Music Review : King Crimson - Red

It's 40 years since King Crimson helped to create the genre known as prog by releasing the seminal In The Court Of The Crimson King. To commemorate this, the KC catalogue is receiving yet another brush up and the equally seminal Red is the first to be released.

This is an album whose reputation has grown over the years, and it's clear when you listen to many of today's prog bands (and particularly at the heavier, more dynamic end of the spectrum) that they've taken a lot from this collection.

The third album from the second major phase of Crimson's career (and, yes, that means I'm counting the first four albums as phase 1 to which I know some would suggest should be split into two or three!) the momentum was somewhat dissipated when guitarist (and undoubtedly leader) Robert Fripp decided to disband meaning that the music was never able to develop further in live performance.

The band has slimmed down to a three-piece with Fripp being joined by the excellent Bill Bruford on drums and percussion with John Wetton on bass and vocals. Wetton's vocals talents came to the fore for the first time in Crimson and he adds a weight of authority to the songs performed. They are augmented by a bunch of others on the album who help to spice up the sound without getting in the way of the dominant trio

Weight, of course, is something that certainly isn't lacking in the music on this album. The songs that made up the original side 1 of the album form a trilogy (of course, they would. It's prog after all!) with crashing riffs, great dynamics and some melodious singing from Wetton. This music still sounds very modern not least because there's so many bands now trying to recreate the power and authority of this music - although many of these attempts are worthy, they all fail to reach the high water mark set by this album.

Side 2 contains two longer tracks one edited down from a longer in-concert improvisation, and the second being the utterly peerless Starless which brings dignity, poise and grace to one of Crimson's most distinguished creations.

In addition to the original album, we are also treated to bonus tracks from the sessions, and also the full version of the aforementioned improvisation. And on top of all that, the album is also available on DVD with a 5.1 surround mix from Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson and some old video of the band featuring some songs from the previous two albums.

The series continues with the classic debut itself (and which comes in a variety of packages including a 5 disc set including rehearsals and new mixes) and Lizard, their third album. Lizard was actually the first Crimson album I heard - I was fourteen at the time - and it was as astonishing then as it is now.

Throughout their history and the many line-ups, Fripp has maintained Crimson at the cutting edge of the times. With prog now being in danger of being hip once again, it's a great time to introduce yourself to one of the genuinely innovative and challenging bands to bear that trademark.