I listened to King Crimson's first three albums in December 2020. I picked up their discography in November 2024, having since become a fan of Robert Fripp's session work with other musicians, such as Brian Eno, David Bowie, and Talking Heads. Despite not being impressed with their 1970s work, I continued on with their discography to hear what they would sound like with guitarist Adrian Belew, another guitarist I like from his session work.
In the Court of the Crimson King (1969): C
In the Wake of Poseidon (1970): C+
Lizard (1970): C
Islands (1971): C+
Larks' Tongues in Aspic (1973): C
Starless and Bible Black (1974): C+
Red (1974): B-
Discipline (1981): B+
Beat (1982): B
In the Court of the Crimson King (1969):
"21st Century Schizoid Man" starts us off a pretentious note musically, but Greg Lake's aggressive--and indeed pretentious too--vocal is an interesting artistic choice which has the potential to be honed down and create an adequate album and fine listen. Unfortunately, the music gets more pretentious afterwards and Lake never returns to the aggression he introduces on the opener, settling instead for mostly boring, dreamy vocals. Check out "Moonchild," a real piece of shit. Good thing this influenced nobody. C
In the Wake of Poseidon (1970):
Like their debut, this was constructed to be an aural experience for the listener. In that sense, this is a step down. Musically, it barely succeeds at being cohesive--"In the Wake of Poseidon" and "The Devil's Triangle" are just as self-indulgent and terrible as "Moonchild," but this time the long-winded instrumentals don't move the album forward thematically. However, "Cadence and Cascade" and "Peace-A Theme" are by far their best individual songs and, because I don't care for the experience of either of their albums anyway, those two songs make this one a slight step up. C+
Lizard (1970):
I like the main melody on the 23 minute closer "Lizard," although with its terribly boring instrumental breaks doubled with its outrageous length, I'll never revisit it. Side one has a lot of schmaltz too. Any improvements from the band? Hard to say. More forgettable? Oh yeah. C
Islands (1971):
Ever since In the Wake of Poseidon when original members Greg Lake, Ian McDonald, and Michael Giles left the band to Robert Fripp, King Crimson has barely had a working lineup and has instead become something like a creative vehicle for Fripp's eccentric muse, which has increasingly favored improvisational jazz rock as of recent. While that might make practical sense for a group without a stable lead vocalist, the peaceful instrumentals and horn-lead experiments doesn't play to Fripp's one and only strength: being a wicked and virtuosic guitarist. For the only time his guitar is let loose, check out "Sailor's Tale." C+
Larks' Tongues in Aspic (1973):
New vocalist, new lyricist, but same ol' rubbish in the end: it's noisy, grating, and incoherent. C
Starless and Bible Black (1974):
Progressive rock bands are always dabbling in instrumental pieces--sometimes very long ones--but for a band like King Crimson with a famously unstable lineup, it's surprising that Robert Fripp hasn't yet converted them into a vehicle solely for instrumental music, especially considering how laughable their vocalists have been and how boring their traditional songwriting continues to be. Not that they've been terribly reliable at releasing strong instrumental pieces up until this point. This one's instrumental sections show occasional glimpses of promise but it's all for nothing thanks to vocalist John Wetton who's a useless boob and lyricist Richard Palmer-James who kicks off this album with the aggressive use of a homophobic slur. C+
Red (1974):
The dense sound on this album is great... too bad it had to be wasted on a King Crimson record. Even as this album presents the band with an interesting direction and with songwriting that has legitimate hooks, the weak vocalist, the cheesy mellotron, and the weird obsession with horns make the positives barely worth it. And yes, they are plenty of other places where you can find more invigorating Fripp guitar work. B-
Discipline (1981):
In which a young hotshot American singer/guitarist boldly takes center stage in longtime British prog rock virtuoso band. That he sneaks in lyrics like "we're making a recording, you know/And it's just about New York City" only makes it funnier and more bizarre. For all the positives he contributes, Adrian Belew--coming off the heels of working with Talking Heads for their magnum opus Remain in Light--brings an unsettling amount of David Byrne influence to this record. Although it is a total rip-off, the left turn into new wave and post-punk is all too welcome for a band whose music generally sucks. Belew might not match up to David Byrne himself, but he's a god compared to past King Crimson singers/lyricists and he's no doubt an interesting personality in his own right. What's more, Belew's kick ass skills on guitar weaves with Robert Fripp's own proficient chops for King Crimson's most thoroughly satisfying instrumental work period. Only "The Sheltering Sky" meanders. Bonus points for featuring a mathematical knot on the cover. B+
Beat (1982):
Although this album features the same lineup from the last, it steps away from Discipline in a few ways. Most of that comes down to Adrian Belew, who is undoubtedly still the creative leader. With the album being inspired by the Beat movement and the fiftieth anniversary of On the Road by Jack Kerouac, Belew's singing and writing is less indebted to David Byrne this time and the sound isn't as hard hitting or guitar heavy. Although the influences they draw from does have potential, the result is basically a step down in every way it could be. But keep in mind that Beat is still well beyond what King Crimson usually delivers. B
