King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King
Robert Fripp, guitar
Ian McDonald, reeds, woodwind, vibes, keyboards, mellotron, vocals
Greg Lake, bass guitar, lead vocals
Michael Giles, drums, percussion, vocals
Peter Sinfield, words, illumination
1 LP, Gatefold jacket, booklet
Limited to 2,000 copies
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 200g
Record color : black
Speed : 33 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : the Vinyl Factory (UK)
Label : Panegyric
Original Label : Island Records
Engineers : Robin Thompson & Tony Page
Produced by King Crimson
Remixed by Steven Wilson and Robert Fripp
Cut by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering
Tracks :
- 21st Century Schizoid Man
- I Talk To The Wind
- Epitaph
2. The Court Of The Crimson King
Awards:
1000 Recordings you must hear before you die - Ranked 168
Stereophile Records To Die For - 2007
« 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. » AllMusic Review by Bruce Eder