KING CRIMSON — In The Court Of The Crimson King (1969) Three Version (1987, Japan, EMI-Toshiba, 32VD-1063) + (1990, RM | Serie The Definitive Edition | Virgin Japan, VJCP-2301) + (2009, UK, Discipline Global Mobile, KCCBX1 | RM | 5CD BOX-SET | King Crimson 40th Anniversary Series) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The group's definitive album, and one of the most daring debut albums ever recorded by anybody. At the time, it blew all of the progressive/psychedelic competition (the Moody Blues, the Nice, etc.) out of the running, although it was almost too good for the band's own good -- it took King Crimson nearly four years to come up with a record as strong or concise. Ian McDonald's Mellotron is the dominant instrument, along with his saxes and Fripp's guitar, making this a somewhat different-sounding record from everything else they ever did. And even though that Mellotron sound is muted and toned down compared to their concert work of the era (e.g., Epitaph), it is still fierce and overpowering, on an album highlighted by strong songwriting (most of it filled with dark and doom-laden visions), the strongest singing of Greg Lake's entire career, and Fripp's guitar playing that strangely mixed elegant classical, Hendrix-like rock explosions, and jazz noodling. Lineup changes commenced immediately upon the album's release, and Fripp would ultimately be the only survivor on later King Crimson records. Bruce Eder
Tracklist :
 1. 21st Century Schizoid Man (including Mirrors) 07:21
2. I Talk To The Wind 06:05
3. Epitaph (including March For No Reason and Tomorrow And Tomorrow) [08:47]
4. Moonchild (including The Dream and The Illusion) 12:13
5. The Court Of The Crimson King
(including The Return Of The Fire Witch and The Dance Of The Puppets) [09:25]
Total time [43:54]
Credits :
Greg Lake - Bass Guitar, Lead Vocals  
Michael Giles - Drums, Percussion, Vocals  
Robert Fripp - Guitar  
Ian McDonald - Keyboards, Mellotron, Woodwind, Vibraphone [Vibes], Reeds, Vocals
Peter Sinfield - Words By, Other [Illumination]

KING CRIMSON — Lizard (1970) Two Version (1988, Virgin Japan, VJD-28019 | Serie Big Artist Collection) + (2009, UK, Discipline Global Mobile, KCSP3 | RM | King Crimson 40th Anniversary Series) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Released in December 1970, King Crimson's third studio album, Lizard, is often viewed as an outlier in the pioneering British prog outfit's nearly half-century discography. It's not easily grouped with 1969's stunning In the Court of the Crimson King debut and 1970 follow-up In the Wake of Poseidon, and along with 1971's Islands it's considered a transitional release on the band's path toward the relative stability of the Larks' Tongues in Aspic (1973), Starless and Bible Black (1974), and Red (1974) trilogy. Plus, the Lizard sessions were difficult and the core group lineup acrimoniously collapsed immediately afterward, as bandleader/guitarist Robert Fripp, with lyricist Peter Sinfield, continued brave efforts to save King Crimson from disintegrating as the group's lengthy history was just getting underway. Even Fripp himself wasn't a big Lizard fan until he reportedly "heard the Music in the music" when listening to Steven Wilson's 2009 40th anniversary remix. Yet there are plenty of Crimson followers who place Lizard at the very apex of the group's recorded legacy -- and with good reason. Seamlessly blending rock, jazz, and classical in a way that few albums have successfully achieved, Lizard is epic, intimate, cacophonic, and subtle by turn -- and infused with the dark moods first heard when "21st Century Schizoid Man" and "Epitaph" reached listeners' ears the previous year.

Opener "Cirkus" is a cavalcade of menace, with vocalist Gordon Haskell intoning or declaiming Sinfield's phantasmagorical words over a kaleidoscopic musical backdrop, the song's ripping buzzsaw refrain alternating with warped funhouse jazz prominently featuring keyboardist Keith Tippett and saxophonist Mel Collins. "Indoor Games" is comparatively whimsical, with Collins' blurty sax almost comically up-front in the mix and crisp ensemble interplay in the middle section, while the singsongy "Happy Family" finds Sinfield's lyrics obliquely addressing the Beatles' breakup and "Lady of the Dancing Water" revisits the gentle terrain of "I Talk to the Wind" and "Cadence and Cascade." But the side-long multi-part title suite astounds the most. Guest Jon Anderson's choirboy vocals open "Lizard" with a feint toward the light and airy, but Haskell's brassy chorus suggests ritualistic precursors to dark goings-on. The suite then enters its "Bolero" movement, marked by Robin Miller's beautiful oboe and Fripp's swelling Mellotron, with a jazz interlude showcasing Collins, cornetist Mark Charig, trombonist Nick Evans, and a jagged and explosive Tippett, collectively free and even ebullient in their interplay but never fully breaking away from drummer Andy McCulloch's background rat-a-tat snare that foreshadows the howling maelstrom of "The Battle of Glass Tears." After the smoke clears, Fripp's sustained guitar notes cut through the funereal aftermath, dissolving into silence before the swirling "Big Top" coda brings the album full circle, suggesting Lizard's dark journey on an endless loop accelerating into the future. In 2016, lineup changes made it possible to include selections from this album in King Crimson's career-spanning live concerts, and with all the spectacular music on display, more than one audience member could be heard saying, "I came for Lizard." Dave Lynch
Tracklist :
1    Cirkus (Including Entry Of The Chameleons)    6:29
2    Indoor Games    5:40
3    Happy Family    4:24
4    Lady Of The Dancing Water    2:44
    Lizard    (23:23)
5.a    Prince Rupert Awakes
Vocals – Jon Anderson
5.b    Bolero - The Peacock's Tale    
5.c    The Battle Of Glass Tears (Including Dawn Song, Last Skirmish, Prince Rupert's Lament)    
5.d    Big Top    
Credits :
Bass Guitar, Vocals – Gordon Haskell
Cornet – Mark Charig
Drums – Andy McCulloch
Flute, Saxophone [Saxes] – Mel Collins
Guitar, Mellotron, Keyboards [Electric], Electronics [Devices] – Robert Fripp
Oboe, English Horn [Cor Anglais] – Robin Miller
Piano, Electric Piano – Keith Tippet
Producer, Written-By – Peter Sinfield, Robert Fripp
Trombone – Nick Evans
Artwork [Sleeve Conception], Written-By [Words And Pictures] – Peter Sinfield

KING CRIMSON — Larks' Tongues In Aspic (1981) Three Version (1987, Japan, EMI-Toshiba, 32VD-1122) + (1988, Virgin Japan, VJD-28003 | Serie Big Artist Collection) + (2012, RM | 2CD | King Crimson 40th Anniversary Series) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

King Crimson reborn yet again -- the then-newly configured band makes its debut with a violin (courtesy of David Cross) sharing center stage with Robert Fripp's guitars and his Mellotron, which is pushed into the background. The music is the most experimental of Fripp's career up to this time -- though some of it actually dated (in embryonic form) back to the tail-end of the Boz Burrell-Ian Wallace-Mel Collins lineup. And John Wetton was the group's strongest singer/bassist since Greg Lake's departure three years earlier. What's more, this lineup quickly established itself as a powerful performing unit, working in a more purely experimental, less jazz-oriented vein than its immediate predecessor. "Outer Limits music" was how one reviewer referred to it, mixing Cross' demonic fiddling with shrieking electronics, Bill Bruford's astounding dexterity at the drum kit, Jamie Muir's melodic and usually understated percussion, Wetton's thundering yet melodic bass, and Fripp's guitar, which generated sounds ranging from traditional classical and soft pop-jazz licks to hair-curling electric flourishes. Bruce Eder
Tracklist :
1. Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Part One (13:36)
Bill Bruford / David Cross / Robert Fripp / Jamie Muir / John Wetton
2. Book Of Saturday (02:56)
Robert Fripp / Richard Palmer-James / John Wetton
3. Exiles (07:41)
David Cross / Robert Fripp / Richard Palmer-James
4. Easy Money (07:53)
Robert Fripp / Richard Palmer-James / John Wetton
5. The Talking Drum (07:27)
Bill Bruford / David Cross / Robert Fripp / Jamie Muir / John Wetton
6. Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Part Two (07:08)
Robert Fripp
Credits :
Robert Fripp – Guitars, Mellotron, Electric Piano, Devices
John Wetton – Bass Guitar, Vocals, Piano on "Exiles"
Bill Bruford – Drums
David Cross – Violin, Viola, Mellotron, Electric Piano, Flute on "Exiles"[9]
Jamie Muir – Percussion, "allsorts"
(assorted found items and sundry instruments)
Producer – King Crimson

KING CRIMSON — Islands (1971) Two Version (1988, Virgin Japan – VJD-28020 | Serie Big Artist Collection) + (2010, RM | King Crimson 40th Anniversary Series) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The weakest Crimson studio album from their first era is only a real disappointment in relation to the extraordinarily high quality of the group's earlier efforts. The songs are somewhat uneven and draw from three years of inspiration. "The Letter" is an adaptation of "Drop In," a group composition that was featured in the early set of the original Crimson lineup from 1969, while "Song of the Gulls" goes back to the pre-King Crimson trio of Giles, Giles & Fripp for its source ("Suite No. 1"). There are also a few surprises, such as the Beatles-like harmonies on the raunchy "Ladies of the Road" and the extraordinary interweaving of electric guitar and Mellotron by Robert Fripp on "A Sailor's Tale, which is one of the highlights of the early- to mid-period group's output. Some of the music overstays its welcome -- several of the six tracks are extended too far, out of the need to fill up an LP -- but the virtuosity of the band picks up most of the slack on the composition side: Collins' saxes and Wallace's drums keep things much more than interesting in tandem with Fripp's guitar and Mellotron, and guest vocalist Paulina Lucas' keening accompaniment carries parts of "Formentera Lady" that might otherwise have dragged. Bruce Eder
Tracklist :
1. Formentera Lady (10:14)
2. Sailor's Tale (7:21)
3. The Letters (4:26)
4. Ladies Of The Road (5:28)
5. Prelude: Song Of The Gulls (4:14)
6. Islands (11:51)
Credits :
Robert Fripp - Gguitar, Mellotron, Peter's Pedal Harmonium
and sundry implements
Mel Collins - Flute, Bass flute, Saxes and Vocals
Boz Burrell - Bass Guitar, Lead Vocals and Choreography
Ian Wallace - Drums, Percussion and Vocals
Peter Sinfield - Words, Sounds and Visions
With :
Keith Tippet - Piano, Paulina Lucas - Soprano, Robin Miller - Oboe, Mark Charig - Cornet, Harry Miller - String Bass

KING CRIMSON — Discipline (1981) Four Version (1987, Virgin Japan, 32VD-1087) + (1988, Virgin Japan – VJD-28022 | Serie Big Artist Collection) + (1990, RM | Virgin Japan – VJCP-2308) + (2004, RM | HDCD | 30th Anniversary Edition) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

When King Crimson leader Robert Fripp decided to assemble a new version of the band in the early '80s, prog rock fans rejoiced, and most new wave fans frowned. But after hearing this new unit's first release, 1981's Discipline, all the elements that made other arty new wave rockers (i.e., Talking Heads, Pere Ubu, the Police, etc.) successful were evident. Combining the futuristic guitar of Adrian Belew with the textured guitar of Fripp doesn't sound like it would work on paper, but the pairing of these two originals worked out magically. Rounding out the quartet was bass wizard Tony Levin and ex-Yes drummer Bill Bruford. Belew's vocals fit the music perfectly, sounding like David Byrne at his most paranoid at times (the funk track "Thela Hun Ginjeet"). Some other highlights include Tony Levin's "stick" (a strange bass-like instrument)-driven opener "Elephant Talk," the atmospheric "The Sheltering Sky," and the heavy rocker "Indiscipline." Many Crimson fans consider this album one of their best, right up there with In the Court of the Crimson King. It's easy to understand why after you hear the inspired performances by this hungry new version of the band. Greg Prato
Tracklist :
1. Elephant Talk (04:43)
2. Frame By Frame (05:09)
3. Matte Kudasai (03:47)
4. Indiscipline (04:33)
5. Thela Hun Ginjeet (06:26)
6. The Sheltering Sky (08:22)
7. Discipline (05:13)
8. Matte Kudasai (Alternative version) (03:51)
Credits :
Chapman Stick, Bass, Vocals [Support] – Tony Levin
Drums [Batterie] – Bill Bruford
Guitar, Lead Vocals – Adrian Belew
Guitar, Performer [Devices] – Robert Fripp
Music By – Belew (tracks: 1)
Music By, Written-By – King Crimson

KING CRIMSON — Three of a Perfect Pair (1984) Three Version (1986, Japan EG – VJD-28005) + (1994, EG – EGCD 55 | Serie The Definitive Edition) + (2004, RM | HDCD | Serie 30th Anniversary Edition) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Upon its release in 1984, Three of a Perfect Pair caused some unrest among fans of King Crimson. Most of their audience felt that the band had made a conscious and obvious decision to try to break through to a more mainstream pop audience. But in hindsight, this is hardly the case; it sounds unlike anything that was out at the time. Like 1982's Beat, Three of a Perfect Pair doesn't quite meet the high standards set by 1981's Discipline, but does contain a few Crimson treats. The opening title track has an unrelenting groove that never seems to let up, while "Sleepless" starts off with Tony Levin laying down some funky bass until Adrian Belew's trademark paranoid vocals kick in and assure the listener that "it's alright to feel a little fear." Also included are the seven-minute instrumental soundscape "Industry," and the cautionary tale of a "Model Man." This would prove to be the new King Crimson's last release for nearly ten years; the group disbanded soon after as its members concentrated on solo careers and other projects, until a mid-'90s reunion brought them all back together. Greg Prato
Tracklist :
1. Three Of A Perfect Pair (04:13)
2. Model Man (03:51)
3. Sleepless (05:19)
4. Man With An Open Heart (03:05)
5. Nuages (That Which Passes, Passes Like Clouds) (04:46)
6. Industry (07:20)
7. Dig Me (03:01)
8. No Warning (03:29)
9. Larks' Tongues In Aspic Part 3 (06:03)
Credits :
Bass, Chapman Stick [Stick], Synthesizer, Voice [Background] – Tony Levin
Drums [Acoustic Drumming], Electronic Drums [Electric Drumming] – Bill Bruford
Guitar – Robert Fripp
Guitar [Fretted, Fretless], Voice, Words By – Adrian Belew
Producer, Music By – King Crimson

KING CRIMSON — THRAK (1995) Two Version (2004, RM | HDCD | Serie 30th Anniversary Edition) + (2006, Japan, WHD Entertainment, IECP-10045) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The only progressive rock band from the '60s to be making new, vital, progressive music in the '90s, King Crimson returned from a ten-year exile in 1995 with THRAK, their first album since 1984's Three of a Perfect Pair. As with the '80s band, guitarist/ringleader Robert Fripp recruited singer/guitarist Adrian Belew, bassist Tony Levin, and drummer Bill Bruford for this incarnation of his classic band. However, he added to this familiar quartet two new members: Chapman Stick player Trey Gunn and ex-Mr. Mister drummer Pat Mastelotto. Effectively, Fripp created a "double trio," and the six musicians combine their instruments in extremely unique ways. The mix is very dense, overpoweringly so at times, but careful listens will reveal that each musician has his own place in each song; the denseness of the sound is by design, not the accidental result of too many cooks in the kitchen. Sometimes, as in "THRAK," the two trios are set against each other, in some sort of musical faux combat. In others, they just combine their respective sounds to massive effect. On "Dinosaur," perhaps the strongest track on the record, Mastelotto and Bruford set up an ominous tom-tom groove that supports an even more ominous guitar figure. The vocal, the musings of a long-dead sauropod, are vintage Belew, just as the freaky, falling-down-the-stairs solo in the middle is vintage Fripp. Other high points include the drum duet "B'Boom" and the two Belew/Fripp "Inner Garden" pieces. Allusions to earlier Crimson abounds, such as the form of "VROOM," for example, which is suspiciously reminiscent of "Red" (from the 1974 album of the same name), or the shout-out to "The Sheltering Sky" (from 1981's Discipline) in "Walking on Air." Thankfully, this never gets annoying, but instead acts as a subtle nudge and a wink to faithful fans. King Crimson came back in a major way with THRAK, and proved that, even in its fourth major incarnation, Fripp and company still had something to say. High-quality prog. Daniel Gioffre
Tracklist :
1    VROOOM    4:37
2    Coda: Marine 475    2:41
3    Dinosaur    6:35
4    Walking On Air    4:34
5    B'Boom    4:11
6    THRAK    3:58
7    Inner Garden I    1:47
8    People    5:53
9    Radio I    0:43
10    One Time    5:21
11    Radio II    1:02
12    Inner Garden II    1:15
13    Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream    4:48
14    VROOOM VROOOM    5:37
15    VROOOM VROOOM: Coda    3:00
Credits :
Backing Vocals, Chapman Stick [Stick] – Trey Gunn
Backing Vocals, Electric Upright Bass [Upright Bass], Electric Bass – Tony Levin
Guitar, Effects [Soundscapes], Mellotron – Robert Fripp
Guitar, Voice, Words By – Adrian Belew
Music By – King Crimson
Percussion [Acoustic & Electronic] – Bill Bruford, Pat Mastelotto 

KING CRIMSON — The ConstruKction Of Light (2000) Two Version (2000, Pony Canyon Inc., PCCY-01455) + (2006, HDCD | WHD Entertainment, IECP-10046) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

King Crimson, one of the few first-generation progressive rock bands to remain nearly consistent in the quality of their output throughout their career, fall flat with The ConstruKction of Light, the band's 12th studio album. Unable to shed the weight of their oft-brilliant history, the most promising moments of ConstruKction are crushed underneath the bulk. What makes ConstruKction such a disappointment is, despite how "progressive" the band-fragmenting ProjeKct approach appeared on paper, upon execution, it produced an utterly backward-looking album. More self-referential than a Jean-Luc Godard film, nearly every song on ConstruKction contains a heavy-handed nod to a previous Crimson song. There are even two tracks that are directly named after old Crimson material: "FraKctured" and "Larks Tongues in Aspic-Part IV." The most notable shift the pared-down, four-piece Crimson makes with ConstruKction is getting rid of acoustic drums in favor of electronic "V" drums (courtesy of Pat Mastelotto, who took over full-time duties after Bruford left). Crimson does not seem to lose much in the transition, and, overall, the musicianship is superb as usual, but it's almost as if they thought new technology and a stripped down lineup would make up for a dearth of new ideas. Treading water is still treading water, even if the waters happen to be deep. There are, however, two bright spots on the album: "Into the Frying Pan" and "Heaven and Earth." The former features guitarist/vocalist Adrian Belew at his quirky best, and the latter (credited to Project X instead of King Crimson) is a beautifully textured, near-ambient piece that slowly builds intensity before a long, slow release. Together, they suggest that King Crimson may still have some gas left in their tank after all. Jason Nickey
Tracklist :
1. ProzaKc Blues (05:28)
2. The ConstruKction Of Light (1/2) (05:50)
3. The ConstruKction Of Light (2/2) (02:49)
4. Into The Flying Pan (06:54)
5. FraKctured (09:05)
6. The World's My Oyster Soup Kitchen Floor Wax Museum (06:24)
7. Larks' Tongues In Aspic - Part IV (1/3) (03:41)
8. Larks' Tongues In Aspic - Part IV (2/3) (02:50)
9. Larks' Tongues In Aspic - Part IV (3/3) (02:36)
10. Coda: I Have A Dream (04:51)
11. Heaven And Earth (by ProjeKct X) (07:48)
Credits :
Bass [Touch Guitar], Baritone Guitar – Trey Gunn (tracks: 1 to 10)
Drums – Pat Mastelotto (tracks: 1 to 10)
Guitar – Adrian Belew (tracks: 1 to 10), Robert Fripp (tracks: 1 to 10)
Vocals – Adrian Belew (tracks: 1 to 10)
Written By – Adrian Belew, Robert Fripp, Trey Gunn and Pat Mastelotto (tracks: 1 to 10)
Written By [Words] – Adrian Belew (tracks: 1 to 10)

KING CRIMSON — The Power To Believe (2003) Universal – UICE-1045 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The Power to Believe (2003) marks the return of King Crimson for the group's first full-length studio release since ConstruKction of Light (2000). While it draws upon material featured on the live Level Five (2001) and studio Happy with What You Have to Be Happy With (2002) extended-play discs, there are also several new sonic sculptures included. Among them is the title track, which is divided into a series of central thematic motifs much in the same manner as the "Larks' Tongues in Aspic" movements had done in the past. This 21st century schizoid band ably bears the torch of its predecessors with the same ballsy aggression that has informed other seminal King Crimson works -- such as In the Court of the Crimson King (1969), Red (1974), and more recently THRAK (1995). This incarnation of the Mighty Krim includes the excessively talented quartet of Adrian Belew (guitar/vocals), Robert Fripp (guitar), Trey Gunn (Warr guitar/Warr fretless guitar), and Pat Mastelotto (percussion). Under the auspices of Machine -- whose notable productions include post-grunge and industrial medalists Pitchshifter and White Zombie -- the combo unleashes a torrent of alternating sonic belligerence ("Level Five") and inescapable beauty ("Eyes Wide Open"). These extremes are linked as well as juxtaposed by equally challenging soundscapes from Fripp on "The Facts of Life: Intro" as well as Belew's series of "The Power to Believe" haikus. The disc is fleshed out with some choice extended instrumentals such as "Elektrik" and "Dangerous Curves," boasting tricky time signatures that are indelibly linked to equally engaging melodies. Both "Happy With What You Have to Be Happy With" and "Facts of Life" stand out as the (dare say) perfect coalescence of Belew's uncanny Beatlesque lyrical sense with the sort of bare-knuckled, in your face aural attack that has defined King Crimson for over three decades. If the bandmembers' constant tone probing is an active search to find the unwitting consciousness of a decidedly younger, rowdier, and more demanding audience, their collective mission is most assuredly accomplished on The Power to Believe -- even more so than the tripped-out psychedelic prog rock behemoth from whence they initially emerged. Lindsay Planer
Tracklist :
1. The Power To Believe I: A Cappella (00:44)
2. Level Five (07:17)
3. Eyes Wide Open (04:08)
4. Elektrik (07:59)
5. Facts Of Life: Intro (01:38)
6. Facts Of Life (05:05)
7. The Power To Believe II (07:43)
8. Dangerous Curves (06:42)
9. Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With (03:17)
10. The Power To Believe III (04:09)
11. The Power To Believe IV: Coda (02:28)
Credits :
Drums [Traps], Drum Programming [Buttons] – Pat Mastelotto
Guitar – Robert Fripp
Guitar [Warr], Fretless Guitar [Fretless Warr] – Trey Gunn
Guitar, Vocals, Words By – Adrian Belew
Music By – King Crimson