Starless (King Crimson, 1974)

Heartbreaking and double-faced. These are the only adjectives I can suggest right now to describe this song. Robert Fripp's guitar pierces the listener's heart with its bittersweet intro, soon reinforced by John Wetton's neat and warm vocals and, of course, by Mel Collins's guest sax. The beautiful melody flows like a majestic river, an emotional landslide.

 

...and if you badly like "Red", there is this 24-disc box set called

"The Road to Red" that could ineterest you (guitar not included).

 

Then the song changes and goes through an underground instrumental second part, dark and haunting, a challenging crescendo graced by Carl Palmer's creative percussions. A lancinating guitar and a jazzy section finish this long section and bring back the main theme twice: first in an acid (even pre-punk) version, then in fully symphonic garments. A feast to the ears and to the hearts, "Starless" is an outstanding way to close "Red", one of my favourite KC's albums ever and still stands up like a milestone in prog history.

Inner Garden Part I + Part II (King Crimson, 1995)

"Inner Garden" is the title of two very short songs King Crimson included in the album "Thrak". As I couldn't decide which one to post here, and as they are strictly linked, I put both in my collection. Many reviewers wrote that this (double) song proves how you can create a prog pearl having a very short duration time. Likely this is not the only evidence of that, but this music has got the special magic of King Crimson's dreamy songs, just like a "Starless" concentrate or an "Islands" abstract.

"Thrak" was the eleventh studio album by King Crimson.

Fripp's fairy sounds and Belew's suspended, almost immaterial vocals are a true emotional experience, an addicting one, I daresay. Adrian is also responsible for the lyrics describing a deep and reasonless sadness, reminding me of some morn and beautiful poems by Paul Verlaine. Fascinating, that's the word.

Elephant Talk (King Crimson, 1981)

Like it or not, this is a remarkable song in many ways. First of all, it's a keenly arranged song, based on Tony Levin's Chapman Stick and including the famous trumpeting elephant effect on Fripp's guitar on which the song was titled. It's an impressive (and mainly electronic) display of wall of sound, filled with pulsing energy and irregular rythms.The sung parts are almost yelled, adding more confusion to the puzzling big picture.

 

This song was also released as a 7" single b/w "Matte Kudasai".

A 12" single also exist including a third track, "Thela Hun Ginjeet".

 

The lyrics are actually relevant, being a collection of words naming linguistic interactions. Those are in alphabetical order, so that the first stanza only includes words beginning by A and so on until the fifth and final stanza, displaying words by E, like Elephant. The lyrics and the music both point up the redundacy and superficiality of verbal communication. Talk, talk, talk, it's only talk!

Fallen Angel (King Crimson, 1974)

Another KC pearl, this "Fallen Angel" comes from "Red", the last album by the band during the '70s. It's a diversified and rather melodic track including many weird passages that still please me today. Of course, John Wetton's vocals are perfect like some statues from Ancient Greece, but all the rest is an awesome collection of musical ideas, thick riffs, heartbreaking changes, electronic treats... should I say more?

 

The stunning trio: Bruford, Fripp & Wetton.

Oh yes, just this: no apocalyptic scenes or medieval princes here: the lyrics are about a boy convincing his younger Brother to join in the Hells Angelswith him and watching him dying in a subsequent fight. It sounds like a juvenile crime story, but it is more like poetry. Good poetry, I daresay.

I Talk to The Wind (King Crimson, 1969)

This blog is full of tracks coming from King Crimson's debut album, but I think such a masterpiece deserves even more than this. "I Talk to The Wind" is a long slow tempo, pastoral, hypnotic ballad I don't need to describe this one, as any prog fan knows it well. I'd like to say instead why I keep on listening to this song, 'cause there are several good reasons for that.

A press photograph for King Crimson's debut album.

First of all, Greg Lake's vocals, so imperturbable and out of this material world, then the woodwind coming in and out the song, just like the real wind Sinfield's lyrics are about. How could I describe the stillness, the ethereal mood of this track? And how could anyone explain the neatness and disarming beauty of the melody? Last but not least, a special mention to Michael Giles' drumming, so soft and effective. In short, I better like to listen once more to this track than to go on talking about it. All in all, I'd talk to the wind...

Red (King Crimson, 1974)

When it comes to a guitar driven progressive track, "Red" is my first choice. Not only this song is a thick, coherent, enthralling piece of music, but it also surprises me every time I listen to it. The abrupt change of time after the harsh intro, for instance, is simply stunning to me, as it is the bass guitar line supporting Robert Fripp's excellent riffs. This is the way a "hard prog" should be: intense and inticated, black and red.

For their seventh studio work, KC were a wonderful trio.

It never occured to me, in so many years and listenings, to stop this instrumental pearl before its natural end. I don't think it never will, as I enjoy each moment of "Red", from its guitar effects to its higly creative drumming (a certain Bill Bruford is responsible for that), from the sudden intro to the hidden bass cello droning around. In short, I adore "Red". And maybe I'm not the only one.

Matte Kudasai (King Crimson, 1981)

"Discipline" is essentialy made of up tempo songs, some of which featuring harsh sounds, Talking Heads inspiration and edgy guitars. It's also a prog album without keyboards (there are a few over the decades), but then Robert Fripp's guitars can virtually be any instrument you're waiting for. In this context, "Matte Kudasai", credited to the whole band, is a world of its own.

"Discipline" was the first album of the '80s incarnation of KC.

Slow and suspended, this track almost depicts the waiting atmosphere suggested by its title (Matte Kudasai is "Please Wait" in Japanese) and was also released as a single b/w "Elephant Talk", but in a slightly different version, more recently included in the 40th anniversary remix edition of "Discipline". The seagull effect, twice heard during the song, comes from a Belew's guitar effect and his vocals are simply perfect, so outspread and - in the same time - always under control. The slide guitar leads a song that seems like waves flowing through the ocean or better like inner waves echoing into a human soul. Definitely, slow doesn't necessarily mean relaxing.

Lizard (King Crimson, 1970)

"Lizard" is a 23 minutes suite, the title track of King Crimson's third album... and I scarcely have to explain why I put it here. Anyway, let's try. First things first: the first movement, called "Prince Rupert Awakes", is the main reason why I immedfiatelt liked this track. Jon Anderson sings this slow and hypnotic ballad like an angel, maybe an acid one, but still an agel. The following "Bolero - The Peacock's Tale" adds the magic of wind instruments to the previous beautiful theme, then comes the long and intellectual deconstuction of the melody.

King Crimson in their "Lizard" line-up (1970).

In fact, I must admit, "The Battle of The Glass Tears" is a very hard to catch part, with its free jazz moments and the fragments of melodies mixed with some jamming riffs. But this is also its charm: after a while, you litterally see the music melting before your very eyes (or ears?) and flowing away like tears. The arcane finale brings back the magic for a while, but it sounds now like black magic, a sweet, addicting poison. Very few suites played a more inspiring role than "Lizard" and for a reason. Better: for many reaons.

21st Century Schizoid Man (King Crimson, 1969)

One of the most influential prog songs ever, no doubt. Even if I better like the pastoral side of the first KC album, I can't denie this is creative rock music at its height. The main riff is simply stunning and I consider it as the bridge joining the psychedelic and the synphonic banks of the late 60s rock 'n' roll. The chaotic appearance of the track fades away with a more careful listening and reveals a well structured architecture and an original melody.

 

"21st Century" was also released as a 7" single along with

"Epitaph", but only in 1976.

More than this, this song is a strong, raging attack against the alienating world of the modern era and especially against war, a theme you'll also find elsewhere in the album. Sure, the track isn't for the faint of heart, with its abrupt changes, distorted sounds and jazzy cameos... it's an adventurous song, full of musical details and each time one listens to this it's like listening to a new song. The magic of prog, I suppose.

One Time (King Crimson, 1994)

I'm in love with this song since I first listened to. It exists in two different studio versions, the first one coming from the "Vroom" EP (1994) and the second one available in the album "Thrack" (1995). As I equally like both, I let you decide wich is your favourite one. For me, I think the "Vroom" version is warmer and I really like the sung part arrangements, while the "Thrack" one is lighter and features a more finished instrumental section. But this is just my humble opinion.

The unfolded booklet of the "Vroom" EP.

For sure, you'll find an outstanding melody in this song: both verse and chorus are so well written that I can't stand re-listening to the track two or three times in a row, something I rarely do. Adrian Belew's vocals are clean and definite as usual, let alone the rest of the band's performance (Levin, Bruford, Fripp, Gunn  and Mastellotto... kind of a wonder team!). Getting more and more experimental and metal, during the '90s the Crimson King never forgot to offer at least one or two "traditional" songs in each album. And they did very, very well. 

Prelude: Song of The Gulls (King Crimson, 1971)

I'm always charmed by this orchestral track I consider a masterpiece. The structure, the arrangement and the instrumentation are those of a classical composition, elegant, peaceful and admirably balanced between strings and wind instruments. Rock music seems completely absent here, but please don't forget progressive rock is a hybrid genre, living and growing up tearing down the walls we sometimes build up in our minds. So, this Robert Fripp's sweet and relaxing melody could have been a rock ballad or an acoustic guitar solo, and maybe it was at first. 

A fashionable Robert Fripp.

But it isn't now, of course, and Fripp offers us this crystal machinery, this delicate clockwork belonging to a higher and lighter world I get lost in. Last but not least, this song is a Prelude, introducing the title track of "Islands", another masterpiece you may read about in this blog, so that the suspended atmosphere and the pointed rythm of "Song of The Gulls" counter-balances the gloomy and inner following song. Once again, well done!

Cadence And Cascade (King Crimson, 1970)

In the second King Crimson's album, "In The Wake of Poseidon", a curious listener will find almost everything: from slow ballads to long instrumental and experimental tracks. This "Cadence And Cascade" belongs to the first category, being a beautiful and rather pastoral song, sung by Gordon Haskell in a soft tone reminiscent of Greg Lake's performances. This mellow and acoustic track always carries me away in a calm, far dimension.

Tammo de Jong's "12 Archeotypes" features on the album cover.

A flute, a piano, a gentle guitar and, of course, all the cymbals you can imagine fill this song of muffled sounds, giving a decadent and hypnotic countenance to the whole composition. But the sweetness of this music shouldn't lead the listener into error: this is not a trivial melodic song, as the clever arrangement and the richness of the instrumentation suggest. See how the vibraphone comes in to emphasize the chorus melody, listen to the slightly dissonant piano scales, enjoy the flute variations... dear, this is a prog masterpiece!

The Court of The Crimson King (King Crimson, 1969)

This song from King Crimson's debut album is now considered a cornerstone of the progressive rock building, so it's difficult to write about it: all has been said, all has been stated. Nonetheless, as this masterpiece Always inspires me, I have to add it here. A Mellotron driven song, "The Court" also includes in its 9'25" of length two delicious instrumental passages, called "The Return of The Fire Witch" and "The Dance of The Puppets".

King Crimson in 1969.

The magniloquent intro of each verse and the choral arrangements of the chorus make a delectable contrast with the soft interludes ang give to this track its well known musical affluence. Pete Sinfield's lyrics describe a medieval realm suspended in an alarming balance between ceremonial etiquette and inner sorrow. For these reasons and many Others "The Court" is one of the finest pearls of early prog era and, I daresay, of the whole rock history.

Exiles (King Crimson, 1973)

In 1973, King Crimson released "Larks' Tongues in Aspic" with a largely renewed line-up and also a new lyricist, Richard Palmer-James, to substitute Pete Sinfield. The new album - unfortunately the only one  including Jamie Muir's creative percussions - included this song, definitely one of those King Crimson's tracks that carry the listener to Neverland.

Here's KC's line-up for "Larks' Tongues in Aspic".

Slow and dreamy, reminiscent of the early sound of the band, featuring pastoral and spiritual lyrics, this track is really a treat. Robert Fripp's filtered guitar seems to come from a mysterious underworld, David Cross graces the song with his striking violin, let alone the usual profound vocals by John Wetton. I know many King Crimson fans better like other songs from this albums, more experimental and more complex, but I can't help loving the melancholic mood surfacing here and there in the band's production. I'm really unfashionable...

Islands (King Crimson, 1971)

This is what I call a superb song. A very long, slow, deep, melting track, written in a pensive mood and featuring a really beautiful melody. Here I always breathe a foggy air with a scent of infinite, like a distant horizon or an endless sea, a calm and slightly sad atmosphere. Apparently relaxing, this music is also quietly nervous, if not alarming when the mellotron whispers its theme.

UK's gatefold edition inside drawing:

"Earth, stream and tree encircled by sea..."

Every time I listen to this, I also feel like thinking over me, my life, my destiny. This is not strange, 'cause Peter Sinfield's lyrics protray human individual lives like separate islands seeking profound and mysterious links, so that "Islands join hands 'neathe heaven's sea". One of those songs you must listen to before it's too late.

Epitaph (King Crimson, 1969)

According to many critics and handbooks, this is where it all began. Well, not the track itself, maybe, but its album, "In The Court of The Crimson King", the 1969 King Crimson's debut masterpiece, would be the first truly prog rock album. True or false, I always get a thrill when Greg Lake begins: "The wall on which the prophets wrote..."; his voice is still and sad, like a wise man without hope. The airy melody, the perfect dialogue between keyboards and guitar, the essential and clear percussions, the prophetic lyrics by Peter Sinfield... there's all I need to fall in love with a prog song.

Poor Barry Godber...

...and his cover art for King Crimson's debut album.

Two instrumental interludes called "March for No Reason" and "Tomorrow And Tomorrow" enrich the flavour of this tasty dish, but there is another special feature, that's the cover art, a milestone in prog rock history. I can't help staring at the schizoid man and also at the crimson king inside the gatefold cover. From this moment on, the greatest prog music will always be linked to its album art, but if I had to find the strongest connection, well, I'm sure I'd choose this record. Such a pity, the very young author of these drawings, Barry Godber, was going to die a year after the release of his masterpiece. So I daresay, this "Epitaph" is for him too.

Starless (King Crimson, 1974)

This long and cosmic ballad is one of my favs in King Crimson's production. Dark and moving, featuring a Robert Fripp's heartbreaking solo guitar, this track is the living proof that sobriety and romance can get along very well. I admit this is not a song for downhearted people, but the lyrics are fascinating, sung by John Wetton's wonderful and imperturbable voice.

King Crimson in concert during the '70s



When I need a pint of sweet melancholy, I turn off the lights and put on "Starless". And I see planets rolling in a doom universe... and I like it.