Music: Best Albums of the Year Series: 1969 (the nicest year)

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

I'm a little surprised at the comparatively minimal love for In the Court of the Crimson King. Maybe it's a separation between 'music nerds' and the listening public, but I've always seen it as one of the most celebrated albums of all time. Certainly it's one of the most influential. Does it just not register with some people?

I have huge respect for Crimson, and whenever I listen to them, I find all sorts of interesting things in their work, but I never find myself wanting to listen to them. Kind of weird, I guess that on some level, it doesn't register with me. I tend to associate them with geekier imagery, like a lot of death or black metal bands, and it's a huge turn off for me, but I don't know why I have this reflex though, maybe something from my youth.

 

[Hockey Outsider]

I have huge respect for Crimson, and whenever I listen to them, I find all sorts of interesting things in their work, but I never find myself wanting to listen to them. Kind of weird, I guess that on some level, it doesn't register with me. I tend to associate them with geekier imagery, like a lot of death or black metal bands, and it's a huge turn off for me, but I don't know why I have this reflex though, maybe something from my youth.

Out of curiosity, which of their albums have you listened to? King Crimson is one of my favourite bands, but they're wildly inconsistent from album to album (both stylistically and in terms of quality). Some of their albums are a chore to sit through. Even for their best albums, I find that I need to be in the right mood.

The problem that I have with "In the Court of the Crimson King" is the 12-minute "Moonchild" is dull and aimless. As great as the other four songs are, that takes up more than a quarter of the album and it's boring. It's still a great album, and is clearly their most famous and influential, but they've had better releases.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Out of curiosity, which of their albums have you listened to? King Crimson is one of my favourite bands, but they're wildly inconsistent from album to album (both stylistically and in terms of quality). Some of their albums are a chore to sit through. Even for their best albums, I find that I need to be in the right mood.

The problem that I have with "In the Court of the Crimson King" is the 12-minute "Moonchild" is dull and aimless. As great as the other four songs are, that takes up more than a quarter of the album and it's boring. It's still a great album, and is clearly their most famous and influential, but they've had better releases.

I'd say I am or have been familiar with the first 5 albums. After that it gets fuzzy.

Edit: oh I've heard the last one a few times too.

 

[Hockey Outsider]

I'd say I am or have been familiar with the first 5 albums. After that it gets fuzzy.

Edit: oh I've heard the last one a few times too.

If you stopped at their fith album ("Larks Tongue in Aspic"), you're missing their two best albums (IMO).

"Red" (their seventh album) is dark and angry (Kurt Cobain noted it as an influence). It features five songs, two of which are instrumentals. What stands out about the album (aside from the high level of technical proficiency, which is nearly a given for King Crimson) is it features two ballads that are emotionally resonant in a way that you normally don't experience with prog rock. "Starless" is easily their greatest song (not a statement to be made lightly), and probably one of the five or ten best prog rock songs ever recorded.

"Discipline" is their eighth album, but it sounds completely different. It features the best songwriting of the band's career (probably thanks to Adrian Belew - talented and versatile). Some have compared it to a more technically complex version of the Talking Heads - a comparison I can't endorse only because I'm not too familiar with them. If "Red" is dark and ominous, this album is comparatively lighthearted (two songs have frantic, rambling vocals; there's one love ballad; and another song features extensive alliteration and guitars that imitate elephants trumpeting - really). The album ends with two instrumentals (which sound nothing alike). One of the best albums of the 1980's.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

If you stopped at their fith album ("Larks Tongue in Aspic"), you're missing their two best albums (IMO).

"Red" (their seventh album) is dark and angry (Kurt Cobain noted it as an influence). It features five songs, two of which are instrumentals. What stands out about the album (aside from the high level of technical proficiency, which is nearly a given for King Crimson) is it features two ballads that are emotionally resonant in a way that you normally don't experience with prog rock. "Starless" is easily their greatest song (not a statement to be made lightly), and probably one of the five or ten best prog rock songs ever recorded.

"Discipline" is their eighth album, but it sounds completely different. It features the best songwriting of the band's career (probably thanks to Adrian Belew - talented and versatile). Some have compared it to a more technically complex version of the Talking Heads - a comparison I can't endorse only because I'm not too familiar with them. If "Red" is dark and ominous, this album is comparatively lighthearted (two songs have frantic, rambling vocals; there's one love ballad; and another song features extensive alliteration and guitars that imitate elephants trumpeting - really). The album ends with two instrumentals (which sound nothing alike). One of the best albums of the 1980's.

I will gladly give both a listen in the next few days, thx!