Easy money (King Crimson) (LP 2942 - 2948)

King Crimson  In The Court Of The Crimson King (Vinyl - 2 copies, Island and Vertigo Records, 1969) *****  

King Crimson  Epitaph Volumes One & Two (2CD, Virgin Records, 1970) *** 

King Crimson  In The Wake Of Poseidon (CD, Virgin Records, 1970) ****  

King Crimson  Lizard (Vinyl, UMG Music, 1970) ****  

King Crimson  Lark's Tongue In Aspic (CD, Virgin Records, 1973) ***** 

King Crimson  Red (CD, Island Records, 1974) *** 

King Crimson  Beat (Vinyl EG Records, 1982) **** 

Genre: Prog rock

Places I remember: Real Groovy, Spellbound Wax Company (Lizard)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Epitaph (In The Court Of The Crimson King)

Gear costume: Exiles (Lark's Tongue In Aspic)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4

Active compensatory factors: The band and their catalogue are not for the faint hearted. Line-ups, the complex music, the albums, reissues, archive material - all labyrinthine in the extreme.

I have quite a few King Crimson albums, but I am really just scratching the surface.

Formed in London in 1968 by leader Robert Fripp with Michael Giles (drums), Greg Lake (bass and vocals), Ian McDonald (various horns, flute and keyboards) and the lyricist - Peter Sinfield, it was a great start with In The Court Of The Crimson King (1969) - still their most commercially successful album.

It's a five star classic all the way. First song 21st Century Schizoid Man was the kind of noisy thing the band would expand upon later but for now it's that and some beautiful songs that never get old. I don't care how many times I hear Epitaph - it's gorgeous song.

The album called Epitaph Volumes One & Two is a collection of stuff from 1969 - BBC radio sessions and live at Fillmore East and Fillmore West. The set includes 3 different versions of 21st Century Schizoid Man, and 3 Epitaphs, plus other tracks. 

In The Wake Of Poseidon was their second album and the last with Greg Lake before he formed Emerson Lake & Palmer. It starts out with a big noisy moment again and then settles into some quieter songs, including Cat Food (a single) before ending with a bolero style ambient piece. Weird, and very King Crimson.

The third studio album was Lizard, also in 1970. The guys were prolific, as was the turnover in musicians already. It gets pretty crazy and I'm not about to unravel it here.

I love a lot of Lizard - it's willfully experimental and truly progressive in its approach. The packaging is also superb. I bought a re-released version and the vinyl version is the only way to go!

Lark's Tongue In Aspic was released in 1973. It lulls you into a false calm before launching into brutal riffs that shake the foundations. Its tension amid the freeform experimentation is delicious! This is a key album in the band's catalogue as, roughly, the third incarnation of the band gets underway.

This is the formation responsible for the great Lark's Tongue In Aspic (is there a better title to an album ever?): Fripp; John Wetton (bass, vocals); Bill Bruford (drums); David Cross (keyboards, strings, flute); Jamie Muir (percussion). A five star classic!

I've written about two albums elsewhere - Earthbound and Starless and Bible Black, so next up is Red.

Red breaks with tradition and actually has Fripp and two other Crims on the cover! Shock horror!! John Wetton and Robert Fripp are almost smiling for goodness sake!  Bill Bruford remains cool and impassive as great drummers do.  

This one is noisier and more hyper than previous albums so it's not one I reach for especially.

Beat, however, is cool in a Talking Heads kind of funky way. The title reflects the interest in the so-called Beat Poets from San Francisco, so there is a lyrical unity to the album and that helps!

Where do they all belong? Definitely a cornerstone of the progressive rock world. King Crimson stand apart from the other titans, inhabiting their own distinct world.

We'll let you know (King Crimson) (LP 302-303)

King Crimson Earthbound (Vinyl - Island, 1972) ***
King Crimson Starless And Bible Black (CD - Island, 1974) ***

Genre: Progressive rock  

Places I remember: Earthbound came from Flashback Records on the Essex Road, close to Upper Street, Highbury/Islington, while Starless And Bible Black came from JB HiFi in Palmerston North, NZ.  

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: 21st Century Schizoid Man (live version from Earthbound). I couldn't find that one youtube so here's a brilliant version featuring Greg Lake on vocals.




Gear costume: The Great Deceiver (Starless And Bible Black)  

Active compensatory factors: Old friends,Margo and Clay, clued me into these albums back in the early eighties. They gave me a coverless copy of Earthbound and I listened with open mouthed awe to the scungy, ragged version of 21st Century Schizoid Man.

Although two years apart, in my brain these albums are closely aligned. Most of Starless is based on live material, albeit better recorded than the brutal lowfi approach of Earthbound. But that too has its own charms.

Forty years later and KC's prog rock still astounds.

Where do they all belong? My KC collection is patchy - I have their first two albums featuring Greg Lake and these two. Their catalogue is quite daunting!

Open your eyes (Asia) (LP 36)

Asia Alpha (Vinyl - Geffen Records, 1983) ****

Genre: Progressive Rock

Places I remember: Real Groovy in Queen Street, Auckland. 

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Don't Cry (the first track side one, when John Wetton's vocals start you know all is right with the world). The cheesy Indiana Jones style video should be in a time capsule somewhere!




Gear costume: The Heat Goes On.

Active compensatory factors: Ah, supergroups...sigh. Sometimes they disappoint but often they are AMAZING.

My top 10:

• Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young
• Emerson, Lake, and Palmer
• Cream
• The Traveling Wilburys
• The Plastic Ono Band
• Golden Smog
• Flying Colors
• Chickenfoot
• West Bruce and Laing
• Asia

That first Asia album was pretty special. Similarly, Alpha, their second album, is a worthy addition to the sub genre of supergroup albums.

Asia's pedigree is damn impressive. Members came from bands like Yes, King Crimson, Emerson Lake and Palmer. Together they made a smoothly commercial brand of progressive rock.

John Wetton's voice alone is worth the entry price but the songs themselves are catchy and challenging enough to warrant your sustained interest.

Given all that, I can forgive the slick eighties production sensibilities. Do try it!

Where do they all belong? Yes (the Geoff Downes version), King Crimson (the early records), Emerson Lake and Palmer (the ones that Greg Lake sings on).