KING CRIMSON - RED (1974)

 

This is the album that broke up the band until it reformed again in the early eighties. It is the third and last album from the classic Fripp-Wetton-Bruford et al. lineup. (For me, the best and tightest lineup they had.)

Apparently, it got so bad that Fripp announced the band had broken up two weeks before its release. The group photo on the front is actually a very clever composite of individual shots of the band members.

With all that, it is generally recognized as one of the four essential, classic King Crimson albums. For certain, it has their signature song and generally recognized as their best tune "Starless" -- 12:18 long, and you end up wishing it would still go on even longer!

Track 1: Red (6:20): I must confess, this is one of my least favorite King Crimson songs. It's loud, repetitive and has hardly any interesting musical ideas in it IMO. 'Nuff Said!

Track 2: Fallen Angel (6:03): Solid song. It only fails to stand out more compared to "One More Red Nightmare" and "Starless" which are two exemplary songs. It tells the story of the death of a young gang member on the streets of the city. Good, but not great.

Track 3: One More Red Nightmare (7:08): An exemplary song. Brash, loud -- but also polished and rich in sound. Standout song that effectively demonstrates Bill Bruford's chops on drums -- and would presage his contributions later on with Discipline. It's a song I always rock out on!

Track 4: Providence (8:08): I used to regularly skip this track because it was too experimental and too slow to develop for my tastes. As I've gotten older, however, I have found that these types of songs have really started to grow on me: Moonchild, Talking Drum . . . and Providence. They are the type of songs that really sneak up on you and eventually start to dominate your inner soundscape from time-to-time.

Track 5: Starless (12:18): Their magnus opus -- comparable to Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" or "Kashmir" in its impact and importance. It starts out mellow, with a lush mellotron, some restrained guitar from Fripp, and haunting vocals by Wetton and evocative lyrics. 

Once the opening vocal passage is complete, the real party begins. The song becomes what I've called it a "rock fugue." It is a masterpiece of tension and release. Wetton lays down a solid, ominous bass riff. Fripp picks up with an ascending two-note guitar drone, which finally reaches a crescendo with Bruford's frantic drumming. The middle section moves into a more jazzy blowout with Mel Collins and Ian McDonald on saxophone and which concludes with an uptempo fake ending, the final section reprises the lyrical intro and mellotron sans vocals which leads us finally to the crescendo close and then-final tone of the song. (My spine literally tingles every time I hear this song! And I always want it to go on more and forever!)

Grade: A-. While there is an unevenness to the album IMO, it ends up being one of their more impactful and important albums ever. Less than perfect, but more powerful than pretty much any other album.