King Crimson
Lizard

And so they reached their third album. The lineup of King Crimson is young, but has already undergone significant changes. Officially formed at the beginning of '69, by the summer of '70 they had already managed to write a bit of rock music history, releasing "In the Court of the Crimson King" (October '69), their timeless masterpiece, and "In the Wake of Poseidon" (May '70), the twin that necessarily stands half a step below.

Tripp and Sinfield find themselves as the only two original members and put together a new formation to record what will be their most atypical album: Lizard.

The lineup now includes Gordon Haskell, bassist and singer, drummer Andy McCulloch from Manfred Mann's Earth Band and previously part of the Dorset (where Fripp had already served), and Mel Collins on flute and sax, a session man who had already collaborated on In the Wake of Poseidon and who in the future will appear on dozens of important albums.

With this formation, they start recording the most jazz, most disarming, and most distant work from the rest of the Crimson discography. Not loved by everyone but a fantastic gem that one needs to uncover with a bit of effort since it generally doesn't appear in the top lists.

Four tracks on the first side and a long suite on the second, divided into four parts; but let's go in order.

Meanwhile, the fantastic cover by Gini Barris with our name reproduced in a medieval style incorporating images that refer to the five tracks of the album: the images of the word King refer to the suite on side B, while those of the word Crimson to the first four tracks on side A (...well, this album was released on vinyl, hence we respect this obsolete distinction). The inside of the foldable cover shows the lyrics on a marbled background with a vaguely ancient flavor. But this is a review of a music album, so let there be music!

The record begins with Cirkus, a delicate track that talks about the circus in a dreamy manner and whose melody accompanied now by the electric piano, now by the acoustic guitar initially struggles to stay in mind but then implants itself in the brain forever. Haskell's singing is always measured; the sax solo is very beautiful, and the mellotron accompaniment by Fripp. The track closes with a dissonant crescendo. Not a bad start.

Indoor games, a satirical examination of the bourgeois class told with an exaggerated and sarcastic style.

The beginning is a sax melody line that seems to be played with the sheet music turned upside down; even this, after repeated listens, is incredibly magnetic. The piece continues at a good level, but the repeated sax melody line supports it excellently. The voice, as in the next track, is heavily filtered, almost as if it should sound like an instrument equal to the others.

Happy Family, more sarcasm from the title, talks about the recent breakup of the Beatles, who were no longer either happy or a family.

Also, this track is very pleasant; the timbres, as in the entire album, take the lead. The sound mix of the various instruments is a cut above the average rock music. The influence of jazz is evident, but we are a thousand years away from fusion.

The side closes with Lady of the Dancing Water, a piece whose sounds remind of "I Talk to the Wind", with the gentle accompaniment of guitar and flute.

The second side is entirely occupied by the suite Lizard, the longest track by King Crimson and the only real suite of the group.

The lyrics revolve around the imaginary figure of Prince Rupert who leads the "Battle of the Glass Tears"

The first part, Prince Rupert Awakes, is sung by a special guest, Jon Anderson, courtesy of Yes. Sung very softly and once again with precious arrangements where all the instrumentalists participate with measure and taste.

The first part then fades into the second, accompanied by a snare drum in bolero time. The second part, Bolero: the Peacock's Tale, is entirely instrumental with the winds at the forefront. Here, we are no longer influenced by jazz; this is jazz of great quality and with something original that makes it twisted and unpredictable.

We then come to the heart of the suite, The Battle of Glass Tears. Here, the nearly imperceptible singing of Haskell returns. Bass line in the foreground, mellotron, and drums alternate with sax and flute. The demeanor is decisive, with some free accents: this is not a delicate track, moreover, we are still within a battle.

We are at the end with Big Top; Fripp remembers he is also an electric guitarist and starts with his typical sounds, which he will have the opportunity to expand and explore in his subsequent productions. The work turns towards the end, but before that, there's still time for a circus motif supported by the snare and with an unconventional melody.

We are really at the end; it's been 43 minutes since we placed the record on the player 10 minutes ago.

A fantastic album that may not appeal to everyone, whose tracks won’t be used for advertisements, and that you won't hum in the shower, but if you are patient, it will give you much more than you could have ever imagined.

However things are, don’t look for something similar in the rest of the Crimson's discography, simply because it doesn't exist; perhaps these weren't even King Crimson.

madcap