Larks' Tongues In Aspic

Okay, I queued this up and heard the first 30 seconds and was like what the f is this. Then I started getting into it and before you know it I played it completely through without any pauses. Really love when you have no or low expectations on an album and you come out the other side really enjoying it. Will bookmark to come back to this!

Compared to the other King Crimson we listened to, this is way more chill and ambient. I found it easy to listen to the long songs. Many of them were very entertaining, even if I wouldn't listen to them on my own. Every song was packed with energy and noise in a digestible way, and in a way that gave each instrument it's own moment to shine. I couldn't help but bounce my head along to every song and wonder what inspired the creation of each one.

For Two Weeks We Could Appease The Almighty 1001 Albums Generator 86 (07/31/2025) After the release of their fourth studio album, the underappreciated Islands, King Crimson was in a bit of crisis. Founding (and only constant) member Robert Fripp's musical vision was at odds with the rest of the band. Fripp decided to split off and find a whole new lineup to record Larks' Tongues In Aspic, notably including ex-Yes drummer Bill Bruford. This new version of King Crimson had some aspects in common with their previous lineups, but the overall sound of Larks' Tongues In Aspic was quite a departure from what they had done before. The sound of this album is a highly experimental form of prog, incorporating elements of modern classical music and even some metal. Honestly, this is one of my favorite King Crimson albums. It is my favorite up to this point in their career, with only Red and Discipline being above it overall. Yes, I actually like this album more than In The Court Of The Crimson King. My biggest gripe with that album was the extensive improvisation of Moonchild. The closest thing on Larks' is the penultimate track, Talking Drum. While this is still my least favorite song on the album, it is much more structured than Moonchild (and shorter). The rest of the songs here are fantastic. From the experimental avant-prog of both parts of the title track to the classic hard rockin' of Easy Money to the beautiful ballad of Book Of Saturday, there is so much to love here. Every member of the band has different moments to shine. The album starts with this melodic percussion inspired by gamelan music that builds into a suspenseful violin riff before leading into that first punishing riff. This devolves into this crazy Fripp riff before David Cross steals the show with some beautiful violin for a while. However, my favorite part of this song is the last minute or so with what sounds like a super heavy guitar going through an octave pedal under beautiful violin and guitar arpeggios. Part II of the title track is a totally different vibe that predicts what the band would do on their next two albums. It's a total riff salad for the first half or so before cutting to an extremely heavy riff with a dissonant violin riff behind it that leads into an extremely noisy outro. What a way to end an album. The middle songs aren't half bad either. Book Of Saturday is a gorgeous ballad that serves as a wonderful change of pace after the chaos of the first track. Exiles really reminds me of I Talk To The Wind off the band's first album. Easy Money is probably my favorite song here. It is a really classic sounding rocker for the most part, but KC still puts their weird flare on it and make it really memorable. Larks' Tongues In Aspic is an album I didn't like much when I first heard it. However, a few years does an album like this a lot of good, and this is one of my favorite King Crimson albums now. It's like a 4.5/5 that I will round down to a 4. Favs: Larks' Tongues In Aspic (Part I) Easy Money Larks' Tongues In Aspic (Part II) Least Fav: Talking Drum

True masters of music. It feels like music from a different world. Just be patient while listening to the album!

To me this feels a lot more like experimental post-rock than prog, which also means it sits more squarely in my own wheelhouse. It follows a fairly familiar pattern with both though, of having long periods of patient build-up to those big payoffs. This album has a slightly disappointing ratio of payoff:build-up; the payoffs aren't quite as frequent as you'd hope for but when they do pay off, there are some brilliant moments. The epic, slightly bloated title-track bookends are probably the most notable for this, with a few relatively more straightforward rockers in between. It ticks the boxes for me in terms of being an interesting and overall enjoyable experience. I immediately like it more than my last KC album (In The Court... Yeah. I didn't really get the hype there.) and I can see myself coming back to it again in future. It seems like it would play well on a long car trip.

Beautiful, interesting and original. Just mind bending that it’s from ‘73

#DÍA 9: 1001 Discos Que Hay Que Escuchar Antes De Morir (English Translation Below) De King Crimson sólo había escuchado su legendario debut y el oscuro Red, dos álbumes que me parecen una absoluta delicia en cuanto a rock progresivo se refiere. Por ello, escuchar un disco que se encuentra entre medias dentro de la evolución de la banda ha sido realmente interesante. Como se observa en la portada, veo dos lados a este proyecto: el sol, que representa los momentos más enérgicos y poderosos del proyecto y la luna, que es las caricias de las piezas más suaves (aunque realmente dramáticas, algo común en la música de la banda) y los preciosos pasajes de cuerdas. Buen representante de esta interpretación es Larks’ Tongues In Aspic, Pt, 1, la cual pasa de unos realmente pesados riffs a un ensoñador pasaje de cuerdas. Por lo general, la habilidad musical de los distintos integrantes de la banda se hace muy presente en este disco, principalmente en los temas más progresivos, sean las increíbles improvisaciones del tema de apertura, el profundo bajo de Easy Money o la perfecta progresión de The Talking Drum. Al final lo único que pienso que le falta a este disco es algo de cohesión, una mejor mezcla entre los momentos suaves con los intensos, algo que pienso que perfeccionaron en Red. Favoritas: Larks’ Tongues In Aspic, Pt, 1; Easy Money, The Talking Drum, Larks’ Tongues In Aspic, Pt. 2 Menos favorita: Book of Saturday #DAY 9: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die I had only listened to King Crimson's legendary debut and the dark Red, two albums that I find to be an absolute delight when it comes to progressive rock. That’s why listening to an album that lies in between, in the band's evolution, has been truly interesting. As seen on the cover, I perceive two sides to this project: the sun, which represents the most energetic and powerful moments of the album, and the moon, which embodies the gentleness of the softer (though still dramatic—something common in the band’s music) pieces and the beautiful string passages. A good example of this interpretation is Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, Pt. 1, which shifts from really heavy riffs to a dreamy string passage. Overall, the musical skill of the band’s various members is very evident on this record, especially in the more progressive tracks—whether it's the incredible improvisations of the opening piece, the deep bass of Easy Money, or the perfect progression of The Talking Drum. In the end, the only thing I think this album lacks is some cohesion—a better blend between the softer and the more intense moments—something I believe they perfected in Red. Favorites: Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, Pt. 1; Easy Money, The Talking Drum, Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, Pt. 2 Least favorite: Book of Saturday

Great album

Prog rock pionero (del mismo año que Dark Side of the Moon) con influencias de la música clásica modernista del este de europa y mucha improvisación libre. Un álbum lleno de cambios, a veces simple y a veces tremendamente complejo, que requiere de una escucha activa. Nadie duda que King Crimson sean pretenciosos y a veces cansinos en su experimentación. Pero su música nunca llega a ser puro onanismo cacofónico, como en grupos más avant-garde a lo Captain Beefheart. Al contrario, los serpenteos de todo tipo (dinámicos, rítmicos, atmosféricos) están hechos con muy buen gusto. Un álbum que transporta a otro mundo y que parece mentira que sea del 73. Aunque para merecer cinco estrellas debería ser más accesible.

Some incredible ideas with largely enjoyable execution; this would absolutely scare the hoes if it came on shuffle - but was a great sit down experience

Beautiful, I've never listened to this whole album. It was really entertaining <3

I'm a fan of weird theatrical concept prog stuff. At its best I wish this album could underscore my life. Easy Money is so great. Groovy, immersive, mysterious. I actually think this 1001AG app, and Spotify actually, does a disservice to the album by linking to the expanded/remastered album. Those bonus tracks absolutely shatter any positive feelings. So noisy and unpleasant. Beware the bonus tracks! But yeah, 3.5 stars all day for anyone who can create Easy Money.

I like the mix of orchestral bits with the prog rock, very nice

Upgraded this one after a few more listens, it’s giving Shostakovich but prog rock.

Gooey creamy prog goodness. I really should listen to more King Crimson outside of In The Court Of The Crimson King, because this was fucking great. Riffs on riffs on riffs, all gnarly and weird, and a great piece of work front to back. Loved it.

This is proper prog - lengthy, complex parts interweaving with each other. Even after a few listens I'm not totally sure what I feel about it. Feels like a 4 just because it's genuinely doing something different.

its king crimson of course is awesome. both larks tongues in aspic songs are so fucking crazy

Liked it. Can't say it blew my mind or anything, but I definitely liked it. Faves: "Talking Drum", "Larks Tongues, Part 2"

3.5 - Good

Pretty good;

Alright, let's talk about King Crimson's Larks' Tongues In Aspic. This one's a solid 4.5 stars, no question. This is classic King Crimson right here. You've got Wetton, Fripp, and Bruford all on board? Come on, you know it's going to be great. I'm a huge fan of King Crimson, and this album really delivers. If you're into vinyl, you absolutely need to pick this up. It sounds fantastic on wax. Just sit down, chill out, and put this record on the platter. You won't be disappointed.

Robert Fripp casually invents progressive metal on this '73 album containing contrast after contrast - including the godawful mixing making manual oversight of the volume knob a necessity.

At times this was like listening to a Pink Floyd album missing the lead single. I’m left wondering how i haven’t listened to this band more. The more angular tracks sound like they could have been made today - a nice sweet spot between post punk and ambiant that reminds me of Swans or Black Country, New Road. Excellent

Definitely a '70s vibe. Had some weird wet sounds and shrieking things added in there, but overall it was space outy vibes

When an album varies to this degree, spanning so many different styles, I find myself having to listen several times to arrive at a unified opinion. This undefinableness has to be a good thing. The thread that’s woven throughout its psychedelic nature, but it has in proggy, relaxed and avant-guarde forms. When a band goes off on one with mad riffs and never ending jams, I sometimes crave a grounding human voice. The relative lightness of vocals across Larks makes it slightly less to my taste than the masterpiece In the Court of the Crimson King. But it’s got an awful lot going for it.

Favorite Track: Exiles

defendo prog apenas em contextos específicos esse álbum é um desses casos bão tá

Very out there. Pretty enjoyable though to someone that had only heard the 21st century schizoid man track before. I dig the african style percussion on the first track and the talking drum as well. 7.2/10

Although aware of this record, I’m not sure I ever actually sat and listened to it (I’m not a prog fan.) Or maybe I am? I really quite enjoyed this and it didn’t have the plodding or overly-grand or heavy self-indulgence I was expecting. Not to define something enjoyable but what it lacks,…

Larks' Tongues In Aspic (Part One): starts off pretty slow but the guitar??? woah. catchy song. it would probably sound way better if I wasn't listening to it on my busted computer speakers but anyway- not something I would listen to often but yeah neat. shifts to a violin solo which sounded pretty but again very slow and long. 10:23 and after sounds epic. Book of Saturday: funky sounding and has lyrics unlike the first song. singing is nice. I can tell its from the 70s now. very short but nice to just have in the background Exiles: strange (not bad) opening that felt very surreal, then changes to main part I assume with a nice beat. pretty violin and instruments :) song is on the longer side at like 7 minutes or so. I like the mood of this song and how it sets a scene. nice storytelling. the end is neat and caught my attention Easy Money: I like the beginning. the opening is oddly satisfying. I like the feel of this song. "and I thought my heart would break" with the crunching sound caught my attention for some reason. the blend of instrumentals with the vocals is well done. satisfying clicky sounds.. The Talking Drum: the beginning sounds like a mosquito lol. I like the build up as the song progresses. it's subtle but nice. this one is very catchy and the string instrument is always a plus. what I think is the beat drop at about 5:20 is cool. the end siren sound caught me off guard kinda scared me Larks' Tongues In Aspic (Part II): beginning reminded me of an underverse song adnhwujskdh. again, nice beat. contrast between the part with the electric guitar and the quieter sections is well done in my opinion. pretty catchy. funky song with the bird-like screeching at one part and the louder high pitched instruments suddenly. kinda surreal. (which I like). last minute or so with the louder instruments feels like a grand finale almost. Overall: very neat album! it's got instrumentals that are good for just background noise/vibing to. you don't really have to actively listen to it to get a nice effect.

I’ve been meaning to listen to this for some time and it didn’t disappoint. Some great playing by Fripp and co. and a nice ratio of proggyness and tunefulness for me. Not quite a stand out like some of their records though, a strong 4. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

TWENTYFIRST CENTURY SCHIZOID MAN. I'm baffled by how tame this album is. It's a fine collection of songs, but not excellent. 3.5 rounded up since it's far superior to what we've been listening to

King Crimson serves up a sonic feast where rhythmic acrobatics and percussion wizardry dance on the tightrope between genius and madness.

Leuk

King Crimson are on of my favorite bands. I’ll assume Red and In The Court are on the list. This album is actually the first album with the third band lineup which culminated in Red. This is a great example of third Crimson. Heavy metal free jazz jamming and then beautiful lyric songs like Book of Saturday. This album has very prominent violin which lends this classic timeless feel to everything. This is really a great album. As said above it shouldn’t be your first Crimson, but after listening to those mentioned above (and also Discipline probably) then I think this album (together with Lizard, Islands, THRAK) should be one of the next stops. Giving it four stars.

I’ll say a 4, because on my first listen I was stunned by this especially the last song. It is so innovative and at times emotional but other times is unemotional. This is all encompassed in this odd avant garde proto metal prog music.

top review is a pretentious knobhead who thinks hes too good for prog because hes enlightened and thinks the smart people aren’t actually that smart. this isn’t even top 3 king crimson and it’s still phenomenal.

Trippy and lovely. Long time listener to this.

Cool prog rock album that keep you on your toes. Unexpected changes and sometimes sudden dissonance. Still a fascinating album.

Liked it. A lot of similar sounds to Court of the Crimson King, with some that reminded me of more modern stuff. Sound effects from SMT V:V

It's much like the last album, it waffles a bit at times but when it gets there it hits so hard, easy money is a tune and Larks Tounge PT 3 is really good too. I think it's a 4 but I didn't enjoy it as much as court of the crimson king

That was weird, I had a great time. Definitely enjoyed it more than In the Court

Very strong musicianship, the songs are long but they keep it interesting, this draws me in! 4.3

An album with interesting songs, I liked Lark's Tongues in Aspic (Part I) the most.

OMG somebody slipped something in my drink! This was fucking awesome. Odd time signatures, wonderful tones amzing playing. I can't get enough

it’s not for everyone but i really liked it. has a weird, progressive rock/jazz sound. use of the violin, wind and piano was audibly pleasing to me

I wanted to hate this album. I hate the album title, and I hated the pretentiousness of the few songs I had heard previously. First couple tracks confirmed my distaste but once I got to Exiles things turned around. I actually liked Easy Money. And rest of the album was enjoyable. I can hear the sounds of many of my favorite bands in this album.

Not for everyone but these a lot of cool riffs in this. I dug it

Ez Money is an EZ 10.

This is the second King Crimson album I've had recently and both were good listens. Now I need to go back and revisit both to see if I have a preference for either

Another prog masterpiece from these guys, what a band. You have everything you might possibly want on this album - roaring guitars, soft violins, crazy bass and drum fills, windchimes and infinite rhythm changes. There's very little wrong with the album, but there are still better ones out there, even from King Crimson themselves.

Not bad actually

Some albums sound like they were meticulously crafted and polished in a laboratory; other albums sound like they grew, wild, out of the raw earth. This is one of the latter, an organic sonic exploration that wanders unsteadily from song to song. It's not a straightforward journey, but it's one worth taking. Favorite track: "Easy Money."

Not my first exposure to King Crimson but this was my first time with this album.. I enjoyed this while sitting on the beach, so the wandering jam style fit the atmosphere. 4/5

I enjoyed this a while lot more than In The Court Of The Crimson King. Groovy, jazzy and catchy.

4 estrelas, LsTA part2! Capa - alguém fez tatoo da ilustração...quero uma camiseta :-)

Cool. Weird. But not necessarily my cup of juice. But genius nonetheless. 4

Biased bc I love prog rock. Dug this album!

I enjoyed this psychedlic ride of a shapeshifting work that dances upon clouds of kush.

Red screamy man artist. Who would've thunk they have other albums. JK. Blind Album, open to the opportunity to try something new by the band even though I don't even like Crimson King that much. Well this album changed my mind. Wow it was pretty good! I enjoyed a good amount of this and would listen again. Perfect example of this project and me finding new listening material.

What makes Larks’ Tongues In Aspic such an enduring and rewarding experience is that this particular line-up – mainstay Robert Fripp, drummer Bill Bruford, bassist and vocalist John Wetton, violinist David Cross and percussionist Jamie Muir – have a discipline approach that was lacking on the later albums . Here, the improvisational runs are characterised by a lean focus that serves and refreshes the songs, so while this is music that’s definitely ‘out there,’ it first and foremost blasts off from the ground up.

Was very excited to hear this, as Red is in my top 10 favourite records of all time. This is also really good, but didn't hit me in quiet the same way. Nevertheless, it's King Crimson. Come on.

Excellent Album!!!

Was not expecting this! I guess I thought King Crimson was something else because I loved how weird and experimental this was! I will certainly check this album out again. Especially “Easy Money”- loved that track!

Beautiful proggy chaos. I love it!

What a freakin' journey. I started out unimpressed with part 1 of the title track, which sounds like a slightly discount Tubular Bells. In the first half, there's a lot of silence with various instruments tentatively tooting out every so often. It's the kind of output you'd expect from a band who thinks they're so successful, they can get away with anything – except King Crimson wasn't particularly successful by this point. But then the texture thickens substantially, and we start to see an interesting kaleidoscope of the prog[-rock] genre. Book Of Saturday makes good use of soft electric guitar licks (à la In Rainbows), including some nice reversed guitar. Whenever the backing vocals enter, the band's music is elevated (even though I suspect the singer is layering several tracks of his own voice, meaning this couldn't really be played live). Exiles starts off unpromising, but from the 2 minute mark onward it's an excellent acoustic track that sounds like a combination of British, Irish, and Eastern European folk. Part 2 of the title track is worth a shout-out for being a big improvement on part 1. The distorted guitar and bass are great here, as are the unhinged strings. The album is uncohesive enough (excluding the bookend/title tracks, which technically have some resemblance to one another) that I don't really see myself giving it 5 stars. But darn it, I enjoyed myself. 4/5 Key tracks: Book Of Saturday, Exiles, Larks' Tongues In Aspic (Part II)

I don't like prog, but I sometimes make an exception for King Crimson, especially in their more rhythmic, muscular form. There are still a few cod-pastoral moments on this record, but the title track (both parts) and Easy Money are indications of where they will head in the 80s and 90s. The thing I like about Crimson, compared with other prog bands, is that they will settle into a groove and let the rhythm play. Those rhythms are sometimes complex or in unusual time signatures or otherwise difficult, but at least they let you get used to it, unlike many prog bands that think that 'complexity' means changing time signature and tempo and feel every 2.6 seconds, which I cannot abide. I will also listen to Robert Fripp play anything. His choices are always at right angles to what any other sane player would do, but he plays it so confidently. It is a distinctive style that I will listen to any day. And he has a crack band with him (special shout out to Bill Bruford. He always said that he liked played in King Crimson because it wis the only band in the world where you get to play in 17/8 and still stay in nice hotels). I never signed up for the cult of Crimson, which seems to involve buying $600, 17LP box sets of reissued albums or obsessively tracking done every dodgy 70s live recording ever made. I'd never given this album a good listen before, and it had some interesting tracks (title tracks and I really like Easy Money), but this is inessential. It is a transitional album into their new thing, better exemplified on later records. 3.5 stars, would buy if I found it cheap.

The noises that assaulted my ears unsettled me

A difficult album to get into but worth it. It's excellent.

King Crimson is always a treat. Although I may like some of their other productions more, this album is a very interesting and unique mix of instruments and sounds. Mid to high four.

This album could've been made yesterday and it wouldn't feel out of place, that's how ahead of its time this is for 1973. A wondrous sonic journey in true sense of that phrase due to incredible dynamic songwriting and a great sense for progression and atmosphere-building. It builds upon the more avant-garde and experimental side of In the Court of the Crimson King while also anticipating what's to come with post-rock in terms of texture and a few crescendos for a good measure. Beautiful jazzy touches sprinkled throughout as well. Band's aforementioned debut probably has the higher peaks but at times it also sounds archaic, while Larks' clicked better with me as an overall experience. Subtle, elegant but also loud and chaotic when it needs to be. Great stuff.

classic

Atmospheric. Weird. I liked it. Although, a poor choice for walking home alone on a pitch black country road with nothing but a torch for company.

I didn’t want to like this because Genesis taught me that I don’t like progressive rock, but it ended up being pretty good

By 1973, there were many princes of the progressive rock world. However, there still remained one King. Nobody knew it at the time but King Crimson was in the midst of winding down its first incarnation and they were doing so with some of the more exploratory passages of their career. Incorporating classical and fusing it with the more feral aspects of rock, Larks' Tongue in Aspic is an uncompromising beast that, like most King Crimson records, demands ones full, undivided attention and there could be gleamed a gem or two to remember. Come for the sick album cover (as always), stay for the head-spinning music. Favorites: Larks' Tongue in Aspic, Part One, Exiles, Easy Money, Larks' Tongue in Aspic, Part Two.

starting slow, gest better at the end

-wow this is really cool. I’ve heard both In The Court of the Crimson King and Red, and I really like King Crimson’s focus on texture and sound. It was especially apparent in this record which has a sort of medieval vibe to it -The percussion stands out to me, especially in The Talking Drum. Such a good song holy shit -Favorites are Larks’ Tongues In Aspic (Part I), Easy Money, and The Talking Drum

Hårdt og underligt! Stor 4'er, ville være en 5er hvis a-siden var lidt mere stabil!

I liked the sounds. Didn't like the dynamic range in my headphones :/

Surprisingly good.

It isn't radio friendly nor will it be a commercial darling but it is daring and different and that's what I'm looking for. I do think Red and Discipline are better albums from King Crimson but this is a solid albeit difficult album.

I feel like progressive rock gets a bad rap for being... Y'know, wanky. "Ooo, lookit me noodling away on my keyboard and doing whatever the hell I want for 20 minutes in this 40 minute song; I'm sooooo boundary challenging." Stuff like that. Which, mm, I'unno. I think I've listened to too much Pink Floyd and Yes to truly feel like that about prog rock, though I do understand where it's coming from. I mean, you just look at ELP performing the entirety of "Pictures At An Exhibition" and tell me that's not... And I doubt today's album would really help anyone's opinion of the genre. You just need to look at the two part title track that opens and closes the thing, particularly part one: there's no clear structure or form. It really just sounds like... Ideas, and the band's just randomly flowing between them. To ears already inclined to hate prog, this kind of experimentation is pure self-indulgence. Why would anyone wanna put themselves through this — to get to the more conventional vocal tracks on the other side or, like, at all? It's just jerking around and hiding behind experimentation and progression as an excuse. Y'know, it's not something I really like I could argue against. Or that I'd even want to; I don't write about music to argue. But... I'unno. I've probably just listened to so much of Frank Zappa's experimental work and Primus's general discography that a lot of this doesn't strike me as overly indulgent. In fact, I think it's pretty interesting to hear how it shifts and evolves. There's a portion of myself that might prefer the more conventional songs because — well, yeah. I don't think they're really as interesting, though. Sure, there's a lot of parts in them that makes me go "Ooo, that's something" but none of them are really the complete journey that part one of the album's title track are. You feel what I mean? Even if I'd come back to something like "Easy Money" on its own first. I'm pretty happy getting this a 4. Prog is a genre where, as much as I like it, I figure the deeper I go away from what's generally accepted as "the best stuff," the more and more I might understand the detractors. Never enough to point where I'd fully dislike it, but I'd probably end up with more than a few examples of lousy playing and/or structure masked as "experimentation" or overly standard shit that tries to mask itself as deep by calling itself "progressive." That general feeling is probably true about any genre, though I feel with prog it's something I hafta worry about more often than not. But if this album proves anything to me, it's that I might not have such a problem with it as I'd figure. I mostly stick to convention, but I like a lot of the experimental and Eastern influences here. And if I can listen to all of this without blinking an eye, I can handle anything. I'm not gonna call it the best prog I've ever heard — I might not even like it as much as IN THE COURT OF... — but it's a damn fine showing of the more experimental side. If you dig prog and you somehow haven't already given this a shot, well, what're you waiting for? Dig yourself larks' tongue in aspic. Whatever "aspic" is.

I’m at a pretty darn good 4. This album has a few too many lulls and experimental points for me to really push it near a 5, but what’s here is still pretty captivating in its own weird way. Its experimental nature keeps it from hitting a 5 for me, but it also does enough that I think it pushes it up nicely into a 4, just for trying all of this in 1973, and succeeding, for the most part. A lot of this album is instrumental, which is fine enough – it’s broken up by 3 normal tracks, and the only one I really wasn’t feeling at all was “Easy Money”; just a little too simple and a bit too boring for my tastes. Felt like there was never a big payoff. The same applies to The Talking Drum, but that at least has the benefit of transitioning perfectly into the absolute stunner that is Part 2 of Larks’ Tongues in Aspic – just an absolutely captivating 7 minutes of a progressive rock instrumental that never really hits a lull point, and just clicked on all my tastes. So, yeah, I’m at a 4 – it’s an interesting 48 minutes, but it doesn’t do enough to hold my attention throughout the whole thing. It’s a little vague, and occasionally too experimental for its own good, but when it clicks, it clicks, and it clicked enough for me to enjoy it. It’s a very recommended 4, because I can see someone vibing throughout this whole thing and giving it a 5 (or absolutely despising it and giving it a 2).

Maukasta progea. Parhaat: Exiles, Book Of Saturday

I’ve known this one for a long time. I have not cracked it, far from it, but it gives me good feelings.

The bonus tracks were an added treat

Kinda better than ITCOTCK

I don’t find Wetton to be among my favorite Crimson singers but the instrumental work is super strong here. Some really heavy moments shine, especially in the title tracks. Highlights: “Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, Part One”, “Exiles”, “The Talking Drum” & “Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, Part Two”. 4.5 stars.

9.5 ★★★★½

Not exactly top tier Crimson but still really good. Every track called Larks’ Tongue In Aspic is especially excellent. Slightly meandering with the middle bunch of tracks.

Just too much – both the strength and weakness of this. The first three minutes of opener are lovely, but then it turns into a heavy metal song / noise rock exploration, which also seems to have opened the door to and encouraged all manner of excess from bands in years to follow (looking at Rush, mainly). Much more out there and experimental than earlier records. “Book of Saturday” and “Exiles” are best songs – the slow-burn rock + chamber-music is their winning equation. “Easy Money” is a jam-band template (with interesting flourishes of instrumentation) and one will like (or not) the track depending on one’s feelings about that particular (now largely played out, in my view, but still better than heavy metal) genre. There is a great overemphasis on the confounding of expectations. To wit, one can scarcely figure the point of the screeching ending just when the groove gets fully going (I guess this would jam bands’ jumping-off point). Title cut Part II is much the preferred option. Really interesting overall, but not exactly a smooth ride. One wonders why editors think cover art is so revolutionary.

Larks' Tongues In Aspic - King Crimson (1973) A sexta encarnação de King Crimson Apenas quatro anos depois do clássico “In the Court of the Crimson King” (1969), e cinco formações diferentes, vem o completamente imprevisível “Larks' Tongues in Aspic” (1973), o disco é composto por 6 faixas, 3 instrumentais. Sem alongar muito, apesar das músicas serem de 7~12 minutos, as músicas instrumentais são experimentais ao extremo beirando uma experiência etérea, muito difícil de compreender, talvez seja algo muito intimo do sentimento da banda no momento. Entretanto, as 3 músicas que são o recheio do álbum, em ordem, "Book of Saturday", "Exiles" e "Easy Money", são sensacionais em todos os aspectos, e elevam o nível do disco para o consumo do ouvinte que não é um aficionado pelo grupo, e são canções que merecem ser revisitadas. E é isso que farei. Melhores músicas: "Book of Saturday", "Exiles", "Easy Money". Piores músicas: N/A 3.5/5

Larks’ Tongues In Aspic (Part II) is forever cursed to me. Great record though.

I have not heard this one before. Some classic prog rock.

Heavy!

Floyd-like, but without any connecting thread from one song to the next.

Endless, directionless proggy noodling, I love this stuff!

The opening track was the weakest, but the rest of the album was right up my alley. A bit too weird here and there, but I never say no to a good, progressive rock album. 3.5 - 4 stars

4/5. I love King Crimson and this is a good choice for this list, but so very weird. The title tracks are the highlights for sure but the songs in between tell their own story to hold their own. The vocals are not great which is why half of the songs, more than 70% of the album is instrumental, all of the longer songs. This is a scary album, in a light sense of the word, but there is a dark undertone in all of the songs, like someone is following you or watching you in your own home. I don't know, it's hard to dislike this one for me and I would recommend it to anyone willing to venture into more progressive rock. Only downside are the songs with vocals, except Easy Money. Excellent instrumentation otherwise, like an album from Hell. Best Song: Larks' Tongues in Aspic Part Two, Larks' Tongues in Aspic Part 1, Easy Money

È così pretenzioso da far venire l’ulcera ma devo ammettere che come sottofondo il prog rock ci sta un sacco

++: Larks' Tongues In Aspic Part One, Easy Money, The Talking Drum, Larks' Tongues in Aspic Part Two +: Book of Saturday, Exiles 8,5/10

4.2 - Very pink floyd and actually really liked it. Some really cool moments and felt like it worked

4- Reminded me of Pink Floyd in a more rock-y way, but the intro and exits were hard to get through

Study

So it turns out I really like King Crimson. Always thought they were a one album wonder band. Some good solid prog rock there, can hear a lot of inspiration this album had in later bands. Not one to pick out tracks to listen to isolation, but that isn't a bad thing.

King Crimson do Easy listening

Very odd choice. I would have this as the 5th best Crimson album.

Fuckin fantastic prog! The leaders in the genre! My real question though is why are larks licking dudes Aspic? Lol. This is the music that should be celebrated on this list. Not fucking shoegaze or thrash jazz. Any inebriated fourth grader could produce shoegaze, Fuck that. Favourite songs: Larks' Tongues in Aspic (Part 1& 2), Easy Money Least favourite songs: The Talking Drum 4/5

nice proggy album, of course not a listen for every day...

Decent album.

I'm pleased that I got to hear this for the first time outside the prism of 70's progressive shit. I approached it as a new piece of music with no baggage. I bloody loved it. Exile in particular stood out. Lovely sweeping arrangements, with mournful vocals. Shit. I've become a bloody hippie.

So unexpected and fun! Pink Floyd-esque in spots, which I wasn't expecting. The album as a whole was very cohesive and the tracks flowed nicely. I know a lot of improvisation was happening but it also all felt very intentional. Lark's Tongue in Aspic Part I and Lark's Tongue in Aspic Part II were my favorite, and really book-ended the whole experience really nicely.

Prog Rock isn't for everyone, but I've always liked just how expressive each instrument can be in a good prog rock album and this one is pretty spectacular, especially for the year it was written. Exiles and The Talking Drum were definitely my favorites, where a steady climb from organized drums into group choas by the end feels like a full journey. There were parts that were just ok, though. I didn't love the title track or the opening half of Easy Money. Still, glad I listened.

This was a huge tonal shift from the previous album. I'm edging up a point, because I can tell if I listened through a few more times, in a few more moods, it would speak to me in totally different ways.

I liked it

Rock with lots of bells and whistles. Great arrangements as well. Not their best album in my opinion, but still really good.

se é a porta de entrada ideal pra king crimson eu não sei mas achei maneiro pra caramba. senti aquele receio do som ficar batido antes de finalizar porém na mesma música eu era pega de surpresa diversas vezes

Loved the musical transitions throughout the album.

This one falls somewhere between Pink Floyd and true Books. Innovative and extremely varied, this one is quite an accomplishment. I'd give it 5, but I overrated their other album on here, but this is the better one

Experimental Prog is like Jazz, sometimes you get it, sometimes you dont, and its always weird. I love this.

After a gentle opening, when the electric part kicks in it really really kicks in. Repeat. Soft, loud, metal, jazz, sooner or later you will hear what clicks, Yeah man it clicks. And clicks. Ofttimes majestically.

4/5

Excellent album, dont j'avais entendus des morceaux dans des lives de KC. Un de mes groupes préféré, j'aime cette musique qui est toujours surprenante (instrumentaux, structures de morceau pas standard, signatures rythmiques particulières et évolutive, harmonies, improvisations). Un album que je vais acquérir, même si je préfère la période avec Trey Gunn (à priori pas dans la liste). => 4.5/5

Not too shabby. Avoids the magical guitar motif that progressive rock can fall into. Overall, very enjoyable.

Not my favourite KC album especially not the title tracks but it's not terrible.

yeah

Exciting and unique, there is a lot that works well on this prog heavy album. Part I sets the stage, with its free jazz improvisation mixed with hard rock elements. Exiles and Easy Money are excellent “shorter” songs to weave in between the bookends of the Lark parts. There’s a lot to this and I always find new nuggets every time I listen.

Favourite tracks: larks' tongues in aspic (part 1); easy money

This is crazy. I couldn’t listen again but they deserve their credit.

I’m familiar with Court. Let go! Fun bells Oh hell yeah. Make it weird. Probably a good time to mention I’m a Primus fan Been enjoying the musicality of this. But the vocals on Exiles is bad. Strained, out of tune. Talking drum oh yeah 4 star

Some magicians doing music stuff. Pretty pleasant and sometimes confusing... im between 3 and 4...

King Crimson are a perfect and prolific band. Their music and lyrics are good. This album might not be their best, but is superb.

3.5 - Definitely a bit more avant-garde than I remember In The Court of The Crimson King being. A couple parts are kinda hard to listen to, especially with how loud they can get, but I quite liked other parts.

This was a good album, like an orchestral Pink Floyd. Some parts were maybe a bit tough to listen to (akin to meandering jazz riffs, but with electric) King Crimson are definitely musicians, although are some lovey singing bit.

Feels a bit pretentious, but how could it not be with an album title like that. I am still digging the prog rock vibe, but this one was a little more repetitive and out there in spots. Started out as a solid four star, but was going to bump it down to 3 on the second listen. However, the 3rd time through brought me right back to 4. A real rollercoaster of emotions.

I think, at the end of the day, this record depends on your tolerance for prog. Cos this is about as proggy as it gets, with Robert Fripp leading the band. I don't mind it, but it does demand focus, which is rewarded at times. I like the instrumentals more than I do the songs with vocals. Also, the weird squishing at the beginning of "Easy Money" really fucked with my misophonia. Thanks. Favorite tracks: "Larks' Tongues In Aspic (Parts 1 and 2)"

An introspective dive into the unknown. King Crimson challenges your mind.

Based on people's comments on this album I went into this full expecting to not enjoy it, instead I was pleasantly surprised by an album that was quite rewarding to sink one's teeth into. Love the violin bits especially!

66% (4) 👍

liked it

Supper proggy. The suites are basically overextended versions of Pink Floyd interludes done ad nauseum. I liked some moments but it is a mid-70s prog album awash in a sea of mid-70s prog albums.

I believe anyone who is going through the process of listening to all these albums is open minded and curious enough about all types of music should at least have some exposure to progressive rock. King Crimson is a great choice to do that. I don’t know them well enough to know if this is their best album, but I still found it pretty interesting. I don’t listen to much prog anymore but when I did I always felt almost apologetic when playing it around others. It’s kind of an acquired taste, it’s easy to get lost in the technical instrumentation, and sometimes it’s just odd. Great music for geeks and music nerds alike. But some great bands have prog roots or leanings (Peter Gabriel era Genesis and Rush spring to mind). It’s cool to listen to a band that stayed firmly entrenched in their niche for decades.

God I'm officially old I liked this.

Great prog album. Not up there with Court but definitely a great album

oh i dig this album so far. Easy 4, maybe a 5 if the quality continues. Not quite a 5 but definitely, definitely home run on that first track or two

3,5

Almost 5 stars

Far out comma man

I do love a bit of prog, and yet I’m not actually sure if I’ve listened to King Crimson before. I know they’re mentioned in just about every list of best prog bands out there, but I’ve just never found the time to seek them out. Let’s change that today! Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Larks’ Tongues In Aspic Pt 2 Six songs in 47 minutes is my kind of gravy. Everything here felt like a journey. A song may be very long, but the parts within a song vary greatly, giving it a feeling of much more than simply a few long songs. I’ve always been a sucker for weird time signatures, and there is plenty of that going round here. I’m not sure what the album was exactly about, but I do know that I liked how it sounded. Give it a listen.

I didn’t expect to like this at all. I saw the 13 minute instrumental title track and thought oh no. But the use of dynamics and clean transitions to different sections make the lengthy track work for me. When that soft/somber section toward the end hit, I imagined the track as a battle, and at first I thought the heroes had won with that section towards the end mourning those who died. But, as the album goes on, the sinister sounding synths, gritty bass lines, and anthemic guitar riffs create a tension that make me think the bad guys won, and the rest of the album takes place in the aftermath of that. I think there’s a lot of parallels to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon here with the psychedelic rock sounds mixed in with prog rock, and specifically the song Easy Money reminds me of Floyd’s Money.

Really good album

I liked this. I don't think I could sit and listen to it all the time, but I believe I'll enjoy revisiting this album. It's like a jazz or blues jam session, except for prog. It's probably unfair to comment on the remastered and expanded album, but the Recording Session Extract bonus tracks might even be better than the album. Striped down to simpler elements, it feels more focused, artisans honing their craft.

I am not entirely sure what to think about this one yet. However, I cannot be sure how frequently I would be in the right space to revisit. That said, it is gorgeous.

favourite: larks tongues in aspic 2 least favourite: the talking drum good, pretty chill mayb 7-8/10

Sonically striking as it is mellow, Larks' Tongues In Aspic is perhaps King Crimson at its best (at least by this point) since the days of their debut record while also being an excellent start to this particular formation of the band. From the poignant opening track that contrasts its almost metal-like rhythmic sections to its minimal violin segments, the more acoustically-focused and smooth tracks Book of Saturday and Exiles, to the more straightforward rocker closing track, Larks possesses a consistent tracklist that executes its ideas nearly to a tee. The only real low point on here is the improvisational track The Talking Drum, mostly for the fact that the track takes quite a while to really get going and by then it feels sort of too little too late.

King Crimson, I have never appreciated them before as today. From now on they'll be part of my music list. To re-listen again!.....and again. Book of Saturday the highlight of the album. 4,5/5

incredibly creative and unique sounds mixed in a real fun and exhilarating way. A wide and diverse range of influences combined to create an enjoyable sound!

I didn't like the first song as much as the rest of the album

Out of left field! I saw English and got sweaty but this is all instrumental I think and those sounds were awesome. Easy Money was my favorite. There were a few that weren’t as memorable but overall this was a fantastic album.

This one's great too, damn. I knew we'd get King Crimson eventually, but figured it would just be the Court of the Crimson King album. This rocks too though, really great prog, I could see how they're considered a gold standard. Love the long tracks, love the variety of sounds on any given track. Side note: I think a lot about the dude on this website who rated Common's Be two stars, saying it was because he was an engineer and lyrical music didn't appeal to him (which apparently is why music critics don't respect prog, because they're humanities majors). Well, guess what? I love lyrical hip hop, and I also love prog. And King Crimson is widely regarded as a legendary band, that fact can coexist with artists like Kendrick Lamar or Common or Tribe being legendary as well. So maybe that dude was just racist, or boring, or both. Anyway, really dug this album. Excited for more King Crimson. Favorite tracks: Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Book of Saturday, Exiles, The Talking Drum. Album art: Not much to shout about, it's a pretty small illustration of a sun and moon, tarot card-style art. I really like it, but it's just really plain here with a lot of empty space. Court is the better cover for sure. 4.5/5

It’s not bad, but there’s a whole lot of prog and not a lot of rock. Overall a good listen, but I wouldn’t have it in my every day rotation.

The opening track is massive, moving back and forth between experimental jazz, heavy metal and what sounds to me like creepy film score from an old movie. I certainly wouldn’t mind more huge guitar riffs on the album but it’s also funny to me that King Crimson consider metal just one of the colors on their palette. Like, “a dash of mystical flutes here, then some mind-melting hard rock guitar there, and then we’ll sprinkle in some avant-garde drumming.” “Easy Money” is a cool song. I love that slinky bass line and all the small percussion. There’s a lot of different instrumentation in the mix here but it’s all driven but that funky rhythm. Oh damn, the slow build on “The Talking Drum” is sick! This is a fascinating album. I look forward to diving back into it again soon. 4.5

I gave "In the Court of the Crimson King" a 5 out of 5. This one doesn't feel as monumental as that record, but it still maintains a lot of the cool composition techniques and styles. One down side about this one is that they do often fall into the realm of prog that I don't like, where a song will sound interesting and exciting but then it will go overboard and go "prog for the sake of being prog", instead of "prog for the sake of making the song better". Sometimes when I listen to proggy music i can imagine there's a proggy techy guitarist that is like a caged up animal that is jumping around in his cage and screaming and barking and shredding and the rest of the bandmates are like "crap! He's going wild in there, we gotta let the prog out... please, let the prog out!" and then they unlock the cage door and it explodes into prog on more prog. I think it's a really good album. It's not quite a 5. It's a high 3 for me, like a 3.8. Enough to round up to a 4.

After a few insipid manufactured albums this was an absolute pleasure of muso self indulgence.

Amazing bass lines. Did not listen to much of King Crimson asid from the Court. Pretty impressive, but not a 100% match with me

this had some good songs, i really enjoyed The Book Of Saturday and Easy Money, the first track was quite long and i didn’t think it met the quality of the rest of the album but overall i’d say it was a good listen strong 7/light8

Great creative sound, a treat for the ears, seem very HD compared to other music quality. Listen again.

Phenomenal writing and musicianship. These guys really know what they're doing. I still don't feel that they are on the same level as Pink Floyd because I don't find their music as "listenable" if that makes sense. But, I do need to smerk a berl and give this a real deep listen.

It's weird and I was expecting just complete nonsense with no real melody and there are times that's true. And certainly there are times where it's just weird to be weird but overall there are good melodies and real quality listenable music here. It's great background music but I sort of even enjoyed actively listening to it. Will be keeping it in the rotation.

Wow!! Bra progrock. Roger more post pink floyd?

Never realised that I would really like King Crimson if only I would sit down and really listen.

Really interesting. Need headphones.

Was I supposed to like this? Because I do. It's self indulgent, meandering, sometimes a bit too full of itself while finding ways to show their work. Whatever that says about me, I'm sure that I don't want to know. It sort of scares me since I usually don't have the stomach for this.

Strange, aggressive, moist. This is music to trip on acid to in the desert. A musical adventure. 8/10

Artist-forward music such that it is so well-crafted musically that it is not imminently easy to listen to. If there was ever a need to understand where Primus, Radiohead, and other sonically unique musicians can trace their lineage, this album is chock full of examples. Only real detractor is the very specific sound that immediately dates it to 68-75 time period.

I love a lot of early 70s prog but could never get into King Crimson, but never had given this album a try. It was then interesting that Apple Music closes their little blurb about this album with "....is arguably the toughest for new fans to process..." but by the time I'd gotten to the 3rd track "Exiles" I already knew that I liked this far more than other Crimson I'd heard. Not as obnoxiously-complex-for-its-own-sake as a few other of their albums (or like most ELP), even allowing for the fact that there's not a ton of vocals on this album. Definite points scored for Bill Bruford joining the band on drums. It'll never hit those unfairly-high Yes/Genesis bars and might not be a frequent/common listen but I do like to sprinkle in some musical complexity now and then and this has enough crazy musicianship and *space* in the music that I'll come back to it. 7/10 4 stars.

Holy shit, this was cooking. I think I had a very wrong idea of what this album would be.

I swear I used to hate King Crimson, even tough I'm a die hard prog fan. With time I got used to their particular sound and I can even say they've now found a friend in me. Great album, less noisy and messy that I used to believe it was.

Experimental Psychedelic Rock done well. Instrumentation expanded past the normal choices for Rock music. A lot of changes to volume, time and instruments made for an interesting and engaging listen. Would have been 5/5 but some of the more experimental parts lost me a bit

This one was really interesting. I'd definitely listen again.

Masterpiece although too experimental for me.

Noise

- I absolutely love "Book of Saturday" and "Easy Money" but the album is a bit hard at times. - This is not a bad thing in itself. In "Exiles" for example, the tense build up makes the release on the 2-min mark more real and rewarding. Still, not a listen for everyday.

This album was oddly compelling. I think that if I based this review solely on the traditional rock instrumentation and vocals I would have found it overlong and too noodly. However, the strings are really special. They elevate this album to something that sounds like a modern classical piece in a way that feels genuine. The strings are not an afterthought nor are they there to give the appearance of being high minded, they are a melodic focus.

They’re on my list. I kind of liked it

I am not a Crimson connoisseur, so I came to this album slightly disoriented. I only knew about their prog foundations and pedigree earned thanks to "In the Court of the Crimson King," so my expectations were leaning toward a music experience instead of a song-by-song work. The first three songs (side A) were solid. The first song, "Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part One," is a delicious blend of jazz, experimental, and easter music, a sound palette that perfectly introduces the album. The rest of Side A keeps the vibe going. The frantic bass line in "The Talking Drum" is superb, like a heart beating euphorically, while the guitar and violin induce madness in the listener—an authentic claustrophobic experience. The last track is a raspy, sharp jam that brings the listener back from this magical place while strange, dwarf-like shrieks can be heard in the background. Overall, a great album. Not a thing you can play every Monday morning, but a great place to hide from time to time.

First half: 3 stars, a little too much prog for for me. Second half: 5 stars, this half rocks. Overall: 4 stars. (I would rate the KC debut, Red, Discipline as 5 star).

I tried so hard for years to find this album on CD. King Crimson was one of those artists I'd decided I wanted to listen to chronologically, and I got stuck on literally the second album because I could not find it anywhere. Finally picked up a copy at some point and was impressed but maybe not in the right mood for it, and discontinued my chronological search. This is weird and beautiful and probably brilliant. I only wish the vocals weren't so jarringly mediocre.

Originaliteit

Very varied

Really enjoyed this, sprawling but found it easy enough to lock into. Has its moments typical of the era, where indulgence trump's art, but even in the indulgent moments there's just something there that I couldn't help but dig. There are some really interesting and unexpected musical passages throughout this. 4/5 Fav track: easy money

Very cool. Really enjoyed the dark grooves and percussive elements. Not so much the vocals but they were absent for a lot of it and never outright annoyed me. Keen to hear that one with the big face on the front when it comes up on here. Three and a half. Fave track: The Talking Drum

Moeilijk, maar wel heel vet af en toe

Larks and japes.

I'm not that into prog rock, but this album was surely a banger!

Love the intro going from soft and slightly discordant to a booming, heavy metal riff. Exiles is a standout to me, I appreciate the variety of instruments and improvised sounds. I have bashed certain albums for being too experimental that it isn't really music anymore. I would like to point those albums to this album as an exhibit on how to do experimental. The sounds are unique, but familiar, the rhythms/tempos don't get too far out of whack, and the rest of the album is actually good. Overall this album isn't quite as good as The Court of the Crimson King, but that's a high bar to surpass. I think this one is closer to a 3, but then I listened to the bonus tracks which brings it to a soft 4.

That first song is exactly what I would expect a Larks Tongue in Aspic to sound like, whatever the hell that is. The instrumentals all of the place kept me on my toes. I had my headphones on quite loud and there were some loud parts that scared the hell out of me. That album was crazy with some spooky strings and crazy instrumentals i wish I played it on October. Easy money was a very cool song that reminded me of Pink Floyd a little bit. Highly enjoyable but can't quite make it a 5.

Absolute dons and the creators of prog rock, enjoyed this even though there is large portions of the album that I couldn't hear what was going on

really loved this. i wasn't expecting it to be nearly fully instrumental, but that's often a real positive for me and this album was no different. "Larks Tongues In Aspic (Part II)" was the standout track for me. Re-listening to appreciate the build and textures.

Pfoee, wat een episch nummer is Lark Tongues in Aspic(Part 1). Ik hou heel erg van instrumentale nummers die klein beginnen en dan later ontploffen in muziek bijna. Hoop dat de rest van het album dit een beetje vast houdt! Ook tering he, dit album heeft maar een paar nummers maar duurt toch gewoon een uur, wth... Ok, na het epische begin dacht ik na een tijd wel dat het album een beetje was ingekakt. Dat was niet het album. Dat was gewoon nog steeds Larks Tongues in Aspic Part 1.... Misschien word dit toch een langere zit dan ik van tevoren dacht. Gelukkig komt daarna Book of Saturday, een relatief kort nummer(3 mins maar!) Wat echt een heel mooi nummer is in mijn mening! Exiles pakt daarna door als bijna lieflijke nummer. Fuck man, ik ga toch niet een progrock liefhebber worden he? The talking Drum is ook zo'n nummer waar zo insane veel gebeurd, ik loev dat wel. Het einde heb je dan totale chaos, echt heel fijn. FAVO:Larks Tongues in Aspic Part 1(eerste 7 minuten), Book of Saturday, Exiles, Easy Money

Another one I was surprised by. Parts of this I really loved

Peak 70s prog. I imagine this is a difficult album for many but this sits together well with the aggressive violins and Wettons distinctive vocals. 3.5

King Crimson heavily featuring violin is an easy wanna-love for me. If I have a nitpick, it's that the Bartók invocation is there mostly for technique: The music lacks a certain telos I find necessary in instrumental music. But my discovery of this band continues to be excellent. Lark's Tongues has an intellectual darkness I'm eager to follow up with its successor.

Enjoyed this. Might listen again

4/5

I did really enjoyed this album. Always Love Fripp's guitar

It's easy to see Lark's Tongue in Aspic, as well as Red and Starless and Bible Black, as a transitional album. It straddles the prog rock King Crimson period and the later experiments of the reformer King Crimson starting int he 1980s with Discipline. There are still long jazz influenced jams such as the title track, alongside shorter, more mundane rock pieces such as Easy Money. This is the same path that Yes was traveling, albeit with more success. One feature of this period was that it had already become Robert Fripp's band. The lineup is all-star (Bill Bruford and John Wetton especially) but the vision and the direction, all Fripp. Just to show how incestuous prog rock was, by 1978, Wetton and Bruford, along with Allan Holdsworth and Eddie Jobson, had formed U.K.

Nice. I could listen to this over and over.

This is the type of album you have to be actively listening to for it to be appreciated otherwise it may sound a bit chaotic or unstructured. I was excited to finally hear any King Crimson for the first time, although I’m not sure if this album was the best place to start. I’ll have to revisit this listen when I hear another one of their albums. Still, it was a good dive into progressive rock’s history and I’m happy to have heard it.

I had moments, early on in this listen, where I was a little worried about where we were headed. I don't mind my prog music getting a little "far out", but I can't appreciate when it devolves into pure cacophony. It was trending towards the latter at points, but it came back around. There were many pleasant moments here, shows of excellent musicianship that made this an enjoyable listen indeed. I look forward to future re-listens of this one.

"Easy Money" dips dangerously close to Pink Floyd territory but the rest of the album is compelling.

Välgjort progrock album. Är inte för intresserade men de e onekligen bra.

Com a la majoria de discos de Crimson, a 'Larks'...' has d'entrar amb la intenció de predre't; de vagar pels seus desenvolupaments instrumentals i deixar-te anar per cada una de les seves excusions sonores. Indiscutiblement, una de les fites del rock progressiu com a génere

One of a handful defining British prog for me. I like it though as usual with prog rock, advanced jazz etc., at times it makes me feel sort of dumb and left wondering if the more challenging parts are just artists taking the piss on the strength of their virtuoso abilities.

nice

August 21st (later in the evening, gotta catch up) Could be turned off by any number of LTiA’s quirks: the strange tunings, found percussion, unexpected heaviness. Yet combined they somehow make something pleasing to my ear. More dynamic than most albums, goes from super quiet to super loud in a flash (so, like The Wall). Only song I might mistake for Floyd is “Easy Money” HLs: title track pt. 1, “Easy Money”, “The Talking Drum”

Well, this album was an experience for sure. I definitely enjoy the more accessible material of King Crimson more. Nonetheless, it was not at all a bad experience.

Jazzy prog rock

There are some rough parts but the soundscapes some songs end up in are absolutely lovely

Weirder than their debut, but still retains a lot of the signature King Crimson prog sound. Big focus on dynamics, whimsical lyrical delivery, and full-band punctuation. I do feel that Larks' Tongue part 2 crescendos nicely into a bombastic end to the album, and there are a few high points to the album, but King Crimson's slower sound does not do much for me in the grand scheme of the album.

Now I know a little more about Robert Fripp! This is the first 'progressive' anything album I have heard on this list for quite a while, what a breath of fresh air! Sounds a lot like some of my favourite bands, I can see where their inspiration came from now (in part).

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Great sounds. I just wish I had more ears.

I love the more dissonant Stravinsky and Free Jazz sounds, but Wetton is such a vocal downgrade from Lake that its nearly jarring, and knocks this album down a peg for me.

progressive and pretty heavy at times. enjoyed this one. highlights: “book of saturday”, “easy money”.

erratic, psychedelic, and almost blues-y at times ft. some very nonstandard timesignatures and instrumentation. Imagine Pink Floyd's Money, but make it weird and lightly prog/math/dad rock-y

I like prog rock. This album didn’t have as many bangers as court of the crimson king but was overall good

A great listen - they really venture into various genres in a way that feels authentic and natural, not forced. Nice flow between songs, no complains. I'm becoming a King Crimson fan.

Some bits are slow, but good payoff

I mean, is it pretentious, self-indulgent, and pointedly weird? Of course. It's King Crimson. I'd expect nothing less. But it's also really good. King Crimson has the chops to get away with the prog-rock nonsense. It's weird a trippy and painfully slow to go anywhere at times, but that's balanced by the other times. The times when they throw down groves that are so thick and tasty. Or the times when the layering is so complex that you can get lost trying to follow everything that's going on. Overall, it was a great piece of musicianship even if it was exactly enjoyable from start to finish.

Unique blend of psychedelic folk and rock.

Great

Great prog rock album with some really unique tunes. I'd love to have more structure in it, though.

Been a fan of King Crimson for decades. Really like the noise aspect of this album.

Smash

I love In The Court but haven't ever really listened to King Crimson outside of that record, and reading that this album featured a mostly new line-up (including a new lyricist/vocalist) I didn't know what to expect. But I did end up enjoying most of this! The violin added a new element to some of the slower passages, though it was mixed a little too quiet in some instances. I loved the noodly guitar parts and the drums were amazing when they were allowed to be fully present. Very good record, if you're into some self-indulgent prog wanking.

This was probably one of the most interesting albums I’ve listened to in a while. It found a way to he heavy and rocky at points and then suddenly switch to these pretty ambient sounds and vice versa. It was very dense and atmospheric with so many different sounds going on. I will say that there’s not a lot of stand out tracks individually but as an album it’s so tight and cohesive that I can’t help but really like it.

listened to again a trippy prog masterpiece

A-spictacular album

I've never listened to King Crimson aside from the legendary In The Court of The Crimson King but perhaps I should've. This is really good. It does suffer a tad from the pitfalls of prog but it wasn't all that noticeable to me. I could see it being a 5, those title track songs are great. I just can't see it as 5 yet. Maybe after more listens. For now it's a Iron clad 4.

A typically complexing, rewarding listen. Signs of the direction that King Crimson would take on subsequent albums is evident in the title track, but there still remain traces of the old Crimson in the more contemplative numbers Book of Saturday and Exiles. Easy Money is fine musically but the lyrics haven't stood the test of time But overall a really good album

I'm still not sure I "get" King Crimson, but it went really well with the epic thunderstorms sweeping through the area.

8/10 some of the weird animal sounds were grating but overall really cool prog rock, as expected

7/10. Mr. Crimson, were those wet sounds at the start of easy money really needed? A couple pretty cool bits, but some sleepier parts too.

I liked their other album better. Ut I have always been a fan of prog rock

Speciaal. Maar de willekeur vind ik wel tof

Creative, exciting, nerdy. I like it!

Lick me bum bum. It's a freakin' masterpiece. A scrunched up sock full of dog shit thrown at your headmaster. A baby in a manger smoking a rolled up cigarette and shouting cruel observations as passers-by. A proud Norwegian woman slipping over in a dance hall. A couple of Nazi barmen pouring a round of orange juice for a group of yoga mums. The ending of Titanic performed by school children for an unimpressed bank manager.

Real good. Will be adding to my King Crimson rotation along with Crimson King and Red, the latter of which I was compelled to stick on after I listened to this.

I liked this. I liked the mish-mash and the quick switch into early metal. I liked it.

Jag räknade på det och det är exakt 79 gånger bättre än Yes och ELP.

I've been taking a deep dive into Prog thanks to a question posited in a Facebook group, "How Prog was Bowie?" The answer: The Man Who Sold the World. Thanks to this discussion, my curiosity, and the movie Mandy, I've been actively listening to King Crimson, early Peter Gabriel Genesis, Can & more of Pink Floyd. To be fair, I had already been lightly dipping my toes into Prog & Krautrock for the last few years. Back to the album - I enjoyed it. It was atmospheric, calming, unnerving, alien, ethereal, and beautiful. You bet I'll be listening to this again. Probably cued up after Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. 4 out of 5 but will likely turn into a 5 pretty soon.

Not sure I've ever sat down and listened to a King Crimson album before. There was a lot to like here, but it was pretty spaced-out. 3.5/5

After a few days of stuff that isn’t Really For Me At All, I was glad to get an album that I know I love. Not one of KC’s top tier releases, but it’s bookended by some of their most lovely compositions. B+

I was skeptical going in but this was very interesting and enjoyable

excellent hidden gem. I liked it a lot and would like more listens. probably a 4.5.

Of all the prog rock albums I’ve gotten, this is definitely high on the list. It was much cooler than 2112 and the larks tongues in aspic parts 1 and 2 were the standouts.

Ein gutes Album, das ich ausnahmsweise schon kannte. Ist nicht zu lang, hat aber ein paar Längen.

Sko, þetta er alltaf áhugavert, oft skemmtilegt, og ég mun alltaf vera þakklátur fyrir Robert Fripp. Ég ætla samt ekki endilega að hlusta á hverjum degi.

ok

Normally this progressive songwriting and instrumentals would frustrate me, but I was intrigued from beginning to end! Cool adventure of sounds.

Belle découverte, je trouve ça vraiment intéressant, même si je ne l’écouterais pas tous les jours

Un album simpatico. Bello il sound degli anni '70. Interessante la combinazione degli strumenti.

C'est sûr qu'à la base j'aime beaucoup King Crimson, donc j'ai un préjugé favorable envers le groupe. J'aime beaucoup cette série de 3 albums (les 2 autres étant Red et Starless and Bible Black). Red reste mon préféré de cette série, mais Larks' Tongues est très près. J'aime les dissonances dans les pièces et ses côtés très rock par moment. Les percussions aussi sont intéressantes. Le côté deux drums sur Larks' Tongues part 2 donne un aperçu de ce que le groupe fera plus tard avec sa formation en double trio. La pochette est superbe.

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

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.

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

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

3.5 favs: book of saturday, exiles

230626 16:51 3

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

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.

It was a lot, but the music was solid

Decent interesting listen

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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".

Robert fripp, Movie soundtracks

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.

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.

*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

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

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.

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

Like it!