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Rating:
Do you know what it feels like to travel on a time machine and make a 1000-year time jump?
No??
Then all you need to do is position yourself towards the end of the opening track of this album, wait for it to finish, and for the next one to begin.
Let the piercing screams of the 21st Century Schizoid Man (with the phrase "nothing of what he possesses is truly necessary," which is quite relevant today) give way to the pastoral peace evoked by the flutes at the beginning of the second track (I Talk To The Wind).
This album is considered by many as the birth of the progressive movement (its themes were picked up by many progressive bands, starting with Genesis), but to define it only as a milestone is certainly reductive.
The Crimson King, for those who may not know, was none other than Frederick II of Swabia, the first modern man, the enemy of the church (it's no coincidence that it was the church itself that found him that affectionate nickname with a mephistophelean flavor).
The synergistic fusion between music and lyrics (by Pete Sinfield, by the way, take a look at the website www.songsouponsea.com) reaches sublime levels on this album.
The juxtaposition between a past of lost harmony and happiness (though not entirely true considering the experiments the "modern" man liked to conduct...), later adapted by Genesis in Time Table, and the dissolution and absence of values of our times is continuously evident both musically and lyrically.
An example?
Track: In the Court of the Crimson King
Temporal location: modern times (practically ours)
Musical imprint: driving rhythm, strong impact of syncopated brass, distorted and shouted voice of Greg Lake
Keywords: barbed wire, paranoia, poison
Track: Moonchild
Temporal location: around the year 1000
Musical imprint: sweet sounds of mellotron accompany the whispered singing of Greg Lake
Keywords: river, willow, night birds
Conclusions:
It cannot be denied that the album, while containing tracks of infinite serenity, or perhaps precisely because of the contrast between these and the more intense tracks, can, as a whole, evoke a sinister or "sick" impression...
An impression supported by the visual impact of its front cover, worthy of an illustrated version of Dante's Inferno (the author is Barry Gogger, an underground English artist who died very young at 26) and by listening to the final track that gives the title to the whole album, with its apocalyptic tones of judgment trumpets and puppet dances.
Finally, in case you want to listen to it, get the 30th anniversary edition. It is of extraordinary quality.
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 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."
By manliuzzo
"With this album, we want you to label us as progressive, because we have the aptitude, but know that we will stand out."
"That epic mellotron at the beginning is kind of a parody, and if you take it away, in a romantic key, you get the future style of the Crimson King, dry."
