King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King

This is where things start to get really weird. To be honest though, you could have guessed that just from the cover of In the Court of the Crimson King, with its screaming, terror-filled face, which certainly provides a suitably striking introduction to this prog-rock masterpiece.

But King Crimson are undoubtedly a very serious band. Even on this, their 1969 debut, the incredible musical complexity which has defined their simultaneously doom-laden and mysteriously ethereal sound is evident. But more importantly, In the Court of the Crimson King led the way for a mini musical revolution. At a time when much of rock music was based around the blues, guitarist Robert Fripp, for whom the band is essentially a vehicle for his own musical exploration, stripped away this foundation and rebuilt a sound with avant-garde jazz and classical music as its influences.

The tone is immediately set by anthemic opener “21st Century Schizoid Man” an apocalyptic mix of piercing saxophone, Greg Lake’s crunchingly distorted vocals, and lightning-quick drums. This was the late 60s after all though, and inevitably politics rears its ugly head with the lyrics “Politician's funeral pyre/innocents raped with napalm fire...” which would sound hyperbolic were it not for the incredible intensity and depth of sound achieved by the band.

However the flute managed to somehow work its way into popular music (think Jethro Tull, Focus etc.) “I Talk to the Wind” is a fantastic example of its merits in prog-rock. Ian McDonald’s lazy woodwind meanders through a comparatively serene six minutes (still easily the shortest song on the album) conjuring up the kind of folky and historical scenes which have always baffled foreigners trying to get their heads around this peculiarly British musical phenomenon.

But never fear, there’s a swift return to the weird and wonderful with “Epitaph” which builds to a scintillating crescendo as the lyrics plaintively proclaim “confusion will be my epitaph/but i fear tomorrow i’ll be crying...” in a tense and sombre finale. But it is the title track which surely defines the album, bringing together all the eclectic musical and cultural influences, with medieval lyrics, drums rumbling in the background, and an unmistakable choral chant, to create a song that sounds as other-worldly as it is atmospheric.

As an album, In the Court of the Crimson King pushes the boundaries compositionally and technically (Michael Giles providing some of the most intricate drums patterns you’re ever likely to hear) and as well as heralding the start of the prog-rock boom, showcases alternative musicianship at its very best.