In the Court of the Crimson King

Banger opening tune, great use of woodwinds on the following track, and then it just kind of meanders from there.

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*

I really wanted to hate this Album, but it was pretty neat. Apart from the middle part, where they forgot to stop the recording and we got like 10 minutes of random noises.

I have enjoyed this album a lot; however, Moonchild really lets the album down by having 10 minutes where nothing much happens which made me feel bored.

Loved the opening track, but it's pretty average 60s jam band stuff after that. You can hear how this was an influence on bands that came later, so an interesting listen overall.

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.

10/10 no notes. I love prog and this is the quintessential prog album in my eyes.

Very cool stuff. My high level take on this is they aren't great song writers, but everything else is top notch. As many epic moments as there are confounding moments. I don't understand the purpose of the diddling on Moonchild that lasts 10 minutes. It does make the intro to "The Court of the Crimson King" pop, but 10 minutes of random sounds feels excessive. At moments I’m definitely engaged and enjoying parts, but there are also moments where it sounds like Spinal Tap with a music degree.

Always love finding the sample source to newer songs. Very cool album

Talk To The Wind is lovely.

I may seem to have a bit of a beef with King Crimson. At time of writing, my review for Larks' Tongues in Aspic is the top rated one, where I essentially rip into prog, call the whole thing shit and accuse them of just mucking about. I was CORRECT.

However, I'm delighted to say that this album is much better! Not the first track, which is all a bit weird and frantic, but the rest demonstrates some actual musical skill and even nuance, which was crucially missing from that other album. Parts of it are very listenable, varying from softer ballad tracks, and balancing those with bigger, more vibrant moments.

Over the course of this project I've come to soften on prog as a whole, understanding that it's only certain parts of it that really grate with me. There's still elements of them pissing about and making random noises here, and I'd point to that as evidence that they still think they're more clever than they are (hello most of 'Moonchild'). But you can hear the more expansive bits coming in, and clearly laying some kind of template and influence for bands to come.

A mixed bag. I actually enjoyed bits of this, and King Crimson can now come (a little way) out of musical jail.

Amazing jazzy prog rock.
I guess it’s not surprising as the genre is progressive rock but this album really sounds ahead of its time to me. Such varied songs and structures.
Album cover is iconic too.
Maybe I just don’t get it, but that middle section of moonchild kinda just sounded like a bunch of toddlers hitting random instruments for a bit. That is really one of the only negatives of the album for me.

I liked this. I should relisten to Lark’s. 3.6

Yeah yeah yeah Moonchild goes on for too long yada yada yada. I don’t care. This album kicks ass. The first time I listened to this was on the school bus during high school. I thought my connection was bad because I thought the final song was backing itself up with how it kind of starts and stops. The drums sound fantastic on here and the vocals are all really great.

Phenomenal. So happy I have this on vinyl :)

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

Decent all around album, but no one track stands out.

I’m at a 5.

I just thought that was great. I don’t even really have that many words – I got completely encapsulated by the soundscape for most of the runtime. Those first 3 tracks are spectacular. Hell, even the long instrumental break during Moonchild kept me captivated for most of it, until I got tired of it by the end. The Court of The Crimson King shot me right back up though.

For 1969, this is utterly ridiculous, in a good way; the layered soundscapes here, the beat drops on the title drops… it just feels really ahead of schedule, man. I’m sure this album has eventually been outdone within its space, and I get the feeling it might even come later in one of these 1,001 albums, but as someone listening to this for the first time, I’m just kinda blown away by how well they absolutely fucking nailed it. For a debut record, no less. Easy 5.

The Big Bang of Progressive Rock. 21st Century Schizoid Man is a tour de force - the main riff and verses are pure metal - in 1969, no less. The middle instrumental is jazz/rock greatness. All the band members are on fire and it's no surprise that Jimi Hendrix said to Robert Fripp: "Shake my left hand, man. It's closer to my heart." Simply put, it's one of the greatest songs ever written. That's right. I Talk to the Wind gives us a calm moment to recover from the chaos. Epitaph is a post-apocalyptic funeral dirge. "Confusion will be my epitaph" - such a great lyric, and Greg Lake's singing is outstanding. Moonchild is the only weak track for me. The verses are nice enough, but then it's mostly noodling. But that's ok, because then it brings us to The Court of the Crimson King, the quintessential mellotron track. Seriously, if I was told I could only play one album to explain progressive rock, this is the album, start to finish. An absolute classic.

Me gusta mucho y he estado dudando mucho rato, pero creo que no quiero ponerle un 5. Pero vaya maravilla de disco, merece su fama.