In the Court of the Crimson King

Occupation

Robert Fripp - Guitar, Mellotron
Ian McDonald - flute, saxophone, keyboards, vibraphone
Greg Lake - bass, vocals
Michael Giles - drums
Peter Sinfield - lyrics, illumination

Production

Robert Fripp
Peter Sinfield

The album In the Court of the Crimson King - An Observation By King Crimson the British band King Crimson is considered stylish formative work of progressive rock. It was released on 10 October 1969 under the label Iceland Records ( in the U.S. and Japan Atlantic Records ).

Formation

The pieces of the debut album by King Crimson were developed during rehearsals since the band was founded in November 1968 and played several times live before its release. I Talk to the Wind was about the only song that was taken over by Robert Fripp and Michael Giles ' previous band Giles, Giles & Fripp. At the origin of the other songs all band members were mostly involved. So the Einstiegsriff came to 21st Century Schizoid Man by Greg Lake, the addition of the chromatic tone sequence F, F # and G by Ian McDonald, the riff at the beginning of the instrumental middle section goes back to an idea Fripp and Michael Giles is responsible for the Unisonoteil. The text was written by Peter Sinfield.

The first rehearsal took place on January 13, 1969 in the basement of Fulham Palace cafes in London. The end of January chosen David Enthoven and John Gaydon to work as a manager for the band and brought the Moody Blues producer Tony Clarke of the record label Decca to listen to the band. He said to record an album with King Crimson. On 1 May 1969, the band attended the London Morgan Studios where the work should take place on the debut album to get an idea. But the recordings could only begin in June due to numerous concert engagements.

On June 12, the recording sessions began with 21st Century Schizoid Man. The backing tracks were still on that day, the next day McDonald recorded his solo. On June 14, we worked on I Talk to the Wind, in the next few days to Epitaph. But the sessions were already broken on June 19. The band was unhappy with the direction in which Tony Clarke wanted to go.

After a break of three weeks we made a last attempt by Clarke and noted the work on July 7 again. For four days, the band concentrated on Epitaph. But again, the sessions were aborted: Tony Clarke had tried to King Crimson to miss the " Moody Blues sound ", which had already proved to be very successful. But the band wanted to develop their own sound. She separated then by Clarke and Decca.

Enthoven and Gaydon had as a consequence the band self-financing, but could soon sign a contract with Iceland Records. Subsequently, the work was resumed in the Wessex Studios.

As of July 21 The Court of the Crimson King has been completed. In the following days, they took on the Mellotron and vocals. On July 29, the band I Talk to the Wind took before, a day later they turned to Epitaph. 21st Century Schizoid Man was taken from the first to the fourth August 1969. Work has been completed with Fripp and McDonalds ' solos. On 31 August, the backing tracks for Moonchild were taken. Due to the lack of song material, it was decided that short ballad by an improvisation (at that time anyway already an important part of King Crimson concerts ) to expand. The songs Mars ( from Gustav Holst's suite The Planets, published as The Devil's Triangle on the later album In the Wake of Poseidon ) and Get thy Bearings ( the cover of a Donovan song) that was played at concerts, did not want the band with take on the album because they did not want any cover version on the debut. Nor were the pieces Travel Weary Capricorn ( Fripp, Lake, McDonald, Giles, Sinfield ) and drop taken in ( Fripp, Lake, McDonald, Giles ) on the album. You are listen only on live albums to date. Drop In goes back to a song idea Fripp called Why Do not You Just Drop In from the days of his former band Giles, Giles and Fripp.

The recordings were completed by the end of August.

Title list

Mirrors

March For No Reason
Tomorrow and Tomorrow

The Dream
The Illusion

The Return of the Fire Witch
The Dance of the Puppets

The total running time of the album is 43:45 minutes.

Comments

The naming of individual parts of the pieces 21st Century Schizoid Man, Epitaph, Moonchild and The Court of the Crimson King has no meaning. The musicians opted when they heard that they would get more money if the album contained more pieces. It was therefore decided to titles such as "21st Century Schizoid Man including Mirrors".

The bebop -like phrase at the beginning of the instrumental middle part of 21st Century Schizoid Man comes from Ian McDonald's ' days in a big band of the British Army. He had originally written as part of a piece called Three Score and Four for this band that was never played. McDonalds ' solo on the 12/8-Takt breaks off abruptly, because this audio track of the 8-track system was needed in connection for Robert Fripp's guitar.

McDonalds ' flute solo on I Talk to the Wind was edited together from two different shots. The cut can be heard at 5:23.

Epitaph grew since winter 1968/69 by contributions from various band members one by one. The melody comes from well- Lake, Tomorrow And Tomorrow goes back to a band rehearsal on May 27, 1969. It was not until June 6, when McDonald held the notes for Epitaph and Cadence and Cascade, seems to have been present in the piece its final version.

Moon Child was formed in February in the basement of Fulham Palace cafes. The melody goes back to a collaboration between Fripp and McDonald. The dull drum sound was achieved by Michael Giles covering his instruments with towels. At 9:50 Fripp built in a short passage from the Oklahoma! - Piece Surrey with a Fringe on Top.

The lyrics to The Court of the Crimson King came from a completely different piece that Peter Sinfield had written in 1968. McDonald worked since February 4 on a new melody for the text. A short phrase in McDonalds ' flute solo at 5:11 goes on Rimsky -Korsakov's Scheherazade back ( the beginning of the second set ).

Occupation

Robert Fripp (guitar, mellotron )
Ian McDonald (flute, saxophone, keyboards, vibraphone)
Greg Lake ( bass, vocals )
Michael Giles (drums)
Peter Sinfield (text, lighting)

Music

21st Century Schizoid Man is in the range between Rock and Jazz. First, an e- guitar riff dominate ( Sample? / I ), distorted guitar sounds and aggressive, also distorted vocals. Song ( Sample? / I ) Late changes into rapid unison runs that are borrowed from bebop. The change of style, the rhythmic breaks ( change in many parts of 4/4-, ¾ -, 2/4-, 12/8- and 6/8-Takte ) and the enormous dynamics of the piece at that time were exceptional.

I Talk to the Wind acts as an idyllic interlude between the frenetic 21st Century Schizoid Man and the anthemic conclusion of the first album, Epitaph. It is the only piece on In the Court of the Crimson King, which is not completely maintained in a minor key.

The anthemic epitaph is dominated by the minor chords of the Mellotron. In the text prevail bleak future visions, which are determined by the loss of old truths and moral guidance of current knowledge. The hopelessness is underscored by the eighteen- fold repetition of a VI - V progression in E minor in the final section Tomorrow and Tomorrow.

The Court of the Crimson King and Moonchild rely on simple, pure triads, common chord progressions and cadences. The Ballad Moonchild represents the minor Septnonakkord in the foreground. She is also the first document for a problem that King Crimson through should accompany almost the entire period of its existence: the lack of ready composed material. Most of the 12 -minute piece is taken from a long improvisation, with the Fripp is so unhappy now that he has repeatedly stated you should have cut the song in half. For the box set Frame by Frame (1991 ), he has taken out the improvised part.

Cover

The album cover shows a distorted, screaming face, which is cut off from the edge. On the inside of the hinged Covers are a friendlier face and two hands, the gesture seems to reflect a lively entertainment to see. The images were painted by Barry Godber, a friend of Peter Sinfield from his days at Chelsea Art College. He died a year after the album's release 24 -year-old from a heart attack.

Review

The music of the album is significantly different from the musical mainstream of the time. It is characterized by frequent use of Mellotron, long and virtuosic instrumental parts, rhythmic and harmonic complexity and surreal lyrics. Thus, it already takes many musical elements of progressive rock of the 1970s anticipated and is considered stylistically influential milestone. Together with early albums of the bands The Nice, Procol Harum and The Moody Blues has often been described as the first progressive rock album In the Court of the Crimson King. Many bands have been based on this album, including Genesis, which the cover had been pinned in their rehearsal room to the wall.

The debut album contains also with 21st Century Schizoid Man King Crimson until today known piece. 2003 former British Prime Minister Tony Blair called it to the newspaper The Guardian as his favorite song.

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