Larks' Tongues In Aspic

No idea what that was all about, but I know I didn’t enjoy it.

Decent album, quite experimental. Not as strong as 21st 4/5

The first song reminded me of the time I was driving to a friend's and I encountered a fallen tree blocking the road. There were a load of birds circling above, crows I think rather than larks, so I took the only available detour. This road led me to what can only be described as a forgotten relic of a small town. Barely a town, more like a single street with a diner and a few houses scattered around. The town looked dead. I drove on through, hoping to circle back to the main road, but after a few minutes I found myself right back where I started, near the diner. Thinking i'd missed a turn, I plowed ahead once more, only to find myself once again back at the diner. WTF? Just as I saw my phone had no reception, some dude with an old school bell came running out of the trees and telling me that it wasn't safe because it was almost dark, and the mostly came out at night, mostly. Assuming he was the local loon, I burned rubber away from him, only to, yep, you've guessed it, found myself back around again - the diner, the loon. This time, he had a chilling, terrified look on his face as he stood looking by me at the door of his house. Turning to see what it was he saw, I watched as a group of people, all wearing out of place clothing - football gear, wedding dress, even a cowboy costume, were walking slowly towards me, smiling. Massive, gaping smiles. The loon shouted at me to get inside. Momma didn't raise no fool, so I drove away again. But sadly, this only led me back to the beginning and this time the door was closed and the smilers were waiting for me. Luckily, a hot woman who didn't look crazed had her door open so I leapt from the car and bolted inside her house, hiping at the very least for some inappropriate touching. The next hours, days, and weeks passed in confusion and terror. This town was trapped, and beseiged each night by demonic smiling monsters. Unbelievable I know, but true. There seemed to be no way out. One day though, a bunch of creepy bald kids started following me around, saying 'Ankooey' or some shit, and playing a song on their fiddles. That song sounds an awful lot like the first song on this album. Suffice it so say, I made it out of there alive after months, possibly years. Life went on as notmal, except for me knowong the secrets and mysteries of that other place. I can't tell you how I get out - not only would that be a spoiler but, well, lets just say that it's against the rules. But if you happen to read this review and find yourself in such a town...keep away from the big-titted ginger religious girl.

Curious to start an album with a 13 minute long orchestral track

726/1001 2026.10.19 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

I really enjoyed some bits of some of the songs.

Biggest surprise of the last 18 months doing this is how much I enjoy prog

Two stars…

En tiedä kohde yleisöä

3.0 I think your rating would be entirely dependent on how much weed you have smoked and how good your stereo system is.

-Tracks longer than 3:59: You better believe it. -Long tracks interesting or special: Yes and no. Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (Part 1) is an example of the type of track that can work at an incredibly long 13 minutes. It’s varied, it’s interesting, and it moves. Unfortunately, I just don’t like the way it sounds. -Album shorter than 58 minutes: Nope. -Will listen to album again: Nope. Overall: I groaned when I saw that the day’s project was another King Crimson album. I tried to approach it with as open mind as possible, but it just wasn’t for me. Despite my harping on track length, I actually routinely listen to artists that play long ass songs (think jam bands and late 60s Miles Davis), so my issue isn’t with the length and size of the music, it’s the sound. I don’t hate it, but I’m glad I’m done with my servings of King Crimson.

First Listen Favorites: Book of Saturday Exiles Larks' Tongues in Aspic (Part I)

I'm not particularly into prog, but I liked Larks' Tongues In Aspic. I wavered between three and four stars, but ended up giving it a three because you really need headphones and the right mindset to listen to it.

This was over my head. Book of Saturday was nice, other songs I didn't enjoy as much.

Alguna queen para este king? 😏

The first KC album I’ve heard aside from Court of the Crimson King. I get they were doing their own thing but this didn’t contain much of interest for me.

Not their best but still decent.

I didnt like this. I finished it but I couldnt consider it crucial to my musical backdrop.

No fav song

Pre Listen: First King Crimson album on here, and it's their worse one of the 2 most popular. I went through a brief fixation on King Crimson after listening to their 'Court of the Crimson King' album and absolutely loving it. I then went through the rest of their discography and was disappointed it never quite reached the same heights and their Court album. It's been years since I listened to this though, so looking forward to it in a way. Notable Tracks: Book of Saturday - Used to have this one on my playlist actually. Got rid of it because the vocals made my ears hurt after a couple of re-listens. It's alright, but could've used a few more takes on the singing. Easy Money - Got the slurpcore samples in here. Good lord I forgot about that. Talking Drum - That high-pitched shit at the end was so fucking stupid. Are they stupid? Lark's Tounges in Aspic Pt. 1 & 2 - The instrumentals of this album are the band at it's best and worst. It's got the most solid guitar licks, fierce percussion, wild psychedelic sound, and overall musical creativity within it. At the same time, these songs are filled with random nonsense, lack a truly coherent structure, and feel more like an art project than anything else. Frustrating! Post Listen: This album is so frustratingly close to greatness. For every good moment there is an equal and opposite bad moment. No single song is good, but they are full of catchy and banger moments, and moments that genuinely make your ears bleed. Tough rate here, and I know my personal bias is certainly playing a role here, but I think there's *more* good than bad. That dark and dirty riff from Lark's Tongues Part 1 is so solid. You can tell what they were trying to cook here, it's along the same lines as Pink Floyd with a bit of a messier edge, but they just can't quite get it. I really think if they had done more takes, and had at least ONE guy in the room saying "Nah don't include this, it's awful" this really could've been as incredible as Court of the Crimson King. Alas, it wasn't meant to be, and their band never reached quite the peak they had when they first started. 3/5

Not an easy one to take in all in one go, or at least not on a first listen. Definitely went from a feeling of “this might be tedious” to “actually, this is starting to make sense” to “no, they’ve lost me” and then back around the cycle again at least once. I think this deserves future listens to see how it holds up as I acclimatise to it.

Maybe I just don't like KC outside of itcotck and red but this is just good, not really anything that impressive I feel like prog rock gets very repetitive

If In The Court of The Crimson King is intro to prog rock for so many (as it was me) than Lark' Tongues is a logical next step. When I got in to King Crimson back in the day I remember seeking this album our after becoming obsessed with 21st Century Schizoid Man and feeling like I didn't quite get it. I still don't think I fully do, but I think I've enjoyed it more now than I did then. It certainly isn't great background music, it can be a bit jarring at times switching between overly loud and overly quiet, but I think if you set yourself up to really dive into this you will be rewarded.

While I was a huge fan of In the Court of the Crimson King when I was a teen, I just couldn't get into any other King Crimson albums. Honestly, I really just liked the song 21st Century Schizoid Man; the rest of their discography just went right over my head. I was disappointed in my teen self while listening to Larks’ Tongues in Aspic today because this is fantastic! It’s very experimental and avant-garde prog rock that incorporates elements of metal, jazz, and classical music. The opening and closing title tracks are the biggest stand outs, but Easy Money and the Talking Drum are also great tracks! I listened to this album three times today and I’m still itching to dig back in for more.

This is an incredible record that dips and sways all over genres both past and what would become. It's prog, it's metal, it's heavy jazz and experimental all at the same time.

KC always and forever.

This is the first time I've heard this start to finish. Not my favorite King Crimson album, but it's still great! It's the avant-garde, noisy, improvisational side of early 70s prog rock. To quote another reviewer: "This truly is one of the albums that one should listen to before they die." 4.5 Stars

Zvuky sú tam zaujímavé, ale ako celok ma to nezaujalo. Opakovane si to nevypočujem.

Love a good instrumental album, don’t feel like there’s enough of them on here

Very much an aquired taste. I think it's exceptional. Robert Fripp adopted a hard-edged style propelled by Bill Bruford and John Wetton and embellished by Wetton's voice, David Cross's violin, and his own guitar. IMNSVHO this album and the two that followed are peak Fripp. Try it - you might hate it, but you might really love it.

not for me

I think the coolest thing about King Crimson as a band their constant need to reinvent themselves. The only two King Crimson albums I've come across that sound even remotely similar are Discipline and Beat. Everything else feels like a journey of its own in a cool way. This is definitely the weirdest journey out of all of them with all of its noodling and strings and time signatures and whatnot. It feels like an album that wouldn't have been too out of place in the 2000s but somehow ending up being released in the early 70s. I don't know how every single release from this band ends up being as equally ahead of their time as each other but none of their albums fail to impress me, and this certainly isn't an exception.

I wanted to like this, but it was just meh. There were moments that reminded me of Pink Floyd, but it was mostly just like noises and weird shit that someone on drugs would think is cool. Two stars.

Super long songs & mostly instrumental. I did not like this. Some of the songs had singing, but it was not for me.

I wrestled with it for a while, but it's as stubborn as its title. A proggy, sprawling seven tracks that meander like a drunken compass. There are moments of clarity, but they're few and far between. Spins: 1 Playlist Additions - Book of Saturday - Easy Money

“The world is not in your books and maps. It's out there." The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012),

Masterpiece

ok ich hoff dasmol guete prog letst wuche schlechte prog. king crimson hani zwor s letst womer gha hend reeecht geil gfunde. aber au streng glaub. die erste 3.5 minute sind etz nonig so viel? aaah jetz eendlich instrument! ha nöd gwüsst wie fest de robert fripp leader gsi isch doo. mues wiiter wikipedia lese. exiles fangt wieder mit nöd viel aah. funktioniert nöd so guet wemmer nöd VOLL zuelost. well irgendwenn chunt e gitarre ine und me merkt dasmer am lose gsi wär. find etz au das wo gsunge wird ehner lame? eeendlich gsang bi easy money irgendwenn. checks nöd so ganz. mh. komischs album. vlt wennis nomel vier mol wür lose wärs e füfi aber stand jetz glaub e 3?

Wow! Some jamming going on here. Big Jazz and psychedelic influences. 3.9

Say Pizza To Drugs, Say No To Yes

Another prog album where the musicians thought they were smarter than the audience

a 10min song w wind blowing at the beginning makes me think of Animals/Floyd - did KC copy? I remember them - never a big fan but I can certainly appreciate and I know how influential they were. really liked the last 2 tracks too, the session extracts so groooovy

It makes think of how different flowers sound when electrodes are places on their leaves. Passionate, with unique frenetic beats.

The least compromising band in the history of rock. That they have changed incarnations multiple times - ensembles, trios, quartets, double trios - singers come and go. Bass players rotate. A variety of drummers hit lots of things. The only constant is Robert Fripp. Arguably as innovative as Hendrix. The man who pealed the blues away from rock as it is working through its adolescence. He operates from a conceptual/theoretical origin point but still manages to generate feeling as well as anyone. Those feelings are often more complex than I love you, I miss you and I'm horny. A musician who studied Bartok, Stravinsky and Dvorak influenced everyone from Nick Cave to Kurt Cobain, Steve Vai to Andy Summers. You would be hard pressed to find any album - other than another King Crimson album - that sounds quite like this - the mix of beauty and dread. Song builds crescendo thoughtfully (if slowly). KC are on their own timeline. Not generally a fan of prog - I have always loved King Crimson. It's so much more than lots of notes - though there are plenty to go around - Fripp can also conjure a ghastly riff.

I love me some King Crimson.

I liked it, but I’m not likely to revisit it.

LOVE!!

I hate prog. But this was really good.

remek-djelo poznato otprije i valjda stoput preslušano, no evo, stoprvi put slušam i opet uživam. vrlo vjerojatno najbolji album koji sam dobio na ovoj stranici, a ako sam se dobro upoznao s onime što mi preostaje, moguće da ga nijedan drugi neće zbaciti s toga prijestola. svima koji prvi put slušaju preporučujem da uzmu najbolje slušalice koje imaju i da fakat odluče izdvojiti četrdeset i sedam minuta za ovo. prva stvar, trinaestominutni instrumental, služi kao neke vrste uvod u sve što možete očekivati, svojevrsni je album u malom sa svojim rasponom glasnoće, ugodađaja i instrumentalne raznolikosti. druga stvar ujedno je i najkonvencionalnija na albumu, kratka i gorko-slatka »book of saturday«, no razmjerna konvencionalnost joj nimalo ne škodi, naprotiv, jednostavna je a predivna i vjerojatno sam je najviše puta izdvojeno preslušao. »exiles« je još laganija, razvučenija i melankoličnija pjesma koja bi nekima mogla biti tzv. slow-burner i ne sjesti na prvu. drugu stvar otvara bolesno dobra »easy money«, ne mogu ni pokušati opisati zašto mi je ovo takav benger. pojedini zvukovi mogli bi odbiti slušatelje, ja sam nekako sve to prigrlio i obožavam je. preporučujem i razne inačice uživo, s ponešto izmijenjenim tekstom (o, naravno, maloljetnicama) i donekle drugačijim instrumentalima, svakako bi mogle bolje sjesti nekima kojima ne odgovara ova studijska verzija. smijeh s kraja otvara sljedeću instrmentalnu skladbu, genijalnu »the talking drum«, koja se postepeno toliko zvukovno zgušnjava i produbljuje da kulminira cviležnom eksplozijom koja nas u isti mah uvodi u možda najžešću stvar na albumu, drugi dio naslovne pjesme. ne znam kako da je opišem, jednostavno kida i služi kao izvrsno zatvaranje albuma. svi instrumentalisti su izvrsni, kombinacija može djelovati čudno (zbog violine i raznih udaraljačkih alata), ali izvrsno funkcionira. wetton je, kad pjeva, meni naprosto odličan. na samom vrhuncu diskografije king crimsona, uz bok albumima »red« i »discipline« (koji se inače ne nalaze na originalnom popisu, ali su ih, hvala bogu, dodali korisnici na proširen popis). ukratko: obožavam, svaki put me oduševi i ne mogu dovoljno preporučiti. preslušajte!

Very weird structure and tracks Some very cool musical ideas and playing but it's a mixed bag

what a ride

PERFECTION

3.5

Listening session: september 25th, while getting ready in the morning Listened to before: no Thoughts: I despised the first King Crimson I got on here and while this one is slightly better I still find this pretentious noise Favourite track: Book Of Saturday

Was quite excited about this during the first track, but my enthusiasm watered down extensively once we got to the rest of the songs. Really like the wilder, more eccentric title track(s) but the more traditional songs in-between didn't really do anything for me. Still, not band per se.

Great playing. Some of the more wandering parts lose me a little though.

I enjoyed this but it didn't have enough to really hook me. I do enjoy some meandering prog rock, but I still need something I can attune to.

ya lo escuché pero le voy a hacer reescucha, me encantaba antes, veré ahora...

4/5, better than their debut imo

Ce n'est pas mon préféré de King Crimson. Ça glandouille ici et là.

Un album d'audiophile décidément, beaucoup de 'dynamic range'. Je pense pas que c'est approprié de l'écouter compressé sur un speaker en background (vs en casque avec une attention soutenue). D'ailleurs c'est drôle que Californication soit si près parce que c'est apparemment un album qui gagne des prix dans la catégorie du loudness war. Je suis en admiration pour tout ce que fait Robert Fripp, qui est un craftsman guitaristique hors pair. J'ai adoré le premier titre, et tout le 2e side. Mais bon c'est vrai que ça fait beaucoup de gossaillage sonique. ça reste une très belle découverte pour moi qui ne connaissait bien que In the Court.

C'est bien mais ça prend sont temps en maudit! Commencer avec une toune de 13min sans paroles, typique du prog-rock (et du post-rock). Une écoute c'est assez.

I'm a fan of 70s prog, and this fits the bill. Like much of King Crimson, it can take a bit to really grasp. It's particularly true if you aren't heavily into progressive music. I don't mind some pretentiousness. This album, while pretentious, has some really interesting passages and moods. I'm not familiar with this era of KC. But I was really glad to have the chance to dig into this one.

I realise this was from a pretty innovative/freaky period in rock music but... I just don't see how anyone can enjoy this. Feels pretentious and totally inaccessible to me. An unenjoyable experience.

I was thinking of giving out a two, but I turned it up and went with it. I’ll probably never play this again though.

I spent more of this record tense than engaged. Tracks take forever to become songs, the percussion scatters in every direction, and there's a horror-film unease running through it that I never shook off. The calm moments are the ones that landed — "Book of Saturday" and "Exiles" are genuinely beautiful — and the bass playing throughout is excellent. Not enough to carry the rest.

I don’t get it. The first part larks tongues part 2 is good, then it wanders off into trying to figure something out for 5 minutes. Not for me

Holy shit. I didn't think I'd find an album I liked more than A Wizard, A True Star. I was wrong. Holy shit.

1st track opening I was thinking I was going to hate this. I was very wrong. Groundbreaking.

Good, and not to my liking.

277. Ok

Very weird, but pretty cool.

6/10 - relatively interesting for a 70s rock album, has some long riffs, experimental sounds

really not my best one but very important

Hot take alert. This album is better than "In The Court Of The Crimson King". It's still very prog, but I feel like it's slightly less experimental and more put together. It definitely has more of a 70's classic rock feel, and less psychedelia. I'm not saying that one sound is better than the other, but in this case I prefer this vibe. Amazing album that really impressed me.

Unique for sure but not the best music

This is for the listeners not the consumers. I respect the rock jazz thing thats going on while in the same breath admitting that this isn't quite my style.

So much prog rock on this list and I am not down. Not even for King Crimson.

Prog is the musical equivalent of marmite you either do or you don't, I never meet people who go "oh like to dabble a bit" I like prog rock prob as a child of the 70's called Ian it was mystical destiny

Didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did. Way more polished and experimental than their debut.

A little too Proggy for my taste. Not terrible.

Pretty easy to listen to — but only frame of reference is Court of the Crimson King, which was a lot heavier and experimental. 3.0 -or- 3.5/5.0

some great stuff, but also kinda watered down by its length.

Enjoyed this a LOT, not sure how I hadn't come across this before as I have listened to a lot of other Crimson albums.

#232 - So I know of King Crimson and but this was my first album to listen to of theirs. I know on a big list like this there is more music like this be shown, but I think I am just not a prog guy. Bands like Yes, and this, do not do it for me. The one pass I give the genre is Pink Floyd because there is such a different atmosphere they paint compared to a band like this. Maybe other albums from King Crimson will have more of a je ne sais quoi but this one does not. It's albums like this that remind me of jam bands and why I don't usually listen to them either. Just because someone CAN play longer, doesn't mean they SHOULD. Biggest Hit - Easy Money Biggest Miss - The Talking Drum Hidden Gem - Exiles

The best parts here are like the strangest parts of Mars Volta’s debut. During the first song I was just waiting for someone to belt out «eeeexo-skeleton». Tracks 2, 3 and 5 are nothing special and rather boring. The rest are interesting, but weird. I much prefer their debut

4/5

Pretty cool, although feels long.

What a cool album. I've only heard selections from King Crimson, but never listened to a whole album. Really enjoyed it.

не уловила восточную Европу и пытаюсь вспомнить слышала ли я другого вокалиста (он был лучше)

Solid album, but you may have to be into the genre to love it. Good instrumentation, good arrangements. It’s a 3.5 for me. Appreciated it more than I thought I would.

Es wirkt wie ein überambitionierter Bastelkeller: wilde Rhythmik, nervöse Improvisationen, viel technisches Können – aber wenig, das wirklich trägt. Zwischen perkussivem Gefrickel und scharfkantigen Riffs entsteht ein Album, das eher anstrengt als fesselt.

there are better prog rock albums (at least close to the edge by yes), believe me.

Way too much intro and atmospheric noise with not enough good music to justify: the money tree spends five minutes gradually establishing a driving sound, which itself is just a set up for the final song which is more of the same and fades out

My favourite King Crimson album, and one of my favourite albums of all time. Even being familiar with their earlier output before hearing Larks’, nobody could have prepared themselves adequately. This album has never gotten dull since I discovered it. Bruford leaving Yes and this being his first statement says it all. I love his playing on here, but then I love everything about this album. It definitely deserves to be more lauded than it is. Starless And Bible Black should be on this list too. A glorious 5.

This is John Zorn meets Godspeed You Black Emperor, meets early King Crimson. Pretty unhinged & experimental and not for everyone. Fortunately this is my kind of unhinged & experimental.

I think they are the most experimental of progressive rock groups. This lineup is very unique with the addition of a percussion player who adds unique yet most pleasing sounds. Also Bill Bruford added on drums.

It was meh

Not feeling it for this album. I'm sure I will give other prog rock albums high scores, but not this one. I tried listening it with headphones on and yes you can hear all the intricate bits but somehow it fails to stick together in a cohesive matter and often jumps so completely I check to see if we're now on a different track. Of course not the first track because as that is 13 1/2 minutes of randomness. You will know you have reached the second track because that has vocals. I didn't mind the singer just not the music sorry. Dark side of the moon was released the same month and I can see these albums are contemporaries just that one of these is great and this isn't it. Do like the cover art 'tho.

It was good. I liked the electric guitar. Unfortunately though, I don’t really like instrumental music unless it’s piano, jazz, or Toby Fox, so it didn’t quite land for me.