In the Court of the Crimson King (Audio CD)

Vinyl review: I had to return two copies of this vinyl before getting a good pressing of the recording. The first track on side 2 is very quiet and a poor pressing can be littered with crackles, not acceptable when paying 25 bucks for these vinyl records. The second copy had gluey material all over side two, probably manufacturing defect or poor quality-control at pressing. Amazon is fantastic and replacements are on their way even before the return is mailed out. Little wonder that they are where they are.The album itself is classic material, the best that King Crimson has produced. This vinyl version is excellent but recognize that it reproduces the recording technology of the late 60's. Any amount of remastering can only improve marginally on the original material.

   Get this one before the price goes even higher. This is another fine job by Steve Wilson (porcupine tree) mixing a King Crimson masterpiece. Other reviewers will no doubt go into details about how and why and what is so good about this album's re-mixing. My last version of this was vinyl, so all I can say is it's really, really, really sounds great! DVD-Audio in 5.1 is the way to listen to music! Who whould have thought Fripp and Wilson could have gotten so much fidelity out of those old anologue tapes from 1969? It's clear and crisp with a full frequency response - and no hiss, pops, rumble or flutter! A really fine job. King Crimson's Red in 5.1 is also outstanding, if not better, than this release. I would check it out, too.

King Crimson's debut album is an excellent listen for anyone who's ever asked the question "So what is Progressive Rock, anyways?"KC's debut album contains a small amount of songs, but these are songs rife with what were new sounds and experimentations for the time. From the frantic, heavy "21st Century Schizoid Man" to the dramatic and villainous "Court of the Crimson King" there's plenty of sound and excitement for everyone. Plus if you follow Jojo's Bizarre Adventure you get to hear the band that not only inspired the Stand King Crimson, but also one of its forms, Epitaph.My personal favorite song is the final track, "The Court of the Crimson King", filled with medieval and fantasy inspired chords, atmospheric mellotron riffs, and haunting vocals that paints images of an evil and vile court where an unlucky man attempts to make his way through. The song itself is roughly several minutes long, but it's a great one...Read more