Reviews (page 5 of 8)
Thoughts before listening: I have never done a King Crimson deep dive before. I listened to In the Court of the Crimson King as part of this project and was familiar with a handful of songs before that listen, but for the most part their catalog has seemed too dense for my interests. I feel that way about a lot of prog rock even though I do tend to enjoy the albums when I give them a chance. I hope I will feel the same about this one. Review: Yeah so this is the side of prog rock I can't connect with. Where as Court of the Crimson King had some sections that lost me, that album still has some great rocking songs. This one is a tougher listen although I do really like "Easy Money". 2-stars
I think King Crimson are as close as I'm going to get to finding prog bearable, on this list.
Album art:5
I dont get this.
This is weird and I feel like I should have known that but I didn’t. When I think of King Crimson I picture King Diamond and they are really far apart in musical style. This album had promise . If only they had let the guitars do their thing instead of mashing a bunch of instruments together to make a collective noise, I would have like this much better. I get that it’s artsy prog rock. Sort of operatic at times but so is Queen and they hash out hits in between sleepers. I’m not impressed and I’m hurt by that. I had very high hopes.
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
Pretty Frippin’ good!
A few good moments but mostly wading through copious amounts of noise to get there
Look kids Art Rock! Pretty sure I’ll hate this, let’s find out. I’m sure it’s hard to play.Vocals are unpleasant. 11 minute opener with a pretentious title. But actually sounds pretty good.
Interesting variety. Like the recording extracts
Definitely a '70s vibe. Had some weird wet sounds and shrieking things added in there, but overall it was space outy vibes
I haven't heard a full King Crimson album in forever, especially this one which I don't think I ever heard in full at once, maybe because I wasn't patient back then with the weirder and more angular but also exploratory into adding some more ambiental sounds which makes you wait for them to play something weird to then segue into something more prog, but since it's KC it's going to be the best prog has to offer, especially on "Easy Money" and "Larks' Tongues in Aspic Part II" which are easy demonstrations of why KC are so cool and have more bite than many others (Book of Saturday... not so much). This may not be my favorite King Crimson album, but it's enjoyable all the same
wow this was terrible
This is just not for me. Prog jazz rock feels like a chore.
Disappointed to say the least. This band is truly hit or miss. Probably due to all of the 'lineup' changes. This is the kind of prog that people hate. I am NOT one of those people but this collection is overrated at best.
Didn't land with me
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.
Fucking love this album
One of the best records you've never heard of. Admittedly took a few listens to fully click and has some more musically challenging moments, but the payoff is a boundary pushing, entertaining and kick-ass album that set a new standard for rock. A great album to sit with and appreciate that also rewards acute listeners
Ironically, this album is also on the 1001 albums you must unlisted to before you die (unless you work for the now defunct Radio Shack, and you are just testing audio gear).
Langweile, nächstes Level.
It just gets to be a bit too abstract at many points. Very few if any ‘grooves’ throughout the entire thing. Definitely not a bad listen but not my favorite as well. 6/10
Larks' Tongues in Aspic (Part I)
Calling this underrated would maybe be exaggerated, but I still think it deservesto be praised as much as the other 2 records, even if I slightly prefer Red
2.5, rounded up
Not loving this. Too little lyrics and too much needless experimentation. They weren’t adding anything with this and on top of that none of these songs were fun. The tracks that came close were way too long. Just not happy at all about any of this or anything ever. Fuck me. 2/5
Nice kinda mystical instrumentals. The lyrics, though, are meh.
Favorite Track: Exiles
Pitäisin tätä sietämättömänä tekotaiteena ilman Pyryn valistusta
I fucking hate king crimson
Read a bio before listening so had a few misconceptions. Happily all smashed as found myself really enjoying the random unexpected moments of this.
I bet it’s good if you listen to it more. But too experimental for casual listening imo
Gross another one of these. I really didn’t like in the Court. So fine. Let’s try again. You know you’re in for some prog bullshit when the first sound you hear on a rock album is a kalimba. Nothing fucking works on the first song. None of the sections flow into each other. It’s just a series of disconnected ideas. What if we hit a bunch of metal and shit. It just sounds like a bunch of dudes fucking around in their garage. Hell the TITLE doesn’t even make sense. If I can give it praise it’s chaotic and a little disconcerting all over, but what does that have to do with a tiny birds tongue in Jello???? I feel like my biggest issue with prog rock is it’s not nearly weird enough to be interesting, but also not catchy enough to be listenable. And then the very end of the song sounds so good god damn it. It’s loud and strange and sounds amazing. Then, a lot like in the Court, the rest of the songs are just…here’s some soft rock. Okay I actually really like Book of Saturday. Easy Money is a baffling decision. “Guys I just stepped in some mud outside how can we incorporate that sound?”
Jam band testing out their instruments......not sure what I was listening to.
sometimes maybe good sometimes maybe shit
Prog
I can’t listen to this mess.
Безумное дерьмо для конченых снобов
In between the chaotic bookends of “Larks’ Tongues in Aspic,” there’s some real beauty hiding in this album. The violin work is gorgeous, and tracks like “Book of Saturday” and “Easy Money” show a surprisingly melodic, human side to King Crimson. “Book of Saturday” in particular is lush and intimate, a quiet oasis in the middle of all the metallic clatter. Yes, the opening and closing pieces are rough, noisy, and more than a little unhinged, but once you get through the wrapping, there’s a genuinely beautiful little present inside. You can hear the underpinnings of future prog‑rock all over this thing. My Rating: Solid 3/5
Weird
I think it speaks volumes that I was more annoyed listening to this than I was about the district line screwing up my morning commute.
goated
defendo prog apenas em contextos específicos esse álbum é um desses casos bão tá
bem mais doideira do que eu esperava. ruim não foi, mas prog ainda é um assunto delicado pra mim
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
One of my favorite King Crimson albums. My favorite lineup of the band. It's hard to imagine in just a few years John Wetton would be in Asia singing Heat of the Moment.
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,…
It was alright. won't listen again.
Yeah, this really wasn't for me. A couple of the songs were fine, but I hated The Talking Drums and both the opening and closing songs. So when you hate 3 of the 5 songs on it, it's tough to rate it high. Only thing I'll give it, at least it wasn't boring.
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’m not a prog rock fan at all. This isn’t as annoying as some. The middle eastern vibe of “The Talking Drum” was cool. Goes in the two star category with most jazz: I know it takes talent but I don’t want to listen to it.
Sometimes I felt like thy were being experimental and artsy and other times it came across as a high school garage band that didn't know what they were doing. The first three minutes of Lark's Tongue was trying to be artsy but Part II was just a bunch of guys that thought they could play trying to jam out together. Its not awful, but I don't get this one being included, because its just random songs, with little emotion being created by them.
I’m on the fence with King Crimson. These songs can be very interesting. Book of Saturday is short and emotive, and Easy Money almost feels like a great sister song to Pink Floyd’s Money, but then you have that loooong opening song that seemed ALL OVER the place. I was so ready to write this album off after it, but it got better quickly. On The Talking Drum, the intro moves at sludge pace getting warmed up before a bass groove finally comes in to make it interesting. Then it segues right into the last song which was cool too. I’m just not sure that I love prog music. It has great intentions, but it rarely gets pulled off enough for me to be thoroughly WOWed. I guess I’m just spoiled by the timeless perfection of Dark Side of the Moon.
This was kind of a snoozefest and a little hard to follow. It wasn't terrible, there was certainly some interesting instrumentation and it had a few pretty rockin' moments at different builds of the tracks. But overall, the songs were long and all over the place, and it just didn't move me or groove me.
Its weird, but I can't tell if its good weird or bad weird... middle weird?
If you pay attention to all the parts individually, it’s a pretty cool album. 5.5/10
Nothing here for me.
This is heavily based in classical music like most progressive rock of its time. The musicianship is great and the music itself. I prefer Greg Lake's vocals with this band.
This are clearly talented and ambitious musicians, but I did not really connect with anything on here. Instrumental prog rock is too much like classical and not enough like the blues for me and I think that creates a barrier for me in enjoying this type of music.
can see how this inspired a bunch of folks. good stuff
marty that was very interesting music
gar ned nice gfunde
Another classic from KC
great playing but that's it
Can’t get into it, too prog for me.
This has it's moments, but this mostly felt directionless.
Instrumental noise, not a fan
Forgot my tophat ans monicle. Couldn't get into it then
Enjoyable in parts - bit meandering but appreciated that it was meant to be
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. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Good: The sound a lark can make with it’s tongue! The Bad: Aspic acts as an irritant, not a soothing agent… The Ugly: That the lark was being choked while singing… This was a first and, honestly speaking, one that I was kind of looking forward to, as I am a fan of Pink Floyd, and was curious to see what the real prog rock founders sound like. This is not a first where, it becomes obvious, that one needs to really take the time to listen to some of these albums prior to making a judgement call. This album, for example, at first listen, gets a 2* rating, potentially lower, depending on your state of mind. Regretfully, I haven’t had the chance to sit down and really listen to this album so that I can properly form a judgement… So, as I am certain that the oddness factor of this album will be something to intrigue me down the road, I will reserve a 3* rating, and, once I’ve had the proper time to listen to this album, hopefully, I will re-rate this… but don’t hold your breath.
really cool prog album. i've never really listened to anything by king crimson outside of 'in the court of the crimson king' so i was really excited to listen to this one when it came up. luckily, i really loved this one too. some really interesting sounds tonally but it still has that great 70s prog sound and the production is great. i especially loved the inclusion of bill bruford here, who does a great job on the drums (as always). yeah, really great stuff!
Parts of it were cool. But parts of it were just... annoying
Het begin van dit album sluit perfect aan bij die Baaba Maal die ik net heb afgerond, dus dat is wel mooi. Helaas begint al gauw de relatief vergezochte progmeuk te stromen. Tuurlijk zijn er leuke momentjes en klinkt het af en toe ook wel eens mooi, maar tussendoor krijg je een hoop geneuzel om je doorheen te worstelen, gekloot met de opname, de drummer die op willekeurige voorwerpen begint te tikken. Doseren blijft een kunst. Ik kan gerust zeggen dat dit allemaal wat langdradig is. Ellenlang opbouwen naar feitelijk niks. De gemiddelde Russische filmklassieker is er niks bij. Fluitje, strijkertje, gitaartje, folky elementen: helemaal leuk. Het klinkt ook allemaal echt wel goed in de koptelefoon, maar in deze langgerekte vorm haak ik een klein beetje af. Ik krijg er een beetje de kriebels van. Dat gekloot met die manische lachjes ook altijd. Een misschien net iets te strenge 2 sterren dan. Met wat knip- en snijwerk kun je hier een 4 van maken. Het is zeker niet totaal kut, maar als ik hier een 3 voor geef heb ik het gevoel dat ik me slimmer voor doe dan ik eigenlijk ben.
Progressive Rock being mostly random boring noise.
I got to the point where there were slurping sounds that sounded like it might actually be Larks' tongues in aspic and then I had to turn it off.
It turns out that through this list I've learned that I love prog rock and have done a deep dive into the genre only wanting to go deeper. While In the Court of the Crimson King is an easy five-star album for creating the genre, Larks' Tongues In Aspic is another that goes in a completely different direction and nails it again. 5/5
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
As is typical with King Crimson, the technical mastery on display completely outshines most of the sonic enjoyment for me. I want to grab on very much, but the amount of harsh left turns is a bit too disorienting; almost like when you know exactly what you want to say, but you're struggling to form a complete thought for some reason.
King Crimson serves up a sonic feast where rhythmic acrobatics and percussion wizardry dance on the tightrope between genius and madness.
Leuk
Good listen. (25 known/53 new)
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.
Cool! More proggy than I'd typically go for, but lots of fun ideas on this one. Found some moments a bit grating and a bit too unserious, but it's a very impressive record. Can't be mad at it. More of a 3.5.
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.
Apparently you didn't need to actually do the rock part of prog rock if you're king crimson. There is nothing here. It's just goofing around.
Trippy and lovely. Long time listener to this.
Learned about them but not my thing
the highs were mid but the lows were so so low
mjög flott production, stundum leiðinlegt, en hef alltaf meira og meira gaman af king crimson.
Grogg Progg
Kom mér á óvart. Mestan hluta áhugaverð tilraunatónlist, en döll prog inn á milli.
the origin of the world!!!
Lots of highs and lots of lows. That's how prog rock usually works for me and this is no different.
Unique. Early balls to the wall prog. Influential. Difficult at times.
Cool prog rock album that keep you on your toes. Unexpected changes and sometimes sudden dissonance. Still a fascinating album.
Meh
I lived a full life listening to this long album and I don’t actually mind Fripps funky prog rock sound scapes yet for a second I thought it slipped and was listening to ye ole captain beefheart but I am ethically obliged to say it is refreshing 0 taste high maintenance music in symbiosis with pursuing lofty grad goals at stem school but winding up being a catatonic creative marketing consultant for marajuana dispensarys. Just play a synthesizer in your bathroom while setting up your dab rig and you’ll have the same energy. Neat strings and piano on some songs though. You won’t find any sound healing here. I will say gotta I like xylophone intros and smooth sailing sound effects. I think plants would like this album.
Prog rock...2.
I cannot get into Prog Rock. It just doesn't hold my attention. Personal enjoyment: 2/5 Relevance to this list: 3/5
A completely new discovery for me according to Last.FM, not a single King Crimson scrobble until today. It grew on me. It blended into the background to begin with but by Larks’ Tongues In Aspic (Part II) I’d become a bit more intrigued by its progressivity. I would listen to them again.
Kind of a big profit mess. Really don’t know what to think. Imagine it would take a number of listens to really get this album. 2.5
There are moments where it’s quite interesting but it’s generally bloated and OTT. For some reason I quite liked the drumming
Yep, shocker, like every other King Crimson record we’ve heard this was also very cool and very interesting throughout. I am just a big fan of this band. Not sure I can pick apart the different levels of quality yet but this is amazing.
Not for me 1/5
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
Pretty good
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
Opened the album and thought, what is this… and then it dropped, amazing. Never heard of this band before, great for the 70’s, but a lot of long silences and mono-layered melodies, hard to judge this one but 2.8/10. (Someone compared them to Pink Floyd, don’t do that).
#521. After listening to The Court of the Crimson King, I was expecting big things from this, but no, this was boring as shit. 2/5: meh
This feels similar to emperor tomato ketchup in a way that I’m surprised that this one is on here and not others. Red and discipline aren’t. This feels like a melting pot in between the court of the crimson king and red. It does have the jazz influences, and the early metal kind of guitar tones. I think this one pulls from eastern and classical and organic sounding instruments much better than the wake of Poseidon, lizard and islands ones. I think they nailed the very specific style. I also live longer songs, and they sure know how to keep it from being too boring, by constantly changing/adding stuff. I also love the distorted wah pedal use one some songs. The non-vocal centric songs are very unique Only downsides are quite minor, I think the book of Saturday song could have done so much more, and I hate the squelching snare drum type think at the start of easy money (glad it’s only for the start though). Favourite songs: all but book of Saturday. I think I like this pretty much the same as court of the crimson king, red and discipline, because they are all so good for different reasons. Overall around 9/10
That was weird, I had a great time. Definitely enjoyed it more than In the Court
I’d really rather not listen to another King Crimson record, but I guess I’ll try to suffer through this… the first few minutes are not helping your case though. Get on with it! As far as prog rock from the 70s goes, it’s better to sound more like Sabbath than, idk, a synth orchestra, so some style points are in order, but otherwise, I’m exhausted by this.
There were a couple moments in the first song where I said here we go and they never did. Points for being musically proficient
It’s definitely an acquired taste. Despite the amazing musicianship on offer, it does not land with me but many aspects of it sounded like it landed with Queens of the Stone Age (and Josh Homme in particular).
Very strong musicianship, the songs are long but they keep it interesting, this draws me in! 4.3
There's good prog, bad prog, then there's this: cacophonous, guaranteed to cure constipation prog.
I’m surprised that was voted a good album
Boring elevator music met in the middle by arrogance with amps. Enough of the prog rock, for the love of all that is holy.
It starts boring and proceeds to only get more boring. This is music that is far less clever than the band thinks, and becoming agonizing to listen to after a few minutes. By the third time it sounded like pots and pans falling down a staircase in the opening track, I knew I was in for a bad time.
Meandering, partly instrumental prog rock. I wasn't into it.
Opening track starts with an entirely superfluous three and a half minute intro before continuing on for another nine minutes of which only a few are interesting. Track three and we’re doing the long nothing intro again. Track four starts with nonsense words and then is interspersed with random cartoon sounds and voices. Track five—another long intro to a long song. Great, some trumpet that sounds like a sizable gnat flying past your ear and some violin that sounds like a mosquito. After four minutes, this turns into a decent, yet off kilter jam before the stupid trumpet comes back. Hey! We’re right into it on track six, but we’ve got another seven minutes to get through. Another song that isn’t interesting enough to justify its runtime. Albums like this make me wonder if I’m just not smart enough to get it, or if the album’s existence as a recording is miraculous because the band should’ve never made it back from how far they disappeared up their own asses during the writing process.
And this, boys and girls, is why punk rock happened. I like a bit of prog, but this is disappointing throughoit
ок
Yet another album proving why I despise most prog-rock. Senseless noise.
An album with interesting songs, I liked Lark's Tongues in Aspic (Part I) the most.
What Pink Floyd should sound like.
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.
Never listened to King Crimson so this was a pretty eye opening experience for me
I don’t get it
Not for everyone but these a lot of cool riffs in this. I dug it
Yea! Some good music for a change!
Pretty amazing, I hadn't listened to this whole thing before but I recognized something from it being KC fan. I loved the weirdness of this, plus the album cover is so interesting! easy 5 star.
One of my favorite King Crimson albums across all their various lineups. Both parts of the title track presage Prog Metal. When the band first bursts in, the riff is reminiscent of Black Sabbath, but it gives way to Robert Fripp's signature angular cross-picking moto perpetuo. This is an early incarnation of it, later perfected and further honed for the next 50(!) years. Bill Bruford is fresh off leaving Yes after recording Close To The Edge. He was already one of the best drummers in the rock world (progressive or otherwise), and King Crimson afforded him the space and the push to somehow improve. His drumming throughout this album is unmatched. John Wetton is a perfect vocalist and bassist for this KC era. There are similarities to Greg Lake's voice, so he bridges a bit of the past with the future of the band. His voice is strong with good depth. His bass playing is a wonderful complement to both Fripp's guitar work and Bruford's drumming. David Cross adds interesting layers of violin, viola, and flute. His contributions really set this and the follow-up (Starless and Bible Black) apart from the rest of the King Crimson catalog. Jamie Muir adds percussion chaos. Book of Saturday and Exiles are beautiful, if dark, songs. Easy Money is playful (and dark). The Talking Drum is one long crescendo whose payoff is the crushing pt.2 of the title track. For 1973, this album is insane. Some of the best progressive metal since could not exist without this album. This album won't be for everyone. And I don't mean that in a snotty/snobby way. There's a good deal of improvisation, but not in the usual structured manner that most rock and jazz fans may be accustomed to, and that can turn some listeners off. Like most progressive rock from that era, solid arguments could be made for tightening up the arrangements and cutting run times, particularly if the improvisations aren't your thing, or the general repetition of riffs/vamps is tedious for you. Me? I love every bit of it. 5 stars. 5 stars.
This was 47 minutes of early 70s Prog Rock nonsense. A little too experimental for my liking.
There is good prog rock and bad prog rock. This is the latter.
Some interesting noises here, and I can hear their influence on other bands I like. I respect King Crimson, even if they're not fully my taste. The songs on here are a bit too meandering and overlong to sustain my interest despite the occasional stretches I vibed with. If technique was all that mattered, I'd give it full marks. I need something that connects with me beyond that though. I even gave it a second spin, hoping my feelings toward it would change, but no such luck.
The album was a mix. The instruments were great, the voice not so much.
Ez Money is an EZ 10.
Meh. Guess I needed to be on some mind altering substance to understand the greatness of this album.
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
Self Indulgent never ending noise. I prayed and prayed for this to finally end
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.
I can't help but feel that the first track is a sort of litmus test. If you can sit through 13 and a half minutes of directionless noodling you're going to love the rest of the album. This did grow on me a little with repeated listens, and I can see its importance, but it's not something I will ever listen to again.
tbh did not finish--it was fine; very experimental at times
This is a highly specific comment pertient to maybe 6 people, but this could have been the BFO. There are moments of greatness, and the rest is rambling greatness or future greatness but is mostly mathematical jam jazz rock the comes across pretentious and boring.
I didn’t like this one as much as the other King Crimson record I received, but there were still some cool moments scattered throughout. This type of music can just be a tough listen though.
I don’t hate it. Some cool ideas and sounds. Some horrific sounds and tedious parts as well. Overall I liked it more than I expected after the opening 3 minutes.
Tough to get through. And then there’s extra tracks ?! No thx
Very interesting sound design, but at one point it just gets me tired. Great album though.
Not bad, not good. Okay.
What is it with this list on the prog theme?! Goddamn enough is enough. I'm a musician and can appreciate the technical skill but lot of wanking for no reason going on here. Track 2, give me a fucking break. Don't give me 13+ minutes of wackadoo noodling like the opening track then try to make me feel some kind of emotion with some "woe is me bittersweet love on the rocks" kind of song. Get the fuck outta here. Only thing this song does effectively is the backwards guitar, well played you insufferable dweebs. Track 3: this band should never sing. I feel nothing for your plight you sad, sorry man. Track 4: Actually kind of a groove here and there. Good job fellas, you made something momentarily listenable! 5: Taking forever to get going, this one takes plenty of runway to.. I guess make sure we're in the right headspace for the epic jam to follow? It is a pretty good groove and don't mind it once it actually gets up to speed, but King Crimson is just too clever to give it to you all at once I suppose. 6. This one starts strong. It could have been a great edgey, snarly-toothed groove but they just drown the shit out of it with math riffs and atonal violin playing.
Really good beats! Loved the random improvisations
Oh fuck yeah! I actually went and grabbed my better set of headphones about a minute into the first song because I knew I needed to experience this in HD surround sound. Musically this was such an amazing experience. Every song was so different but also flowed together perfectly? The title tracks are such a unique listening experience and are so obviously influential but in almost completely different ways. There's experimental prog and hard rock and beautiful instrumentals. I could have done without the screaming at the end of the penultimate track, but everything else was damn near flawless.
This was frustrating, there were enough flashes of good stuff here that King Crimson could be Yes if they wanted to be. Instead they employed possibly the worst example of big quiet gaps/ambient nonsense on the list so far. Multiple times I thought the song had stopped, you cant mix it so quiet that I need to be in perfect silence to appreciate your whispery string sections. I think they were strings, couldn't hear em. Larks' tongues in aspic feels like a prog parody name, something from Spinal Tap. Part II was probably the best song and there were bits in the jam sessions at the end that were better than the actual songs. 1.5 for what could have been but a terrible album.
Really disappointed. I like 21st Century Schizoid Man, from In the Court of the Crimson King, and expected more of the same stuff. It is mostly half-hearted jams. I really liked Book of Saturday, had the most structure and sounded like a song. The rest were a bit weird, elements of "Larks' Tongues in Aspic I" were good, and "Larks' Tongues in Aspic II" was better, there was a cool mid-section, but the rest...
Heard of king crimson but never listened before. Kinda like spirit or yes, which have both been pretty great. There are parts of this that are really good, but then parts that are far too meandering and slow. . When is good it's good, when it's not it's not. 3, shouldn't think I'll be back
Mé
Not bad actually
Some cool things. Violins were cool. Lot of dissonance. Felt like it didn't always work
boring prog shite
Lark's Tongues In Aspic is definitely one of the stranger albums i have done for this project, more so than the last King Crimson album i did. It definitely seems that these guys are continuing the trend of combining different music styles but i remember the first King Crimson album i did having jazz elements which this one does not have, instead, picking really weird elements. I'm in an odd situation when it comes to how much i like this album. The guitar playing in a lot of the tracks is cool but the weird elements can definitely get a little too much at points. Its not a bad album, i just prefer In The Court Of The Crimson King to this one. Best Song: Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Part Two Worst Song: The Talking Drum
Drug prog
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."
Listened to this while playing Imperium: Legends. I lost, but barely. I definitely enjoyed this album more than I enjoyed the album title...ha ha. It started out kinda Reich-y, then suddenly 70s rock. I liked the album closer as well...i think. It's been a few days.
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
7/10 A mixed bag - really liked quite a lot of it, but it was interspersed with periods of unenjoyable noodling. Back half was better. Extremely good musicianship, they got a vibe across. Production sounded great for the age it is. Preferred this to Pink Floyd, not as good as Yes for me. Best: Larks' Tongues In Aspic pt 2
Not really my cup of tea. Through this list I think I have concluded that I only really like a selected few pieces of progressive rock (Pink Floyd), otherwise it's not for me. Way too much aimless and long noodling, especially the first and last songs.
Always get a bit worried when progressive rock is on the menu but this was ok to me. I always like King Crimson more when there are vocals. Not at all as good as "Court of the Crimson King" but it was ok. "Easy Money" was by far my favourite while i found most of the other tracks meandering. More noodling that stand out songs on this one, it made it's 40 min runtime seem way too long.
I feel like they were trying to prank me or maybe blow out my eardrums with the volume changes
(Teacher): Fripp! Pay attention in class. And stop that doodling. (Fripp): But sir, this doodling, as you call it, will one day make me rich and famous. And earn me a spot in 1001 albums. (Teacher): Good heavens above, don't be so absurd boy! 1001 albums is for REAL artists and REAL music! Beethoven, Chopin, Val Doonican that sort of thing. Eh what! (Fripp): I'm pretty sure it's about rock n roll sir (Teacher): Less of the back chat Fripp! Rock and roll is absolute claptrap. Anyway, one should think about getting a real job, like a plumber, or an accountant or a teacher. And for heaven's sake, get a haircut cut boy! (Fripp): (mawkishly) yes sir (Teacher): Mind you, that thing does make some rather groovy sounds! Where does one purchase this? (Fripp): Um, maybe Woolworths, sir .... It's well worth it. (Teacher): (Jollyumptiously)Yes, indeed. Rather indeed!!
Kings big red bollox
There's no doubting the quality of the musicians but prog rock isn't my favourite genre, bits were ok but the whole thing less so
I enjoyed this a while lot more than In The Court Of The Crimson King. Groovy, jazzy and catchy.
Now I like Prog, but I also like Rock. But which is better? There's only one way to find out, FIGHT!!!
kind of made my head hurt but the start was good
Ambitious, but falls a little flat. Nothing bad, just not great. 2.5/5 Probably won’t listen again
Had no idea what this was going in, and now I am halfway through I still have no idea. It's as if Jazz, fell into medieval music, held hands, ran through a wind chime. Then, they grabbed some extra instruments and did 'things'. It's a semi-cohesive experimental upset. And yes, everyone should listen once cause wtf did I just go through?
4 estrelas, LsTA part2! Capa - alguém fez tatoo da ilustração...quero uma camiseta :-)
Suffers from the classic prog album curse of trying so hard to be weird and ‘progressive’ that good songwriting is sacrificed. There were some great moments though, and I did enjoy the twists and turns of the title tracks. Overall not as good as their debut.
Is this an inside joke? Like, let's put the worst sounds imaginable on a piece of vinyl, sell it as avant-garde rock, and see how many critics actually fall for this?
Cool. Weird. But not necessarily my cup of juice. But genius nonetheless. 4
Biased bc I love prog rock. Dug this album!
No es para mí. Peñazo desde el principio. Book of Saturday y 2 estrellas.
Not bad, employs a lot of empty moments, but ultimately a bit uninspired, maybe? It should've been something else. At this point, if I were to listen to it more, I'd be afraid I'm sinking more time to look for its genius, than actually enjoying the album
I enjoyed this psychedlic ride of a shapeshifting work that dances upon clouds of kush.
This is not my favourite King Crimson album, not even in my top three. However, it's still an easy five stars. There's moments of brilliance from everyone involved, and it's exciting to know that this line up would go on to create even greater music. I have to give a particular mention to Bill Bruford, fresh out of Yes, and inserting some incredible drumming here. Also, I didn't know this album as well as I thought. I didn't enjoy listening to it on Spotify, so I went and listened to my offline copy four times on the trot, noting how much more dynamic it sounded. Particularly the percussion, which is exemplary here, not that the guitar, bass, and vocals are lacking in any way whatsoever. I always thought of this album as a practice run for Red, but having spent a day with it, I've vastly elevated my opinion, and it really does stand up on its own right. Each replay has yielded more than the one before, the sign of a truly great album.
Sounds like a spring day laying in a meadow...
I mean, I know King Crimson are weird, but this just doesn't do it for me. Probably need to be on drugs? I dunno...
I think I like this one too, but not as much as the one a few days ago. 3/5
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.
Finally something interesting!
Fav: Exiles Least Fav: Larks’ Tongue In Aspic (Part I) Did they get paid extra for each second that they use percussion?
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.
Sorta epic and both groovy-heavy and heavy-groovy, certaintly a milestone and highly influential (on everyone from Rush to Metallica to Dixie Dregs) but also sort too out there and illogical to get one's head around (WTF with the screams to shut down one of the most pleasurable-satisfying sections). One's all for bold experimentation, also for knowing where to draw lines, set limits, rein it in, give listeners a chance by giving it a rest. The heavy metal opener seems too much to take and not for great effect, and the closer versons (part III) works much better. The artier and more ambient/chambery stuff is best – “Book of Saturday” and “Exiles," say. "Easy Money" points the way forward to jam band. Ultimately, seems overdone, willfully obscure and difficult without really offering the payoff for the effort listeners are asked to put in (but that's prog, one supposes). Gotta round down for mainly self-inflicted excesses.
Starting the album with a 13 minutes instrumental track should be illegal, the rest of the album is also unlistenable.
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.
When I first played this I had King Diamond in my head, and throughout the first half of the opening song I was picturing that crazy painted guy jingling keys and messing around in an elementary music hall, creating one of the most unsettling mental images since I saw Pennywise in IT. Then I realized King Crimson was not a painted metal singer at all. They are now a band I'll have to look more into. Progressive Rock is often a label that goes on a lot of the niche bands I like but don't really have any other way to describe them. Some of these longer tracks I'll have to give another listen, but the Larks part II was one I kept checking the title of to make sure I remembered it, and that it didn't change to a new track. Otherwise I didn't keep track of the others and some went on a bit too long or had too long of a skip section. Favorite track "Larks part II" 3/5
Didn't care for most of this.
Not for me, or anyone for the matter
Some parts were nice. Some were too chaotic for my tastes. Some odd high pitched noises reminded me of bats.
Felt like a ride through an epic fantasy land
Definitely something to just sit and listen to, with headphones on. I would have hated it, except my love for Rush extends to a love of prog rock, and I know that KC was a big influence on Rush, and now I can see why and definitely see the influence on Rush. I'll give a 3, but won't listen again.
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!
3.5 good had some good instrumtal type rock
This is why punk rock was created.
Not a bad album, but not my kind of music
3.3 2x nice sound (extended 1h7m)
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)
We’ve had our one king crimson. This is good but the other one was better. And quite ironic given the album before this one was never mind the bollocks. It’s good though inessential. 3.5. Wetton and bruford though. Maybe 4.
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
Fantastic album. These guys were experimenting with quite a bit in their time, and they were much of the inspiration for my all time favorite band who came after them.
I have heard of this band but never really listened to any of their stuff. I do think I know a couple of tracks, and I am familiar with their style. This gives me Mars Volta vibes. It's a very cool band.
I've been looking forward to reviewing this album ever since I reviewed In The Court of The Crimson King. I'd never listened to King Crimson before starting this list, and I was blown away by ITCOTCK, so I have really high hopes for this album. I've read that each King Crimson album is pretty different, but I won't let that deter my hype for this album! Well, unfortunately, I didn't care for this album too much. The first and last songs were the brightest spots to me, but everything in between those songs was pretty boring to me. I really had high hopes for this album since Bill Bruford drummed on it, but even his drumming couldn't pull me out of the dullness of this album. I don't really have anything against prog rock, but I've noticed that I tend to not enjoy prog rock that feels 'formless' to me. There weren't really any hooks or melodies that captured my attention, and the things that were the most interesting and unusual tended to be pretty jarring to listen to. I did like the hard rock influences on this album, and I think that's why I enjoyed the first and last songs the most. This album was definitely different and competently made, but it was pretty unremarkable to me, and it I think it represents the things that turn most people off from prog rock.
I like King Crimson. Usually. I don't get this album.
No clue what was going on here.
Nah
p289. 1973. 1 star. 70s prog-rock wankage. Saved from zero stars by Fripp's guitar work.
Eh, it's got a few moments of fun grooving but overall it didn't really move me a lot. 3.5
Pretty progressive
Cool, prog rock is prog rock
This is a blend between like classical and classic rock. Like if Pink Floyd would collab with Mozart or something. Some good moments but still missing something.
God two days in a row with prog rock. There is a reason why people made fun of this because we don't need 14 minute long songs that aren't interesting. This is just tiring.
Probably my third favourite King Crimson album, maybe even my second (it's always between this one and *Red* for me -- and of course, debut *In The Court Of The Crimson King* is impregnable), *Lark's Tongues In Aspic* is not mere prog-rock, it's prog-rock with a bite. King Crimson mark III were verging close to nascent metal at the time, and it's what made this record age with grace. Some parts of it even unwittingly foretell post-rock, like that hectic, abrasive and obsessive violin and/or viola performance by David Cross in the opening cut giving its name to the album. Given that post-rock is *never* represented in this list (barring one exception), I'm glad that one of its ancestors is here at least. The eastern European and classical influences sure explain the originality of the sound, as wikipedia recalls us, but the most striking thing for me is the way that all the different influences mesh together. Sounding hard one time, pretty trippy in another, cerebral and yet moving in one moment (the wonderful "Exiles"), fun, groovy and playful in another ("Easy Money"), this LP has a very nice sense of balance to make its admittedly excessive aesthetics sound more accessible. Fun fact for those who know close to nothing about King Crimson. The two parts of the composition "Lark's Tongues In Aspic", opening and closing the proceedings, are just a start here. In the two decades to come, bandleader Robert Fripp would continue to release new parts in the same compositional vein to that instrumental, and include them in other King Crimson's albums. What's mind-boggling about that, is that the renewed line-ups of musicians and music styles used in subsequent eras of King Crimson are very different from the ones the band had during the early seventies. And yet those new parts to "Lark's Tongues In Aspic" never felt out of place in their new surroundings. If this isn't evidence enough that the music on this album is prophetic, I don't know what is. Number of albums left to review: around a hundred, as I've gone over the 1000 line and this generator is including albums from all editions of the book Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 435 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 258 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 319
I really liked In the Court of the Crimson King so I was excited to see King Crimson pop up again, but I didn't really enjoy this. It had some moments, but overall it didn't feel like it was really leading anywhere. The arrangement felt pretty sparse too which I didn't love. I tried it a couple times but probably won't revisit.
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.
Must admit I couldn't get through this in a single session today. It's interesting and fairly challenging. Some proto-krautrock/math-rock mullarkey going on. Did I like it? Sometimes. Am I a big time convert? Not really.
Not in the mood for self-indulgent noodley nonsense so this didn’t do very much for me, yeah?
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.
pretty cool stuff but not something i would listen to on a regular basis, very experimental
Over too quickly. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Particularly the instrumentals.
classic
I've never listened to this album before and i only know King Crimson for their most well known album. Lucky for me to find this one! It's very enjoyable and interesting, always progressing and ploting and metamorphosing. A very satisfying journey, I think I can sit here all afternoon listening to this on the loop. Definitely above 4, like, a solid 4.5 and above.
Was this album 38 minutes or 380 minutes? I don’t know, I fell into a prog hole.
beautiful
The best of the Fripp/Wetton/Bruford era. A pure smorgasbord of sound, I just can't get enough. Exiles being the only real downside, but the guitar/bass interplay is intricate, beautiful. Crimson, and Fripp especially, had a way of giving soul and feeling (whatever that is) to their odd-time, meanderings. And this doesn't work at ALL without the musical confidence each of the members brings to the party. Very communal. Nothing else like it. Obviously not for everyone but gods among prog fans such as myself.
Beyond progressive Art abstractions run amok In roaming, wild work
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
As usual from King Crimson’s early albums, a perfect blend of interesting instrumental jams and accessible rock songs with a twist. The GOATs
6.5/10
Needs weed
Maybe the mood I was in but couldn't get past the first song. Rotten
This was fine. I reckon you must need to be a very particular kind to give it 5/5 but I was expecting the worst and it was far from that.
Good, but I like 'In The Court Of The Crimson King' a lot more.
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
Right up my alley
Not nearly as good as their most popular one
-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
Amazing idea, bad realisation. Did not enjoy it.
Lyder godt men In the Court of the Crimson King >>>>
Hårdt og underligt! Stor 4'er, ville være en 5er hvis a-siden var lidt mere stabil!
Wow, they moved a long way away from In the Court of the Crimson King. This is a little too free-Jazzy for me to love
I liked the sounds. Didn't like the dynamic range in my headphones :/
Utter genius - Robert Fripp is god!!! This album is absolute genius
I love the cover art. The music itself not so much. The volume levels alone are a pain, either barely audible or assault on the senses. I think I enjoyed the second bonus track the most, the rest is pretty lukewarm.
Booooooring
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.
Drivel
I like the idea of prog rock, but very rarely do I actually like it! This one almost does the job, plenty of random nonsense and rambling lyrics.
I haven’t heard this for years as I recall being put off the first time. But I was actually pleasantly surprised by some of it. The more experimental kinda proggy type stuff like a fair bit of the Larks tongue parts lacked enough cohesion and were a little too experimental/wanky for me (albeit had some nice chunky riffs occasionally). But where they played more jam style grooves (with a touch of Krautrock), like on Easy Money and The talking drum, it was a great listen. Kinda had me thinking of the influence on bands like the Ozrics and Earthless (albeit different genres themselves). I can see myself listening again.
Always wondered what king crimson were about, wish I hadn't. Pretentious waffle waffle of the highest order. I resented listening to it and feel people who have enabled such bolloxs be shunned forever.
The last album of theirs I got was ok, but this one just had nothing I liked. It's like they tried too hard to be experimental and ended up making it unlistenable. I gave it a go though.
Appreciate what they were trying. But it’s a nah for me
Mind blower, one word, mind blower
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.
A masterpiece of prog. Solid 5 Stars.
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).
could i write poetry to this? n
It had a handful of cool parts, but mostly this one was noisy and weird. Whenever they found something resembling a hook, they repeated it until it was beaten to death. Experiment on your own time, boys.
My usual prog rock complaint is that you have to listen to too much nonsense in between interesting parts. This one didn't really have interesting parts.
Not the greatest.
I just had the most wonderful time listening to this on vinyl with my new headphones. The album sounded better than I've ever heard it before, what a sublime experience :) This album is a monumental achievement, towering amongst the great creative works of the 20th century. Truly a work of artistic genius and technical mastery. One of the best aspects of the album is its masterful use of dynamics. The instrumental sections are thrilling and diverse, and the musical build-ups are electrifying. The band starts with a "basic" framework, but slowly and seamlessly raises the intensity to a frenzy. The way the musicians vary their playing to increase the impact of the music is just incredible. The Talking Drum is one of the greatest examples of musical build-up I've ever heard: it starts with a soft beginning, but reaches a state of exhiliration before the end. The guitar solo on Easy Money is similar, as are parts of the title tracks. Every track on this album is so well-crafted, and I just love the work by all the instrumentalists. If I had to pick a favorite track it might have to be Larks Tongues' Pt 2; it sums up everything that is great about this era of the band. King Crimson operated in a higher realm of musical possibility than most artists could even fathom. They paved a path into unknown dimensions, going where few musicans could ever dare. Robert Fripp is unequivocally the mad genius and occultist wizard of rock music. If any band could be said to deserve being revered in the style of a cult, it is King Crimson.
I may need another listen, but it didn't click with me. I enjoy TOOL and King Gizz, so I thought I was prepared for the prog. Apparently, I was not.
It’s a prog album baby, break out every instrument ever made and set aside a half hour per track because it’s time to get nuts. Not my favorite prog album, but still very fun. It lacks some of the catchy highs of things like In the Court of the Crimson King but remains a fun romp.
Maukasta progea. Parhaat: Exiles, Book Of Saturday
Easy money was a cool song. I loved the angular guitars on Lark part 1. Park part 2 had its moments. Everything else was anywhere from boring to bad.
apparently it's said that this is "impossible to dance to" which means it's one of very few albums that i personally understand how to dance to
Flavorless and artificially held together. Sounds like a good title.
So far, this is one of my favorite King Crimson albums. Unlike some of their earlier work, this one doesn’t lean heavily on keyboards. Instead, it takes a more free-form jazz direction with an experimental, avant-garde twist. The heavier guitar riffs scattered throughout the album also stand out, bringing in a touch of early metal influences that give the music an added edge.
i like it, actually
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
Hmm, not really my thing sorry.
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.
3.5
4.5
9.5 ★★★★½
Too meandering and deconstructed to be my favourite prog, but still quite good. 3.5 stars
This just isn't my thing, I'm afraid. It's not bad, there's definitely some moments I think are cool, but the songs are so devoid of structure and hooks, I really have a hard time getting into it or wanting to go back to it at all. 2.5 stars.