King Crimson

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One of my all-time favorite bands--I always hesitate to say most favorite, but OK it is.

Robert Fripp, Greg Lake, Mike Giles, Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield started the band in 1969. Their 1st album, In The Court of the Crimson King, was and is considered groundbreaking. They have been through numerous personnel changes. Currently KC is on hiatus. The last lineup was Fripp and Adrian Belew on guitars and devices, Trey Gunn on bass and Warr Guitar (8-string guitar) and Pat Mastelotto on drums.

My personal faves (albums and songs)
Albums:
In The Court of the Crimson King
In The Wake of Posedion
Lizard
Islands
Starless and Bible Black
Larks' Tongues in Aspic
Red
Discipline
Beat
Three of A Perfect Pair
Thrak
The Power to Believe

Songs:
"21st Century Schizoid Man"
"In The Court of the Crimson King"
"In The Wake of Posedion"
"Cirkus"
"Islands"
"Fracture"
"The Night Watch"
"Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Pt. II"
"Easy Money"
"Red"
"Starless"
"Elephant Talk"
"Indiscipline"
"Thela Hun Ginjeet"
"The Sheltering Sky"
"Sleepless"
"Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Pt. III"
"Vrooom"
"Thrak"
"Dangerous Curves"
"The Power to Believe (Pts. 1-4")
"Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With"

Since none of you Looky-Lous have seen fit to post a reply, I'm just going to blather on a subject I have difficulty with: explaining my love of all things Crim.

The thing I love most about King Crimson is that it is always changing. They started out playing what was called progressive rock and then, when that form of music hit a temporary dead end, called it quits and went into hibernation.

When Crimson reemerged in 1981, their music reflected the influences of other prog-rock bands but also reminded me of Talking Heads, Brian Eno, Jimi Hendrix (esp. Adrian Belew's guitar playing.) I saw them for the first time that year and was absolutely blown away by the sheer power of their music and their virtuosity. Tony Levin is one of the best bass players period and one of the nicest people I've ever met. Bill Bruford: a jazz drummer who can play rock and jazz. Adrian Belew: one of the nicest guys on planet Earth who can make a guitar sound like almost anything. Robert Fripp: the center around which Crimson operates. A master guitarist who can play any kind of music with discipline and passion.

From 1981-1985, they made some of the most challenging music you'll ever hear. Not just in 4/4, but in 17/4, 21/8, and other even more difficult meters. But always enjoyable and never static.

Then, another hiatus for KC, re-re-emerging in 1994 as a sextet: two drummers (Bill Bruford and Pat Mastellotto), two bassists (Tony Levin, Trey Gunn), two guitarists (Ardian Belew, Robert Fripp). The drummers played acoustically and electronically. The bassists had 4, 5, 8 and 10 strings on their respective instruments. And Fripp and Belew soared above that foundation with near-unearthly sounds. (See, I told you it wasn't easy to describe.)

The latest and perhaps last statement of KC is The Power to Believe, released in 2004. If this is the capstone of Crimson's musicography, it is a fitting one: powerful and gentle, firm and yielding. Stripped back down to the quartet of Fripp, Belew, Gunn and Mastellotto, this is a group that is willing to take dangerous curves, is happy with what it has to be happy with, and believes in the power to believe. So I close with this quote from Mr. Belew:

"She carries me
Through days of apathy.
She watches over me.

She saved my life
In a manner of speaking
When she gave me back
The Power To Believe."

Further, deponent sayeth not.

i can listen to The power to Believe forever.. specially the song Level Five

The cracked brass bells will ring;
To summon back the fire witch
To the court of the crimson king . . .


I love "In the Court of the Crimson King" and was fixated on the album it for several years, myself. I even replaced my cassette tapes with a CD of it when the medium changed.

A member on here sent me a few albums by them and I liked them a lot. My favourite songs by them are Red, The Court of the Crimson King, 21st Century Schizoid Man, One More Red Nightmare, and Larks Tongues In Aspic Part 1.

I think I've only ever heard In the Court of the Crimson King and The Power to Believe. I need to go back and listen to them now. I liked the former, but the latter I think was was a mixed bag (although -absolutely- it had its moments).

I can't place "The Power to Believe" I don't know if I have ever heard it and knew if that was the songs name.

I've heard a couple of their songs, but haven't really got into them. They haven't really piqued my interest the way Yes, Jethro Tull, Genesis, Goblin, etc. have...

Tim (aka the Slipperman)

I can completely lose myself in King Crimson, to an almost scary extent. It is complex and beautiful, and it draws pictures in my head.

I had the first album. I know a fella who's really into them, but I find them a bit esoteric. Course the guy I know is into all sorts of Ozric Tentacles, Spocks' Beard, and stuff like that.

I really like music of the 60s/70s. King Crimson are fabulous. The first album is beautiful, so gentle, so dreamy. Later albums are also good!

Moonchild
I Talk To The Wind
Cadence And Cascade

... are one of my favorite Songs!!

Last year I did a painting that I called "in the Hall of the Crimson king" , haven't heard the music since the 70's but it keeps going through my head. Also recently was having "Aqualung" running through my brain and for the life of me couldn't remember who it was by.....a senior Aspie moment.... thanks to this thread I've retrieved Jethro Tull.


Does anyone remember "Tangerine Dream" think there were a 70's German group?

hmm...did a Slipperman pic just last night, tho...