I was slow getting to know King Crimson, despite my teenage appreciation of Emerson, Lake and Palmer. They made no impression during the 1970s, and it was only seeing the 1981 incarnation fronted by Adrian Belew on The Old Grey Whistle Test, that tweaked my interest.
Further investigation of all things Fripp over the years (he seemed to work with so many others I admire (Eno, Sylvian, and to a lesser extent Bowie), that it was inevitable I’d get back to the start and give their first album a proper hearing. Like everyone else, I knew 21st Century Schizoid Man and the title track, and had some familiarity with Epitaph from an ELP live album, but was late getting to the whole album.
By now it’s an old friend, that I know well, and like an old friend, I’m aware and tolerant of its faults. 21st Century Schizoid Man is indeed a classic, delivered like a knife by Greg Lake, followed by the rather limp I Talk To The Trees, before ending the first half strongly with Epitaph.
In the second half, Moonchild starts with some wimpy vocals from Lake, followed by several minutes of improvised (?) minimalist noodling, something the Mighty Crim would hone and develop into something worth listening to over the years, but they weren’t there yet. Luckily, the grandeur of The Court of The Crimson King comes in to save the day, and prevent the album disappearing up its own fundament.
It’s a remarkable album for 1969; even if parts of it seem naïve and twee today, much of it stands up today, with 60% of the album still regularly featuring in the Crimson live repertoire.
4* - a seminal piece of prog, which, while not without its flaws, feels powerful and exciting at times.
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