In The Court Of The Crimson King

Fav: Epitaph Least fav: Moonchild 2

No me gustó tanto.

not quite my taste, dont think i´ll listen to it again but musically I really liked it

Started string and quickly fell into 60’s bullshit rock.

A lot of people love this it seems. I was just bored. Enjoyed the title song and that’s all. 2.5 rounding down

nop

Some cool moments but I'll never listen to it again on purpose

Good study beats B) But boring and a little odd. Extra point for the amazing album cover, this is on my laptop full screen and I am loving it.

I just couldn't quite get into this. I liked the other album, but this one just kind of meandered. I did kind of like the bonus tracks.

That first track is a force. I think I like the other King Crimson one we got better.

Didn’t like sound but liked how weird it was at least

Moonchild- lord have mercy longest song I ever heard, kind of good for studying ngl A man a city- pretty good reminds me of an old detective/ action film

Only gets a 2 because of 21st century schizoid man. Why are we randomly clanging items that belong in the kitchen together and calling that music? DNF.

Not my thing. I just don’t get it

not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue

Not interesting

Fav- 21st century schizoid man 2/5

Weird online retailer tried to sell me a copy of this record today too. Very weird.

okay

So, I liked 21st Century Schizoid Man. Which surprised me, because for whatever reason, my preconceived notion about this album was that I would completely hate it (I've struggled with early prog.). And that was about it. "I Talk To the Wind" was too ren faire. "Epitaph" was ok - but kind of dragged. "Moonchild" I can't even...just what was that? 8 minutes of instrument tuning? "TCOTCK" had some decent moments, but just didn't keep me interested for 9+ minutes. Not for me. I will probably keep Schizoid in my playlist though.

No es mi rollo

As with all concept progressive rock the songs are too long, at 40mins the album is to long could of got away with 20mins if all the fillers were taken out. Such as what sounded like a primary school music lesson. Some of it was good but is it worth all the hype, No.

This band has an identity crisis. The sax sounds great, though.

pretentious self indulgent crap

i only like one song but its not that bad

Not my thing.

Very boring

21st Century Man is such a strong opener that it would have gotten a 5 right then and there. The classic book-end...Moon-Child? Just record a EP if you dont have that much music, seriously...just dont.

Slow, quiet progressive rock and symphonic psychedelia built on Mellotron swells, subdued guitars, restrained rhythms, and calm, distant vocals unfolds with lingering stillness. Listening feels like wandering through a vast, empty hall where sounds echo softly and time stretches out. The result to some might be atmospheric and immersive for me its pacing feels overly slow and subdued.

"21st Century Schizoid Man", the first track off King Crimson's debut record is equal parts abrasive and abstract, making it a distinctly unpleasant listen on two fronts. The second cut "I Talk To The Wind" then downshifts into jazzy, pastoral territory that's easier on the ears but is ultimately more narcoleptic than hypnotic. The pivot point of the album, "Epitaph" is a heavy-on-the-strings number that sounds like it wandered in from a Moody Blues record and finds Greg Lake oversinging in a desperate attempt to infuse the trite lyrics with some sort of emotion. "Moonchild" has about two minutes of something *resembling* a song followed by a vast wasteland of barely-audible keyboard 'n' guitar 'n' percussion noodling. (At this point you are fully justified in taking this album back to the record store and making the case that it is defective.) The band tries to make amends for all the goofing off by starting off "In The Court Of The Crimson King" with a monster Mellotron and choir hook but dumps that after several verses to take a needless trip through fluteland for what seems like forever. (A decent producer would have slammed the door shut on that track after 4 minutes instead of letting it run on for 9 1/2, by which time said hook has completely worn out its welcome.) There's a couple of interesting musical patches here and there on this record, but wading through so much musical self-indulgence to get to them makes it a real chore.

Some of it is ok but most are dragged out or drift off into oblivion. A place I'd rather not return.

Pure 70s rock. I've always heard the name king Crimson but never actually heard it. Nothing standout. Pretty standard 70s prog rock

With over 5 songs on the album toping out over 7 minutes in length it felt like I was in actual court

This album cover is so iconic for such a shit album. I get he’s going freestyle or whatever but 11 min songs at a time come on now . Thought the song was over so many times just to have to listen to more tuning practice . Specific rating - 1.7 Fav song - 21st century schizoid ma Least fav - a man a city

The first track is incredible and then it goes downhill into endless noodling, theatrics and ¨atmosphere.¨ I was bored to death by the end of the second song, which would have been halfway through a Ramones cd.

Mostly a slog, not up to the level of later prog rock masters like Rush. There's a lot of tracks with typical 60s and 70s long noisy jams.

Bof

Realizing I’m a bit prog-averse. My fav parts on here are the quiet bits where Fripp is noodling. Have listened to this quite a bit and have even loved it at times in my life. Gah a 2 feels bad but I won’t be returning.

It's fine, but I would never listen to it on purpose.

2/3

lo definiría como radical. fusiona varios estilos muy distintos, siento que no se define como uno solo pero si tiende a una oscuridad por momentos explícita y por momentos implícita. dice mucho

bisschen zu crazy

very smelly

All the king crimson super fans who think that King Crimson is the best prog band seriously need to listen to 1 Rush album. King Crimson isn’t bad, but they’re no where as good as people say they are.

Wouldn't even consider this a bad album. It's a curiosity. It's an experimental and conceptual story. It's hard to listen on repeat, though, and I qualify listen ability as criteria for a good rating. It's interesting.

Sure the musicianship is pretty amazing as it twists through jazz, psychedelic, classical, rock, but the songs are just so pompous and full of themselves. I guess that's prog for you, but I will not be back anytime soon.

Just no. Too much pompous ridiculosity, not enough music you really want to listen to.

Long ahh songs

Si te gusta el progressive rock esto es espectacular para vos. Tocan increíble. Yo desconocía totalmente la existencia de esta banda. Igualmente yo no soy muy fanático de este género, me resultó aburrido. No me despertó muchos sentimientos. Yo priorizo eso por sobre la calidad musical por así decirlo. El sentimiento. Como dato curioso, sentí que en el 3er tema se les bajó el volumen de todo, nose si tendrá que ver con algun error o algo de la época. Me resulto raro eso, nada mas.

I’ve tried with this a few times, folks I respect love it, I like a lot of Fripp's guest work elsewhere...but it’s just...never happening.

i recognize its great music, not my style though.

A little much for me but I get it

Prog rock...and super long song lengths...to quote Han Solo, "I've got a bad feeling about this." Justified, totally justified. The saxophone parts are cool though. I Talk To The Wind is better, but that's not much of a bar to clear. Damnit...it's just Emerson, Lake and Palmer in disguise. It's so obvious on Epitaph that I'm embarrassed I didn't notice before. Now I can't unhear his voice. Why wouldn't you add a bunch of nonsense noises in the middle of a 12 minute long song? Nothing like random noises to enhance a song. Good lord, this is tedious. Ten minutes of gobbledegook. The Court of The Crimson King is the best song on the album.

Nichts für mich😄

Too much

meh

It was interesting. Honestly schizo man and the title track are the most worthwhile ones. The rest sound like...idk sound checks or something.

better than the other one. the highs were high and the lows were low.

First 60 seconds of this: hell yeah, this album rules I spent the rest of the album waiting impatiently for it to end. This album was a slog and a chore to sit through.

I don't think I'm a prog rock girlie

Much of a muchness

Prog Rock just is not appealing to me. I don’t really have much more to say about it.

Impressive in its own way but just not what I'm looking for in rock music.

Funk

Really fucked with I Talk to the Wind. Overall, I don't really think the album was for me. I can see how some can enjoy it, but I wasn't really wowed by it or felt some sort of connection. I probably wouldn't listen again, but I do think it was a decent album and probably has a lot of important messages. I don't have the time to look into that right now, so I kinda just have to take everything at face value. I give it a 4/10.

Self indulgent Tolkien nonsense

Mucha flautita poco estribillo El primer tema esta muy bueno lo demas mmeeee Demasiado progresivo para mi gusto

Cool idea. Not for me though 2.5

Notablebtextzeile: Knowledge is a deadly friend If no one sets the rules The fate of all mankind, I see Is in the hands of fools Bin gespalten. Einige Stellen finde ich richtig gut, aber darum herum ist so viel repetetives getüdel, das es mir im ganzen eigentlich gar nicht gefällt. Außerdem vermutlich schuld an sowas wie Fantasy Metal

Jeder Song hat eine gute Idee in die sich jemand zu sehr verliebt hat. Es hätte beim Flirt bleiben sollen, es wurde jedes mal geheiratet.

I get the context, but this is just boring to me for the most part.

long and kinda boring

Did not enjoy but it had that one song that was sampled in the other song

Not for me

Fun, and long songs... but I didn't finish listening to it while at work

I enjoyed this more than I expected to after generally trying to avoid prog rock for most of my life. Musicianship is obviously top notch, some of the melodies are exquisite, and the lyrics and vocals are nowhere near as bad as I feared. Definitely completely lost me a few times though.

Long and meandering songs with the musicality of an unsupervised middle school band class

Interesting album. Felt like a long jam session, but nothing interesting enough for me to revisit.

Am ANfangd es Album dachte ich mir : Oh Mein Gott.. Nach 15 Minuten darf ichs agend as ich doch überrascht bin.

Trodde verkligen att det här skulle vara bättre. Vilken otrolig inledning men sen så blev det ju tyvärr till stora delar otroligt trist och lökigt på ett sätt bara tråkig proggrock kan bli.

Un groupe de troubadours qui font du rock prog. C’est l’impression que j’ai eu tout le long. Comme des musiques de cirques mais sous un ton assez sombre et mystérieux. Ça sonne assez négatif dis comme ça mais j’ai pas passé un mauvais moment… c'était juste un peu long car prévisible et pas très innovant (pour l’époque sans doute). J’avais aussi une grande attente, notamment sur le premier morceau mais j’étais pas si emballé. Big up au chanteur qui est chaud et le traitement de sa voix est cool. Je garde Epitaph en tête.

Prog sucks!!

Meh

A couple of decent songs but not my type of music

Experimental,

Kind of all over the place Why was it so quiet sometimes? 21st century schizoid sounds a bit like a chase scene in pink panther at some points or something so that was fun

not my vibe. reminded me of Pink Floyd? hated looking at the album artwork when listening to it in my car hahaha

It's not unlistenable but it's not good either.

I dunno, I just have a hard time getting into a lot of prog rock.

Ah, the album Reddit keeps telling me I need to own on vinyl. No, no I do not need to own this. 21st Century Schizoid man was okay, but the rest of the album is not for me.

Not too bad just not my style personally. The songs are very long too, had me waiting for something that didn’t come.

It gets kinda boring

not my personal taste,dull white people music

Thanks for enticing me to revisit this - it's worse than I remember. I think she was as a redhead.....

War ganz okay aber wird nix sein was ich öfter hören werde.

Standouts I Talk to the Wind In the Court of the Crimson King

'Politicians' funeral pyre / Innocents raped w/ napalm fire.' I know that it's branded as one of the first prog rock records, but lyrics like that remind me of what was to come w/ the political metal of Black Sabbath, e.g., 'Burning globe of obscene fire / Like electric funeral pyre.' Instrumentally, that first track also has the heaviness of metal, or, at the very least, hard rock. Yet, things regrettably soften as the album goes on, and that's coming from a member of not-crazy-about-metal-pack. It's soft b/c it's sentimental and nostalgic, corny and pretentious, no matter how compelling their anti-war sentiments were. The sole thinker in the band appears to be Michael Giles - I wonder how much I'd dig this release w/ just the drum parts. He's neat.

Didn't care for it.

A little too psychadellic and experimental for my taste, but some interesting playing.

The album was fine to be honest I did not listen to the entire album

I get that this is a bastion of prog, however this isn't an exercise in recognizance. Hell, I haven't even listened to this before, and I appreciate prog. Ultimately, too much wankery for my liking. There's lots to like about this album, but it's too disjoint and fragmented to qualify as a must-hear experience.

This is definitely an album. A little frantic.

Can see talent but not for me

- In The Court of the Crimson King - I Talk To The Wind - Epitaph - 21st Century Schizoid Man - Moonchild

Ay that sample from the Kanye song. Interesting and unique. Would not relisten. Some very long songs.

Very technical first song and I can't believe everyone in the band memorized it. However, I'm not a big fan of the clarinet or whatever horns they're using. Also every song is way too busy and the way they use the violin just sucks. Most the of album is background music.

Some interesting moments but mostly pretty boring and grating.

This band paved the way for many others. Always innovative and experimental. Not always tuneful but interesting nevertheless. A bit like Marmite you either love them or not.

Hmmm

Oof, that was unexpectedly dull. Starts off with a somewhat half decent more trad rock opener, and then just descended into unexciting jazzy proggy noodling. The Larks Tongue album had much more oomph and variety (even if hard to like it all). Guess they were finding their feet here.

Psychedelia just isn’t my thing

It's an oddball for sure. I didn't hate it as much as I normally do these prog-rock artzy efforts. Side A was the winner, by the time you get to side B, I'm over it. Nothing here is worth an addition to a playlist.

Vinyl enthusiasts seem to go nuts over this album, and prog rock enthusiasts seem to go nuts over this album, and to a small extent I consider myself both of those things, and I don't get it. I guess this is the first instance of what would become known as "prog rock", so kudos to them for forging new territory. I like where prog rock has ended up, but I don't like where it started. This album has the same annoyances as the jazz I don't like (i.e. squeeky burst of sax and 'noise'). The "Moonchild" track sounds to me like someone walking around a small music store trying all the instruments. Note I said "trying" and not "playing" - there's very little musical about the track - it's crazy to me that they chose to record that and sell it.

Odd, wavy, unique

Too high-concept. It just made me impatient. I was kind of disappointed because I was curious about this band.

Not my taste at all. Not terrible so not 1 star but not anything special to me.

Some Parts were good. Some were weird.

Not my style

point9.

I must be going soft in my old age, because I know this album (my dad owns it) and I know I hate it. And yet, hearing it again for the first time in years, I couldn’t help but like “21st Century Schizoid Man” - yes, it’s far too bloody long (which is the case for the entire album), but it doesn’t sound like a song released in 1969 at all. It almost sounds ahead of its time, in a way. I also couldn’t help but smile at “The Court of the Crimson King”, because my dad has always loved that song and it reminded me of him. However, all sentimentality aside, it’s full of prog rock knob twiddling wankery, is far too long, and, at some points, the keys sounded like a toddler was annoyingly plonking away at them (see “Moonchild”, for example - the most prolific offender). Undoubtedly these gents are wonderful and talented musicians, but I much prefer when Greg Lake sings about believing in Santa, or Ian McDonald took his saxophone and guitar and went off to form Foreigner.

I don't quite know why it doesn't agree eith me, but it doesn't. I'm sure it's fine if you like that sort of thing.

the first song is sampled in kanye's power...this is i fear why i love doing this

A little bit too interesting. Don’t need to hear again.

Songs too long. Did like the style but dragged on

Perhaps I am not musically inclined enough to truly appreciate the foundations this group and this album laid but I'll believe the masses.

2.75 main song great, great album but i won’t reach for it

Meh some songs good, most not.

I just can’t with this record. 21st Century Schizoid Man is by far the best track here, but of course it goes down a pointless alley for a few minutes, just to make sure it never gets played anywhere. The rest is just the most insufferable over composed nonsense. Like a good solid 5 minutes of keyboard noodles in Moonchild. Why? And then for good measure, more beeps and boops in TCotCK. Why not. I’ve never understood the appeal of prog for the most part and this really just leaves me shaking my head. For the record, I know it’s me. I just don’t get it

Ekki fyrir mig

really liked the opening track, then found the middle tracks to be a bit story. i get that it's a concept album and it's meant to be telling some kind of story but the opening track was so explosive and fun that it did sort of set the tone for the rest of the album and i was ultimately underwhelmed ! worth relistening though bc its possible that i didnt fully appreciate those slower points

Some good moments but on the whole eh

Reminds me of the Moody Blues. Their early stuff, not the weird stuff from the '80's. I'm not really into prog rock, but I can tell there is a lot of talent and production that went into this. I also understand there was a lot of musical experimentation, innovation, and drugs going on in the late '60's that led to a lot of weird stuff like this getting made. In the end though it's just not for me.

I just don’t get it. Seen a lot of people give this 5 and have seen it on best of lists as long as I can remember. But after the first song it’s just some idiot squealing randomly on a flute while his friend practices seemingly unrelated guitar scales at the same time. Absolutely nothing here after track one for me to engage with at all. Not my thing.

Hyvin vaihtelevaa ja ajoittain hyvää. Liikaa psykedeelisyyttä makuuni, mutta useista instrumentaalisista osioista tykkäsin. Biisit aika pitkiä ja hajanaisia, ilmeisesti sisältävät monta osaa.

This is the Devil's playground.

I've tried it many times. Just can't get into it. Prefer Yes so much better

I have this album. Some great tracks but some haven't aged so well...

Don’t judge an album by its cover except this one

*1969. English prog rock. *I don’t know what I think king crimson was, but this is not it. *Really long songs, most instrumental, that sounded very 1969. *Seemed like the type of music a group of people smoking would put on. *Similar to Phish, where it’s not radio friendly music, but I’m sure they have a big following who appreciates good musicianship. *Didn't mind it, but wouldn’t revisit. RATING - 5/10

The cover art gives me the creeps. The music was ok. Even though this was only 45 minutes long,, it felt much longer.

Generic 70s

I Talk To The Wind is the best (and shortest) track here by a mile. Too much prog pretentiousness and self-indulgence elsewhere for me, which is all well and good - I understand people have a lot of reverence for this album - but it comes across as a bit lacking in personality and character for me. It's all a bit "stange school" and theatrical.

Not a big fan of prog rock and this didn't change my mind. Whatever that was during Moonchild was a bummer. 2/5

Prog rock is so close to being cool rock n roll jazz, but no.

It sounds very 70's/80's, and that's all it has to it for me. It's just boring to me. I did vaguely like The Court of the crimson king.

5/10

Not for me but most of my favorite artists were influenced by King Crimson so they get mucho respect

My dad loves it

There’s a photo of Robert Fripp holding his guitar, its neck crossing his chest at a 45 degree angle. He’s staring straight ahead, his proptotic eyes locked into a hypnotist’s gaze. It’s a picture I first saw about 23 years ago, I think in the “Guitarist’s Handbook” – a gift from my Auntie Paula purchased from Berry’s music shop in Worksop. Up until recently, it was perhaps the most chilling portrait I’d ever candidly encountered. Something about Fripp’s stare just withered me. This was a guitar god, alright, only the god in question was Thanatos. Researching this album, I learned that Fripp and his wife Toyah have been recreating classic metal songs. The covers, which started with a reworking of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” during the COVID lockdown, have been doing well for the couple. It was while flicking through the thumbnails of YouTube videos that I saw it. Fripp, eyes screwed to a tight aperture, sequin cap atop his head, gurns at the camera. Toyah, gleefully standing just behind her famously seated husband, neckline plunging to reveal heart shaped nipple caps. A cover of Limp Bizkit’s “Nookie”. A stinging phantasmagoria I won’t soon outrun. And so into the Court of the Crimson King I travel. Carrying beside me that baggage, I alight upon the courtyard and familiarise myself with the varying subjects. It’s a richly realised realm, one where ideas are explored to their ends. For all its innovation and the obvious brilliance of the talents on display, it’s not a record I’ll readily race back to. Fact of the matter is, I feel guilty to so quickly push something of this richness to the background … but that’s exactly where it’s ended up after each play. For sure, it’s a record I’ll remember though. Fripp’s stare is eternal.

First song rocks, rest of it just wasn’t super interesting to me.

This was an interesting journey. I didn't hate it and I didn't love it.

A ratos me ha parecido un disco de versiones psicodélicas de los Beatles. No he entrado en el disco y creo que este es mi tercer o cuarto intento con el rey, así que no es lo mío a pesar de que debería. Lo siento.

Great early progressive album … had I listened to it when I was young it would have the nastalgia factor … but without that .. the sounds are dated back to the early 70’s …

Hyvin vaihtelevaa ja ajoittain hyvää. Liikaa psykedeelisyyttä makuuni, mutta monista instrumentaalisista osioista tykkäsin. Biisit aika pitkiä ja hajanaisia, ilmeisesti sisältävät monta osaa.

Progressive rock - when you try too hard to be alt that it becomes a bit cliche. Well done art but not an album I’ll revisit.

I preferred the middle of the album more with the more instrumental tracks. I'm not a big progressive rock fan though.

I don't like jazz, or classic rock, or long meandering songs with noodly guitar. I don't think this link should have been to the expanded version also?

The jazz elements were interesting, 21st Century Schizoid Man was best. Most lyrics seemed very Late 60's with a lot of moon child and type of stuff. My mind opened to to them being more than just crimson and clover but still not my jam.

Pas trop ma came et j'ai eu du mal à me concentrer dessus. 2/5

I love prog rock. Yes, rush etc. I have this album, I don't get why it's so loved.

De 12 minutter af albummet, der udgør Moonchild kunne jeg godt undvære. Lidt for eksperimenterende. Ærgerligt, for tværfløjten og hammond er ellers ikke dumt.

Lesser Moody Blues Who mixes the cymbals higher than any other instrument or the vocals? no thanks.

In fact, my birthday theme this year was experimental prog rock Ren Faire opera! Not.

'I Talk To The Wind' has surfaced on a few Discover Weekly's (and I like it!), but the rest of the album was pretty meh and unmemorable.

eh, it was fine. wouldn't listen again.

It's fine. I enjoy listening to "first of their kind" albums like this. But it doesn't change my mind that prog rock is for twee nerds. 2/5

< the Beatles

Never been a huge fan of theirs. I do get the importance and influence they had on music just not for me.

Not a fan.

I feel like it's not a coincidence that the track I enjoyed most on this album (I Talk to the Wind) was also the shortest. That reminded me of Air, which I was not expecting. The plinky, plonky cod-medieval stuff though? Honestly, that kind of is what I was expecting this to be.

This might be a hot take and I want to preface it with I think all of the people in King Crimson are extremely talented, but this album seems more in the category of influential rather than good

Moonchild tickled my brain. This album was cool looked at as a whole piece.

King Crimson is basically the kind of band tailor-made to please a handful of nerds who confuse complexity with genius. They try to push some sort of “psychedelic progressive rock” full of gimmicks, but at its core it’s just a pretentious collage of reheated jazz and recycled medieval melodies — all wrapped in an air of “high art” that feels more like a desperate attempt to seem profound. It’s a completely overrated band: praised as if they reinvented music, when in reality they sound more like a messy jam session of musicians who couldn’t pick a style and decided to throw everything together, thinking that would automatically make it deep.

Happy to listen but not something I would pick on my own.

Prog. I just don't get prog.

Probably wouldn't listen again

Me niego. Lo escuché por primera vez hace unos días y no entiendo nada. Es aburrido hasta el llanto y parce que no hay nadie capaz de cantar ahí. Habría sido más interesante si hubiera sido instrumental.No pienso escucharlo otra vez.

Fun. Forget about them....

Nottttttt quite my jam. The 12 minute songs with just a random slew of instruments didn’t do much for me but the songs with actual lyrics were okay I wish there were more of that I’d like it more

I just don't have the patience for prog rock.

mæh

thought I would like this more :/

Melodramatic, spacey

Yeah this was too weird for me. It was boring with the 9 minute songs and not much going on. Some parts just seemed like it was filling empty silence with strange weird noises. I see their influence, and I’ll give them that.

Long songs but produced very well.

I know it’s a beloved album but I just don’t get it. I’m sure it’s of its time but not for me.

2.5 stars. Preferred the more prog rock-esque stuff (the title track) to the jazz jam-band stuff (closing live track).

Parts of it were good, but the avant garde parts were pretty difficult to sit through (e.g. the second half of Moonchild)

Totally unknown band. His tunes are full of melodrama and melancholy. In my opinion, a fair album.

11/04/25 I get it is unique and it is what it is, but it's not for me.

Frankly not my jam. I know a lot of people really like this album but I don’t get it. I might try listening again somewhere down the line.

Not my thing. I’ve loved some Yes in my time, or Rush...but this seemed dark to me. It seemed closer to like Greta Van Fleet, like, trying too hard to be substantial. Plus the experimental stuff was a miss for me.

I was told that I needed to be in the "right mood" to enjoy this album. Not sure what that mood is exactly, but I can rule out sober and focused. It's weird and unexpected, but it doesn't seem to go any clear direction that I can latch on to and enjoy. Oh well, a lot of people like it.

as a Licensed Progressive Rock Hater, i was surprised at how much i didn't hate this album at first. then it kept going and i did. i don't feel like elaborating today. 2/5 i progged your dad's rocks

I can definitely listen to it, I might be able to appreciate it, but you can't make me like it.

Psychedelic Prog rock is definitely not my genre.

While this is much better than the other King Crimson record I had to endure listening to, it's still not the kind of thing I think of when it comes to progressive rock. Some parts are quite good, but then there are those that I usually skip immediately.

several 10+ minute songs had me praying for this stupid thing to end. Enough with the King Crimson already. I have had enough for several lifetimes now.

**An ok album

Rock, 1969 -> 2

Lukewarm Zappa. Humorless bombast

Better than I thought it was going to be, the length of the songs did become tedious though

There are just too many parts of this that I really don't like to rate it any higher than 2 stars or D+.

I kind of get where it fits in the grand scheme of things historically, but it is - like most prog - very not for me.

Started well, then quickly faltered, and also sadly responsible for the monster that was prog.

p185. 1969. 2 stars. Technically proficient, pretentious prog rock wankage, with lyrics as fey as a pixie.

Not a prog rock girly apparently

non male, ma spesso il male di vivere ho incontrato.. non l'avevo mai sentito, ascolterò di nuovo Frank Zappa

4/10

Everything about this felt long: the songs, the album, the song names themselves, and my forthcoming review. The band name and album name don't stick with me, I don't like either and they don't match the cover art (which I do like). The first track sets a tone that the following songs don't match at all (in hindsight, it feels out of place). It's a bit screechy at times, one of the horns sounds like when you pull a balloon's neck closed, and the end is way too freeform and annoying. Also, the hook feels incomplete and I kept wanting Lake to say something after "Schizoid Man" but he leaves you hanging. "I Talk To The Wind" is ok but really sleepy, the lyrics are very surface-level obvious and I wanted something more introspective based on this soundscape. I don't hate it though because it serves as a good opener to the next three. "Epitaph" is the best track and evokes real feelings, it's almost like a funeral march. The line "Confusion will be my epitaph" is the pinnacle of the album and sorta describes it as a whole. They do something good only to negate that with some bad noodling leaving the listener mostly confused. There's three good songs in here sandwiched by some red bread. I don't like repeat songs and the last track is disposable. Based on all of the above, I can't go above a 2.15.

Quite an epic here. Some good instrumentals and experimentation but too much tinkering. Loooong songs that lose the listener. Title track was best. I recognize the album cover and never knew what it was. Not something I will be revisiting. 1.6 stars.

Wasn't my thing really

There is an edge to this that sets it apart from other prog rock of that era. But it still devolves into the flute laden boredom of Jethro Tull at the their worst. I would probably like these prog rock albums more without the vocals and their middle earth elven lyrical delivery.

Does nothing to alter my view that all prog is just a steaming pile of wanky toss. Gets a star for 20th Century Schizoid Man, but otherwise just fuck off with the self indulgent twaddle.

Definitely unique I'll give it that. Can't say I see myself revisiting it, parts were good but too many long stretches of nonsense noise

Occasionally good but mostly just weird. Long tracks with random guitar noises. Might have been a better album if it was shorter.

Too much prog, not enough rock.

It was late 60/early 70 Brit prog rock for sure. Just had a hard time enjoying this one.

Yeah okay whatever. First track I was like okay cool I can work with this. Then the second track came and I was like wow this is a let down. This cycle continued throughout the album and throughout the last two songs as well. I mean the Moonchild song was just some dudes farting around on random instruments for like 4 minutes. Also the album cover is really dumb and I don't like it.

um, no. prog rock/psych rock not my thing to begin with. but this was just waaaaay too long-tracks and album. felt like it was just bunch of rambling lyrics & music. guitar was nice on "Into the Wind" & that was about it. 2.5 stars

meh

Not that worse kind of prog-rock that I was afraid of before.

Wow, just not a fan. It's Jazz on steroids! I can't see or feel the connective tissues, it's so random & wandering. Amazing if you're a musician yourself, not so much if you're not - I appreciate the chops and artistry, just not the music. I like some prog-rock but this was just not on target for me personally. I remember the edited version of "21st Century Schizoid Man" from rock radio when I was a kid. Tracks 2-4, I'd sum up as "dreary". I somehow made my way through the entire album, but for me this would never make my Top 2001. I am surprised this album has the following it has. 2 stars for artistry, staying power & musicianship.

Truly a landmark album. Here we see the birth of prog rock. We have a single track, 21st Century Schizoid Man, that is innovative in both sound and scope. And then every other song is a boring slog featuring the ramblings of a lead singer who has nothing to say. A triumph in sucking and being boring

How anyone could DARE rank this corny, fake Medieval nonsense alongside Zeppelin, Floyd, Sabbath, is totally beyond me. Ok, “21st Century Schizoid Man” does rock a bit, but it would still be the worst track on any of the above bands’ records.

definitely a class rock vibe, not my cup of tea (lol.) the musicality is overall very well blended and tells a story. the lyricism is creative but i can't really connect to it. 6/10.

If it weren’t for albums like this, we may not have the “Stonehenge” scene from This is Spinal Tap. So…thank you?

In its interesting moments, this album is super interesting. I think there is so much baggyness with long extended bits at the ends of songs that ultimately lead to absolutely nothing. I don't mind stuff being experimental or jamming or making songs longer, but there has to be something going on, otherwise it's just quiet noise that means nothing. What makes it worse is that when there is something good going on, EVERYTHING is happening.

When this album first began I liked it a lot, but as it went on it slowly lost me. The track "Moonchild" devolves into random noises that I wouldn't classify as music at all. I have to wonder how the recording and mixing sessions for this track went. "So like you want a half of a cymbal hit and then 1 second of silence followed by like two plucks of a guitar string?" "Yea but then it should be half a second of silence and then start the drum line beat that just plays for 30 seconds or so, also pass me one of those xylophone sticks I'll just hit some random notes while all that happens." I like my music to be musical and not just some avant garde noises thrown together haphazardly. A potential 4 star album cut down to 2 stars after this ridiculous track.

I know people who's musical opinion i respect that consider this not only the best prog rock record but also one of the all time best records in general. That being the case I learned here that prog rock definitely doesn't do much for me.

They lost me at Moonchild. First half of the album was great. But the slower, stranger second half lost me.

Fuck. That was a lot. I think I would like it better if it was made now with a more modern vibe. And less...jazz. Oh, I'm skipping that second track. I'm case you think it's about to drop, it doesn't. Flutey folk wank all the way through. Is this prog? I'm not the boss of that, but if it is, then it sure got better in later years. Two stars.

Kanye sample in the first track.

Well, I hate the album cover. Good thing I didn’t see that as a kid or it would have been the source of my nightmares for years. Without listening to a note, I’m guessing these guys are heavy. Let’s see. Ok, first song in and I thought that was a Beatles song. This is what I think Prog Rock sounds like. It’s hard to imagine how someone could think to follow up 21st Century with a song like I Talk to the Wind. Musically this is solid. Lyrically it’s a “try hard”. It’s like medieval sounding where I need a crown and a wench. I don’t think I’ve taken such a downturn in emotions over an album so quickly. 21st Century starts off banging and then the knife of enjoyment is pulled out of your heart and you are bleeding out quickly. This is a hard one for ranking. I’m not an instrumental music guy but if these guys removed the singing I’d rank it high. It’s not a terrible album but the lyrics are terrible. It’s like a series of David Bowie B sides when he was too fucked up to get through a song in one take. Choice cut: 21St Century Schizoid Man

I'm not gonna like this, am I? Ohhh 21st century schizoid man is sampled by the Kanye album I really like! Actually didn't hate it as much as I thought I would, 2*

Undoubtedly ground-breaking in 1969. Now, it sounds largely just self-indulgent, I'm afraid.

Pretty much head-over-heels for "21st Century Schizoid Man," but pretty much don't give a shit about the rest

Not good!

Full Disclaimer: I know this album is very influential for other prog rock groups to come, but to be quite honest, this album is just a bit beyond my level of prog rock enjoyment. It goes way too wacky in too many spots. It's a bit chaotic to start with 21st Century Schizoid Man, lots of noise and random bits of instruments thrown in there. I Talk To The Wind is a lot more mellow with a very nice flute solo to end out the song. I fell asleep listening to Epitaph and Moonchild. The last track, The Court of the Crimson King, is a nice wrap-up for this album. Again, not my favorite stuff here, but I appreciate the influential nature of it. 2.25/5, so I'm rounding down to 2.

Some interesting tracks, but they are often overly self-indulgent... oh and the sax seems out of place at times.

It’s a shame that this album is filled with filler for how absolute killer the first song is. I don’t mind listening to it, but when l compare it to other albums it’s just not quite there. I’ll give it a 2 just for the sake of the first song.

Never got this album

This album (only my second one) was challenging to stick with. Track 1--makes me feel anxious; Track 4, atmospheric and interesting--mostly no objections--but too long; Track 5 was more accessible for me; Track 6, nope again but it did compel me to do an internet search to learn more about it; Track 7 helped to repair my brain. Track 8, no surprise, not for me. I learned something today so no harm, no foul.

Not my cup of tea

Don’t really get this type of music. This one wasn’t for me.

I do like The Court of the Crimson King (the song), but overall, this album is just rather boring to listen to. I had to skip the end of Moonchild entirely because it just goes into that 70s style of 'long stretch of almost dead air' that just isn't worth spending time to see if it ever stops.

Is it a seminal prog rock album? Yes. Is it good. Ehhhhhhhh.

I’d say this album is not for me. Didn’t enjoy listening to it, but I can appreciate that it’s innovative.

Could not get into this

Respect it but it doesn’t grab. Too much head, not enough heart?? 1.5 for influence alone…

I wasn't expecting to find one of my favorite samples on this album, but I am pleasantly surprised. Other than that one second snippet, I'm not very impressed with the rest of the album - it's a little boring.

Wanted to like it more than I did.

Some brilliance, a lot of bollocks

Bland

Disappointing. In my head, fair or unfair, I expected something funkier with higher energy. This was not that.

Not my cup of tea, kinda boring and too long. Why is each song like 4 songs?

I only liked the song Epitaph. Seems mostly underwhelming. But I think Kanye sampled this song for 'Power'.

This is my first proper listen to King Crimson, a band that comes with a big reputation, especially with fans like Nick Cave. It’s easy to hear why. In the Court of the Crimson King is a bold, game-changing prog rock album that feels very different to anything else from its time. The musicianship is outstanding, and when it hits, it really hits. 21st Century Schizoid Man is explosive and chaotic in the best way, while Epitaph is a brilliant, more emotional and atmospheric track. For me, though, it leans a bit too heavily into the instrumental sections. While they show off the band’s talent, they can drag at times and take away from the overall flow. It’s a very good album, but not quite a great one for me. Favourite track: Epitaph Least favourite track: Moonchild Album artwork: Mental cover, really striking and memorable

In Epitaph, they stretch "iron" into a nine syllable word. That's art. And science. And mystery. Wow, this is a long album that doesn't translate into today's music about getting drunk.

We were definitely in a bit of trouble with 21st Century (though this is how i learned where the Kanye West sample for MBDTF came from... call me ignorant). Still that track had its own prog rock adventure that set it back quite a bit. Epitaph was a bit of a redeemer, but on a whole, its more of a tolerate than enjoy with the occasional prog rock noodling detours.

a bit too “soundtrack to the hobbit” for me, but i know people who love this album

Well made but I’m just not into prog rock. It’s like reading a fantasy novel.

Got diagnosed with tuberculosis halfway through listening to this album, which knocked a full star off my rating.

I get why people love it so much - there's a lot to it, but the same could be said of Jazz, and I can't get on with Jazz. Glad I'm aware of it, but won't be featuring in my record collection.

Terribly pretentious, has lasted well

I understand that it's experimental and notable for its time, but the songs don't have much consistency and it feels like the tracks go on forever. I will say that the instruments are played well and I can understand why someone would like this album, it just didn't click with me. Start and end was decent though. Highlights: The Court Of The Crimson King - I liked how it built.

i mean it was alright, but it felt like 5 disjointed tracks YNN additional note: i listened to the previous album on my list, nebraska, again, and i have to say, bruce stringsteen is such a fucking talentless hack, the entire album is just sing-what-you-see shlock

10 min. long songs aren't my jam.

Liked 'Court of the Crimson King' but Prog Rock really isn'y my thing.

Can’t believe I haven’t heard them. Pretty good stuff, especially for the late 60’s-70’s.

shite

fine

Meh

First song is good and the last song is ok. Not sure what was going on in the middle there. Never got the hype around this album.

I want to like this album, I really tried. There are some great pieces but then it loses me. Great horn parts followed by weird prog rock chaos. I’m glad I finally gave it a listen but it’s just not working for me.

Sigh…I’ve tried several times to give this album another chance. 21st Cent. Schizoid Man IS a fun song, but it’s not indicative of the rest of the album. The rest of the album is why “prog rock” gets a bad name. Far too meandering, overly pompous, very much in love with its own cleverness. And fairly dull. The 2 stars are only for the opening track’s catchiness. Maybe save the

21st century schizoid man bangs of course but like every song has an extra minute or so of outro lol

The last two songs are good. 2/5

This album took me a long time to get through. The first song absolutely goes, but everything after that is a painful, twinkly, snoozefest.

Can appreciate why people like it but it's not for me. Found it kind of uninspiring.

Meh

Mixed bag of orchestra rock and psychedelic noodling

Didn't really like yjis one.

A strange mix of jazz and psychedelic 60’s music. Didn’t enjoy it. And all the songs were so long!!

Too Ozzy.

Hmmm, heard of this band for ages but this is the first time I’ve ever listened to them

Ok.

Now I know where Kanye got that sample.

Slightly knew one song, decent but not very me

Not my bag

Sheesh. Ok I know it’s a classic and yes, of course, well done this lot but it’s way too jazzy for me.

I didn't really care for this one. Nothing catchy.

it was hit and miss, but mostly miss.

All of those things I may have said about prog not being so bad during the Genesis listen....I take back. I made it through the record though, so I guess that means it gets a two.

Anfang vom ersten Song ganz gut, zweiten hatte ich auch schon in der Playlist. Rest zu eintönig, nervig.

A crossover between Eagles and Jethro Tull.

Yay! Prog rock is invented, now to have a ten year musical arms race to see who can have the smallest tracklist, the most esoteric lyrics, the most complex, key changiest song structure and longest most wanky instrumental sections and solos. 5/10

OK, not really my kind of thing.

1. 21st Century Schizoid Man - I thought I was pretty familiar with and liked this song. I must’ve been listening to a radio edit. The intro and all of the parts with vocals are great, but the long instrumental section in the middle loses me a bit. I’m not anti long instrumental sections… I went to 8 damn Rush concerts. But this is a little too close to free jazz for my taste. Still adds up to a great song, even if the ponderous instrumental takes it from a perfect song down to a merely great one. 4/5 2. I Talk to the Wind - Didn’t expect there to be so much clarinet on this album. Also flutes. Kind of pleasant. Also ponderous. Not what I was expecting from an album credited with giving birth to progressive metal. 2/5 3. Epitaph - still with the flutes!!!! That said, this is way more what I was expecting from this record - there’s a haunting moodiness that makes it feel super timeless. The chord progression is really effective, and the way King Crimson uses the mellotron on this record is unreal. 4.5/5 4. Moonchild - The title is threatening me with some hippy dippy bullshit. And it’s 12 minutes long. On paper, this doesn’t look promising. For the actual listening experience, I can’t decide whether I find the vocal melody kind of haunting or kind of goofy in that vaguely medieval way that makes me unable to take a lot of prog seriously. Once the vocals end, oh boy does it get ponderous - to the point of it sounding less like an instrumental section, and more like they had the tape rolling as the band sat down and noodled for a few minutes before playing for real. Like this song is 12 minutes long and once the vocals end, it’s as if they’re just running out the clock to get to a full 45 mins. Yikes. 1/5 5. The Court of the Crimson King - Among the best openings of a song ever. The drum fill, the mellotron melody. Ugh. It’s so good. …and then there’s a flute interlude? God dammit. On a positive note, the vaguely medieval vocal melody actually works in the context of this song. Clearly the best song on the album and you can understand why it’s so effective as a movie soundtrack, but it’s still undermined a bit by the ponderousness in the middle. 4/5 Overall: This record is substantially more mellow than I was expecting. I know not all early prog is quite as aggressive as what came later, but with 21st Century Schizoid Man as a starting point, I would’ve expected more bite and fewer woodwinds throughout. On the whole, it embodies some of what I like about more proggy music, as well as much of what repels me from that genre. There are moments of transcendence, the musicianship is pretty much flawless, and I can imagine that the stylistic development must have been mind blowing in the late 60s. But it’s also so ponderous in spots, and even the two great songs that bookend the record get sidetracked with momentum-killing interludes. That thought that “this is probably way better if you’re high” kept popping up for me, and I kind of resent music that needs extra assistance to be impactful. No shade to getting high, but the best psychedelia still works even when you’re sober. So, I guess I admire how groundbreaking and influential it was in its day, and there are stretches that are really hit, but listening to the whole record required far more patience than I would’ve expected.

Must admit, listened while at work so didn’t catch all the lyrics. It’s okay for background music, but I didn’t enjoy as much as I anticipated based on the Wikipedia description.