Album
In The Court Of The Crimson King (An Observation By King Crimson)
1969 · Rock
174 collectors on Gatefold own this
In The Court Of The Crimson King (An Observation By King Crimson) is a Rock album by King Crimson, originally released in 1969. On Gatefold: 442 pressings tracked, owned by 174 collectors.
About
Often credited with anointing prog rock as a genre, King Crimson’s debut album remains an almost overwhelming statement of ambition and invention. Released just a year after the band’s 1968 formation in London, <i>In the Court of the Crimson King</i> closes out that most psychedelic decade by amplifying the heady intensity of everything that came before it—and throwing open the doors for everything that would come after. There could be no more fitting introduction than “21st Century Schizoid Man,” one of the wildest tracks of the ’60. Everything vital about early King Crimson is on full display: Robert Fripp’s nightmarishly cool guitar contours; Michael Giles’ intricate drumming; bassist/singer Greg Lake’s instant vocal swagger; lyricist Peter Sinfield’s poetic portent; and multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald’s surprise integration of jazz and classical tactic. Pack all of that into nearly eight minutes of buzzing tone, stubborn momentum, and roller-coaster dynamic shift, and you’ve got a rock band that’s ready to play in the same hothouse arena as free jazz—right down to McDonald’s tightly wound alto sax. Given that song’s bracing impact, it’s all the more fascinating to hear it immediately followed by the peaceable psych-folk ramble “I Talk to the Wind.” McDonald swaps out his piercing sax for breezy flute, and Lake’s vocal approach switches from eye-rolling menace to sleepy serenity, while the track’s medieval quality continues into the Mellotron-ripened “Epitaph.” As mellow as those two songs are by comparison to “Schizoid Man,” they still very much honor the album’s penchant for elaborate, suite-like structure. That’s just as pronounced on the 12-minute “Moonchild,” a ballad of eerie elegance that draws upon some of Sinfield’s most mind-bending imagery before almost disappearing into the ether during its ghostly noodling and offbeat percussive tic. As the Mellotron swoops back in for the closing title track, King Crimson has no trouble at all justifying the theatrical grandeur of the album’s long-winded name. .
via Apple Music
The Clerk says
The Clerk knows this whole record — the pressing quirks, the credits, the take.
Tracklist
Side A
- A121st Century Schizoid Man Including Mirrors6:52
- A2I Talk To The Wind5:40
- A3Epitaph Including March For No Reason And Tomorrow And Tomorrow8:30
Side B
- B1Moonchild Including The Dream And The Illusion12:09
- B2The Court Of The Crimson King Including The Return Of The Fire Witch And The Dance Of The Puppets8:48
Sound DNA
- Rock
- Prog Rock
- layered
- intense
- psychedelic
Credits
The people behind it.
Performers
- Greg LakeBAND , BASS GUITAR, LEAD VOCALS BASS BASS , STRINGS , ELECTRONICS
- Ian McDonaldALTO SAXOPHONE , FLUTE, CLARINET , BASS CLARINET, MELLOTRON , GRAND PIANO , ELECTRIC HARPSICHORD , VIBRAPHONE, RECORDER , ORGAN , PIPE , ELECTRONICS ALTO SAXOPHONE , FLUTE, CLARINET , BASS CLARINET, MELLOTRON , GRAND PIANO , ELECTRIC HARPSICHORD , VIBRAPHONE, RECORDER , ORGAN , PIPE , ELECTRONICS , REEDS, WOODWIND, KEYBOARDS, VOCALS ALTO SAXOPHONE , FLUTE, CLARINET , BASS CLARINET, MELLOTRON , GRAND PIANO , ELECTRIC HARPSICHORD , VIBRAPHONE, RECORDER , ORGAN , PIPE , OTHER
- Michael GilesBAND , DRUMS, PERCUSSION, VOCALS DRUMS DRUMS , TIMPANI
- Peter SinfieldPERFORMER , WORDS BY, OTHER
- Robert FrippBAND , GUITAR ELECTRIC GUITAR , ACOUSTIC GUITAR , OTHER , EFFECTS GUITAR
174 collectors on Gatefold own this · 442 pressings tracked on Gatefold
Start your shelf.
Track your pressings of In The Court Of The Crimson King (An Observation By King Crimson), get the Clerk's take, and see what the record is worth — free.
Start your shelf →Free forever. Works with 10 records or 10,000.