Larks' Tongues In Aspic

estuvo psicodélico

Not my favorite prog band, but still a fan.

It insists upon itself.

eh, not my thing

I have heard of the name King Crimson - but don't believe I have ever listened to any of their stuff. Excited to see what this has going for it. Interesting reading the Wikipedia page while listening and jumping into Robert Fripp's page. He has played guitar as a guest musician on many other songs by many other artists that I love - such as David Bowie and Peter Gabriel. Also, in my review of Blondie's album (Parallel Lines) on here, I had even noted that the song "Fade Away and Radiate" was the best / most interesting song on that album and it seemed to be because of the guest guitarist who was Robert Fripp. So, I have listened to him many times over the years without realizing it! First song starts out with 3 minutes of random noises. There are a few moments where it's interesting, but it's not really a song I want to listen to again. It kind of feels like a bunch of random ideas smooshed together. I dig the 5 song run of "Book of Saturday", "Exiles", "Easy Money", "The Talking Drum", and "Larks' Tongues In Aspic, part 2". Basically, I like the whole album after the first song. On "The Talking Drum" the first few minutes or so is very quiet with some very faint drumming and bass to be heard - but I love the way it builds after that. That 2-3 minutes was my least favorite part of those 5 songs - because it was barely audible. Upon repeated listenings - and using headphones on the 3rd listen - I like these 5 songs even more. Still never got into the first song. Wow - this was a great surprise - thanks 1001 Albums for the recommendation! Liked songs on Spotify: 5/6 Rating: 4/5

So I want to start on the positives. The first of those being; the cover is great. Really sharp and original cover that might have gotten my hopes alittle too high, or at the very least it gave me the incorrect expectations. I legitimately thought this was gunna be a more Latin focus album or even Brazilian or something in that vein. It didn’t really go in that direction at all. The other positive is the super long psychedelic title tracks part 1 and 2 are the best parts of the whole album. There’s just so much going on in those songs to be entertained by. The first one has this really cool xylophone sounding opening, and the second one is kinda heavy and pounding. But that unfortunately leads me to the negatives. And that’s just that the heart and meat of the album was underwhelming and felt like filler compared to the opening and closing title tracks. So as a whole I was kinda bored because the vocals are underwhelming and those middle tracks just didn’t interest me, but they did manage to open and close the album on a good note.

A bit too much crimson chaos your majesty.

I thought I'd really like this, but I didn't.

Weird and interesting. Good for working to, but a little too weird to just listen.

It ain’t for me. Too jammy and too prog.

some tracks i really enjoyed, others i found to stressful

Quite wierd

Enjoyed the progginess of this one.

King krimson Larks tongue in aspic. I enjoyed this- was into king krimson in high school but never heard this one. I had some of the songs on a live album from the 90’s and they sound really different. Bill bruford and Fripp are so awesome and their playing is so unique and unconventional. Loved the bombastic progginess of the two larks tongues. They start to develop the kinda sounds and grooves that they perfected on Discipline. I hope we get that album or some of the other 80’s albums with Tony Levin. This sounds like a kind of a transitional album from 60’s folky stuff and heavier 70’s and weirder 80’s stuff. Book of Saturdays and Exiles were my least favorite- I prefer the instrumental parts. John Wetton was my least favorite singer they had and the violin and percussion are cool but I could do without it. Easy money was cool too. Tough to rate- I’d probably say 4 personally because I’d skip a couple tracks but maybe a 5 in this list because of influence and comparison to things like the offspring and germs.

I liked some aspects and appreciated the originality of this. The singing kind of ruined some of it for me, i wish it was all instrumental. I dont know this band but id kind of like to hear later projects, i could see them evolving in a cool way. It was kind of a journey but at the end i didnt feel like it made much of an impression. Idk how to rate it. 2/3

The drums were really bothering me and then the talking drum song really solidified my rating

Encore du rock dissonant prétentieux... Mais encore moins agréable

Oui, c’est bien joué, c’est très technique, très progressif mais ça ne m’a pas trop touché … ça manque de voix

Plutôt sympa et original j'aime bien

What a pretentious waste of time. Couldn’t be bothered to finish it - my wife listened and suggest I not share with anybody else

you'd have to be high on your own farts to release this

Not often that a rock album starts w a 13 minute cut that’s entirely instrumental - love the ambition and the artistry, but the breadth and the segues outstrip any sense of coherence or emotional impact

King Crimson are clearly an acquired taste but I have been unable to acquire it in the time available.

???????? Noooooo come onnn

I liked this more than some prog - at least they're not all falling over themselves to squeeze their solo in (yes, I'm talking about you, Yes), but it's ultimately an average imitation of Pink Floyd.

Ich werde mir KC nicht warm...

Ég hefði viljað hafa hana betri.

The only thing keeping this from being a 5 is talking drum being too long for its lack of change other than just getting louder. 4.5 but I gotta boost the ratings

I was fully prepared to write this one off. Having listened to "In the Court of the Crimson King" many times, I thought I had heard all that King Crimson has to offer. It that's their best album then surely the rest of their catalogue is pretty middling prog rock. The first track surprised me by starting with some moody atmospheric tinkering with the most prominent elements being the dissonant string section. When the requisite guitars come in, they are noisier and more chaotic than anything I had heard from them before. Okay, maybe this band has more to offer than I thought. Unfortunately, the middle of the album suffers a little bit of the same problem as ITCOTCK. Between the killer two-part composition that opens and closes it, a lot of what's between is fairly forgettable. "Book of Saturday" and "Exiles" aren't terribly interesting, but the band makes up for them a bit with the next two tracks. But then they wrap it up with part 2 of "Larks' Tongues," and my god, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It starts with a heavy metal riff and driving beat that gradually builds to an onslaught of cacophony of screeching guitars and drums all over the place. If King Crimson has this in their catalogue, maybe I need to do a deeper dive

There's some good parts, but it's really mixed and the vocals are just bad. A couple of songs are great.

I catch the influence of King Crimson in some of my favorite artists but that doesn't neccessarily mean that I actually enjoy any of their work. While I appreciate the unbelievable talent that every member has on their instruments it always feels like a not very well thought out tossed salad. Yeah, yeah... thats the point. Thing is even if the elements that actually work are spaced out and only a few seconds long those bits and peices are brilliant. I just wish they put those gems together to make one beatiful peice of jewelery instead of the equivalent of "fuck it, throw it all out there and something will stick. Once that sticks we will ignore it and go in a completely different direction." Again, I know thats the point. It isn't supposed to fit in a neat commercially viable pile of loveliness. This as well as all of their work is interesting though. A large portion of the albums on this list don't have that going for them.

Spastic, then boring. I don't get it.

King Crimson is weird. This album is chaotic nonsense. Just when you find some form of groove that's not half bad, they do something seemingly on purpose to ruin it.

I can appreciate this album for being well made, but I don't think I can say I really enjoy it. There's a lot of art going into it, but some art just isn't for everyone, y'know? I feel like the people who look at Rothko paintings and say, "I don't get it."

I'd love this if it had less serious vibes

There seems to have been a lot of effort put into this for not much product. Most of it was mixed so low I could hardly hear it, then there would be a loud part that made me turn it down further.

Every time King Crimson went into the studio to record, they delivered a masterpiece. Each one was unique, but each one was extraordinary.

I’m not convinced that it’s music. But whatever it is, I kinda fw it.

Another prog rock album. Not sure how many prog rock albums I actually have to listen to before I die anymore. They are all staring to blend together at this point. I listened to this less than 18 hours ago and nothing really stands out in my memory either way on it.

Too slow for me.

Some of it was OK but mostly too much for me. 2.5

Strange and abstract, per usual with KC. Not a bad listen for working around the house though. Strings were interesting. 2.5/5

Prog rock really can be a chore to listen to sometimes. And this one definitely falls into that category. In fact, one reviewer from Rolling Stone said: “You can't dance to it, can't keep a beat to it, and it doesn't even make good background music for washing the dishes.” That pretty much sums it up.

Parts of this are awesome. When that guitar kicks in on the first song (I think it was the first song) I’m like hell yeah! But the rest I found very meh. We’ve had one other King Crimson album and apparently I liked that. Can’t do I found this as approachable. Writing this a few days after listening and can’t say a whole lot other than I remember it either disappearing into the background and struggling to get through a few parts. 2.25

I enjoyed parts of this album... I don't mind some experimentation but this was a bit much for me. I probably rated Crimson King a little high based on 21st century schizoid man, so I am going to balance it out with a lower rating here... 2.5/5

Pretty good for the background

Toilet noise

Not another another fucking prog rock record were my initial thoughts but then I actually kind of liked it in particular Robert Fripps guitar…

this album sounds to me what I imagine my gf hears listening to in the court (aka, not good) Would I listen again: no Deserves to be on this list: they aren't that cool 3.2

Why is the sun looking at me like that? 4/5

really couldnt get my arms around this one. felt like too much bullshit, not enough actual music

Differently to other King Crimson projects, this feels as it got older and outdated. It's a slow burn, that never really delivers. An unkept promise.

The title track bookend instrumentals are the real standouts. King Crimson peaked in the earlier albums but you can always count on Fripp and co. for a good time.

Jazz, but if it was rock

This album is definitely creative and experimental, especially at the time it was released. But i had a hard time enjoying it.

Very peculiar album…. I am not used to it. The auditory experience relies solely on the instruments and not vocals… instrumental rock in a fashion that I am not accustomed to whatsoever. However, I appreciate how different the album is. I found that, for the most part, the second half of each song after the build up was better than the first half

I think this album is not bad. It has some depth but it also requires more time and patience to appreciate. It’s not good and actually very far away from being perfect. I think I know what they tryna do, but I also can’t think of a better way to deliver the same message. I think it fits perfectly into sword art online. So I’m actually debating if I should give it a five. It’s an extremely exotic thing but also been dissected very nicely so people can see through and will thus find it easier to accept. That’s a magical moment. It turns “weirdness” into multiple pieces of “differences”. Kinda like it. Will give it a five I think.

rough album to get through, in my opinion. not a ton going on - and mostly just sounded like... well... sounds

I listened to this Friday and all I remember about it is that it wasn’t the worst.

Listened on Friday. Completely forgot everything by Monday. Guess it wasn't that memorable.

Not my thing, but interesting

Mind melting prog goodness. Maybe a little too melty for casual listening.

fine, but probably would have been more enjoyable if I were ripping stoned. 3/5.

Not for me. I’m sure the talented musicians had a great jam putting this together but I found the self-indulgence boring.

I made it through one King Crimson album already. I really tried with this one, but damn...I just...can't.

Very cool prog rock!

No fire witch being summoned? Then no thank you sir.

When I was in high school, I was really taken in by progressive rock. But with time, the very qualities that I once found praise-worthy have generally turned into my least favorite aspects of the genre: the show-offy-ness, the pretension, the sense that the band think they're better than me. It's doesn't make you clever to think you "get it." But Larks' Tongues in Aspic is the exception. My high school Latin teacher recommended it to me, and I bought a CD of it the first chance I had. I found it breathtaking then, and despite the intervening years and changes of opinion, I found myself loving all the twists and turns it takes when I listened to it today. My first King Crimson album, and still my favorite.

I'm not sure it will go into heavy rotation but there were some great passages in here.

Not the biggest King Crimson fan, but this throughly weird album did win me over in the end. Certainly no 'In The Court Of...' but one of the better prog entries on this list.

8+ / 10

I actually yelled out “please make it stop”. I hate this album and I hate the time I wasted on it.

Yes it’s pretentious but I actually found this really enjoyable. Reminded me of Pink Floyd but didn’t sound like a copy

Opening track hits. By "hits", it both goes hard, and when the distorted guitar comes on, it sounds LOUD and hits like a wall

<Inbetweeners_TooJazzy.gif> I like prog, but I prefer when it leans towards the rock end of the spectrum rather than the jazz end, and opening track is a little bit too jazzy for me. The rest of the album balances it out, and overall it’s ok, but I’m not likely to pull it out again.

Whoa, somebody effectively turned my ADHD into a linear listening experience. Thanks, I fucking hate it.

I wanted to like this more. The songs each started well but all tend to drift in a loose rock jam that didn't really do anything for me. I'm listening to it at the same time as Tangerine Dream and unfortunately it pales in comparison.

Lark’s Tongues in Aspic I really like Pt 1, there’s a beautiful Vaughan Williams-esque feel to the strings and a great atmosphere of pastoral progginess. And the intro is _very_ Radiohead, and indeed the whole album feels like a huge influence on them across OK Computer and Kid A. Easy Money I was less interested in, feeling a little more like standard early 70s prog in its polished but going nowhere lengthiness. The Talking Drum is excellent though, the middle eastern motif in combination with the bass is great, and I like Fripp’s guitar snaking around the song, and although it doesn’t deviate a great deal its a really engaging track. Pt 2 has a nice dramatic muscle to its groove and again the strings and fiddles are great, giving it a nice sense of both dreaminess and earthiness. Overall I enjoyed this more than a lot of prog. Although Easy Money didn't do a great deal for me I like that it's 4 songs over 40 minutes, the songs benefiting from that length, particularly Pt 1 and Pt 2 as they unfold and move through their phases. Fripp’s guitar is also great throughout, his tone is recognisable, and he has a nice languidness, and although it features prominently across the labrum it doesn’t feel overplayed to me. It’s between a 3 and a 4, I'll tip to 4 as I did enjoy it a lot. 🪼🪼🪼🪼 Playlist submission: Lark’s Tongues in Aspic Pt 1

I've found myself having a creeping affection for prog rock when it has some substance (Yes, Genesis, Jethro Tull). Then there's the avant-garde instrumentals of Can and Faust - and this album feels somewhere in between all that , with a heavy dose of classical and eastern influence to boot. The opener is like a gripping murder mystery theme, laced with classical influences. 'The Talking Drum' is pretty unique too, taking nearly four minutes to fade in and exploring Middle Eastern-sounding scales against a droning bass hook to create something hypnotic. It's an inventive album, ever shifting through musical movements and moods. Certain parts work better than others, but part of the fascination is going along with it. It doesn't quite have the naive charm of 'Future Days', but a captivating album nonetheless.

I get it but I don’t like it

This is one of the somewhat stranger ones of theirs to listen to but there are some good metally parts too.

Vocally, it sounds a bit like second-rate Pink Floyd, but instrumentally it's actually pretty interesting! I'm totally not prog enough for it, but my time doesn't feel wasted like I expected from getting a King Crimson album I've hardly ever heard anyone talk about.

"Ripply things" ... a Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, Primus, Led Zep noodly prog rock soup.

O jee, experimentele muziek. Of wacht, gelukkig, ze gaan raggen op de gitaar. Helaas, toch weer experiment, met een of andere viool. En daarna blijft het vaag. Vooral bij de sectie percussie is de kist met gekke instrumentjes goed leeggehaald. Nou, leuk hoor. Om nog even te pesten zitten er aan het eind van track 5 nog een boel hoofdpijnverwekkende krijsgeluidjes. Vogelgekwetter, gelach, een fluitketel, weet ik het allemaal, het is nu echt letterlijk piepjanknormuziek. Het heeft enige curiositeitswaarde, maar verder hoeft het voor mij echt niet. Maak gewoon muziek, jongens.

Veel gepingel en gerommel. Om een beeld te geven: Wiki meldt tussen de instrumenten dat iemand de 'verschillende gevonden voorwerpen' bespeelt. Ik heb het wel eerder geuit. Eigenlijk heb ik grote waardering als je daarmee muziek maakt die naar de achtergrond weet te zakken. The talking drum is exemplarisch. De hoofdmelodie brengt me naar een oude Aziatische speelfilm. Daar kan ik het geluid van een irritante vlieg nog wel in plaatsen. Maar wat doet de didgeridoo-achtige lage brom daar? Toch maakt die het af. Ik zal het niet snel nog eens opzetten. Maar vond dit geinig om eens te doorleven.

King Crimson is een progrock-dinosaurier. Ik hoor er dan ook elementen van Yes en Pink Floyd in ("Easy Money" bijv), maar ook de gekkigheid van een Primus. Het andere album dat we nog moeten krijgen is de klassieker, dit is zo te horen een stuk experimenteler. Ik vind het soms wel gaaf, soms ietwat slaapverwekkend. Het is zo'n album dat je op het ene moment een stuk beter verteerd dan op het andere misschien. Ik heb het nu 2x aangezet tijdens het werk (want daar luister ik vnl deze lijst) en wat me wel beide keren opvalt, is dat het me niet zo opvalt allemaal. Af en toe hoor je een stukje omdat het bijv ineens wat steviger gaat in de gitaren, maar verder gaat het geruisloos langs en heb ik amper door dat het opstaat. Je zou dat een kwaliteit kunnen noemen, je zou het dus ook vergeetbaar kunnen noemen. Ik denk dat ik op het cijfer uitkom, dat bij dat laatste hoort.

Not their best. Prog rock at its worst. Self indulgent shit. Long, long songs Fripp’s guitar work only bright spot. Not good. Two stars

English progrock..it's ok.

A cool album from the kings of prog rock, which, depending on how you feel about the genre, likely informs how you react to this. If you've got the time, and patience, to dive into this one you'll learn why this unconventional music and this band, in particular, developed such a dedicated following. Nothing comes easy here, but damn do they keep my interest.

7/10 Having thoroughly enjoyed King Crimson’s debut, I was intrigued to see where their ever-changing lineup (excluding the ever-present Robert Fripp of course) had taken them after four years. They have always been a varied band, working carefully with studio production techniques and experimental effects use to build a kind of symphonic, experimental take on rock music. It’s prog, but it’s a type of prog that freely dips into the more orchestral side of things, both instrumentally and, in some cases, structurally. They mess around with variations on ideas in a way that sort of straddles the line between those explored in classical music and the more free-form roaming experimentation of jazz. But they do all this with a willingness to conjure up the heft of music that, in places, becomes as heavy, distorted and powerful as anything bands like Black Sabbath were doing at the time. To me, some of the most interesting work on this record came from Bill Bruford and Jamie Muir on drums and percussion, who played with power, nuance and a range of styles that lend the record a shifting percussive base that, through the albums strongest moments, manages to not only maintain momentum while offering rhythmic interest far beyond that of basic rock or even jazz drumming. That momentum is where this album does take a small slide for me, though, There are times when the music just drifts slowly almost to a stop, and sections where the stripped back subtlety of the compositions manages to drift over the line from restrained and balanced into inertia. The end of the opening track is an example of where things could have possibly moved at a slightly quicker pace, rather than drifting the way it does. Exiles, for example, does tend to balance that sparsity with a bit more pace and intensity in a way that doesn’t lose momentum like other parts of the record. Sonically, this is a really interesting album, too. The choice of instrumental combinations makes for a varied and wide-ranging tone across the album, and one that is not particularly common in popular music, which is always nice to hear. In truth, there’s not an awful lot wrong with this album, then. But it also didn’t do quite enough to grab hold of me in the way their debut did. It was beautiful in places, interesting nearly always, but perhaps lacked that little extra touch of magic to elevate it into the echelons of my regular music rotation, although I expect it might get the odd spin once in a while. Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Part One - It’s a slow burn intro with the Kalimba and ambient percussion and sound design as the track eases in. This is almost a separate group of tracks, rather than a single one, or at least a single one with movements. When things kick in, it’s got great dynamic range, from the heavy, almost metal styled guitar work and the subtle but insistent string work. Then we move into a section that really starts to get moving, with staccato guitar work that roams around some sharp and clever percussion. It’s weird, but delightfully so, and really leans into the prog side of their sound. The drumming on this track is so good, plenty of pace, interest and nuance to it, while maintaining good momentum. They play with dynamic range and fluctuating intensity really well over the track, dropping right out into solo violin. I think the pace and intensity drops a little too far down for me during this section, but it has a whimsical, dreamy tone that I do like. It’s just a touch too sparse. Even when things build back up again, things feel a touch loose and disconnected towards the end, which is a bit of a shame. Book Of Saturday - This is a tighter, more focused effort that has a really nice, sombre tone. Some of the guitar work is really nice, both the standard picking patterns and the effects work counter balancing against it. It continues the dreamy, slightly unfocused feel, but manages to remain coherent and purposeful. It doesn’t offer a vast amount of thematic development, but it’s less than three minutes long, so doesn’t need to. Exiles - Another slow burn now, but the menacing, dark intro is really atmospheric, before making way for something more pretty yet sombre. They build momentum and then let it drop away, but the musicianship and sonic interest that they use keeps things flowing really nicely. The violin and guitar dancing around each other create a gorgeous tonal bland. The evolving instrumental blend across the track is a really pleasing development and feels really organic. I’m not 100% sold on the vocals, but when considered as part of the mix, they work pretty well. I think they’re just not quite as precise as the instrumentation. A lovely track though. Easy Money - Now we’re getting into something with a bit more funk and groove to it. The way the groove shifts around the different instruments, despite the parts individually not being that complex is pretty great. There’s restraint and nuance here, as well as excellent, atmospheric soundscaping. The movements they go through develop the intensity and dynamic beautifully, without ever losing the core groove. The drumming is, as always, great, but there’s plenty going on elsewhere too. This feels like the most complete and consistent track thus far. Very good. The Talking Drum - They’ve recreated the sound of a fly buzzing around quite well. This takes a long time to get moving, and while the drumming is good, it drifts in and out a little too much and feels a tad unfocused. When the bass and violin come in, the vibe is great, but that unfocused side does continue, with things sort of roaming around with no defined centre. The bass does pin things down to a certain extent, and then things do start pulling into focus as the track wears on, which is quite a cool and subtle effect. I think perhaps this took a little long getting to the point, but I also think the restraint and journey is part of the charm. Possibly one that becomes stringer on repeat listens. That ending is quite annoying though. Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Part Two - The weight and power of this is great, straight off the bat. It’s kind of halfway between a prototype of Tool and Primus. As with the best moments on this album, the developments, both musical and dynamic, are subtly delivered but grand in scale. There are some sections where they drag the timing around in a really unsettling way that I love, and the overall vibe and atmosphere of this one is epic. It becomes frantic and cacophonous in a brilliant way, before dipping out and comping back together in fire and fury. An excellent closer.

Some riffs were cool (like 30 sec out of the whole album). But in general - no, it's some kind of atonal avantgarde for me which I don't like and don't understand. And also, violin or whatever string instrument it was - doesn't work with guitar for me in this case , its too competitive. And the violin parts are bullshit for me

My least favorite King Crimson album out of their most celebrated ones.

Talented folks but I like their other albums better.

Didn’t like

This is one of those albums where you couldn’t possibly guess what’s going to happen next… kind of stunned and I’m not sure in what way

An irrefutable prog classic. It's hard to describe it and I won't even try. Not as great as In the Court of the Crimson King or Red, but it comes close. Favourite track: Easy Money

I'm glad someone tested the waters with this sound so that we know it should never had continued

Long instrumental sections come with the territory when listening to prog. I oftentimes enjoy them but they need to be interesting. Basic repeating riffs over new and different time signatures doesn’t do it for me. The middle school level violin didn’t either.

Robert Fripp is definitely one of the most distinctive guitarists in rock. Wanted to dismiss this as experimental dreck but I feel like there's a lot here to sink your teeth into with time. Tentative three for now, I feel like I could fixate on this for a month or come back a season later and rate it a two.

weird, but not bad

one of the band's best. 4.5/5

They got Larks on this list? I guess it ain't all so bad

Excited to have this one show up! The first track, the title track part 1, was an absolute pleasure to listen to. Did it occasionally sound like random instrumental thrown together? Yes. Did it work? Also yes. Did we need 13 minutes of this? Probably not, but it wasn’t offensively long. Book of Saturday was fine enough. It was very relaxing. Exiles and easy money felt the same way. They were very good easy listening. Easy Money definitely had its interesting moments, but for the most part it was very calming. Some of the vocals gave Nirvana vibes. I actually really liked The Talking Drum. One of the highlights of the album for me. When the guitar came in I thought it was so so cool. The title track part 2 was a nice way to end things. It wasn’t as long as the first one and seemed to sum everything up well. Overall a cool album. Not something I’d listen to on the regular, but I can see why it’s on this list. 3.5/5 ⭐️ 187/1089

Prog rock is the worst.

I don’t think I like prog rock, but not the absolute worst

It has it's moments but it doesn't come together to form an album. It's great playing but I don't see the throughline.

King Crimson themselves have admitted/clarified that the main suites on this album were created by improvisation rather than strict writing, so even more so than other KC albums, you'll need to appreciate that style of music to appreciate this. That said, it is classic King Crimson to wander all over the instrumental landscape and just show off, and that's what I love about them. The middle tracks as more classic prog rock tracks dont' quite get up the level of some of their other albums, but "Easy Money" is essential Crimson listening. Lots of bizarre sound bites (the zipper, the velcro, etc) combined with an odd drumming pattern and slow progression meet the standards of the band. I like this but I get that many people wont. They're a polarizing band, it's fine to not appreciate it. That's why it's not a 5 even for me.

King crimson were really on a different planet to their contemporaries. This is like a slightly structured jam session

Ya me tocó una vez este grupo, odié su álbum, este otro álbum no es tan raro pero igual no me gusta

On *Larks'..." the tracks can barely be called "songs" as they wander aimlessly for extended periods of time, going nowhere and finding nothing interesting along the way. Also, for what is ostensibly a progressive rock band, there is very little rocking here - as soon as the band hits a groove, two bars later they go off into ether. Honestly, if it feels like you need a diagram to understand an album, then I don't think it's worth the time.

Kind of a weird King Crimson album, good in its own right. It hardly sounds like Rock, it feels like this has already moved the band out of the Prog Rock sphere into more of a weird Avantgarde and Fusion turn. Song structure is barely there and half the album is shreiking violins and other weird noise. It still has some good Rock elements though. Enjoyable enough album but it kind of requires a different pair of ears to listen to.

i like king crimson, but this one is a little too unfocused for me

I had no idea there are soooo many King Crimson albums - why are they all on this list!?!?

The Moody Blues are better than King Crimson, and Days of Future Passed should be a book album instead of this.

It was fine. Not really my thing, but I didn't hate it. Went by and I barely noticed it was on.

My Y12 group have decided that this is a 2* album, and Im not arguing with them.

Nope

Its not bad 4/10 nothing exciting in it

Wibbley dibbley prog.

i cant describe my feelings for prog rock, but i know they're positive feelings lol that first track was real funky with the bass, love it

looooved this. reminds me a lot of pink floyd but even more innovative production-wise. (if i'd heard both at this point in my life i'd probably prefer this music, but unfortunately i heard pink floyd when i was 16 and it rewired my brain.) The effects at the end of "Book of Saturday" feel really contemporary. I don't know how to describe what they are, I'm guessing manipulated guitar. also a lot of the violin interludes sounded really klezmer/fiddler on the roof-ish to me which i also really loved. Fav tracks: Book of Saturday

It's just so fuckin' good.

Best Track - "Easy Money"

i do not like it.

ese rock progresivo vien rico, c escucha ne el auto

Couldn't get there, jammy randomness Easy money tho

I don’t think I’m smart enough to be a king crimson guy. I just don’t get it.

Hell yeah, King Crimson is a certified chef. Bro COOKS!

A bit too proggy. It doesn't sound unpleasant, there's just a lot of dicking about with instruments rather than, you know, playing songs

Terrible. Fue un martirio escucharlo. Era como estar en una clase de yoga pero pensando en la última vez que te peleaste con tu ex.

Like being trapped in HMV during an earthquake

What is this pish?

Not a prog guy but king crimson are some top class dweebs. People on here really like prog rock eh. Internet guys.

General Thoughts: * The range of VOLUMES they use is *extreme* - This REALLY needs headphones or a good soundsystem to really appreciate. The flip between rock and violins in *Part One*. The opening of *The Talking Drum* was so quiet we didn't notice it was playing and then got so loud we had to turn it down. * If I were to sum it up: "Rock with the lead guitar replaced with a Violin". * I expected fucky time signatures and BOY HOWDY. Final Thoughts: My original rating for this was going to be 3 or 4, HOWEVER: While trying to decide what goes on the playlist, I kept adding another song... and another. Maybe I need a prog rock playlist? Do these need their own for when I'm in the mood? How would it feel going from something like Curtis Mayfield, directly into this? You know what, I think I'm enough of a weirdo for music that I think I'd be fine with it, actually. My "Would You Listen To Again" was originally "It needs its own time and space and headphones", which is still true, but also maybe not? Would I listen to Again: Likely? Overall Score: 9/10 (Rounding *UP* to 5 stars) What goes on the playlist: Everything, for now. The whole album. Every single song.

A thoroughly weird, off putting, disconcerting experience. A confounding cacophony. Variable volume blasting out my ear drums. An unpleasant time was had listening to this - it sounded like an anxiety attack in audio form.

Pre listening: I'm unfamiliar with the artist or album, but I like Prog-rock, so… will be interesting, 1973 is a good year for this genre, and it's not a long listen. So I'm ready to dive in. "Lark's Tongues in Aspic, Pt. 1" Okay, is that a Marimba? Interesting percussion to start the album and song. Yup, this is prog rock. Is this just gonna be 13 minutes of "noise"? Is that a SAW? (2:47) THERE we go, guitar and strings. This is at least interesting. Oooh, okay, much more interesting. Yup, very prog. They are playing with time signatures, and doing what you expect here from prog rock (Being experimental and effectively modern classical with odd instrumentation) This isn't BAD, but, I like a little more of a through line, and vocals really assist in this style of music in my book. "Book of Saturday" Very typical 70s British rock, influences of the Beatles, and other contemporary bands. I enjoyed the lyrics, this uses some reverse tape and the strings add depth. The harmonies in the last 30 seconds are gorgeous. This really could have been longer. "Exiles" More Prog Rock sounds, then into a nice English rock sound of the era. This is a nice smooth end to the A side, while very much sounding British prog. Wetton's vocals are sounding like they are slightly straining his upper range in places. It makes sense that the Wikipedia says Wetton didn't write this one, even if Apple Music does. "Easy Money" Well then, this has hints of heavy metal, The percussion in the album is insane. This band had to be a trip to watch live. Because they are all over the place. This is just good and solid prog rock! The laugh reminded me of the laugh in Gorillaz Feel Good Inc. "The Talking Drum" More dynamic range play… just quiet wind noises to start and what sounds like brass instruments being manipulated, then bongos? Welcome back to instrumental again. I'm really enjoying the sound of this one. Oh wow, this gets really fun. I'm a LITTLE grumpy about the very obvious PRODUCTION playing with volume. There is no reason in their tone or playing to be getting so loud. This needed a hand in the booth to slap whoever was playing with the levels and just slowly raising them. SCREEE!!!!!! THAT was a hell of an ending! Other than the constantly increasing volume this was such a great track! "Lark's Tongues in Aspic, Pt. 2" Starting with more metal sound, this is aggressive prog and I'm here for it! And back to really playing with time signatures. But still playing with levels. This is giving me YYZ (Rush) vibes. It's also got a lot of those bat like noises going on. Which is kinda amazing. Wow that violin is just… AGGRESSIVE… and the time signature work is absolutely working to keep you from feeling steady. This is a choice, I'm loving this a LOT more than Pt.1. Overall thoughts: This is not King Crimson's most popular album, that would be the other album on the list, In the Court of the Crimson King, also their first album. But it's a very good product of genre, location, and era. Just REALLY wish they'd have not done so much playing with dynamic range and the volume. Favorite Song: The Talking Drum Least Favorite Song: Lark's Tongues in Aspic, Pt. 1 Album rating: 8.5/10 Familiarity: 5/10 Would I listen to again: Absolutely, this genre is my jam. And it was just a LOT of fun to listen to.

Wait a second, that’s a mbira. I was not expecting what I got when I started this album. Three minutes before anything even motioning at being rock music, and even then… I had to check the personnel on this album to make sure that Frank Zappa and Spike Jones weren’t in the ensemble. Found object percussion is definitely not what I was thinking I was going to get. I can’t identify most of those sounds and they *just keep coming*. I don’t know if I like this or not. There’s words in the opening track but I can’t understand them. They sound like they came from a movie, but without being able to make out what’s being said, it’s useless to try to understand them. It’s a tone poem, lyrical without lyrics, dissonant with intention. The songs come after that, drenched in metaphor, anything but straightforward to parse. “Book of Saturday” seems to be describing the mindset of someone who can’t decide if they should end a relationship that has long since lost all the excitement. “Exiles” seems to indicate that the decision was made and the protagonist has walked away, left behind everything to explore a new future, fame and fortune without the trappings of the past. “Easy Money” suggests that this has led into sin, a lust song (there’s no love there, just catcalls and transfer of funds, this is all about physical beauty, purely transactional) suggesting that perhaps our protagonist has chosen… poorly? Doo-ba-dee-dow-dow, ba-doo-dee-dow, ba-da-dow, ba-dee-doo. And then the lyrics are gone again, and it’s time for an instrumental starring a dùndún. Whoever this percussionist is, they’re certainly skillful. I feel a bit like this is some kind of spacey psychedelic thing… and then suddenly TRUMPETS and then we’re into a much more straightforward track that… sounds like it has mice in a deathmatch? And violence described through violin. And… and… in the parlance of video games by Harmonix, that is quite a Big Rock Ending. um. 😵‍💫/10

British nobody’s turning somebody’s

This has its moments, but most of it is just meandering and making random noises with the guise of being interesting or clever. I can handle long songs, but this was egregious. 15 minutes of bullshit as the opening track? Seriously? Favorite Track: Easy Money

3.5 favs: book of saturday, exiles

230626 16:51 3

This album disappoints me.

Couple reactions to getting this album. First is I've never really listened to King Crimson before, so I'm genuinely curious what everyone's going on about. But second was a slight "Ugh" because I really don't want to deal with another dated, noodly prog rock album from the 70s. Well, good for me then that this album is coming off more like avant garde rock in the style of a Kayo Dot or maudlin of the Well to me than a masturbatory prog extravaganza. And at a svelt 46 minutes, even better. There's a little bit of noodling on this album, particularly on the opening and closing instrumentals, but mostly it feels like it serves a purpose beyond just "Look how good I am at the guitar". I am enjoying the first half of the album more than the second half though. Book of Saturdays and Exiles are great. Although The Talking Drum is feeling kinda microtonal a little bit in the same way that an Angine de Poitrine does. Overall, not really what I was expecting, but do enjoy the record.

That was odd

I never really listened to King Crimson, but man are they good. Some of the best prog rock hands down.

For me, King Crimson sits at the acceptable end of prog rock. I think this album would repay repeat plays. But above all, this seems a bit cerebral and complex with a too little emotion.

Pretentious drivel

Not bad not for me really, but the production on some tracks is fun

God I'm a sucker for prog rock. I especially love the prominence of Jamie Muir’s percussion. It introduces so many beautiful textures and it's mastered wonderfully. (Btw, he was a phenomenal painter and artist following his short lived musical and monastic periods, worth checking out!) But overall this is a seriously impressive album. I'm not super familiar with King Crimson; this made me want to explore their discography further. 4

This was interesting. Guess prog rock just isn't my thing.

Muy ruidoso

You know when, as a kid, you were happily munching away on something. Then someone told you it was mushrooms and you couldn't eat another bite? I just found out this is prog rock...ugh.

Meh

Sort of grown up Pink Floyd

The fact that I am not listening to this at a planetarium while a laser light show plays above my head is beyond criminal.

Chat. What are we doing here

It was a lot, but the music was solid

That absolutely rocked. Once the guitar lick came in on the first song I was locked in. Tempted to give a 5 but I'll stick with a 4. Never really listened to King Crimson but I will definitely be listening to more now.

Ok, I get why King Crimson are considered the God Fathers of prog rock. I hear all kinds of artists in this album!

Decent interesting listen

This album is a more instrumental version of a typical Pink Floyd album. I must say, King Crimson is growing on me, and even though I've always liked Progressive Rock, I'm starting to put this band in Pink Floyd territory. This album has everything you can possibly want on an album; King Crimson lets you be who you wanna be. My only complaint is I wish it had a bit more storytelling, and lyrics to go with the non-instrumental tracks Favorite Track: "Exiles".

This is obviously a good album, but I don't personally enjoy it as much as In the Court of the Crimson King, In the Wake of Poseidon or THRAK.

I’m tired

Wicked riffs and percussion held together with faff and bluster. It doesn't outstay its welcome, but it doesn't leave much impression either. Stick with "In the Court..." and leave this one for much later.

I have a confession; I I don't really like King Crimson. I like prog rock just fine, but the compositions on Larks' Tongues In Aspic feel like a cut above standard prog in terms of King Crimson's ambitions, and the amount attention the songs demand. Unfortunately, the more the pendulum swings towards musical mastery, the less interesting I find the music. I found the sparse and swirling detours more annoying than inspiring, but the back half of this record is actually great. I'm still finding my way with King Crimson, but this is just fine.

#382/1001. ADHD music. Too bad I am ADD. I digged rhe percussion though.

Why is it that so many of these prog rock albums make you feel like you’re hanging around a bunch of nerds playing DnD? I don’t dislike it, but it’s nerd shit. Thank god Pink Floyd would come along and put a cooler veneer on the genre.

Exceptional musicianship but not my cup of tea at all. The screechy violins and dissonance was too much for my ears. Some nice sabbath style riffs in places but it’s a no from me.

I was looking forward to this one when I saw it. In the Courts of the Crimson King is a great album, and this one was pretty solid too!

Pretty cool and I enjoyed it more than most

This album was pretty damn cool!

Solid 2.5 - Not bad but nothing really hooked me.

This will definitely not be for everyone. But King Crimson is imo one of the greatest bands in history. Their strength is that they reinvented themselves periodically with, aside from bandeader Robert Fripp, a complete change of band members. This album was one of three that the 70s incarnation of the band recorded and as far as I know they played it differently every time they performed it. The album is varied and doesn't shy away from experimentation. And the titular track is an absolute monster.

I'm getting carried away by this album. There are plenty beautiful passages and many experimental, expressive ideas, but the sound didn't capture me as much as most of the other King Crimson albums do. I still value their instrumental finesse, but it's not a progressive breakout hit album for me.

This is my territory. Prog meets psychedelia meets jazz meets sheer weight — King Crimson doing all of it at once and making it hold together. The way "Easy Money" uses the vocals as pure texture, scatting as another instrument rather than words carrying meaning. The way the heavy parts land harder because of the space around them. Larks' Tongues in Aspic is genuinely impressive. Not "I need to own this on vinyl immediately" impressive — more "I need to sit with this properly" impressive. There's more here than one listen reveals. 4/5 — strong, and worth returning to.

Blew. Me. Away. The filthy guitar riff in the opening track. The beautiful vocal lines in "Book of Saturday". That groove at the beginning of "Easy Money" and the sick bass line during the psychedelic freakout later in this track. I could go on endlessly. At no point did I know where the band would take us next. And boy did they create places to take us! Masterpiece. Might become a proper 5/5 in the future. For now: 4.5/5 - near perfect

Premier art/progressive rock band!!

Who is this for? Or who, in a vacuum, would be psyched about this ratio of tension and release?

Writing a quick review today as there’s not much for me to say. I’ve never listened to a King Crimson album before, mainly due to thinking it would be something I’d strongly dislike. Unfortunately I was right. I didn’t like any of the songs. A couple of them had moments, but then the moments ended.

its a very spontaneous body of work . it opens up so much to variety , so many use of sounds and instruments . its calm and chill , the kind of music you listen to on a productive rest day and impacts your whole mood for the day . its very creative and regulating . it has so much potential to be in adult cartoon series , a very imaginative one . definitely a staple . 5/5

Very very good 1st song goated

Borderline insufferable. Some really cool parts mixed around a lot of shit. I don't want to say I hate prog rock because there's some out there that's pretty good. And when Fripp lays down some heavy riffs on the first track for a few seconds, I want to like this...but I just can't.

I liked about 1/3 of this album. The rest was a chore. I guess I just don’t get it.

Ok so I wasn’t thrilled to see another king crimson album ..but this one was actually not that bad, I would listen to it again..shocker

One of the greatest intros of all time. One of the greatest metal riffs of all time. Some of the greatest noodling of all time. Is there an argument that King Crimson are actually “prog metal” and that’s why I like them so much? But then this aBlum also embraces jazz and pop songs and blues and classical. Great stuff. It was a nice treat to listen to this again. AND I learnt that the lyric I’d always heard as “And though I can’t be arsed” was in fact “And though I count the hours”! That’s the thing with great art; there’s new things to find every time you go back to it.

Very interesting.

I want to like progrock so mutch more than i do. I see that they are innovative and want to do something new but it really sounds like they made a non rock and rock song and put them over eatchother. Its not bad persee but man. I had hope

Where In the Court of the Crimson King is an ethereal record that sounds like a myth being told to you, this record sounds like three goblins standing around a couldron throwing in random sheit to create a potion that will either destroy them or make them invulnerable. I don't know what I just listened to, but I mostly like it?

A weird, original, jazzy and very instrumental album that demands your full attention, aka a true King Crimson album. I struggle to say something profound but it is just amazing, it is King Crimson and that should be enough on its own.

Eh

The opening and closing tracks were very cool, but there were a few in the middle that kinda dragged. I liked the unique instrumentation.

One of the first albums I bought. 15 yrs old at Cheapies (RIP) for 9.99. Almost in unlistenable quality. Still loved that opening riff but didn’t return much to it. I think I just wasn’t ready for it. Still gotta be one of the heaviest and dirtiest riffs I have ever heard til this day. Haven’t heard something as sinister as Part 1 in recent memory. Exiles, Easy Money, Talking Drum are some excellent grooves. Fripp is a legend. I’ll keep coming back to this.

Loved how they can build tension in such unique ways.

Great prog record.

this is very interesting… but i’m not the right audience. i just do not see a use case for this. really not sure when i would ever choose to listen to it again but not for hatred reasons. there were moments that were building into something i liked a lot and got excited for, but then immediately the vibe would switch up so i never was able to sink my teeth into it. therefore i feel very neutral toward it.

The album in one day format works against this one cause I think it would get a higher score with a few more listens. As it is it’s a good album with the two parts of the title track being great

I understand where Agine de Poitrine get their influence. This is a highly technical album, full of masterful playing. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a difficult listen. Definitely how background music!

Why? Why? Why did I get this right after a Can album? How is this album on the list?!

First time listening to a King Crimson record and my first of two encounters with this band on this list. I know this isn't THE King Crimson record but I was prepared for anything. This album left me feeling disappointed. I think, given the bands reputation, I had higher hopes for it. There were some cool moments here and there, and some phenomenal drum playing, but nothing that kept me engaged throughout the entire listen. I think I expected the rest of the tracks to sound similar to the first one and when they weren't I was bummed. Maybe my opinion will change with a subsequent listen but as it stands its a 3/5

Too much "prog", not enough "rock". This could've been super cool if it was a bit more grounded, but too experimental and wayward for my taste.

Certainly artistically challenging, as the material is difficult to play, but almost impossible to bear.

Not what I expected.

Incredibly long prog-rock without much going on is boring. The first part of "LTiA"'s title track doesn't have enough of Fripp's guitar work. It instead opts for violins, which doesn't sit with me. "LTiA "'s second part has what I needed from this album. The tracks in between are OK and aren't anything to write home about. 3 stars for "Lark's Tongues in Aspic".

Hard no. 1/5

Robert fripp, Movie soundtracks

No, just no. I dislike prog at the best of times and the stupid long silent intro just pissed me off so by the time the actual music kicked in i couldnt give a fuck. King Crimson needed a good friend or manager to reel them back in when they forgot things like actual melody or making songs.

I was previously familiar with King Crimson but not this album. This one is pretty far out there. There are some moments in a couple tracks that really build the ambience but overall I did not like this one as much as some other King Crimson albums. I would listen again but would seek out some of their other material first.

Listened Before? N Pretty cool but waaayyyy too long and experimental for my un-stoned brain. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Book of Saturday

my problem with prog rock is that it's always the same, really predictable.

If we could cut all the wanky instrumental stuff out and condense it to the parts that ROCK, I would probably like this.

The only problem with these prog rock albums is that I feel I'm listening to the score for a movie I can't see. I quite enjoy creating the movie to go with the sounds in my mind, but then am I enjoying the music or am I just enjoying my own imagination? Whatever it is, I somewhat enjoyed this, probably more than I had anticipated.

Prog rock. I preferred the prog bits more than the rock bits I think. Particularly the opener and closer.

3. It's ok, not a big fan of prog rock I guess.

Easy money har et par enkelte momenter hvor jeg blev fanget og draget, men var skuffet over det generelle niveau på denne plade. Det falder lidt fladt, for hvad jeg ellers ville forvente af prog rock. Det kan også være min opmærksomhed var et helt andet sted, men i så fald har det ikke været insisterende nok i min mening.

Det er godt nok bare støj, en rigtig kamp for mig at komme igennem. Book of Saturday fin nok + nogle korte korte dele af nr 3 og 4 også ok. Sniger sig med nød og næppe op på en 2er.

*67 Der var nogle brillante momenter - især indgangen af den tunge spade på 1. track samt hele 2. track, somtager mig til CSN-albummet, vi hørte tidligere. Lyden var også utrolig god, lækkert mix og meget imponerende dynamik. Med det sagt var det simpelthen for meget en rodebutik.

Synes jeg deler mange 3'ere ud i tiden, men det må være sådan :) Rigtig fine perioder, men bliver også lidt kedeligt for mig.

Ret lækkert til tider Der er nok ikke rigtig tvivl om skills her Lidt mindre prog, lidt mere rock, så er den i skabet 3.7

Aldrig hørt det her før. Synes det er helt genialt. Det er dragende, mystisk, rørende og til tider voldsomt. Whats not to like. The talking drum er noget af det fedeste jeg har hørt i lang tid. Ikke er dårligt nummer her for mig og skal helt sikkert høre mere King Crimson

Forget Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, at times this sounded more like wasps trapped in a crisp packet. I kind of liked a couple of tracks (especially Exile), but the other two thirds of this really tested my patience.

The best of King Crimson is honestly some of the best of prog. And while I wouldn't say that Larks' Tongues is the best of King Crimson, it is pretty close. The intricacy on display here results in some very enjoyable songs, and Larks' Tongues rarely gives into the annoying things about prog. And there's ultimately a good balance between prog's more formless tendencies and some rock solid writing. The title track almost moves like free jazz, but you also have the groove on Easy Money. And the result is an album that I think is honestly pretty accessible. Everything here is unique and masterfully assembled as well. There are a few moments where King Crimson give into prog's cheesier tendencies though. For example, the sound effects on Easy Money kind of take me out of it, although it is a great song. But the resultant album is very enjoyable regardless.

01) Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part One - 5,0 02) Book of Saturday - 6,5 03) Exiles - 5,5 04) Easy Money - 5,5 05) The Talking Drum - 5,0 06) Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part Two - 5,0 TOTAL: 5,42 (54/100) Current ranking: 801/911

This album definitely created a special memory for me, especially the song Book Of Saturday. I enjoyed listening to this & it's my vibe for sure

Hmm, if its peak King Crimson then its probably gonna sound like some fucking clean prog. I enjoyed it despite not being someone who would listen to prog a lot. Gets high marks from me.

its interestinf gfot sure

Fascinating album, pink Crimson is always great. Five stars.

KC at their most expansive and experimental. Fantastic music, with lots of variety and groove. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

killer

Not my style.

Have heard of King Crimson Had not heard Larks toungie in Aspic Had not heard any king crimson songs. Yeah, I just don't think prog is for me. It has moments and the musicianship is great, but it just doesn't seem to tie together or click for me. I can se how this would have influenced people. Probably belongs here.

Please, God. I’ve done my time. I’m too far in to quit, but I need something good to listen to.

Robert Fripp is a savant and here he allows the band to roam and explore improvised themes. Still the instrumental parts sound like a well-choreographed classical soundtrack to a world-class puppet-show. There is struggle, drama, and death in these tracks. In fact, there’s a moment at the end of Lark’s Toungue I that, for me, perfectly crystallizes the essential beauty and futility of life’s struggles. It’s really moving. Bill Bruford is the very best of the prog rock drummers. John Wetton is not the very best vocalist, but he gets the job done on the few traditional songs that are here. I’ve loved this album for a long time. A 5.

Enjoy as background music. Not an album or band that I will probably come back. 0 songs added to playlist.

Like it!

too busy, bit of a struggle

I'm surprised this King Crimson album made it on and not Red, but I digress. Pros: There's some good songs on here, and even a couple of moments that sound a bit like proto metal. Cons: the album doesn't feel totally cohesive, and like some other prog rock music, can get a little too 'noodly' for my tastes at moments. Overall, its a good, if imperfect album.

Definite 2. Guess I am not a King Crimson person but they are not for me. But it isn't bad.

Their fifth album. Prog Rock. Only 48 hrs after the ninety minutes of horror that was The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway by Genesis I now get this. Another noodly doodly self indulgent wank. At least this one was only forty two minutes long. Some Prog on this list has been surprisingly good. This wasn't.

What a strange album, I don't know how I feel about it it wasn't necessarily good lol

Prog rock was well evolved at this point in time, and you can hear it immediately here with the violins, flutes, and other eccentric instrumentation. It's lengthy of course, almost to a fault, but I couldn't help but be a little entranced by the musical direction the group decided to take here.

Nooit veel King Crimson geluisterd, buiten funny screaming man om, maar dit is cool

Ik vind dit eigenlijk vooral okay. Het is wel vet maar weet me niet echt te grijpen. Zeker geen slechte muziek maar het is niet het spannendste ooit.

Hele coole plaat. Interessante instrumenten, spannende passages... Niet zo exciting als schreeuwende man, maar dat is ook wel uitzonderlijk tof.

Could have done without the violin on the last track, also not a fan of the assorted found objects being played.

Not my favourite KC album, but there are delights to enjoy. I'm surprised Red isn't on the list from this era of their history..

Ganska stökigt. Kul musik dock. Lite som black country, new road fast rockigare typ. Inte helt min grej men inte helt inte heller liksom

There's nothing on here that's as good as 21st Century Schizoid Man, but I enjoyed it.

A pleasant surprise for me, interesting experimental sounds + some great riffs. I had feared tedious noodling. Will come back.

It has been a dire couple weeks for this project. Nothing above a “well, it’s okay” gentleman’s three, and A LOT of ones and twos. Nothing was hitting. Thank god for King Crimson! This came on and instantly I was like “GOOD MUSIC?!? IT’S BEEN SO LONG!” It’s fun and weird and rocking, a bit medieval. Mostly instrumentals but GOOD instrumentals. Not overlong, I was just on its wavelength.

I like the mid-years King Crimson the most. This was a step in the right direction, but I prefer Adrian Belew over Wetton. I love instrumentals and generally high-proficiency noodling, but I still require a bit of melody or through line. Some of this is just cacophonous. Of course, that's the danger of being experimental. It can get to be a bit too much pretty quickly. Now, none of this annoys me, but I can certainly understand people not liking it. I'm happy to have listened through a couple of times, but I don't think this album will call me back. I'll listen to Disciple a dozen or more times though, I bet. Probably a 2.6 album, but I like where they went and they are super influential. Let's go with a 3.

This was tough to listen to. Normally I am a fan of Prog Rock, but I caould not wrap my head around most of this. It sounded like just random crap.

This is such a weird album. I love prog and even I am a little baffled by it. I do love it though, it sends me on a trip every time (I bought the CD at random a few years ago). Once again I have to withhold a 5-star rating from King Crimson though, cuz I just don’t find myself hankering to listen to this one much. Is Red on this list? Red is the true 5-star King Crimson album. Anyway, this is great, probably wouldn’t go on my list though.

Not finished

To me this is a standard prog album; I like about a third of it, the rest of of I find incredibly tedious. There's lots of moments here and there. A cool melody, a couple minutes of a heavy riff, an interesting percussion arrangement. But what surrounds it is mostly for music theory nerds. Easy Money was a highlight. That song slaps.

One of their best albums, featuring one of their best lineups. Wetton and Bruford in particular were generational pulls on behalf of Fripp; I'm not surprised they were the last to go during this period (Bruford even coming back during the bands next incarnation in the 80s). Constantly veers back and forth between rather eccentric, improv-heavy jamming and screeching heavy metal riffing. Worth a listen just for both parts of the title track alone. Listen to 1974's Red if you enjoyed this record, it's the magnum opus of this era of KC. 9/10.

I like KC, but this record eludes me. I gave it two listens, but I just don't think I'm feeling it yet. Some elements grabbed me (such as the violin in Part II of the title track), but I think this one might truly be too weird for me. I Still appreciate the work they put into it though.

There were parts that were so good, but it was so incongruous in other parts.

I have fond memories of getting violently high with my buddy and watching the music video for Larks' Tongues some years ago. So I was right at home right as it starts. This album is certainly weird but in a cool way, and Bruford on drums just makes every odd time signature sound natural. Really cool album

So having listened to not a lot of prog rock and only one (1) King Crimson song, I gotta ask: is prog actually as inaccessible as everyone says it is? I don't find what I've heard to be overly virtuosic or obtuse in writing or arranging, and this album is no different. With this one specifically what I'm getting for most of it is some oddly modern sounding choices as far as individual performances and song structure go. The chord changes in some of these are so left field from what I expect of a 1973 rock album. Mellotron and strings on a lot of the tracks add a full sound that compliment and add to that modern feeling. I guess you could say it sounds. Progressive. *knowing wink right before having my jaw broken in seven places, 18-week recovery time, food through a straw* that said, there are some random weird noises and odd decisions for instrumentation here and there (xylo?) but they don't intrude as much as you'd think. Even the Larks' Tongues compositions here weren't a drag. I expected more of a Grateful Dead, Phish-esque meandering jam for 20 minutes, but they were more like a Romantic period almost Stravinsky thing focusing a lot more on rhythm and ostinatos. Like full on compositions as opposed to bullshitting while we're all high. I kinda liked the whole thing. Only song that didn't immediately land was Talking Drum. But, I dunno if I immediately associate unusual musical choices or long solos with being pretentious or self-important, those are just generally sort of different and occasional aspects of some music. 4 for me

The opening track of this record is absolutely wild and left me feeling like I'd listened to 7 songs in 1. It is an adventurous opener full of life and intrigue, if slightly too experimental & random at times for my taste. The rest of the album is still interesting but settles a bit, with some engaging tracks. Ultimately though I do struggle with progressive albums like this that seem to be prioritise quirkiness over the quality of their musical hooks and cohesion.

I found this one more enjoyable than In The Court of the Crimson King. I'm still not totally sold on King Crimson as a whole, but this was for sure better than their debut. Part 1 of the title track is some pretty strong diversity in sound, most of the song is dissonant heavy metal then in the last couple of minutes it changes to something you might hear in a original music score. The songs just in general change direction pretty often and sometimes just changes at the drop of a hat. The violin is beautiful on this album, it invokes the feeling of yearning (e.g. "Exiles.") So, it's not bad, but it wasn't totally exciting. It just felt 'ehhhh' to me. This is an indecisive vote from me. Highlight Song/s: "Exiles"

Will definitely need many repeated listens to get the head around this. On the whole I like it though.

this one has a perfect amount of weirdness init

ah good times

I did enjoy this, especially when driving. The good bits are really good, and there are some long proggy bits that make me think of when you're sat chilling waiting for a later act at a festival. I wish I was on a longer drive to get the full experience in one go. Floyd vibes at times.

Mostly instrumental, kind of screechy at times. It was okay.

Música de drogado é bom demais

This was background music. Just hard time getting into this.

Turned into nothing

Marginally better than the other album they have on this list. Parts were interesting, most was annoying and too strange. I get why it’s on the list but I didn’t enjoy it.

ummm this is just a collection of random sounds & instruments. why was this essential for me to listen to?

Experimental, sort of a mess, the sound mixing was all over the place (couldn't hear shit for a lot of it). Why is this here?

Сара 2 Марко 2

Weinig vaart, weinig songs, nogal mid

hmmmm no. 1.5

Have I listened to this album before? No How familiar am I with this album? Completely Unfamiliar How do I feel about this artist? Neutral Favorite song(s)? I’m not sure I can pick one because it all kind of ran together Overall Thoughts: I keep trying to like prog rock, maybe somewhere on this list I will, but this was not it. Call me basic but I like people singing coherent words against musical instruments. And I’m not a fan of these albums made up of just a few really long songs, I need more track to track variation.

I really admire Robert Fripp, and his guitar work is what most appeals to me on this album. I only know King Crimson from their more accessible albums in the 80s once Adrian Belew joined, so it was interesting to go back to their earlier work and see where they (almost) started. In listening to this, I learned that the lineup for this LP was almost completely different from Court of the Crimson King, but I can hear throughlines between that and the red, yellow, and blue albums that I know better. I suppose that's all Robert Fripp. Easy Money was a favorite tune on this album, featuring Fripp as it does. Parts I and II of the title track were also very cool. Because I had a hard time listening all the way through, but appreciate what they do, 3 stars.

I love that I feel I need to listen to this about 30 more times to fully appreciate it. Maybe I’ll bump it to 5 stars one day.

boring

Interesting but had a really hard time getting into it.

I don't think I have the right kind of intelligence for prog rock.

Rock. Disappointing. I love Crimson King, and this was just nonsense. There were a few bright spots, but not what I wanted.

Its pretty hardcore and raw rock instrumental. Liked it but some songs are too long and not really got into it

Fun wankiness

278/1089 13 minute instrumental (soft?) rock opening track?! okayyy i like that, it was very classic movie vibes. and then into some melancholic vibes with Book Of Saturday, i’m liking the choices made here Exiles is really nice musically but i’m not loving the vocals here so much. Easy Money is def my least fave so far, not loving the pratical effects eg the paper ripping and generally it sounds a bit more like other generic rock of the era. it redeemed itself in the second half where it was more instrumental and prog-y ooh i’m liking The Talking Drum, it’s giving video game soundtrack to me, specifically something like Plague’s Tale or Prince of Persia Warrior Within. the final squealing was a bit much but in a way it worked for me faves: The Talking Drum, Lark’s Tongues p1, Book of Saturday 74/100

not a big KC fan. have heard this a couple of times now and some of it is worth listening to

1% riffs 99% bullshit

Some nice moments but felt a bit too exploratory without fully finding itself. May just be a bias against prog (despite my love of Rush). Musicianship is phenomenal tho.

I like the more straightforward sections. The crazy prog stuff is... There, I guess. "Book of Saturday" and "Easy Money" stand out. Part 2 of the title track has some particularly cool segments. Overall pretty middling for me.

FAVS (top 3): book of saturday, easy money, larks tongues in aspic (part ii) mençoes honrosas: larks tongues in aspic (part i), the talking drum, recording session extact (part 1) é um bom album, poucas tracks mas é longo, acho q se dividisse as musicas grandes ia ficar melhor pq tem umas partes q estragam. boa experiencia nota final: 3.5/5

The instrumental performances are great, but I wasn't keen on the song arrangements of most of the songs, nor of the vocal performances. Lacks any of kind of narrative as a concept album, so it doesn't really feel like progressive rock to me. It felt more like a collection of unconnected tracks of rock improvisation. The biggest standout to me is the sheer range of Bill Bruford's drumming and Jamie Muir's percussion. The former YES member uses all of his considerable skills to make this disparate mess a bit more palatable. I'm not convinced that this is an essential album. Fripp had big creative ambitions, but I am not convinced he actually succeeded on those fronts with this album. Doesn't cook nor jell. Faves: "The Talking Drum"

Prog can fuck off

Not their best but solid prog

not bad either though the mix of many genres in one felt overwhelming in some parts, but not intolerable, at least to me. favorite track's exiles.

Weird but not terrible. I shan’t be listening again

Kind of shite

3,5

my favorite king crimson lineup, and probably my almost certainly my favorite king crimson album period. its hard to find any other prog that is this amorphous but this Physical....often feels less like ur listening to songs than ur rubbing ur face on intricate materials...this is not at all music for the delivery of notes, but for the delivery of the Tactility of itself. and that sounds so punishingly abstract, but somehow, through sheer force of honest-to-god genius, fripp and co created a set of tracks that all feel immediately distinct in their feelings and shapes, creating strong threads where the structure is intuitively obvious but often entirely subconscious. and after stringing you through so much darkness and light, often defined by the feeling that the band is only using a fraction of its power, it hits you with larks tongues 2, one of the most honest to god Riff Rock masterpieces in the genre, this huge transcendental reward for surviving this pilgrimage. there is certainly less hard hitting capital s Songwriting on this than the likes of red (which also has a good argument for being my favorite king crimson), but its literally every bit as memorable while having zero emphasis on "hooks." no one but this group of people would have thought to make rock music like this at this time, and even if they did, no one could have pulled it off like this. captures that feeling of Limitlessness that makes prog tick more than just about any other prog record

Meh

Better than Coldplay