In the Court of the Crimson King |
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Released: October 10, 1969 Peak: 28 US, 5 UK, 27 CN, 7 AU Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, 0.1 UK, 0.93 world (includes US and UK) Genre: progressive rock |
Tracks:Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts.
Total Running Time: 43:54 The Players:
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Rating: 4.204 out of 5.00 (average of 36 ratings)
Quotable:“If progressive rock as a discrete genre can be said to have a starting point, In the Court of the Crimson King is probably it.” – Paul Stump, History of Progressive RockAwards:(Click on award to learn more).
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A Pinnacle of ProgKing Crimson’s debut album has been called “the first true progressive rock album.” WK “Although the Moody Blues, Procol Harum, and Jethro Tull predated King Crimson in the use of classical instruments in a rock setting, King Crimson…went beyond the use of classical instruments to generate rock with sophisticated classical ideas.” CSIn his History of Progressive Rock, Paul Stump says “if progressive rock as a discrete genre can be said to have a starting point, In the Court of the Crimson King is probably it.” WK Musicologist Edward Macan says it “may be the most influential progressive rock album ever released.” WK PopMatters’ Sean Murphy calls it “The Rosetta Stone, and still the purest and most perfect expression of the progressive rock aesthetic.” WK Classic Rock’s Alexander Milas called it the album which “blew the doors of musical convention and cemented these quintessentially British innovators’ place in rock history for all time.” WK The album had “a significant influence on the heavy metal and progressive rock to come.” CS The Who’s Pete Townshed called the album “an uncanny masterpiece.” WK On the Dave’s Music Database list of top progressive rock albums, it ranks #2, only behind Yes’ Close to the Edge. In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked it as the #2 progressive rock album behind Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. Criticism of Prog RockIn 1969, Rolling Stone’s John Mothland foreshadowed “the criticism that would haunt the entire genre of progressive rock through the 1970s” CSM when he wrote that “King Crimons will probably be condemned by some for pompousness…but that criticism isn’t really valid. They have combined aspects of many musical forms to create a surreal work of force and originality.” CSWhile the genre certainly has detractors, “that doesn't mean the album itself isn't still a cool, innovative piece of work.” PK The album “effectively decimates the argument that progressive rock of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s was little more than the babbling technical feats of overamped nerds.” TM It offers “greatly nuanced music in a genre where nuance is often in short supply.” TM The MusicThis is “a stunning debut that functioned as a cohesive unit rather than a mere collection of songs.” CS The music is “stylistically diverse and rhythmically complex.” WK “The band’s adventurous spirit would not only bring a new attention to the incorporation of jazz and classical elements in rock, but would challenge rock’s basic structure as a blues-based art form.” CSPopMatters’ Sean Murphy said it is “ahead of its time as well as…out of time.” WK “King Crimson projected a darker and edgier brand of post-psychedelic rock. Likewise, they were inherently intelligent – a sort of thinking man’s Pink Floyd.” AM “A must-own for fans of Pink Floyd, Yes (who were never this good), and early Genesis.” PK The Players> Over the years, players came and went in King Crimson but “left-field guitar hero Robert Fripp” RD remained a constant. He “immediately join[ed] the ranks of pop music’s genius innovators.” RS His “guitar work fuses “elegant classical, Hendrix-like rock explosions, and jazz noodling.” WK He “orchestrated lush compositions that advanced a moody, postpsychedelic agenda.” CSThe band’s debut, though, is “more of a team effort.” PK It was the only one to feature this lineup, but it “remains their best known work.” RD It features “classically-influenced ensemble playing and nice vocals by Greg Lake,” PK who would go on to be a founder of another hugely-celebrated progressive-rock group, Emerson, Lake, & Palmer. Multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald played “a wide variety of instrumental not traditionally found in a rock band (including mellotron, vibes, woodwinds, reeds, and keyboards.” CS His “mellotron is said to be the ‘dominant’ instrument on the album.” WK Like Lake, McDonald would also be the founder of another iconic rock band – Foreigner. The ArtworkBarry Gobder, who was a computer programmer friend of Sinfield’s, painted the memorable design for the album cover, using his own face as the model. He was only 24 years old when he died from a heart attack in February 1970, shortly after the album’s release. It was his only painting. Robert Fripp owns the original. WKThe SongsHere are thoughts on the individual songs from the album.“21st Century Schizoid Man” “The rest of the disc is artier, with emphasis on acoustic guitars, keyboards, and the occasional woodwind instrument.” PK “I Talk to the Wind” “Epitaph” “Moonchild” “The Court of the Crimson King”
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First posted 5/17/2011; last updated 6/17/2025. |
