
including the kitchen sink method here, and it works.
1. Cirkus: An opener that rivals Schizoid Man, this is my personal favorite song on the album... Sinfields cirkus themed lyrics along with Haskells hushed verses and Fripps menacing mellotron theme that follows provide the surreal mood to this piece, with rich imagry... The accoustic guitar, saxophone and cornet solos add even more weight to this already overwhelming track, a very complex piece, and its only the first song... A difinete must hear.
2. Indoor Games: A odd, offbeat song with some of the most oblique, deliciously absurd lyrics Sinfield has ever written... Dominated by a thick, groovy riff of brass and a jazzy beat... Haskell (whose voice is distorted into oblivion) snarls like a drunken jester... A truly surreal song, with Fripps fusion style guitar and lots and lots of synth, brass and woodwind... Evans, Charig and Miller really shine here.
The songs most memorable moment is at the end, when Haskell breaks down into a demonic laugh drenched in reverb... This was not intentional, the song was suposed to end with just Haskell reciting the final lyric "Hey Ho"... Stupified, he began having a laughing fit, fine example of his distaste for Sinfields lyrics... Oddly enough, this version made the final cut.
3. Happy Family: Kicked off by bizarre synth noises, Haskells voice is even more distorted, like Indoor Games the song is goofy and playfull, but it ventures into more avant-garde territory, with a lot of underwater type effects... A very unusual song in structure, and i use the term
structure very loosely here... The instruments practically have a life of their own, clashing at one another at akward moments, creating a kind of off ballance effect, this is somewhat of a look foward to albums likes Larks Tongue In Aspic which would use this method and to great effect... The lyrics tell the tale of a band torn apart by conflicting egos, ironic considering Crimsons state by the time Lizard was finished, the characters Judas, Rufus, Silas and Jonah are obviously based on Paul, Ringo, George and John, their images are even seen surrounding the "I" on the album cover, which consists of the bands name (Crimson on the front, King on the back) written in large letters in medieval style font bearing images that represent certain songs on the album... Anyway, a great track.
4. Lady Of The Dancing Water: Being King Crimson, they gotta have the token medieval love song, no matter what... Lady Of The Dancing Water features some beautiful flute work from Collins... Here, Haskells vocals finally take a rest, singing in a soft breathy tone similar to that of Lake... The lyrics are as sweet as ever (if corny)... The mellowness of this song provides some much needed relief from the 16 minutes of pure mayhem that proceeded it.
5. Lizard: The magnum opus, this is the longest song King Crimson has ever done (over 23 minutes) and its their first truly epic piece of sorts, a prog suite broken down into 4 sections, with the third part being broke down into 3 sub-sections, pretentious?... Sure, why not??... If the vocals sound familar, its no coincidence, Yes man Jon Anderson lended his vocals for this track, though the song has very few spoken lyrics... The song has a very strong concept concerning a young prince who takes part in an epic battle, Yes themselves would explore a similar theme with The Gates Of Delirium, which displayed some noticable Crimson influence... This is a beautifully composed piece, with very little improv.
(A)- Prince Rupert Awakes: The story begins here, as the main character prepares for war... This section features the calm vocals of Anderson (his trademark Yes falseto is not to be heard here) and the music alternates between quite, ethereal verses and a upbeat, folksy chorus complete with handclaps... We finally come to the wordless chorale (which could represent the beggining of the battle, maybe?) which leads into the second section of the piece.
(B)- Bolero: As Andersons vocals slowly fade out, we're led to an instrumental section with bolero style drum snare lines and a rich harmony of brass and woodwinds, some great passages for cornet, oboe, trombone and piano... A great display of jazz style soloing, its easy to get lost in it... The oboe theme that opens and closes the piece is very powerful.
(C)- The Battle Of Glass Tears: The longest and most effective part of the suite, with 3 parts.
I - Dawn Song: As Bolero comes to a halt... We are led into a hypnotic theme on cor anglais quickly joined by Haskell's hushed vocals... The opening theme slowly fades back into the picture, now on mellotron, to haunting effect.
II - Last Skirmish: After the mellotron and drums kick in, Crimson go into overdrive with a brass leaden instrumental, with multiple solo passages for practically every instrument, flutes flying from one direction, saxes squeeling from another, guitars and basses roaring all over, mellotrons drifting in and out... Pure mayhem. This section represents the bloody battle at hand.
III - Prince Rupert's Lament: This section represents the aftermath... The music slows down, with drums and bass giving you the feeling like you're at a funeral, and Fripp churning out a bone chilling solo, which sounds like it was recorded from a freaking mountain top... This section represents death.
(D)- Big Top: As Prince Rupert's Lament fades out... We come to the final piece, which consists of a sped up sample of Cirkus, with strange effects added in... Providing a very creepy tone... Gives me goose bumps every time.... Could represent the afterlife maybe?... Dunno.
Aside from being a completely brillant piece of work, Lizard started the trend of very long prog epics (you could either love it or hate it for that), paving the way for pieces like Close To The Edge, Suppers Ready, Tarkus, Thick As A Brick, Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers and Shine On You Crazy Diamond.
Again, Lizard is a different change of pace for Crimson, those who loved ITCOTCK and ITWOP will have to take their time with this one, but it's well worth it.