MattA75's Full Review: In the Court of the Crimson King by King Crimson
I know precious little about the sub-genre of "prog-rock." This is by design. For the most part, I find the genre incredibly pretentious and insufferably boring. If I want to hear a band stretch out a song long past it's breaking point, I'll grab an Allman Brothers live disc or something.
In this way, my reviewing King Crimson is not unlike my write-off partner, pyfr, reviewing Hot Hot Heat. An open mind was needed by both of us in order to tackle our respective selections for each other. But while Brian enjoyed the modern pop/rock confections of Hot Hot Heat, I can't say the same for the prog-rock stylings of King Crimson's 1969 debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King.
Of the albums Brian picked out, I picked King Crimson because I was honestly curious about them, despite not really knowing anything about them. I knew they were still around, though had no idea that it wasn't anywhere close to the original lineup this record held. The main catalyst for all forms of the band is guitarist Robert Fripp. For this record, he was joined by Ian McDonald on mellotron, saxophone and keyboards, Greg Lake (would go on to have success in Emerson, Lake & Palmer) on vocals, and Michael Giles on drums. The lyrics were all written by a stagehand of the band named Peter Sinfield.
Despite having only five tracks, In the Court of the Crimson King clocks in at almost 44 minutes in length, making it longer than many of the records that come out today that contain a dozen or more tracks. Obviously this means each track is long and drawn out, with the shortest track, I Talk to the Wind, clocking in at over six minutes.
The record starts off strongly enough. 21st Century Schizoid Man has a buzzsaw of a guitar riff over a distortion laden vocal track. The saxophone blares with clarity, and the song has a very schizophrenic feel to it, which is obviously only appropriate. Fripp's guitar work has a very loose, jazzy feel, all the while keeping the song's rock edge.
The second song couldn't be more different. A sweeping, atmospheric ballad, I Talk to the Wind is very Beatles-esque. The use of flutes colors the song, and you may be surprised by what you hear. Part of this song has been used ad nauseum in movies and TV shows, probably because it is a really melodic and gorgeous piece.
After this point though, the disc falls apart. I guess it is only appropriate then that the song that signals this quick downfall is titled Epitaph. The song plods along with no real backbone or urgency. The band tries to create a mood but all they are really creating is an overwhelming feeling of boredom.
Despite that, I'd rather listen to Epitaph a million times over before subjecting myself to Moonchild again. At just over twelve minutes, it isn't the longest song on the record, it just feels that way. The band tinkers for 3/4 of the song, with no real point. There is nothing worse or more boring than a band that just sits there and tinkles away with no f*cking point at all.
The album closes with the wannabe majestic The Court of the Crimson King. While Fripp's guitar playing is nice, the rest of the song leaves much to be desired. Quite frankly, if not for Lake's vocal performance, this song would be complete trash.
As this review is a part of the fifth annual "I'll Show You Mine If You'll Show Me Yours" write-off that I host each year, I often wondered if I would sugarcoat things in order to spare the feelings of my partner. However, I can take comfort in the fact that in his own review of this very album, he says "In The Court of the Crimson King is an album that one could just as easily condemn as praise." As much as Brian praised this record, I must disagree. While it was surely an epic undertaking to produce something like this in 1969, ambition does not a great record make. All in all, this just ain't my thing.
2 stars.
For a full list of the write off participants/pairings, please visit my profile page by clicking here.
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