King Crimson – In the Wake of Poseidon

   Shortly after their 1969 debut, in January 1970 at the very same Wessex Sound Studios in London where they made up their first, King Crimson started recording sessions for the second album. It took nearly four months in studio and in May 15th, 1970 new album was released by Island label in UK and Atlantic in US. This was quite tough moment for the band. There were different  and contradictory tendencies among musicians. After only one year the band became unstable and begin constantly rebuilding its line-up with frequent broke-ups. The situation lasts from the December 1969, when Ian McDonald and Michael Giles left the band to the middle of 1971. But since later line-ups were changing rapidly and musicians were playing in different configurations, you can tell this is constant problem with this band. But even taking into account artistic disagreements, in Spring 1970 there was still great atmosphere for experimenting with rock and crossing it virtually with every genre.
   On second album, called In the Wake of Poseidon basic line-up of the band has been reduced to Robert Fripp playing guitar, mellotron & devices, lyricist Peter Sinfield, singer Greg Lake and drummer Michael Giles who appeared only on studio recordings. Greg Lake was at the moment involving in Keith Emerson’s new project which has to be Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Robert Fripp invited to the studio friends he recorded and played before, Mel Collins playing saxophones and flute, bassist Peter Giles, pianist Keith Tippett and Gordon Haskell singing in Cadence and Cascade. Also these musicians were presenting various aspirations. Brothers Giles were open for Fripp’s ideas, but didn’t ready for touring, Keith Tippett was jazz musician and composer on his own and Gordon Haskell, who was Robert Fripp’s friend but wasn’t convinced of his ideas. Mel Collins occurred to be important member of the band with strong influence on directions of the band’s progress.

King Crimson – In the Wake of Poseidon (1970)

   Cover of second King Crimson’s album is displaying 1967 painting by Tammo De Jongh called The 12 Archetypes or The 12 Faces of Humankind. Psychedelic, dark and mysterious visions in Sinfield’s lyrics, music build on obsessive repetitions, citations and sound of the band. In The Devil’s Triangle dominate citations of Mars: Bringer of War from suite The Planets by Gustav Holst. This setting was played during band’s concerts in 1969 under title Mars, but in time of editing the album this title was forbidden by the legal estate of the composer. Construction of the album has a concentric pattern. The axis is Fripp’s theme Peace in vocal version in the opening, solo guitar theme in the center episode and vocal in the ending one. Just like in first album different trends are reflected in varying compositions. Second album designates the moment when Robert Fripp started to serve as the leader of the band. His ideas, not always shared by musicians of the band, but consequently realized became gradually main force of the band. This great musician and creative artist was naturally predisposed for this role. Of course, it is easier to talk about some processes from the perspective of next decades, but it is still an adventure giving you experience and helping to understand cultural mechanisms.
   Criticism against King Crimson’s second album refers usually to some repetitions of formal concepts used on previous one. It’s a strange attitude considering most of rock bands used the same concepts again and again to complete exhaustion. The fact is In the Wake of Poseidon is less radical, it sounds less chaotic and brings lots of new ideas in sound and construction. Actually this works can be seen as searching for relative stability while In the Court of the Crimson King was revolutionary piece of art. But demanding a next revolution, as some critics did only few months after the first, looks ridiculous. Compositions included on the second album of King Crimson are more compact and consequent than those known from In the Court of the Crimson King. It is also better edited in an artistic and technical meaning, with more proportional dynamics, more balance between discipline and chaos. This makes Peter Sinfield’s poetry sounds mysterious and yet more justified. And it’s a good idea to listen both even if the goal would be to track similarities between these two.

King Crimson – In the Court of the Crimson King

   King Crimson is the group occupying very special place in the history of 20th century music. Just like Frank Zappa in US, who transformed rhythm and blues elements not only in rock, but into highly independent artistic creation, King Crimson created music out of elements some critics were able to reference only as the rock genre. This was a consequence and some kind of schematic thinking. Trying to advocate for such position, many used term “progressive rock” as the term defining every kind of creative music crossing the boundaries of rock style and its social function. The term “progressive” has also a deeper meaning. Rock music has always been medium for rebellion, first moral, than social and political. In late sixties rock music became a revolt against current ideology and esthetics. The whole wave of experimenting rock brought dozens of groups and the one of the best was King Crimson.
   Debut of King Crimson became groundbreaking event and almost instant success. This was the fruit of the year of 1969. Formed in the end of 1968, group started rehearsals in January and gave first public concert April 9th, 1969. The great entrance turns out to be the memorable concert July 5th in Hyde Park. This was festival where King Crimson had the chance to play for 500 thousands listeners as second band in the gig after Screw but before Alexis Korner, Roy Harper, Battered Ornaments, Family, The Ear Band and biggest stars of the evening Rolling Stones. King Crimson played seven songs in its first lineup – Robert Fripp, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald and Michael Giles. These musicians recorded also the first album of the band. Recorded in span of one month, July 21st to August 21st, and released October 10th this debut recording of King Crimson became instant success and probably most influential progressive rock  album.

King Crimson – In the Court of the Crimson King (1969)

   It is always worth asking, what gave the record such powerful position, especially when it is widely recognized as a milestone. In the Court of the Crimson King was concept album integrating music, poetry and cover design. Poetic layer of King Crimson compositions was integrated with the music so in the credits author of the lyrics was mentioned along with musicians. According first edition cover’s information the band's musicians were: Robert Fripp (guitar), Ian McDonald (reeds, woodwind, vibes, keyboards, mellotron, vocals), Greg Lake (bass guitar, lead vocals), Michael Giles (drums, percussion, vocal) and Peter Sinfield (words and illumination). It is reasonable to take into account one more person and expand this line-up by Barry Godber, the author of cover paintings, what has been done in later re-editions and publications. The paintings were the only known works of Barry Godber who died three months after album has been released. This cover gave the record strong outfit and became clear signal to buyers that this is not yet another set of hit songs.
   The force of expression and contrasts between extremely different fragments may be the most characteristic feature that distinct music of King Crimson and other progressive bands of the era. Most of material was composed as collective band’s creation. Only two of five compositions are composed in traditional rock song form. But even these two sound like breaking a taboo. Distorted voice in 21st Century Schizoid Man and symphonic pathos of Epitaph are clear indications of what the artists’ ambitions want to aim. Ballad I Talk to the Wind was extended by flute solo. Arrangements of wind instruments were more jazz than rock type. More comprehensive from formal point of view were multipart compositions on B-Side, Moonchild and The Court of the Crimson King. Partly improvised and thus connected to some jazz concepts, experimenting with space and time, opening for many directions, compositions from first album show many possible directions confusing some reviewers. Comparing to compositions played this time by the group it is clear this was the mild selection. But still the music of King Crimson was hard to define with any conceptual apparatus rock critics were able to use. Fortunately listeners have enough intuition to avoid misunderstandings.

King Crimson – Earthbound

The 1972 in the history of King Crimson was the year of constant changes and instability. Band broke up and than the same year its line-up was formed for fulfill appointed concerts. With intention of disbanding immediately afterwards. During 1972 tour the group was in some kind of transitional stage between line-ups of albums Islands and Larks’ Tongues in Aspic. The sound of the band has been documented by first King Crimson’s live album Earthbound. Recorded during USA tour in February and March and released in June 1972 by Island, this is one of most progressive albums in the history of rock music. 

After great debut album from 1969 In the Court of the Crimson King and almost perfect continuation of its style one year later In the Wake of Poseidon, group begin to change the line-up and the style. Next records Lizard and Islands came with deep changes and escalating disagreement. Shortly after recording sessions of Islands the 1971 group featuring composer Robert Fripp and lyricist Peter Sinfield along with drummer Ian Wallace, bass player and singer Boz Burrell and Mel Collins playing saxophones, flutes and mellotron, was going to collapse. Disagreements between Fripp and Sinfield and then differences in opinions of the band members resulted in its decay.

King Crimson – Earthbound (1972)

During the 1972 US tour the atmosphere in the group was heavy. As an effect of ideological contradictions and personal disagreements every artistic effort was at risk of failure. On the other hand, the tensions between the musicians resulted in loosening discipline, and in consequence increased the expression – paradoxically, limited communication gave artists more freedom. Thus this album includes more improvised solos and free structures and than any King Crimson’s recordings released these times. In opening this album live version of 21st Century Schizoid Man along with Robert Fripp extended guitar solo drummer Ian Wallace and bassist Boz Burrell are playing phrases which are neither the soloing nor the typical accompanying. Such qualities were repeated along with Mel Collins saxophone solo. In culmination it is quite close to collective improvisation joining together rock and free jazz fusion.
More discipline band showed in Groon, recorded during the same concert as 21st Century Schizoid Man at Willmington. Groon is largely improvised composition previously published as B-Side of King Crimson’s 1970 single Cat Food. In single version it was 2’45” long, here it is 15’30” and includes extensive improvisations of band members and Hunter McDonald operating VCS3 synthesizer. Phenomenally sounds The Sailors Tale recorded in the rain at Baseball Park in Jacksonville, FL, February 26, 1972. Unfortunately this recording is only small fragment set from silence and muted on the end Side One.  Full live recording of this song with great drums and synthesizer solos has been published in 1998 as Live at Jacksonville 1972.



Recorded next day at Orlando, FL, Earthbound is funky and closer to fusion music. The same attitude is presented in composition Peoria recorded at The Barn in Peoria, IL, March 10th. Baritone saxophone solo opening series of improvisations in Peoria gave some new sound for King Crimson music. This more funky than rock saxophone solos have it’s answers in scat singing improvisations by Boz Burrell.
Improvisations became the base for exposure of artists’ individual ideas and a chance to check the concept of the leader. The style of the album is still located within Robert Fripp’s arrangement and compositional ideas. First, middle and last compositions, 21st Century Schizoid Man, The Sailors Tale and Groon are clear expression of King Crimson’s style. Among this three the are mostly improvised Peoria and Earthbound. And this joint of ideas makes this album says more about seventies than many others, even if these occurrences are more popular, commercially successful and famous.