spartak

Well, congratulations on the review, it’s really excellent and thorough. I’d like to add one thing: for me personally, "Lizard" is one of the worst from Crimson, maybe just better than "In the Wake..." staying within the 60s/70s. Yet compared to many albums of the "prog" genre, it is distinctly more original, more intense, interesting. I think any Crimson album is superior to the "minor" groups (for me) like Genesis, Gentle Giant, Yes, ELP, etc... excluding a few bands closer to Canterbury (Soft Machine, Hatfield & the North,...), any Crimson album stands out above the rest of the "Prog" mess of the time, not to mention the post-74 era (or post "Red") where very little survives, perhaps just Hatfield (of Rotters Club).
Finally, I would add that from one side this album is great because Fripp was looking for talented musicians, who at the time in England were only found in Soft Machine, such as Mark Charig, Nick Evans, Robin Miller, and Keith Tippett. The idea is brilliant, but the result is unfortunately a bit chaotic; perhaps the depth of the songs is slightly lower than "Islands" and others, but it remains a great attempt. Moreover, one must consider that Fripp at that time was about 25 years old, dealing month by month with people leaving (to make money with ELP, for instance) and others coming in; it was certainly quite a chaos…

Ah, the vote, peasants!

I wanted to give a good rating to this album, but after reading the "nn" and "xkè" from Kupe Vampe I changed my mind... just speak like you eat, and listen to Bauhaus instead!

Speaking of Pat Mastelotto making Dante Cruciani laugh... did you know he was the drummer for Mr. Mister, the ones who did Broken Wings? I laughed for three days when I found that out... Anyway, the album is nice, not at the level of the magnificent Red and Island, or even Discipline, but if Oasis had made it, what would we all have said? The problem with King Crimson is that they were just too good, and now everything is judged by a standard we don't apply to other bands.

For me, it’s the most beautiful album by King Crimson; Red is stunning too, but after 15 years of listening to them, Island remains the only and unapproachable one! Can you believe this album came out when the Eagles were already around... can you believe it reached fourth place in the Italian charts? It feels like I’ve downed a bottle of Laphroaig… it was a different Italy, with Led Zeppelin at the top of the charts and the King Crimson in fourth place with Island, incredible!
Perhaps the only slight dip in quality is Ladies of the Road, which isn’t bad in itself but doesn’t quite fit with the rest of the album. It’s funny to think that when I bought it, I sold it shortly after because I hated it. Now I almost exclusively listen to this, among the thousand albums I have. It’s the only one where every time I listen to it, I find something new. One time I love Sailor's Tale, another time The Letters, another time Formentera Lady, and at the beginning Ladies of the Road...
I’d like to add a detail: when I first bought it in Italian vinyl, the sound was flat, then I sold it, only to buy it again in the original French pressing because I was missing just that, and I went crazy... as you can clearly see. I recommend a nice CD edition or a good vinyl pressing because the sound of this masterpiece is essential!

I forgot the grades...

I've seen them at least ten times too... they were really good, especially in the early days. The album is very nice as well, just like the first one. Thank you for commenting on it, killrockstar.

Thank you, Antonio, I hadn't heard about it, and since their live albums are rare, I will somehow get my hands on it...

Great album, even though it alternates (as always with Van Morrison) between amazing moments and a few lackluster ones, it's definitely an album worth listening to.