In the Court of King Crimson - The King Crimson Education/Review Thread (lyrics, dancing)

Dr_Rez · 04-04-2008, 08:31 PM

I do love there album covers. Especially the vinyls.

Athos310 · 04-23-2008, 07:57 PM

Fallen angel, hands down, best track.

Athos310
(sorry for the previous links)

Seltzer · 07-26-2008, 10:27 PM

LIZARD (1970)

Robert Fripp - Guitar, Mellotron, Electric Keyboards, Devices
Gordon Haskell - Bass, Vocals
Andy McCulloch - Drums
Mel Collins - Flute, Saxophone
Keith Tippett - Piano, Electric Piano
Robin Miller - Oboe, Cor Anglais
Mark Charig - Cornet
Nick Evans - Trombone
Jon Anderson - Vocals (Lizard track)
Peter Sinfield - Lyrics, VCS3
Gini Barris - Cover Artwork

PROLOGUE

After In the Court of the Crimson King and the roughly congruous In the Wake of Poseidon, King Crimson couldn't stay in one place for too long, whether because of the fact that they're a constantly evolving band, or because of drastic lineup changes... the Giles brothers departed along with Greg Lake who went on to form Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Gordon Haskell (from Cadence and Cascade) came in on vocals/bass and Andy McCulloch assumed the drumming role. Furthermore, Fripp broadened the band's range by adding three musicians to play oboe, cor anglais, cornet and trombone. Lizard is a different creature altogether in comparison to King Crimson's first two albums - it builds on them by adding many jazz influences (particularly free jazz). Lizard is the first true reinvention of their sound... jazzier, denser and more complex than their previous works.

TRACK-BY-TRACK

01 - Cirkus:
Cirkus is yet another strong King Crimson opener - it certainly exudes as much energy and chaos as their previous ones. A delicate spidery piano intro begins the album and, coupled with vocals, cascades and peaks until the opposingly ominous brusque brass enters. Fripp's acoustic guitar soon arrives over the top and it weaves in and out of the foreground throughout the whole song. Even as the verse progresses, the acoustic becomes more and more fractured and culminates in a choppy arpeggiated solo. Later on there is a splendidly jazzy alto sax solo backed by a signature King Crimson anguished mellotron melody. After the last verse, the songs starts to grow a little more wild and at 4:51 it's as if the piano, brass and acoustic are all vying for attention. The outro is rather intense with a climactic ascending tritone melody painted over by saxophone.

02 - Indoor Games:
With its highlight goofy sounding sax riff and groovy off-kilter beat propelled by drumming which Bruford would be proud of, Indoor Games is the fun song of the album... lyrically I understand it to be Sinfield taking a vitriolic stab at wealthy people who are utterly bored in life. Indoor Games is certainly less intensely focused than any the rest of the album. And as if to attest to this, upon reaching the fourth verse, everything goes spacey and it becomes a bit of a free jazz jam session. Fripp's riffs are funky in a strange edgy kind of way, and his leads are very fusionesque. The song returns to its main theme and finishes with a charmingly raucous laugh from Haskell.

03 - Happy Family:
Happy Family, which is a story about the Beatles, has just about everything in it. If King Crimson have ever done a truly avant-garde track in the spirit of free jazz, this is it. Haskell's vocals are beyond distorted and Tippett again exhibits more of the Cat Food piano style, a mixture of inaccessible insane syncopated choppy sections with a dash of blues swagger. While we have some vigorous flute attacks, Fripp's guitar in the background, some brass and even some synths, this track is predominantly Cat Food Part II with piano at the forefront.

04 - Lady of the Dancing Water:
Lady of the Dancing Water acts as the mandatory chaser following the madness, which we've come to expect from King Crimson... it is a placid pretty love song featuring Mel Collins' flutework, an acoustic rhythm and even trombone in the middle. It is slightly disappointing because it isn't as strong as I Talk to the Wind, the Dream (first section of Moonchild) or Cadence and Cascade, and is a comparatively unadventurous song when wedged in an album full of experimentation. But it is undoubtedly valuable as a refreshingly pleasant change of pace for 2 minutes.

05 - Lizard:
Here we are presented with King Crimson's majestic sprawling 23 minute track, Lizard - this is the first suite they ever wrote. It is divided into 4 parts with the 3rd divided into 3 subparts, and tells the story of Prince Rupert in battle.

Prince Rupert Awakes: The introduction to the suite features Jon Anderson - despite liking Yes, I don't particularly like the vocal style he employs with them, but on Lizard, he tones it down and sings beautifully and passionately. This section switches between sincere solemn verses and folky optimistic sounding verses with handclaps and Frippisms floating over the top. All in all, this is a pretty epic way to begin the suite.

Bolero: The Peacock's Tale: The previous section segues into Bolero which is bookmarked by oboe sections. The second section maintains the mood with some engaging lush melodies played over the top of bolero drumming until some funky piano encroaches and the song moves into a swinging jazz territory somewhat reminiscent of Charles Mingus.

The Battle of Glass Tears: The 2 minute Dawn Song is the first subsection of the Battle of Glass Tears, and it is suitably led by an ominous but enticing cor anglais section. Haskell describes in words the breaking of dawn and the moment just before battle ensues, as the soldiers are forming their lines.

Last Skirmish begins with McCulloch's articulate drumming, a rather deranged sounding bassline and mellotron echoing the cor anglais melody which is by now sounding anguished rather than hypnotic. Brass and flute enter the fray, then everything grows more and more wild in the chaos and confusion of the battle, most markedly the raucous saxophone. Things slow down for a bit (not sure what this is meant to represent) and then rage with twice the intensity until we reach an abrupt stop signalled by a bum note, at which point Rupert is struck down.

Prince Rupert's Lament begins with a plodding funereal bassline overlayed by nothing but Robert Fripp's downright dolorous eerie electric mourning... it reeks of wretched pain and bleak misery.

Big Top:
Big Top is the peculiar circus-like outro to the album. It seems almost a parody when preceded by Prince Rupert's Lament.

EPILOGUE

Lizard was a risky departure and progression from Crimson's first two albums, and I consider it a complete success and a masterpiece. King Crimson prove here that they can reinvent themselves, and not only survive but innovate in the prog world. Lizard maintains a dark edgy experimental vibe throughout and the only weak point is Lady of the Dancing Water. I feel Tippett truly shines on this album, the brass/woodwind instruments add a lot and McCulloch did a pretty nice job on drums. While I think Haskell's vocals are a bit substandard next to Greg Lake, his basswork is decent and unfairly criticised. Lizard is quite overlooked in general, and misunderstood by many King Crimson fans. Even Robert Fripp himself ignores its existence.

9/10

boo boo · 07-27-2008, 11:12 AM

Great review, and a great album. Probably the only Crimson album where I like all the tracks equally, and it's one that certainly needs to be played all the way through, one of the best flowing Crimson albums.

Ghostrider · 07-27-2008, 01:07 PM

Excellent job on this album Seltzer, I really like Lizard, it's one of the most complete albums KC did as Boo Boo already pointed out. My favorite track is Lizard but it's all good.

ddp · 07-28-2008, 06:44 AM

I don't know this one but I am a huge Crimson fan. I'll have to check it out.

Seltzer · 07-29-2008, 05:48 PM

Thanks guys... it'll probably be a wee while before I can get started with reviewing Islands though.

ProggyMan · 07-29-2008, 10:32 PM

Since I can't wait for your Lark Tongues review what are your thoughts on Book Of Saturday?

Seltzer · 08-15-2008, 01:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProggyMan

Since I can't wait for your Lark Tongues review what are your thoughts on Book Of Saturday?

I think it's a beautiful little ballad and the main melody is really nice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by imdesigner

hmmm very interesting....

I've only heard 21st Century Schizoid Man, and I loved that song when I first heard it. I'll definitely have to check out the rest of their catalog.

Definitely - start with their debut.

imdesigner · 07-29-2008, 08:30 PM

hmmm very interesting....

I've only heard 21st Century Schizoid Man, and I loved that song when I first heard it. I'll definitely have to check out the rest of their catalog.

04-04-2008, 08:31 PM	#1 (permalink)
Dr_Rez Registered Jimmy Rustler Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: USA Posts: 5,370	I do love there album covers. Especially the vinyls. __________________ Best chance of losing virginity is in prison crew Always Checks Credentials Crew nba > nfl crew Shave one of my legs to pretend its a girl in my bed crew

07-26-2008, 10:27 PM	#3 (permalink)
Seltzer Fish in the percolator! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Hobbit Land NZ Posts: 2,870	LIZARD (1970) Robert Fripp - Guitar, Mellotron, Electric Keyboards, Devices Gordon Haskell - Bass, Vocals Andy McCulloch - Drums Mel Collins - Flute, Saxophone Keith Tippett - Piano, Electric Piano Robin Miller - Oboe, Cor Anglais Mark Charig - Cornet Nick Evans - Trombone Jon Anderson - Vocals (Lizard track) Peter Sinfield - Lyrics, VCS3 Gini Barris - Cover Artwork PROLOGUE After In the Court of the Crimson King and the roughly congruous In the Wake of Poseidon, King Crimson couldn't stay in one place for too long, whether because of the fact that they're a constantly evolving band, or because of drastic lineup changes... the Giles brothers departed along with Greg Lake who went on to form Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Gordon Haskell (from Cadence and Cascade) came in on vocals/bass and Andy McCulloch assumed the drumming role. Furthermore, Fripp broadened the band's range by adding three musicians to play oboe, cor anglais, cornet and trombone. Lizard is a different creature altogether in comparison to King Crimson's first two albums - it builds on them by adding many jazz influences (particularly free jazz). Lizard is the first true reinvention of their sound... jazzier, denser and more complex than their previous works. TRACK-BY-TRACK 01 - Cirkus: Cirkus is yet another strong King Crimson opener - it certainly exudes as much energy and chaos as their previous ones. A delicate spidery piano intro begins the album and, coupled with vocals, cascades and peaks until the opposingly ominous brusque brass enters. Fripp's acoustic guitar soon arrives over the top and it weaves in and out of the foreground throughout the whole song. Even as the verse progresses, the acoustic becomes more and more fractured and culminates in a choppy arpeggiated solo. Later on there is a splendidly jazzy alto sax solo backed by a signature King Crimson anguished mellotron melody. After the last verse, the songs starts to grow a little more wild and at 4:51 it's as if the piano, brass and acoustic are all vying for attention. The outro is rather intense with a climactic ascending tritone melody painted over by saxophone. 02 - Indoor Games: With its highlight goofy sounding sax riff and groovy off-kilter beat propelled by drumming which Bruford would be proud of, Indoor Games is the fun song of the album... lyrically I understand it to be Sinfield taking a vitriolic stab at wealthy people who are utterly bored in life. Indoor Games is certainly less intensely focused than any the rest of the album. And as if to attest to this, upon reaching the fourth verse, everything goes spacey and it becomes a bit of a free jazz jam session. Fripp's riffs are funky in a strange edgy kind of way, and his leads are very fusionesque. The song returns to its main theme and finishes with a charmingly raucous laugh from Haskell. 03 - Happy Family: Happy Family, which is a story about the Beatles, has just about everything in it. If King Crimson have ever done a truly avant-garde track in the spirit of free jazz, this is it. Haskell's vocals are beyond distorted and Tippett again exhibits more of the Cat Food piano style, a mixture of inaccessible insane syncopated choppy sections with a dash of blues swagger. While we have some vigorous flute attacks, Fripp's guitar in the background, some brass and even some synths, this track is predominantly Cat Food Part II with piano at the forefront. 04 - Lady of the Dancing Water: Lady of the Dancing Water acts as the mandatory chaser following the madness, which we've come to expect from King Crimson... it is a placid pretty love song featuring Mel Collins' flutework, an acoustic rhythm and even trombone in the middle. It is slightly disappointing because it isn't as strong as I Talk to the Wind, the Dream (first section of Moonchild) or Cadence and Cascade, and is a comparatively unadventurous song when wedged in an album full of experimentation. But it is undoubtedly valuable as a refreshingly pleasant change of pace for 2 minutes. 05 - Lizard: Here we are presented with King Crimson's majestic sprawling 23 minute track, Lizard - this is the first suite they ever wrote. It is divided into 4 parts with the 3rd divided into 3 subparts, and tells the story of Prince Rupert in battle. Prince Rupert Awakes: The introduction to the suite features Jon Anderson - despite liking Yes, I don't particularly like the vocal style he employs with them, but on Lizard, he tones it down and sings beautifully and passionately. This section switches between sincere solemn verses and folky optimistic sounding verses with handclaps and Frippisms floating over the top. All in all, this is a pretty epic way to begin the suite. Bolero: The Peacock's Tale: The previous section segues into Bolero which is bookmarked by oboe sections. The second section maintains the mood with some engaging lush melodies played over the top of bolero drumming until some funky piano encroaches and the song moves into a swinging jazz territory somewhat reminiscent of Charles Mingus. The Battle of Glass Tears: The 2 minute Dawn Song is the first subsection of the Battle of Glass Tears, and it is suitably led by an ominous but enticing cor anglais section. Haskell describes in words the breaking of dawn and the moment just before battle ensues, as the soldiers are forming their lines. Last Skirmish begins with McCulloch's articulate drumming, a rather deranged sounding bassline and mellotron echoing the cor anglais melody which is by now sounding anguished rather than hypnotic. Brass and flute enter the fray, then everything grows more and more wild in the chaos and confusion of the battle, most markedly the raucous saxophone. Things slow down for a bit (not sure what this is meant to represent) and then rage with twice the intensity until we reach an abrupt stop signalled by a bum note, at which point Rupert is struck down. Prince Rupert's Lament begins with a plodding funereal bassline overlayed by nothing but Robert Fripp's downright dolorous eerie electric mourning... it reeks of wretched pain and bleak misery. Big Top: Big Top is the peculiar circus-like outro to the album. It seems almost a parody when preceded by Prince Rupert's Lament. EPILOGUE Lizard was a risky departure and progression from Crimson's first two albums, and I consider it a complete success and a masterpiece. King Crimson prove here that they can reinvent themselves, and not only survive but innovate in the prog world. Lizard maintains a dark edgy experimental vibe throughout and the only weak point is Lady of the Dancing Water. I feel Tippett truly shines on this album, the brass/woodwind instruments add a lot and McCulloch did a pretty nice job on drums. While I think Haskell's vocals are a bit substandard next to Greg Lake, his basswork is decent and unfairly criticised. Lizard is quite overlooked in general, and misunderstood by many King Crimson fans. Even Robert Fripp himself ignores its existence. 9/10 __________________ In the Court of King Crimson \| Last.fm \| RYM

07-28-2008, 06:44 AM	#6 (permalink)
ddp Music Addict Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Toronto Posts: 223	I don't know this one but I am a huge Crimson fan. I'll have to check it out. __________________ Deep Down Productions Blog: Mikeblog Rainbow Songs Foundation

07-29-2008, 05:48 PM	#7 (permalink)
Seltzer Fish in the percolator! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Hobbit Land NZ Posts: 2,870	Thanks guys... it'll probably be a wee while before I can get started with reviewing Islands though. __________________ In the Court of King Crimson \| Last.fm \| RYM

04-23-2008, 07:57 PM	#2 (permalink)
Athos310 Groupie Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 12	Fallen angel, hands down, best track. Athos310 (sorry for the previous links)

07-27-2008, 01:07 PM	#5 (permalink)
Ghostrider Music Addict Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 131	Excellent job on this album Seltzer, I really like Lizard, it's one of the most complete albums KC did as Boo Boo already pointed out. My favorite track is Lizard but it's all good.

07-29-2008, 10:32 PM	#8 (permalink)
ProggyMan Reformed Jackass Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 3,964	Since I can't wait for your Lark Tongues review what are your thoughts on Book Of Saturday?

07-29-2008, 08:30 PM	#10 (permalink)
imdesigner Music Addict Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Guelph, Canada Posts: 84	hmmm very interesting.... I've only heard 21st Century Schizoid Man, and I loved that song when I first heard it. I'll definitely have to check out the rest of their catalog.