In The Court Of The Crimson King

Masterpiece, even if it's not easy to hear at times. "Epitaph" is one of the greatest songs ever written.

A long-anticipated and dreaded day. It was inevitable that this album cropped up on this sort of list it is a work of genius, right? The problem I have is that I bought it years ago, listened to it once and didn't like it. I'll forced myself to listen again. Long, indulgent, jazz/blues derived solos with a side-order of psychedelia. Lyrically obscure. The musicianship is competent. The drummer needs to calm down and back off a bit. The drums are much too forward in the mix, to the point of being irritating. Period typical abuse of stereo imaging. Standard, rock band, 'simplistic, badly arranged "strings"'. Really why do they do this? All the tracks drone on a bit. 'Moonchild' got very annoying. Interesting, yes. Innovative, sure. Enduring work of genius? Perhaps not. I can't decide on 3/5 or 4/5 for this. It's really a 7/10. Oh for more granularity in scoring! 'Moonchild' and the drumming nudge me towards 3/5.

Masterpiece man. One of the Best prog rock album of all time.

It's full of great melody's and atmosphere but although I enjoy it all I come away wanting more.

Enjoyed that one.

Love me some prog, and this is the King

Not my personal favorite, but I can definitely hear its influence.

Good stuff. Court of the crimson king single is a belter of a song

Strong start and solid album.

Some loverly proggers. Quality is a bit inconsistent but enjoyable album

An album i'll permanently associate with /mu/, the greater general terminally online internet music community, and Kanye West. It's awesome nonetheless.

They gave us prog rock and helped usher in my favorite (and I think most interesting) decade of music (70s) in their influence

The challenge with this album is that the interlude is such a flop, but the rest is so strong. The highs are higher than the lows are low. Kanye's such a genius for sampling this album

One of those cases where I know it's five stars before the needle drops (editing from later: I guess I forgot about Moonchild). Just a joy to have an occasion to break this bad boy out. Though man that album art is a lot. Anyway, we'll see if I have further comments. Listening notes: -The start of this album is about as good as it gets. -We get a lot of the prog riffing where the band just does nonsense for way longer than makes sense. but here it works because they're just so good. Also I feel like I like prog more every year. -I think the first and last tracks here overshadow it, but Epitaph is dope as hell. -Apparently I totally forgot about Moonchild. Such wasted space in an otherwise perfect album. Can I give five stars when like a third of the runtime is this wet towel? -Love the fantasy allusions in the final track, prefiguring the centrality of fantasy lit in metal and prog that Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin would feature much more prominently. Review: This rocks, but I think I'm obligated to remove a star for Moonchild, a senseless wandering that wastes 12 minutes. No harm when I'm not paying close attention.

This wasn't as bad as I thought it would be based on what I had heard about it previously. There were a few songs I actually liked (Talk to the Wind). But there were also songs that dragged. And I get that that is the point (to a certain extent) is the longer run time of songs allowing for more sonically interesting things. But at the same time, I'm not sure it pays off.

pretty awesome, very iconic. The last song is sooo good Will I listen to again: 100%

I think I’d seen the album cover to In the Court of the Crimson King before I even knew the band King Crimson. The cover is a kind of cartoon face of a man frightened to death or in agony or going crazy. Some may feel that way after listening to King Crimson’s debut album, but for progressive rock fans, it may be their number one album. In the Court of the Crimson King is looked at by many as the first prog album and it certainly sounds like it. I’m no historian, so I can’t tell you if it’s the first, but I do know prog when I hear it. Earlier, I said prog rock, King Crimson isn’t so much rock as they are psychedelic and jazzy with dashes of Jimi Hendrix sprinkled over the top. The opening song, 21st Century Schizoid Man is so big and over the top, you’d think the band was a metal band. While the song features a saxophone, it’s very heavy. The riff is undeniable. I know I heard the main riff before I knew who King Crimson was. In the Court of the Crimson King is a concept album of what, I don’t know. I’m going to get maybe two listens before moving on, so Google it. The album went on to inspire plenty of bands searching for who they were, meaning it spawned a bunch of crappy prog rock bands, but there were plenty of great bands inspired as well. Now, as I said, King Crimson is not metal, though they have metal-like tendencies. They are more jazzy, which I have a love-hate relationship with. I love jazz that doesn’t get too nutty. Meaning, I like jazz when all the instruments are not each playing different songs. King Crimson doesn’t get that nutty, but it does seem at times they all just decided to jam to the point of going off the rails before bringing it back. Overall, the album is fine. I understand it has to be on the list just for the historicalness of it and how it spawned a new genre of rock. As John Cunningham of WhatCulture said about the band, "they threw the bluesy sound of rock at the time out the window. In its place, the group displayed a psychedelic hybrid style composed of acid rock, jazz and classical overtones." So, not a straight-up rock band, but they rock. As with most prog bands and albums, I can appreciate King Crimson, but I don’t think I’ll ever have this in my regualr rotation.

Very good songs. Short album. Would listen multiple times.

Loved "I talk to the wind" and "Epitaph". And the popular "21 Century Schizoid Man" is a recognisable classic. A great album, 4 stars.

Some interesting moments but mostly pretty boring and grating.

love how the different influences originating from this band/album are palpable in several bands i know (contemporary and older ones). at times it feels like Mars Volta, there's pink floyd in it, Porcupine Tree, Opeth and a myriad other flavours. i could go on and on! still it feels original, because certainly it is - the origin, a cornerstone of prog rock!

3/5

Prog rock at it's finest.

One of the greats on an artwork side for sure. But the music itself is just as high quality. The opener is probably my favorite song. It has the most structure. But after that it devolves into a more free form type thing. And usually thats not what im in it for. But here it keeps my attention the whole way through. There are some sparce and dissonant passages that I find very interesting on moon child. And the ending title track is still ambiguous and mind melting but it does come back to some structure again. Its a classic and there is a reason everyone had seen the boogies of this terrified red man. Listen and love it

I've heard of this, and I've seen the cover art a thousand times, I was expecting prog rock of top tier quality. That much is evident right away, track one side A, what killer riffs and displays of talent. 21st Century Schizoid Man is a work of art from the moment you read its title until its thick bassline decides to leave your mind's eye. The rest of side A was so unexpectedly beautiful. The rest of the album really doesn't feel quite as dark and terrifying as the album art does, which ends up reflecting the introduction better than the overall energy. The two songs that follow that intro went in a direction I wasn't expecting. It's artsy, in the sense that the typical mainstream listener would have to pay extra attention to understand the layers of talent. We're paying attention to the empty spaces, to the subtleties of the instruments, and I'm sorry, we're also gonna play the fuck out of the flute. Jethro who? Ian McDonald has some of the most impressive credits I can remember on an album of this magnitude, with his wind instruments and keys becoming essential to the energy of the album. I was unaware I'd be falling in love. What a beautiful listen. 4.7/5

Good album. I’d never heard a King Crimson album before, but I am familiar with Robert Fripp. This album surprised me. It’s apparently considered the first prog rock album, and it’s definitely in that genre. There’s a lot of instrumentation here outside the normal guitar/drums/bass ensembles of rock music. It’s very jazzy at times, and there’s a lot long instrumental, free-form jazz interludes. Having said that, most of the tracks don’t feel like they overstay their welcome. Short album, every song is worthwhile, although, some I’d prefer not to hit on shuffle on my drive to work.

zwüsched grandiose 5er track und 'chli zu weird'-2er tracks hets alles debi gha, aber willi epitaph sicher 7 mal glost han und de track fast scho d entdeckig vom november isch, gits im Durchschnitt guet gmeinti 4 ritter-schläg vom King Timson

Ich glaub chönt vill potezial ha aber hed mi doch z wenig gfesslet, darum gömmer mit 3 königliche crimes

:O das album hett scho grosse anime bekanntheitsstatus, drum hani mal müese drilose plus ischs cover und de name cool es isch okay würdi sege... nothing too crazy natürlich immer lustig wemmer no es sample erkennt und the court of the crimson shlong isch au es lustiges lied gsi alles ih allem losi sicher nöd au nod bonustracks du dumme siech hey :O drum segi da mal :O :O :O und da isch no de anime woni gmeint han https://jojowiki.com/King_Crimson

For me, King Crimson are masters of atmosphere and mood, first and foremost because of their sensational timing and also because of their diverse repertoire of harmonic and melodic approaches. For me, these qualities actually come before their undoubtedly excellent rhythmic and polyrhythmic ideas, making King Crimson one of the very few bands that really come into their own in their quieter moments. That's why I could listen to the tracks “Epitaph” and “Moonchild” from this album all day long, while I find the other three tracks quite good. 40% absolute killer material, plus one of the most iconic covers—is that enough for five stars? In direct comparison to the same year's "Unhalfbricking" by Fairport Convention (that I reviewed yesterday): certainly yes!

It’s such a mood. I can see myself listening to the album again. The only right way imo to listen to this is listening to the whole album. I can’t see myself adding just one song to a playlist. YAY!!

Correcto

I only had heard of King Crimson. There were some interesting and unexpected melodies. Other songs pushed the envelope so much they were hard to listen to.

I only recently started listening to more King Crimson (saw BEAT live and really dug it)... I'm no expert, but this is definitely a candidate for my favourite album of theirs.

Wow! Very cool album. Not sure I'll revisit immediately, but an enjoyable listen.

The complex production and soundscapes, including deep mellotron and orchestration are perhaps the strongest points of this record. Yet the complexity is perhaps the reason it has influenced countless musicians but completely forsakes commercial appeal in virtualy every way. At once, it was a statement of purpose, a coming-of-age and a brilliant flash of inspiration unleashed on the world. What it wasn't is accessible. They disregarded commercialism and put out an art-rock record... and proceeded to make a career out of it. It's a near-perfect record that should certainly be listened to... closely... by any music fan. It takes some effort to really dig into this record and appreciate it's depth and complexity.

La naissance du prog apparemment. Donc le moment où c'était encore un style parfaitement acceptable.

For some reason, I had never listened to this project in full before. I really liked 21st Century Schizoid Man, but I think I was afraid of the other songs on the album being even weirder than that one if that makes sense. Or maybe I was afraid of the other songs not being on par with the opening track. Weird reasoning, I know, but I’m so glad this album was chosen for me and I finally gave it a listen. I’m not really a jazz or a prog rock girl, but DAMN, this album caught and kept my attention. These are some talented musicians and the songwriting is amazing. These lyrics are great too and are just full of imagery and meaning that resonates with me, especially during these crazy times. I love how this project can go from crazy to something magical and ethereal. I’m really glad I gave it a chance. I’m not even a fan of songs that have a long runtime, but I can easily sit through Moonchild even though it’s really weird. The ending is so pretty 😅. Idk, they did something right with this album. One thing is that maybe some songs are a little too long, but like I said, I can still sit through and enjoy them. Standout songs: opening track, Epitaph, and The Court of The Crimson King.

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.

Menn som vase rundt på gitaran sine i halvanna evighet e sikkert gøy for folk, men kanskje ikke for mæ.

OK, you know the deal. One of the head honchos of the prog sphere right here, for a host of very good reasons. The instrumentation are clean and well thought of, song structures and songwriting are poignant, inspiring with just the right amount of complex to not make a fool of itself. What I love most about this album is how captivating it is. Almost every time I listen to it, I leave what I'm doing and just stand there life a 50yo dad with my hands on my hips and think, "Damn." And that's honestly amazing, because I've never had that kind of experience with any album I've listened to. Not going to go into each song, but I will highlight the band member's contributions. Lake's vocals perfectly fit the medieval aesthetic, the sound of the drums are crisp and sharp, and the whole thing is gelled up by Fripp's "chess game" guitar work. Can't praise it enough. Interesting and captivating all throughout One of the ways you can determine the worth of an album is by how well it has stood since its release, and even though the tides of the musical world have vastly changed since its inception in 1969, In The Court of the Crimson King has always been well above the water. That alone should put it above half of the albums ever created. Now that I read this, these paragraphs have no sense and connection to each other, but fuck it, I'm too drunk to do a revision. It's a good album, check it out.

Didn’t really get this the first time around, certainly not the first half, but there’s some quality to it and they push the boat out with some experimental elements. I think some of that first listen confusion/jarring aspect stuck with me when reviewing but it’s an album of genuine interest.

Enjoy this fragmented album.  The concepts in this are undoubtedly experimental and they land some major influences here to my ears. Even the jollier instrumental sections with flutes and plinky plonks I enjoyed for its skill.  It was a mastery of erratic yet melodic.  It always maintained a composure which allowed the music to remain engaging and fluid while also having different tempos and themes. Really hard to rate as there are times that you feel you are listening to a backing sound rather than a set of music tracks.  Then each track has its oddities and large length which make listening to distinct tracks an irrelevance. For its extremely interesting concept, I went back to for at least 4 times I have to bump it up to 4.  Clearly so much to it.  Very interesting find I have never heard of before.

This a little gem of an album is a slightly less mainstream but still well regarded English prog rock album that, although I was aware of, I'd never given a critical listen. It's really good and right up my street. Yeah it's got some pretty experimental bits that are a bit left field ('Moonchild' could be half as long without losing anything at all), but overall it's a great example of the genre that lots of people probably pass over to their detriment.

Hmmm

A vast improvement on the previous KC offering we had

A proper prog rock album. This feels ahead of its time and a lot better than the 70s guff associated with prog rock. Only in the noodling of Moonchild does this become over indulgent. The rest of the songs are a good mix of slow and rockier tunes.

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.

I've tried listening to other King Crimson albums before and never really been convinced by them, but this one was genuinely great.

Super interesting album. Sounds so extraordinary and unique.

pompous. smug. clever-clever.

Ok, i can see how this is the start of heavy metal and progressive rock. I can see where bands like Yes and Coheed and Cambria come from. I did not need the expanded version Spotify gave me, as the extra tracks added nothing to the album. It stood just fine without them, like King Crimson intended. This isn't my style, but it wasn't bad. My Rating: 3/5 Crimson Crowns.

Good

one of the first prog bands, great album its a classic with 12st centry scitzo man

No notes, flawless album

Good musicians but far too noodly

one of my all time favorites

For years and years, I've listened to "21st Century Schizoid Man." I knew it before Kanye sampled it. I've loved that song for its in your face size of sound, its inventive recording methods, and its insane, manic instrumental interlude. It's an absolute thrill ride of a track and is an incredible way to open an album. I actually thought to myself as I was listening to the opener that the next track would sound nothing like it. I was so glad to be right. It's almost a complete turnaround, honestly. No vocal distortion, no grand or in your face sound. Just a happy sounding, jazz flute, summer of love type sound. It's really pretty, and immediately shows this band's range. "Epitaph" is sort of in between. It doesn't go nearly as far as the opening track, but it does elevate the sound in terms of size and scale from "I Talk to the Wind." "Moonchild" is overly long. It's a pretty song, but the instrumental half is meandering and unnecessary. I really didn't need it and the album isn't better for it, in my opinion. The title track, though, is where it's at. What an incredible piece of music. It reminded me a little of "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" by Pink Floyd, which would come in the middle of the following decade. The chorus on this song is almost hypnotizing. I want to hear it over and over again and still have it feel new. It's at once soaring and almost triumphant while also being haunting and dizzying. I really liked this album. I can forgive the second half of "Moonchild" but "Epitaph" is a snoozer for me. That brings it down to a still very solid four stars. What an album. And for the year in which it was released? I don't think anybody was doing anything quite this big or expansive in the late 60's. I'd be happy to be proven wrong. Standout Tracks: 21st Century Schizoid Man, I Talk to the Wind, The Court of the Crimson King

Icónico. Increíble para la época. Vanguardia. 10/10

What a beautiful record. At first I did wonder if this was just too prog for me, but there's real beauty as well as experimentation here. Seems like roughly the first side is more like a solid rock album with some progy bits and the second side is more like intense prog with songs occasionally breaking out.

The flute playing on this album is amazing! Good early album by this prog rock band

Objectively, they did a lot musically on this album... it just wasn't my thing. I would say this is more of a 3.5 for me, but I can't justify bumping it up to a 4.

Psychedelia just isn’t my thing

I was raised as a Moody Blues fan since my mom was obsessed with them (im named after one of them afterall) - I swear "Epitaph" fits perfectly in "Days of Future Passed" and a lot of the rest of it sounds very Moodys too.

Symphonic and very Moody Blues / Tull styled production. Worth listening again because I didn't follow any of the lyrics. Seemed like medieval fantasy trope stuff but I don't know if it had any depth.

One of the greats in prog rock. Possibly in the top five best debut albums ever.

Wow… one of the best progressive rock albums i’ve ever heard. how they pulled off some of the stuff they did in 1969 is beyond me. can’t recommend enough so unique for its time and has so much contrast just within the album with large sound to precise detail. insane album

Interesting, exciting, and well composed. Not my favourite King Crimson album, but I can see why this works the best for many.

The Good: We are in the presence of royalty! The Bad: We aren’t sure if the kingdom is worth visiting… The Ugly: This rating having taken 1 month to write… Yes, it was a month ago that this album presented itself, and seeing as I’ve started paying closer attention to Prog music lately, I thought that I should give this album a critical listen so that I could hand with the cool kids… Thus, on the first spin, I was paying close attention and thinking that this wasn’t that bad at all… On the second spin, I don’t recall what I was thinking as I wanted to experience the album while cleaning my office… By the 5th spin I was starting to get confused… Yesterday, partially thanks to a weird jazz album, I thought I would give King Crimson another go… so here’s my thoughts: 4 songs that comprise the album of 35 minutes… I wasn’t able to finish the first song, and by the first minute of the second song I decided to play Stevie Wonder’s Song’s in the Keys of Life… For now, I know that I will have to listen to this several more times… which means that I need to give the damn album a 4*

I thought this album would be really boring based off the first two songs of it. The next thre were icnredibly cool in that boring prog rock way but they were super interesting too. I vibed supremely with epitaph, moonchild, the court of the crimson king, and the melody in 21st century schizoid man was very good. 4/5 stars.

Couple of songs were good otherwise it sounded like a pro jazz band tuning up

One of the best rock and roll albums of all time

start

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.

I listened to the original release (five tracks). Some of this music seems like a blend of the Beatles, Moody Blues, and Jethro Tull. The first track is somewhat heavy metal-ish, and the rest is experimental rock. I could do without the section with random noises in “Moonchild”. Overall this is groundbreaking for 1969, not quite good enough for four stars.

Aha, another album cover I recognize from being in a lot of people's top albums. The first true prog album, is it? And yeah, I hate it. So that tracks. It does sound more modern than it is (70s perhaps), I'll give 'em that. I've heard '21st Century Schizoid Man' before (because of Kanye, no doubt) but never knew those were the lyrics. Because the vocals are not crisp and clean! But at least the lyrics are interesting, I guess. And there are some interesting bits of jazzy instrumentation. I see why people like it. I don't like it, but maybe hate is too strong. It's fine. It's whatever. It's a low 3.

It has a lot of 70s jazz vibes,, but what do you expect from a 70s jazz album. It is a very scrunch up your face value due to the fantastic use of instruments and makes this 7 mins a journey. The subtle hints at rock throughout the song is really a nice hidden gem. The vocals are alright, but don't get an Adele worthy performance from it. Although, further in the album the vocals become clearer and better than the first initial song. From there on out the mood of the album changes from here to there; from a jazzy lounge vibe then to a more rock aspect but very very under the raps type of rock. There are songs that sounded like just sounds, more over one particular song, but it fits so well what the album tries to convey. For a 60's/70's album the technical aspects of the album are incredible. Would I recommend this to my friends? Not really, because this album is more for a refined listener that do not chase the latest trends, and values sounds more than the vibe it is giving. Overall great album

Perfect memories thankd

I'd never knowingly listened to King Crimson before this. I'm not sure why but I had some negative connotations with that album cover. Turns out I had heard them before though as the opener _21st Century Schizoid Man_ was familiar to me, and more importantly, very very good! Having seen the album in many a car boot sale over the past decade, I'm now kicking myself for not buying it, as this is truly brilliant stuff! Incredibly expansive and bold, especially for a debut and some beautifully warm production. The aforementioned opener blasts out with its proto-metal style before we're treated to a more measured but thoroughly engaging series of slow-burners; improvisational in feel, always moving and evolving with moments of psychedelia or jazz and with an array of different instrumentation. The closer and title track lifts the energy back up but with a more sombre note than the opener. The sparse verses are punctuated with the dense blasts of the rich chorus which increasingly build each time to the denouement. I don't have a lot of frame of reference for this, I can hear the **Pink Floyd** in its trippier side and having got into this years **Black Country, New Road** album, I can hear the lineage from this album to that. I was fortunately fully focussed when listening which I'd say it needs as its nuance could easily be lost as background music. It rewards that focus though with a rich palette of sounds and dynamics and you're always wondering what direction they'll take next. I'll be keeping my out for this at my next car boot sale for sure! Anyway, that's what I think... alternatively, Robert Christgau called it... "ersatz shit"

Waffle. I used to own this and never listened and my opinion has not changed.

Yes.

Großer Name, Tolles Album, tolles Cover, erste Blinde 5! c

Wow, still great, love it all

Sucked!

Odd, wavy, unique

Not for me

Reminds me of rock and roll jazz

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

What a powerhouse start to the album, I'm amazed that this came out in 1969. Not a huge fan of the cover art, but this album slaps front to back, gotta go 5 stars.

You can hear elements of Pink Floyd, Yes, David Bowie, and even flashes of Rush and Led Zeppelin throughout this album. Given its release date, it’s easy to imagine that King Crimson helped shape each of them in some way. The sound feels both familiar and foundational—like a blueprint that later giants built upon.

This wasn't what I was expecting at all with a name like that and the cover picture. The different genres mixing and the smooth singing is just great. I am having trouble what to call this or how to explain it to other people and I'm loving it, every part of it. The jazz sections blew me away and the album as a whole makes me want to go back straight away and I thing I just might.

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

I could not get into this at all.

I've been sleeping on this album. I regret that I haven't been listening to this for years now. Very similar to the best of Pink Floyd, in my opinion. Great chill listen with plenty of layers to enjoy.

Some Parts were good. Some were weird.

8.7 - I was very impressed. I wasn’t expecting such a solid album. Very good musically and very good voice. Best: I Talk to the Wind (9.6), Epitaph (9.3). Worst: 21st Century Schizoid Man (8.2), The Court of the Crimson King (8.2)

Not much else to say about this album, except that it's not just one of the best prog rock albums, but one of the best albums of all time.

I bought this on vinyl (no CD back then!) when I was still at school and it was already 12 years old by then. To say it blew me away is an understatement, who new this sort of shit existed even in peoples minds? I still listen to on a fairly regular basis even after all these years. The album cover still gives me the creeps though.

Grand and experimental. Epic in both scope and execution, if not altogether perfect. Something as intricate and complex as this is must’ve blown people’s minds when they heard it for the first time in 1969.

Not my style

🐐

Awesome album, 21st Century is a legendary song, I could listen to it over and over again, despite the lyrics being so minimal. I can understand why someone might not like it, and Moonchild kind of drags on, but otherwise it's so great. The drumming is very crisp on this as well.

Nice, syret lidt pink Floyd drømmende agtigt. Nok lidt for syret til mig, men fed lyd

this has no right to be this good wtf sort of kinda pink floyd vibes ill give it a 5 bc why not

Kinda like it, but not my cup of tea.

So that is where all the LSD went.

Mostly I fear it just doesn't really do it for me... sorry. Wish it did

I expected this to be weird and nerdy, but was surprised that it didn't go as far as I thought it would. At least not until side two. The first track, "21st Century Schizoid Man", throws you right into the deep end with its distorted opening chorus, 'hard rock' guitars, and wailing woodwinds. The way they don't build it up makes it feel more like a reprise than a first listen, which is quite a way to start the first track of your first album. I've mentioned this on other records and my usual note is "it's like you're joining a conversation already in progress", but usually the band has put out a few records and has some expectation that the audience knows their sound. It moves pretty quickly from that chorus into jazz-style soloing without much segue. "21st Century Schizoid Man" feel like King Crimson's statement piece and it's no wonder it gets sampled pretty often (probably most notably on Kanye West's "Power"). They back off somewhat (but keep the woodwinds!) for "I Talk To The Wind". This feels like a much more approachable starting point for most people in 1969. It's pop and psych-rock, with a little bit of jazz - a far cry from the onslaught of sound in the first track. "Epitaph" wraps up the first side of the record, and does well to combine the sounds we've already heard into a single (nearly 9 minute long) opus. The cinematic soundscape paints an expansive and optimistic picture for the bleak lyrics to trample over, if you let them. This is probably my standout track of the record, but I don't think you should go into it without warming up with the preceding songs. Side two is where things feel firmly prog rock-y. "Moonchild" seems to borrow more from experimental jazz (think "Bitches Brew" era Miles Davis) than from anything in rock & roll. It's the album's least played track on Spotify and not hard to guess why. "The Court Of The Crimson King" is an appropriate title track for the record. It collects all the pieces into one track and gives us the classic 'renaissance fair rock' sound that defines early prog-rock for me. In my review of David Bowie's "Heroes" I mentioned that David Fripp (the mastermind of King Crimson) was a collaborator, and it makes a lot of sense why they got along. I'm sure Bowie had heard this record, but I wish he and Fripp could have connected during the Ziggy Stardust era. There are 5 tracks and I like 3 of them, and maybe an extra half point for overall concept, brings me to a 3.5/5

point9.

I own it on vynil and discovered it about march 2024

Enjoyed

My appreciation for King Crimson has continued to grow over the years. I’ve never been a super fan like many of my musician friends but I’ve always enjoyed occasionally diving into one of their albums. This is the one I’m most familiar with and so far has proven to be my favorite. An early prog album that really paved the way for the genre. “21st Century Schizoid Man” and “I Talk To The Wind” are my favorites on this one but really the whole journey is incredible. 4.5

King Crimson are a talented band. This album was an ok one. I always liked 'I Talk to the Wind'. Somehow it makes me think of my dad when his dementia began to advance.

This is lame

Might be my favourite album cover

mid 5

I have listened to the In The Court Of The Crimson King before, and as more of a Floyd fan, I expected to give this a 4/5 during the relisten. However, this album is so good that I don't think I can give it anything less than 5/5. I remembered it being good, but it's actually just great.

A return to a great record. Its difficult to not feel that the time for "21st century schizoid man" has only really come in the present. In all it's proggy glory, In The Court Of The Crimson King is full of hooks and instantly memorable melodies.

Ahhhhh bore and a snore

Perfection. The greatest Prog Rock album ever, and one of the greatest ever in general. An enormous, influential, chaotic, genre-defining album that (for me) can be regarded among the greatest pieces of music ever created. It's the Mahler 2 of Prog Rock.

I couldn't take enough drugs to make this good.

I appreciate KC's artistry and vision. They've been extremely influential on the prog rock scene. But if I'm being honest, this is a mediocre album at best. It's really the only one I'm familiar with so maybe I should check out some others. 3/5 #215

Son du futur. Le mix, on croirait du indie des années 2000, aucun sens que ce soit 1969. Moonchild c'est incroyable.

La chanson d’ouverture est excellente! Ça rock fort. Beaucoup aimé la « ballade » Epitaph. Par contre Moonchild n’allait nulle part. Bon prog! J’ai mieux aimé que Yes.

My god this us long winded. Save for the time i spent trying to work out what had sampled the opening track there is nothing remotely positive of the first track. I talk to the wind is just dull. Epitaph is the usual overlong prog guff. Moonchild features that other albums like this, a tune that at times sounds like the engineer has just recorded the instruments being set up and tested possibly by toddlers. The Court of King Crimson brings down the curtain in a suitably overblown fashion and hopefully signals the end of my listening to their work

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.

The review is solely based on the original tracklisting, not the expanded version on Amazon Music. 21st Century Schizoid Man (Including "Mirrors") I liked the beginning of, hated the middle of, and was indifferent to the end of. Trimming that down, well chopping it in half, would have made a song I'd enjoy. I Talk To The Wind I just found long and fairly uninteresting. Epitaph (including March for No Reason and Tomorrow and Tomorrow) had the vocals so low, both in general and in the mix, at times that I had to turn up the overall volume to try and hear him. I was surprised to read Brett Gurewitz's Epitaph Records label (home of most of my favourite bands from the 90s, and one of my current favourites, Roe Kapara) and was named after this track. It was ok, but too long. Moonchild (including The Dream and The Illusion) is over 12 minutes long and makes me want to scream with frustration. Not sure if that was what they were going for. IT IS SO LONG AND MEANDERING! Even they don't seem to see the point in it, as they first played it live 48 years after releasing it. I cannot imagine how boring a live experience this song would be. The Court of the Crimson King was marginally shorter, so at least there's that. There's actually some small parts I like in this track, but not enough to make me enjoy the whole. There are parts of this album that I didn't hate, but I disliked Moonchild so much, it's sullied the whole LP for me. Once again, I do not understand the attraction in 95% of Prog Rock. 1/5 (it would have got 2 had Moonchild been banished)

This is one of my favorites for sure

This album was definitely an experience. My favorite had to be "The Court Of The Crimson King" because a) it had really cool melodies and b) it made me feel like I was in Alice and Wonderland or something like that. And then that whole part where it stops and then starts again at around 7 mins literally felt like I died and then was in the process of being recreated with little pixels coming back together. Then there was also "I Talk To The Wind," which just felt like a world of its own. That song is actually beautiful. For whatever reason, it makes me feel like being in a mystical version of Central Park (maybe it's the oboes??). When this album wasn't being a fantastical journey, it was just very strange and honestly kind of bipolar (sorry)...just because it would go from being very calm to literal alternative progressive hard punk rock that makes it very hard for me to believe this was released in 1969. But all around, a pretty cool album.

okay yea!! surprisingly yea!!!

Previously rated: #198 - Larks' Tongues In Aspic (2/5) **************************************** Album #946 After listening to the other one, I knew this one was coming, then I forgot it was coming, so I was surprised seeing it come up. I had heard this once before, and wasn't enthralled with it. It quickly grabs you with 21st Century Schizoid Man, which admittedly is a really cool song (and the reason I rate this a 3/5). After that, there's a lot of hippie ren fair sounding stuff, several minutes of jazz noodling (in Moonchild), and more ren fair fare. It reminded me of that first Pink Floyd album we had to listen to here for some reason. I'd willingly listen to an album full of Schizoid Man type material.

'21st Century Schizoid Man' - Already pretty lost for words. Pacing is spot on, drumming is so chrisp, sax is wild, guitar is cool. That was fucking dope. 'I Talk to the Wind' - Took me by surprise, nice slow pace after a crazy awesome opener. Flute and percussion work well together. 'Epitaph' - Pink Floyd vibes, duh. Thumbs up for the foghorn stuff. Damn this ending is cool as fuck. Oooh Tinglessssssssss ok this is sick. Thought I was bored in the middle then it smacked me with that ending dayummmm. 'Moonchild' - Annoyingly I read already this was the 'worst' track so I hope im not swayed cos of that. I should be working rn dafuq. For now I am liking the 'interlude' kind of vibe. 2 minutes in thumbs up. I am listening to this on my laptop so I feel like the quality is hindered here. Babadumdum dingle dangle. I feel like listening to this in a forest would be so sick. As much as this writing appears to be ADHD asf, I feel like people who find this sort of stuff boring (when listening to an album) just have adhd. Ok tbf wtf is going on now hahahahaha. I must have adhd - wtf are they doing. They really put a cattapiller on the drums and told it to cook. Im fucking w it. Am I? Idek. Yeah I am now bored. Imagine analysing this lol. "Yo dude chill this conveys the crimson king's mindset its genius" sybau. OK.... its going places. Oh lmfao, it in fact did not. 'The Court of Crimson KIIIIIIINGGGG' - We are so back! this is fun. Harmonies are rousing. This fast hihat bit is cool. Flutes back. building... nice. I do think the lyrics can be a bit annoying - but then it hits that kingggggahhhhhh bit and all is forgiven. Hmmmm interesting album - definitely willl have to listen again to enjoy more. First track is totally awesome. Some bits are a bit samey but wow its highs are really high. I understand why it is regarded as such an influential classic. "greetings my lord - AAARRGGGHH"/10

One of the all-time classic progressive albums. Just an expansive and beautiful album.

Why do songs have to be 8-10 minutes long? It starts making me nervous and I could have done without Moonchild. Despite that....this album is pretty cool and super diverse. The whole jazz element colliding with rock, and then they bust out the flute?! Ain't that fun. Talk to the Wind is a very beautiful song.

3/5

This may be a bit too close to the beginning of prog rock for me. I love Pink Floyd and Rush for their rock roots, but even some of Yes's work gets a bit too navel-gazey for me and I fear King Crimson is firmly in that territory. You can't have "prog rock" without "rock" and "rock" requires a riff, just as it always has. "Moonchild" is almost unforgivable - "b-b-but we're playing experimental music!" I can't sit here with a straight face and listen to somebody fucking with a xylophone for 10 minutes, even if it was 1969. It just didn't connect with me, personally. Sometimes you meet your heroes and it turns out everybody else got way better at that type of music over the last 50+ years. "21st Century Schizoid Man" rules to this day and "The Court of the Crimson King" is cool too. Those are really the only worthwhile tracks on the album. I gotta go 3/5 if only because the middle section is such a ridiculous snoozefest.

Is that a goddamn flute? There's a lot of shit on here that I like, there are some really cool moments, like the Epitaph song is great music and a great vibe. And then there's a lot I don't like, like the flute. So I'm gonna give it a 2.5 and round it up to a 3 cause of the legacy and the cool album artwork.

First album I ever bought and still love listening to it!

That's not my taste in music - But some pleasant songs

Robert Fripp á mögulega bestu gítarinnkomur allra tíma, þá árin 1977 og 1980. Hér er hann, og bandið með honum, oftar en ekki í ljómandi góðu formi. Moonchild er svolítið langt og stefnulaust, en hin lögin eru öll alveg solid og stórgóð.

de uma melancolia tão sutil e maluca ao mesmo tempo que me senti estonteado com a construção das faixas, onde as produções formam uma aura progressiva na obra, além da psicodelia que corre nos mínimos detalhes trazendo uma forma única de fazer e sentir rock. 5/5

Another King Crimson album, another instant love from me.

I can see why so many bands wanted to do this. This was a real musical journey. So many moments would suck in a vacuum. But in the context of the whole album they work in their place. For the most part, a good listen.

Didn't enjoy at all

I understand that the ‘first’ makes this have weight, but I don’t understand the hype of the actual music. It’s fine. A nice riff and a nice refrain that both come back throughout. But beyond that, there’s a lot of waiting.

This is my second listen to this album, if you are a prog rocker this is a great piece. 21st Century Schizoid Man is a masterpiece. The rest of the album is a great blend of jazz rock fusion

Crap.

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.

Unique sound surpassed by its artwork.

Prog rock with jazz. Tight performance and meandering tracks. I'd heard good things... Epitaph and Moonchild remind me of clean Opeth, but Moonchild has meandering outro, not a big fan Impressive prog for 69 but not as mind-blowing as I had hoped Best track - Epitaph 3 stars

8/10 At it's dynamically varied, inventive and virtuosic best, this album is absolutely magnificent. The smoothly pulsing ebbs and flows of the work take you on a real journey as the songs rush, stride and drift by. The drum work in particular is so strong. I just kept having my attention grabbed by little adornments and rhythms that were there for a moment and then gone, and it's all delivered with such control over the timing. In general, the musicianship is just wonderful and, with one particular exception, doesn't ever descend into self indulgence. That one exception is Moonchild, which does drift a little too much into avant garde farting around. That would be more forgiveable if the track didn't account for over a quarter of the runtime. Perhaps with a few more listens, loud, in a dark room, this would start to enchant me a little more, so I will give it that time at some time in the future. I can hear so many other bands who would follow in various parts of this, from Black Sabbath to Pink Floyd that it's influence is undeniable. I've heard this album a number of times before and it still manages to delight and surprise, something I'm always happy to experience. 21st Century Schizoid Man - This has got riffs for days. It varies between heavy and jazzy, driven and frantic. The speed and tightness of the playing is so good all round and they can so smoothly change tempo, it's super satisfying. Some of the ride cymbal rhythms really jump out at me as being of such high technical quality, in particular. And that cacophony that they wind everything up into is fantastic. I Talk To The Wind - There's more of a folky edge to this one and the flute work is just lovely. It's far more of a straight down the line song, but it's a great palate cleanser after the opener. It's such a nice vibe, but the drums keep the little hint of frantic yet restrained mania to provide a slight edge to things. Epitaph - This is a great song. It soars with a fantastic grandiosity and there's a deftness to the dynamic flow of the sections as parts come and go and the chord structures ebb and flow. But it's all narratively held together by the focal that anchors at all. Really nice. Moonchild - Back to something with a bit more of a folk edge, at least to begin with. It does drift quite a lot into very sparse, noodly sections that lose a bit of momentum. I think with focused listening in a dark room there's probably more in there, but it's not as engaging in passing as the rest of the album up to this point and it does drag on for quite a long time. It does, however, all come together into something very pretty by the end. The Court Of The Crimson King - This gathers up the highlights of everything on the album up to this point and blends it into a really satisfying journey of a song. The grandiosity, the dynamic and tempo ebbs and flows, and the virtuosity of the playing, it's all there. At points it's subtle, at others epic, but it's all woven together in a satisfying narrative arc

I really liked some of the trance-like passages in this album

10\10

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

Top 3 albums of all time

Some really nice songs , some bits spoiled by painful high pitched sounds

Un poco sandwich inverso... La primera y la última son clasicazos históricas cojonudas, las canciones del medio un poco menos sustancia

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

Good classic rock album. Kind of jam-bandish but I still enjoyed it. 6/10

I enjoyed it. It sounded very much of the era in a good way.

Songs too long. Did like the style but dragged on

> In 2015, the album was ranked number 2 on Rolling Stone's list of the "50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time" Seriously?

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

TWENTY FIRST CENTURY SCHIZOID MAN

Too experimental for me.

The album cover art creeps me out, so docked for that. Let’s see about to music now!! Update: Not a fan….

This album was all over the place. Started psychedelic rock, moving into background 70s movie music, and finishing off with jazz? It was interesting for sure. I’ll never listen to again though. 3.46583

I like King Crimson but this album is kind of a difficult listen. Lots of discordant noodling that overrides the base tracks.

Good songs, long but good. Some more boring than others

Pretty tired. I'll just say this is a 3/5.

Wow wow this was amazing!

Nicht meine Musik, aber durchaus nicht schlecht.

Headphones on for this one. Gotta soak up the experience.

Ok man I gotta admit it: Robert Fripp is a mad genius. Whatever that man's project is, I gotta say: he's really doing something. This is an A+ album, where even the nothing noodling dipshittery in the middle of Moonchild has its place. The guy loves a ballad, and well, there's one here, sports fans! But really it's just stuffed full of ideas and unlike Outkast (didn't see that comparison coming, did you?), who also have a gorillion ideas, these all fit into a tight little package. One and done, move on. Economy AND a pile of riches, wow. This isn't an album you can just tell someone to listen to: they have to make it here on their own. But when they get here, whoa, it's 1969! Anyway, too bad this spawned so many other prog-rock imitations. Otherwise unimpeachable.

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

Boy I hate this album cover. Great album though

Meh some songs good, most not.

A classic which I have never heard, plus a horrific album cover, there is a reason I haven't listened to this fuck knows what it is! Great first song, years ahead of it's time! First song reminds me of some of the more progressive Sabs

Epic. Crazy. Wild. Especially for its time. It has all sorts going on and it does it all so well. All of the tracks are grand and ambitious in their own ways. I love the way the transition from the brutal, distorted, screaming of the opener to serene, melodic, melancholic of the second track. The flute is up there with some of the best ive heard in popular music. I didnt enjoy the second half of Moonchild, but aside from that this album is a stone cold classic. Favourite track - Epitaph. 8.5/10

Classic album from an amazing group of musicians

I love 70s prog so much. 60s prog was still getting there. This album obviously gets a ton of credit for laying the foundations for prog rock, and it deserves it. That being said, it leans a little hard on this sort of epic, cinematic balladry and loses me a bit in “Epitaph” and “Moonchild.” The first track is the best one and it’s a damn masterpiece, and my corny heart can’t help but embrace “I Talk to the Wind.” Beautiful hippie shit. The last track is pretty cool too but still doesn’t reach the heights of “21st Century Schizoid Man.” I love this album’s influence and what it represents but it’s not as good as what came after. Still, must-listen #229.

I like this record

This is an iconic album, despite the disturbing cover.

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

Prog rock, good variety

Superb prog psych rock classic

I mean.....I mean..... It is one of the best prog albums ever. It set the tone for all others and yet it's not one of those albums where the idea is half baked. This is a fully formed album. It's wild how well done it is. I love this album. Without it we do not get to ELP, Tool, Rush. It's the foundation for those.

“I’ve been here and I’ve been there and I’ve been in between.”

I like this. A bit on the progressive nerdy side for me but enough blazing rock in there to get the juices flowing. Richie and Margot seemed to like it.

Found the album interesting but not worthy of the hype? Would listen to again.

Ekki fyrir mig

Þetta kom á óvart og var bara drulluflott. Er þessi plata bara soundtrack manneskju með geðklofa?

I mean, if you remove the long stretches if kindergarteners playing Fischer Price xylophones, it's pretty good.

Awesome album a pity they could not maintain the intensity.

So much novelness! And some real standouts, and - as ever - wonderful to hear the first time music did something. But to interrupt all that skill and bomnbast with some random improv noodling????!!! Really detracted from me, and is probably to blame for a lot of the prog out there that doesn't vibe with me

Ok so yes this was good, a bit all over the place. But there was some really fun musicianship happening here.

ok so not something i think i will return to for casual music listening but undeniably an incredible and transforming listen

No skips, not even Moonchild

Fantastic, caught me by surprise having only known 21st century prior to my listen, loved it, but the bits(you know the bits) kinda sucked the air out a little too much for a full 5

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

I've never heard the album before now, but I'm certainly privy to the influence of this album. The screaming red man on the cover was immediately recognizable to me. As far as what I personally thought of the music, it was pretty good. I can certainly understand it's popularity. 21st Century Schizoid Man had me absolutely hooked & was by far the best song on the album. My issue came with the lengthy, jazzy sections of the songs. Each song is pretty long, and some unnecessarily so. I'm all for just vibing with the music, but I found myself losing some of my excitement when the music breaks would carry on for too long. Overall, one absolutely fantastic song can't carry the rating, so I'll put it in the dead middle.

I went in blind with this one, came out pleasantly surprised. Reminded me of the Morning of the Earth soundtrack.

Real great album, the smooth grooves and the musical proficiency makes it for me.

Goated. What an incredible atmosphere

To add to the pretentiousness around this album, I first listened to this while walking around the Louvre. Was not expecting to find the source of a famous sample used by Kanye West to start it off. I Talk to the Wind and Epitaph are masterpieces in my eyes. Listened to both in an underground rock bar in Tokyo, I was reminded of their excellence. Moonchild (first part) is beautiful too (although drifts around a lot afterwards). Not the easiest listen in places but overall a masterpiece, and one of the best prog rock albums out there.

Hell yessss

Så högt och lågt, vissa lite mer chill gillade jag, andra var lite hysteriska

good, but don't see myself coming back to it anytime soon.

This, to me, is the classic prog rock album. It's complex, sprawling and full of fantastic imagery. It set much of the template for other bands to come, including some less math rocky bands like Pink Floyd. It won't appeal to everyone but for those interested in the genre, it holds up incredibly well.

Strong 4,5

I always liked King Crimson, but they were never among my favorites. I think their highs are extremely high, but they tend to struggle with consistency. Case in point, going from Epitaph to Moonchild is probably one of the most steep quality drops I've heard in any album (not because the latter is very bad, but because the former is really good), and it's 12 minutes long—more than a quarter of the album. But Moonchild, despite begin by far my least favorite song on this album, still, in my opinion, has the best lyrics and vocals (maybe on par or slightly behind the title track, though). KC kind of just like having some parts where nothing happens in their songs, of which I'm not a huge fan, and Moonchild is the most egregious example. Like, they're so good individually but for some reason don't always manage to showcase that together at the same time. If only they could combine all of their talent in one song and call it Starless or something. But that would never happen. I am also not a huge fan of I Talk to the Wind, but I can't say it's a bad song—it just doesn't fit my preferences, being too quiet and laid back. The three other songs, though, are incredible. I think this album is imperfect and at this point slightly dated, but it created what is, in my opinion, the most consistently exciting genre of music ever. This album sort of puts the music industry as a whole into perspective for me. Like, it came out in 1969. Every time I listen to a mediocre rock album released in the 70s onwards, I always think, “Seriously? This came out after prog became a thing?” The genre whose whole idea was to attempt to introduce new concepts into rock created a lot of unique and exciting music, it turns out. I’m a big proponent of the theory that art only gets better over time. It is like science, in a way. Artists discover new ways of creating stuff, and newer generations, as well as benefiting from technological development, get a bigger pool of knowledge to draw inspiration from. But although there have obviously been numerous great albums released since In the Court of the Crimson King, the vast majority of music still can’t catch up to the greatness achieved by prog musicians in the 70s. The reason why probably boils down to commercial appeal, of which prog has none. It is widely regarded as “challenging” music, although I never understood why. For me, progressive rock never forced me to think about the complexities of its composition or whatever to enjoy it and just sounded great. But I digress. I guess most people tend to stick to what’s popular and never go out of their way to find something new because of the “if it’s popular, it has to be great” mentality. And musicians, when seeing this, might be inclined to replicate that popular sound to reach a wider audience, so music ends up staying stale. It probably wasn’t that big of an issue back when people had to buy music. Now that music is virtually free and consolidated basically in a single library (with minor variations between providers), we have a very easy metric of popularity, like the amount of streams on Spotify. Using that, people may dismiss everything that doesn’t reach their arbitrary boundary of popularity, and it reduces the chance of up-and-coming musicians to discover that music too and drawing inspiration from it. Yes, music creation is also a lot more accessible now, but only 1% (if not less) gets any amount of fame, so I can't necessarily say that there are more active "big" artists when before. I don’t know how to conclude this. I’m stupid. Don’t listen to me.

Kinda good kinda odd

Great stuff. Wish this came up in the winter because I feel like it would play much better than on a beautiful sunny day (like today)

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.

Makes me turn crimson from how good it is

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.

Välillä bängeri ja välillä sitte tosi epäbängeri. Nyt oli just oikee hetki tälle albumille ja vibailin välillä ihan kunnolla mutta luulen että vaikka eilen olisi vihannu tätä.

This is the Devil's playground.

Unlike the majority of this style of rock album that is the penchant for this list, this album benefits from being put next to its peers. Like putting Usain Bolt next to some high school track stars. Are they all athletes? Sure. But one of them is obviously bounds ahead. Contrasting this to the similar albums of the time really highlights how insanely good this album is.and some of the best drum sounds you'll hear

Overblown, self indulgent. Not my thing

Certainly need to give this one more time. It’s bizarre. But I can imagine the big ones growing on me. Maybe the best album cover ever. Adding 1/2 point for that alone.

meget funny! fede taktarter og spændende dynamikker i løbet af albummet! Jeg synes helt klart det er et album man kan høre en gang imellem, men det kommer nok ikke i min faste rotation.

Didn’t get to listen to the whole thing but liked what I heard. I liked the jazz vibe it had to it. The Court of the Crimson King is definitely a favourite song on this album.

Maybe not the best prog rock project of all time but a trailblazer and excellent introduction to the genre.

Classic

prog rock. this is not for me.

Absolute 5 stars. One of my fave finds on here so far. I think they’re better than Pink Floyd and other contemporaries, I’m so excited to listen to more of their stuff from here on out

Banger!!!! These songs are fricken cool as freak.

pretty good but less good than I remember

Equal parts beautiful and weird. An absolute pinnacle of the prog rock genre

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...

Exceptional album from KC. Perhaps their best.

Surprisingly good, I had a preconcieved notion that this album was a hard rock album, when it really isn't. A lot softer than I expected, and good tactility to the mastering. I wish the songs weren't so long though…

Godt album, meget anderledes især for dens tid. The Court og 21st century er banger sange, altid sjovt at høre den originale sang der er blevet samplet til en af ens egne ynglings sange. Har hørt albummet før, så det har ikke samme wow faktor som det ville have hvis jeg hørte det for første gang 7/10

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

This is pretty familiar to me as I had the cassette tape of it in college days. Excellent musicianship, and I see some of the ideas here being used by other prog bands later (there's a section in Moon child that influences Genesis circa Lamb Lies Down IMO)

I thought this was alright. Id like to know a little more about the work.

*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

I liked the first song, but not the rest. Why do progressive rock albums consistently have a “look at all the instruments we have in the studio” section?

Never knew the lyrics to that bit in Power were ‘21st century schizoid man’. Ahh when Kanye used to be relatively self-aware. As prog-rock goes this was decent, really enjoyed a lot of it. Perhaps a basic statement though, but some of the songs were a bit lengthy lads. Although I suppose that’s the point. Simpsons: A very random yes. One of the kids in Bart’s class is named Adrian Belew who is a former member of King Crimson, although not on this album.

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

This prog rock shit can be so hit or miss for me. I thought I was going to hate it but it wasn’t bad. Would definitely listen again at home with a doobie or two. If you’re going to go weird call your song 21st Century Schizoid Man and I’ll be more forgiving.

Great

Had the privilege to see KC back in 1970. Just brilliant and this album is a triumph from start to finish. Who doesn’t like a bit of noodling about but the great tracks are great.

There's a risk this list might actually turn me into a prog-rock fan... 2.5 (might have gotten a full 3 if they'd toned it down with the flute)

Generic 70s

Utter waste of time. I'm sure there's some talent in the band but did they have to play the same song over and over again?

No one man should have all that power

Goated album

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.

The first ‘great’ progressive rock album is still revered as among the best today, a claim which remains irrefutable. Even though Pink Floyd were doing Piper years beforehand, even though King Crimson’s band members were active in London clubs and for a few releases before coming together for this album, and even though in the eyes of many they went on to do far better work with the likes of Larks’ Tongues and Red, these five tracks, these two sides, and this one record is the single barnstorming effort that propelled and funnily enough progressed rock into the spatial, encompassing behemoth that we know it as today. From the insurmountable groove of the Schizoid Man through to the tidal wave behemoth of the Crimson King, in many ways these tracks are still the benchmark, well over 50 years on. There’s a tangible reason for that: it really has everything. All of the bare-bones and all of the complexity is explored at varying levels. Schizoid Man has the guitar lick and the inspired complex midsection, I Talk to the Wind has the woodwind-fuelled soft floating ditty that is often found from prog’s tendency for mediaeval inspiration, Epitaph is the first grandiose tune to end a side, Moonchild is the alienating ‘musician’s track’, and the title track is the second grandiose tune to end a side, this time with an incredibly emphatic blow worthy of matching the opening to bookend it all. So once again, you simply cannot refute both this album’s importance and its musicianship. It may not even be many people’s favourite prog rock album, but if your favourite was released after October ‘69, these guys probably had a hand in influencing it.

kinda banging

Play this album through some loud speakers and watch all the old prog rockers in your neighbourhood gather and start telling one another little tidbits of information they all already know. "Did you know that's Greg Lake from Emerson, Lake & Palmer?" they each whisper to each other.

This started out awfully, but turned into something quite cool. Once again it was music I could see Tarantino using.

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

absolutely loved this album, great discovery. will listen again

Wow, this was some crazy early experimental progressiverock which I was vaguely aware of, but did not realize how good it was. Shit, I listened to it twice in a day

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

Is that a Jojo reference? But actually it was a pretty interesting listen

gizzard lizard related? Noodly, kind of goes nowhere, fine I guess

Knew the first song from some commercial. Pretty good overall. Good instrumentals.

Progressive rock seems to be the antithesis of fun. Definitely understand why so many people joined and then promptly left this band.

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.

Fou

woah

Yurp its a banger

Incroyable, toujours aussi frais après plus de 50 ans.

This is a good album I’ve only listened to a couple of times, and I’m not sure why. It’s overall a great record, with a few truly standout tracks, though maybe the pacing keeps me from coming back more often. Either way, it’s a solid listen and a cornerstone of prog rock.

Absolutely everything its cracked up to be - the music is expansive and exploratory, eminating with power and proficiency.

5/10

I only listened to this once properly, but think it’ll grow on me with more listens.

*The jazz stuff was cool but the overall album was a little too all over the place. Very atmospheric but not consistent enough with a theme for me to give it more than a 3.

I knew the album already. Some sounds a little dated but the songs are great. A true classic.

This was a wild ride but it was sure interesting

One of the first Prog Rock albums and actually very good. Must have been ground breaking in its day. In all honesty I could have done with a shorter version of Moonchild but that is being picky. Rest of the tracks have been added to my "Likes" 5 Stars

This was tough for me, I'm pretty hot and cold on this album. I loooove "21st Century Schizoid Man" then "I Talk to The Wind" loses me. then "Epitaph" draws me back, then "Moonchild" reeeeeally loses me. and then I like "Court of the Crimson King!" I guess it all just kinda averages out.

The classic opener is such a misdirect because nothing else here comes even close to its loud hard rock groove. I’m not a prog fan so my love is limited, though there are some lovely vocals and melodies.

I hope you're all sitting down for this review - it's what Robert Fripp would want. This record was a big part of me going from being a football obsessed teenager who just wanted to be outdoors all time kicking stuff around to a fucking weirdo who took music far too seriously and liked the INDOORS. My tiny mate Dan had got me into Pink Floyd so I was open to a bit more down that sorta avenue. We listened to this and became unbearable. It's mad that this is a 60s album. It's so far ahead of what else was going in in 1969 that you'd be forgiven for thinking it came out after Dark Side. The opener is class, and probably the most traditional part of the album (opening strong with a solid catch riff) but it goes off the rails already towards the end with just noise. It's been sampled loads since which is a testament to Fripp and Sinfield bridging the gap between accessibility and peculiar. I Talk To The Wind is one of my all-time favourite songs - a gorgeous almost soft folky tune with one of the only acceptable uses of flute as a main instrument in the history of music. Then Epitaph and Moonchild happen and it all gets fucking weird. Epitaph is a powerful tune, and the best example of how perfect Greg Lake (of the band with those other two nerds fame) and his vocals were to this iteration of King Crimson (of which there are 204). Moonchild goes wild with the keyed instruments and you're essentially just wandering through a weird Final Fantasy sidequest for a bit but it had it's moments. Then the finale hits and hits perfectly to begin with. You've been through a bit of a weird journey and then you get hit with safety in the form of a guitar part and vocals. I'm convinced when Roger Waters wrote Eclipse he just listened to this a couple of hundred times and came up with his own version. But then again they can't resist getting a bit medieval fairground amongst it all. But this is pure prog at it's best - heavy, atmospheric, a big vocal AHHHH chorus and weird fucking lyrics about fire witches n that. The record then ends but of course it doesn't cos its prog and we've gotta have at least ONE REPRISE WHEYYYY and it's a bit more upbeat and hopeful - then it gets weird one last time. Class. Love you. 4.8/5 JF - What an album to start off a Monday whilst I'm stuck at work till 8 o clock. First of all, arguably one of the most influential albums of all times in the genre of Prog Rock, without this album its likely we wouldn't see the likes of Darkside of the Moon, Meddle, Fragile by Yes and the list goes on. Its not a perfect album by any means, there are faults which i'll go into more detail about but for the mark it left on musical history, its a bloody giant. As I could write a thesis for every single track on this album, I will try limit the track discussion to not be several paragraphs long (Key word there being try). Starting off with one of the most well-known of King Crimson's discography, 21st Century Schizoid Man, its a powerful banging track, distorted and disjointed, with abrupt chaotic tempo changes and the wailing of electric guitars along with an almost terrified sounding yelling of brass instruments, all backed with tight bass lines and the controlled chaos of the drums. Lyrically it chants of the impact of war, more specifically the Vietnam War, as well as the rise and demand of consumerism in modern society. All in all what more do you want from a prog rock track and what a fucking banging opener. I Talk to the Wind takes the album in the complete opposite direction, where there was chaos and instruments screaming for freedom, there's now gentle serenity, a beautiful track speaking of a longing for connection almost pleading for understanding in a world that is quite hollow and lonely, with the flute being the outstanding instrument of the track. A beautiful bit of calm to differ from 21st Century Schizoid Man, I can see why this would be part of Jay's hangover playlist. Epitaph is probably the bleakest track on the album, not in a bad way, it carries across the image of defeat and hopelessness beautifully well, it paints a post-apocalyptic earth, destroyed by war, greed and humanities inability to learn from their mistakes, as if we are always doomed to fail, its a powerful look into humanity as a whole that can take place at any moment in time. Next we have Moonchild, which is one of my favourite tracks on the album, the soft voice of Greg Lake is hauntingly beautiful, almost like a calling to a far distant land, the first 2 and a half minutes of Moonchild stick to this beautiful haunting folky type theme, then comes the controversial type bits, the remainder of the track is entirely an improvised jam, executed very well but it does take away slightly from the beauty and simplicity of the beginning of the track, if I'm in the right headspace I'll listen to the full track any day of the week but usually? First 2/3 minutes of the track work just fine. Finally we have the albums closing and title track, sticking hard to that the theme of wars and the helplessness of the individual, this time with the added medieval theme. The track jumps between softer verses building up to a bombastic epic explosion of strings, brass and keys all with the familiar banging drums and bass. The track switches momentarily to a softer verse with return of the combined flute and bass as seen on Talk to the Wind. The closing track encompasses everything that makes this album as influential and poetically brilliant. Overall, holy shit what an album, its beautiful, dynamic, poetic, quiet, chaotically loud and one of the grandfathers of Prog Rock, always a happy listen from me and a great way to start a monday. 4.6/5 MTW. - Lots to unpack with this album as it holds a lot of value in the prog rock community, so let’s go. I feel like if it’s your first time listening to King Crimson (or any prog band from the same period) your gonna come away feeling that most of the songs start better than they finish, that’s how I felt first time round anyway. And I still think that’s the case for some of the tracks on this album, however I’d say that although this is a con for me, in the grand scheme of the genre it’s a necessary risk by the artist that’s helped to scape the movement. Schizoid man definetly finishes just as well as it starts tho, seriously this song fucks, and the vocals are the centre piece for me personally, sending it like he’s on the front line hot digging dog. I Talk To The Wind gives us a chance to calm down after being psychologically skull fucked for 7 minutes, which is thoughtful and appreciated, however I do think this song drags on a little bit too long for my taste, as is also the case for the song Moonchild. By fucking god is this song frustrating, the most angelic 2/3 minutes of a song I’ve possibly ever heard, then all of a sudden we enter a duel of two keyboards with half their keys missing, having a whispering contest for 10 fucking minutes. I just don’t think the instrumental elements are strong enough to warrant the runtime of this track sadly. Epitaph however I’d say has a lot more minerals and the structure plays to its advantages, this song rocks, as does Court which is a great way to end the album. Overall a pleasant revisit to an album I haven’t heard in time, will listen again sometime 3.8/5 FTW Hello, happy Monday :) This album is rare in every sense of the word, it practically invented progressive rock in real time, combining jazz complexity, symphonic drama, and psychedelic weirdness. Its importance can’t be overstated; without it, bands like Yes or Genesis might’ve just stayed polite rock groups instead of launching into epic, otherworldly sonic rollercoaster's. The album’s mood swings between haunting beauty and apocalyptic chaos, which is probably why it still feels so alive decades later. And honestly, listening to “21st Century Schizoid Man” at full volume might be the closest thing to time travelling back to 1969 without accidentally growing offensive sideburns and landing on the moon. 4/5 - HF xo

A Masterpiece, it is 5, just because there’s no higher option.

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

Absolutely fuck yeah. All-timer album cover and INSANE debut btw..... what?????

genuinely inconceivably good ... so impressive and still so fresh... love this album a bit too much

Ehhhh… there’s better prog around

Probably the best album I've listened to in this series yet. Long on the list, but this is stellar.

My dad loves it

Prog rock gods - reminds me of Moody Blues. Creative for the time, led to an era of 4 song sets . . .

++*: 21st Century Schizoid Man ++: I Talk to the Wind, Epitaph, Moonchild, The Court of the Crimson King 9,9/10

Like if Yes sang about death and wizards or whatever the shit it was about

Important, original, with long stretches of boredom in between. 3/ 5

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.

Interesting album. Dad had it on vinyl growing up and that cover is seared into my brain haha. A bit too much weird instrumental stuff for 4 stars but really solid otherwise.

Well, now I know the origin of Stephen King's most powerful villain. It's a solid album with one hell of a banger as the ultimate grand finale. Favorite Track: "The Court Of The Crimson King".

A little bit of the sonic waffling didn't hit, but the sweeping epic did

You'd think King Crimson was garbage the way some people talked about it! As the first prog rock album, In The Court Of The Crimson King is so unlike early genre albums because it is actually good. King Crimson created soaring, intricate songs that hook you the entire time. Lots of other progressive rock albums drone on or are sleepy jam sessions, but Crimson doesn't settle for that. Every moment of their album is different and engaging; I couldn't stop listening to it. I thought this would just be a 3, or a high 3, but the more I listened to it, the more I heard more to enjoy. 4 it is!

It's really quite surprising to hear this album with the knowledge that it is an incredibly early example of prog rock, because this album is also known as one of the greatest prog rock albums; this album knows what it's doing and has the style down to a T. That said, maybe even more surprising to me, is that I actually enjoyed this album a fair bit, as someone who isn't really into prog rock. I think what I may appreciate the most about this album is its masterful use of classical/symphonic style mixed in. Doing this would ultimately become quite a staple to prog rock, but again, there's just something special and notable about how it's done here. The latter part of the "Moonchild" track loses me a bit, but that's not bad at all considering how I normally glaze over when listening to these prog rock albums.

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