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Rating:
If "SGT. PEPPER" had given a jolt, "In the Court" was the definitive shove to open the door of progressive, an almost seismic movement that defined boundaries that were still unknown or almost at that time. An absurd, grandiloquent, extraordinary album that could have been conceived yesterday and not in the distant 1969. The lyrics that speak of disappointment, apocalypse, theories that not even Nostradamus in his vision of the future could trace, leave us breathless. Better defining the schizoid man of the twenty-first century could not be done.
Musically speaking, the album is incredible, from the title track, through the already mentioned "Schizoid Man", from "Moonchild" to "Epitaph" until the unparalleled beauty of "I Talk to the Wind" where the interplay between Giles' drums and the sweet sound of the flute gently cradles us even though, as the lyrics say: I talk to the wind and my words are carried away, I talk to the wind but the wind does not hear, the wind "cannot hear."
To be listened to and listened to again endlessly.
Tracklist and Samples
05 The Court of the Crimson King (including The Return of the Fire Witch and The Dance of the Puppets) (09:22)
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Other reviews
By zaireeka
If you want to experience a 1000-year time jump, start this album and let it take you there.
The album can evoke a sinister or 'sick' impression, supported by its apocalyptic tones and striking cover art.
By joe strummer
"21st Century Schizoid Man" remains an epoch-making track, a sharp attack on modernity.
This album will remain in history as an excellent philosopher-musical work.
By paloz
Just the cover alone is terrifying, the face of the man screaming face to face with the future listener is shocking.
ESSENTIAL Album.
By tuisampa
It’s almost as if you can hear the scream of the schizoid man... the cover is worth the cost.
‘In the Court of the Crimson King’ will always remain a microcosm unto itself, a manifesto of Progressive.
By Miki Page
"King Crimson is a group that behaves like an organism. It works on three levels: the head, an intellectual expression; the heart, an emotional expression; and the hips, a physical expression."
"One of the most visible (or audible...) innovations is the use of the mellotron, a kind of proto-synthesizer that electronically reproduces sounds similar to strings and choirs."
