In October of 1969 one of the most impactful LP’s ever released that many say was the foundational birth of progressive rock. The album sleeve was a study in medieval archetypes and feudal fatalism, but one thing was for sure, the world of modern music would be changed forever! Although there was some social commentary out there such as the Beatles who had recorded such songs as “Taxman” “When the Rain Comes” and “Revolution” along with Bob Dylan’s folk lyricism, but no one had bothered to breach the halls of normalcy like the band King Crimson and their founder Guitarist, Robert Fripp.

Few people realize that it was actually Greg Lake, the band’s bass player and vocalist who had pushed for the medieval genre that would mark the unique flavor of the music and its historic analogy to modern day chaos and war to the barbaric atrocities and superstition of the past. The imagery, visually and lyrically was an elegant tale of the dark feudal past when the court of kings decided the outcome for the peasants of the middle ages! It seemed just as fitting for the time as the present world seems today laced with ideological and savage injustice that always highlights the flaws in human nature. Today seems no different than it did when the “Court of the Crimson King” was debuted in its own turbulent time.

The very first track “Twentieth Century Schizoid Man” takes us on a fatalistic journey through war and human self-defeatism! The raw and unforgiving lyrics describe a world in hell-bent chaos unable to save itself. Battles and human suffering abound as people attempt to participate in their normal unassuming lives. Yet, the mass insanity will not allow even the most oblivious to escape! The song is a pure exercise in hard rock, jazz elements, sizzling sound effects, Greg Lake’s haunting and mechanical vocals, while Robert Fripp takes us on a searing number of screaming guitar riffs. The music is both innovative and upsetting all at the same time. However, the inescapable message is irreverently repeating itself, we are doomed by our own nature and what tragedy we have created. Society must certainly unravel as the struggle and insanity go on!

King Crimson would enter the new ground work of fusion rock that few had attempted yet, merging classical arrangements, acid rock guitar, the vocal talents of Greg Lake, lyrics of Peter Sinfield, and the incredible percussion of Michael Giles who pulled a Ringo Starr trick placing a towel on his snare drum to add a muffled snap to it! Music was rapidly evolving and King Crimson had just handed the world of music a concussion grenade! Another hard hitting and cynical yet beautiful song is “Epitaph” which travels down the same blood soaked battlefield as “Twentieth Century Schizoid Man” only with a little more philosophical subtlety. Yet, through it all we hear that medieval use of ancient drums and instruments that add an eerie middle ages atmosphere of foreboding that haunts the listener through the whole experience.

Two cuts on the album, “Moon Child” and “I talk to the Wind” are sweet and dazzling gems that tickle our senses and paint a more subtle picture for us as opposed to the first art rock tremors of songs that grabbed our attention and threatened to never let us go! As Pete Townsend, guitarist and founder of the Who, proclaimed, “In the Court of the Crimson King was an uncanny classic.” Which seems like an understatement once you’ve jumped into the stormy waters of creativity, King Crimson’s energy, and their sobering assessment of the human drama! Let us not forget Ian MacDonald who played flute and saxophone to add even more flavor to the harmony of these incredibly crafted songs. Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/7OvW8Z7kiws?list=RD7OvW8Z7kiws&t=3