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How fucking good are King Crimson?

Retro

Member
Never listened to them but I was like "Yo this Fripp & Eno record is dope, this Fripp guy rips on guitar" and then I learned he's in King Crimson, right?

Fripp also played on David Bowie's "Heroes" and "Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)" albums (the former of which, along with Low and Lodger were a collaboration with Brian Eno). That's actually how I was introduced to King Crimson, a friend of mine knew I was into Bowie and we got into a perpetual cycle of "If you like that, listen to this" that eventually ended way out in the weeds, listening to stuff like Magma.

If you're a fan, you might also want to track down an album he did with Japan's David Sylvian, Damage. Here's two of my favorite tracks; Brightness Falls and Blinding Light of Heaven

And since we're on the subject, Fripp does one of my favorite guitar solos on an Eno Track, a real face-melter from "Here come the Warm Jets" called "Baby's on Fire" (starts around 1:30).
 

Permanently A

Junior Member
Relevant post:
I haven't heard much of their music, but Epitaph is truly an amazing track.

JoJo post: But how does it work?

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Altazor

Member
if you like 80's King Crimson, you should check out Talking Heads' I Zimbra. That song features Fripp and is pretty much a taste of things to come from the Crims during that decade.
 

andymcc

Banned
At least Fripp has no say on shit where he is a contributor and we still get our Bowie and Eno Fripp stuff on streaming services.
 
MI0000378174.jpg


SO GUD.

All crimson is good, though im not the biggest fan of belew era i still appreciate it. Saw KC last year, FUCKING AMAZING! three drummers who were front stage while the rest of the band was in the back. Porcupine tree drummer was a machine
 

Retro

Member
so much love for Epitaph

so little love for I Talk to the Wind

Nothing wrong with it, just nobody has gotten to it yet. Eventually somebody's gonna link every track from In the Court.... (Edit: For example, look up: there's Moonchild)

There's actually a really cool "Duo Version" take of it on the 40th Anniversary re-release of In The Court... it's not the instrumental version that's been around forever, it's just the acoustic guitar and flute parts alone.
 

phanphare

Banned
Nothing wrong with it, just nobody has gotten to it yet. Eventually somebody's gonna link every track from In the Court.... (Edit: For example, look up: there's Moonchild)

There's actually a really cool "Duo Version" take of it on the 40th Anniversary re-release of In The Court... it's not the instrumental version that's been around forever, it's just the acoustic guitar and flute parts alone.

careful with the in the court links. pretty sure all the youtube videos that haven't been taken down are either at a slightly different speed or at a slightly different pitch to avoid being taken down.
 

*Splinter

Member
Love their first album, decided to slowly work through the rest in order. The next three albums (Poseidon, Lizards, Island) were... less great, but have their moments. Think the next one I need to listen to is Lark's Tongue so really looking forward to that.

First album is true great though, love every track on it despite many of them being quite different to each other.
 

Makai

Member
I hate Schizoid Man but love the titular song, Epitaph and I Talk to the Wind. Moonchild is good but ruined by a huge amount of improv in the middle.
 

nitewulf

Member
The issue with checking out any band in depth is also, there are just so many bands to check out, aside from the "hit singles". I recently discovered Big Star, recently started checking out CSNY album-wise, you know aside from "Just a song before I go", "Judy Blue Eyes" etc. There is Can, Supertramp, The Outlaws, the harder pre-metal stuff from the late 60's, the Zombies catalog...there are just way too many things to concentrate on one band. It is not possible.
 

Timeaisis

Member
Iconic band and I'd definitely pick them over Yes as the kings of prog. Just wish I could listen to their damn albums on Spotify.

Nah, man. Yes is still and will always be the best prog band.

Love their first album, decided to slowly work through the rest in order. The next three albums (Poseidon, Lizards, Island) were... less great, but have their moments. Think the next one I need to listen to is Lark's Tongue so really looking forward to that.

First album is true great though, love every track on it despite many of them being quite different to each other.
They are not a very consistent. Lark is good, Red is great, Discipline is good. The rest...are ok. Court is still the best. They went through a lot of personnel changes.
 

Fhtagn

Member
MI0000378174.jpg


SO GUD.

All crimson is good, though im not the biggest fan of belew era i still appreciate it. Saw KC last year, FUCKING AMAZING! three drummers who were front stage while the rest of the band was in the back. Porcupine tree drummer was a machine

Power To Believe is probably the best KC album since Discipline.
 

iamblades

Member
Love their first album, decided to slowly work through the rest in order. The next three albums (Poseidon, Lizards, Island) were... less great, but have their moments. Think the next one I need to listen to is Lark's Tongue so really looking forward to that.

First album is true great though, love every track on it despite many of them being quite different to each other.

Islands and Beat are probably the two low points in terms of albums(followed closely by three of a perfect pair, which is saved by it's awesome title track). Everything else on their discography I can 100% recommend. Even crazy shit like the double trio stuff is worthwhile just because of how unique it is.

Poseidon and Lizard are way out there and may not be to everyone's aesthetic taste, but it's hard to argue that they aren't well made. They represent the artistic peak of that particular tripped out jazz prog style IMO.
 

Altazor

Member
Islands and Beat are probably the two low points in terms of albums(followed closely by three of a perfect pair, which is saved by it's awesome title track). Everything else on their discography I can 100% recommend. Even crazy shit like the double trio stuff is worthwhile just because of how unique it is.

I like Beat. It doesn't measure up to Discipline and its production really harms it, but it has some damn fine stuff. Neal and Jack and Me, Waiting Man, Neurotica, The Howler and even Sartori in Tangier are all songs I really like (though in the case of Waiting Man and Neurotica, the live versions are incredibly superior). Requiem is... a special case, if I'm honest - sometimes I enjoy the foreboding improv, it feels like the soundtrack to the end of existence. And other times it feels like pointless noodling.
 

Retro

Member
careful with the in the court links. pretty sure all the youtube videos that haven't been taken down are either at a slightly different speed or at a slightly different pitch to avoid being taken down.

That's why I've been using the "DGM Live" links when I can, that's the official channel. The two non DGM ones, I've listened to my music to verify they sound right.
 

butzopower

proud of his butz
Love the rawness of 21st Century Schizoid Man as the opening, but I sort of lose the buzz halfway through In The Court of the Crimson King. Best Robert Fripp for me is still Golden Hours on Brian Eno's Another Green World.
 
Easy Money live on that french show or whatever on Youtube is fucking awesome.
Studio track is also fucking legit.



Fallen Angel is the unsung hero of Prog rock
 
Have you guys checked Spotify lately? They put a compilation album up a few weeks ago :p

That's a very good sign of them putting their albums up sooner or later.
 
The Wetton Era (Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Starless And Bible Black, Red) is absolutely nuts and one of the finest points in progressive rock.

I would kill to travel back in time to see that one tour they did with Tool.
 
King Crimson is great. I don't listen to much Prog Rock nowadays but KC is my go-to when I do. It's annoying that Fripp is apparently a crotchety old man about technology and their music is basically only available on CD. The Spotify playlist is something but it looks like mostly live versions? (at least the songs from the 70's that I wanted to hear)
 
Discipline, Beat and 3 of a Perfect Pair - 80s Crimson for me. I like some of the older John Wetton stuff too - fantastic singer- RIP :(
 

Creamium

shut uuuuuuuuuuuuuuup
My favorite prog rock band. I'll never forget listening to the debut in its entirety for the first time. It's weird: I'm really hard to sell on a band like Floyd, but KC does it for me every time.
 

NimbusD

Member
So good. It started me down a path in high school of listening to a bunch of weird prog rock that no one else listened to. Still informs my music choices today even if prog rock mostly isn't my thing anymore. But man, that was a weird time trying to still fit in w punk and Ska kids while also blasting king crimson whenever I got a chance.
 
I remember on lastfm they weren't even allowed to display their album art so yeah I'm not expecting them any Spotify anytime soon :(

I hear people talk about Court all the time

but I've never once hear anyone mention Red. Time to listen !

kurt cobains favorite !
 
The guy who played drums in both bands disagrees with you.

I loved Yes in my twenties, now that I'm older I feel that 70s KC and Gabriel-era Genesis towers over all of the other classic prog.

I always saw and see Yes as the best progressive band ever, but somehow I do feel that King Crimson, The Mahavishnu Orchestra and Return to Forever could be better ...
 

Timeaisis

Member
The guy who played drums in both bands disagrees with you.

I loved Yes in my twenties, now that I'm older I feel that 70s KC and Gabriel-era Genesis towers over all of the other classic prog.

I don't know why Bill Bruford is the be all end all here.

I will always think Yes is the better band, and they are incredible live. I don't know if I can say the same about KC.
 
I don't know why Bill Bruford is the be all end all here.

I will always think Yes is the better band, and they are incredible live. I don't know if I can say the same about KC.

I saw Yes twice (Big Generator and Union), I still prefer KC live. I do miss Bruford, hope he's having a happy retirement.
 
The guy who played drums in both bands disagrees with you.

I loved Yes in my twenties, now that I'm older I feel that 70s KC and Gabriel-era Genesis towers over all of the other classic prog.

I'd say Genesis as a whole (next to Rush at least) is the high point of classic prog, but Crimson's pretty damn close.
 
Only the first 4 albums had anything that could be considered 'hippie wankery'. Wetton Era crimson is heavy as shit, and Belew era is almost New wave pop.

Modern(post 90s) crimson has been highly technically experimental with double trios and three drummer lineups, but not much hippie anything.

As far as hippie wankery goes though, Lizard is one of my favorite albums of all time(though not my favorite Crimson, I'm in agreement with most of this thread that Wetton Crimson is best Crimson), and that is peak wankery.
I admit I haven't been through their entire discography, and knowing how much King Crimson likes to switch their sound I don't doubt they drop it later. But still I always have to skip Moonchild when I listen to In the Court...
This thread has inspired me to listen to them again so I'll check out some of their newer albums.
 
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