In The Court Of The Crimson King

I Liked 3 of the 5 songs, so 3 Stars seems apt. Although Moonchild was close to bringing this down to a 2. Here's an idea, don't make the worst song on an album the longest.

Love it. Dated as it is.

Its crazy to me that I've known and listened to this thing since I was 14 or so, and I still had a fairly vivid memory of the songs so I almost wanted to just rate it and leave it at that. But last time I listened to it was probably 6 years ago and since them I knew I needed to relisten to this album. Now, obviously, it's still really good and I still love some of the songs, but that's the thing I feel like while I understand why I Talk to the Wind and Moonchild do to windown between the larger songs... I just kept hoping they'd end sooner so I could get to Epitaph or the title track. Moonchild especially felt too long for an improv track, the first half its fine but the rest just feels so out of place with the rest of the album's atmosphere. I Talk to the Wind is fine, it sounds pretty and its slow but that's about it for me with it, even in the past it wasn't my favorite. But those two out of the way the three remaining songs are just great: 21st Century Schizoid Man? Classic, one of the heaviest songs of the era. Epitaph? Emotional, huge, just such a great song. Title track? Epic in the actual sense, feels so evocative of the idea of whatever the crimson king is. I think what I love about these songs is that they feel so emotionally grounded and with lyrics that so perfectly illustrate all the themes in the album, be it fantastical like the title track or I Talk to the Wind, or more grounded like 21st Century Scizoid Man and Epitaph with war or loss. Other prog bands are great too but KC really did things in a way that sometimes go above and beyond what many did. Now don't get me wrong, this album is only a 3/5 stars because of the two songs i talked about but it's still fantastic for its other songs and I strongly recommend it.

I did enjoy the clearly jazz-inspired parts of this album, my favourite song was Epitaph (although I wasn't much of a fan of the marching interlude) because I liked the dramatics and classical strings. Enjoyed the other songs significantly less though, which is why I'm giving it 3 stars.

This album was many things, genre bending, incredibly technically impressive, progressive, boundary pushing, unfortunately the only area where I found it lacking was being enjoyable to listen to. I understand that that wasn’t the point of this album, but i still don’t think I can give it any higher than 3 stars as a result of my personal music taste.

Enjoyed this more than I expected.

Psychedelic fantasy prog rock pioneers. I understand the historic genre significance, but too much jamming on the recording for me. 🤙🤙🤙

I had never heard of them but the album was alright. Not completely my taste.

ykw I expected this to be a bunch of random pretentious cluttered nonsense, because while i do know songs on here, I had never listened to all of them together, and while it very much is what I expected, i'll give it this - it's some surprisingly pleasant cluttered nonsense. random assorted thoughts: - this has weirdly few plays on spotify for such a well known album - cover art is horrifying - ahead of its time (which seems to be what music nerds like.) the fact that this is the 60s is wild favorite song: "i talk to the wind" overall: 6/10 (sorry rym)

Very instrumental. It was okay. Not exactly my forte but i can appreciate what it’s doing and it’s good at it. The production is great. Something my school band class would play, but I’m missing my chorus’s.

8/26/25. Heard this one before. I think I’ll need a few more listens to truly appreciate it, but love the experimental nature of this album. The instrumentals are also on point.

I enjoyed this album listen! I’d never listened to this album or King Crimson before so that was a new experience for me. I’m not going to lie I thought this album was a little strange but I haven’t listened to much prog rock if I’m being honest. I think ‘21st Century Schizoid Man’ was the strongest track on the album, I feel like for me the album went down from there which left me wanting more songs like the opening track. I would give this album another chance in the future!

Des trucs un peu bizarre mais sympa dans l'ensemble

Je ne connaissais pas du tout, c’est pas mal chouette. C’est assez avant gardiste quand même Les morceaux sont un peu (trop) longs donc ça ne s’écoute pas dans n’importe quel moment à mon sens

21st century schizoid man is the standout for me

interesting enough, I liked Epitaph, found Moonchild too long and indulgent, The title track was good - even if 10 minutes long. I have finally listened to it now.

Not a fan of this!

I have finally listened to the funny screaming guy album. Being someone who has listened to The Dark Side of the Moon and was not impressionable in the late sixties, I have to say my perspective is muddled. I am sure that this was a very important album for the time. I am also sure that because it has been half a century since this album was released, I am less impressed by it than I should be. Some parts of this were absolutely fantastic and some of the best music I have heard in months. Some parts of this album were insanely boring to listen to. I will likely be returning to every track except Moonchild. To surmise, I am glad that I have finally listened to this and do not regret my time.

It’s alright innit. Goes on a bit, when songs include other songs it gets a bit silly. 21stC Schizoid Man is a massive riff, though. 3/5 Best Song: 21stC etc

Lots of very cool progressive tunes in this. Songs really draw out way too long although and it gets very boring.

Why am I suddenly craving a giant turkey leg? I grew up in the '70s and was into all of the other hard Rock and prog Rock and psychedelic rock bands of the time. But somehow this was an album I had never listened to before.. I'm glad that I've finally checked that box. Although, I am most definitely never going to listen to this again. Obviously a lot of talent and I can see why people would love. But for me it was just really cheesy and boring (except for 21st century schizoid man, which is pretty awesome).

J - 3/5 Best Track - "21st Century Schizoid Man"

21st Century Schizoid Man amd the Court of the Crimson King are fantastic, and early high water marks for prog. The tracks in between are doing some interesting experimentation, but not interesting enough to elevate the album.

fun album, would listen again.

Highlight Song/s: 21st Century Schizoid Man This is one of those albums that I've been meaning to listen to, but haven't come around too. Most of the tracks were fine to great, except for "Moonchild" for some reason that song triggered me with all those strange sounds around a couple minutes in. I can't explain it that well, but it made my blood boil for some reason

Okay when symphonic, fabulous when jazzy. Stark trea

Great jazz. At least, that's what I'd call it. A bit restless at times, but that's part of it.

I should like early prog rock but I find it kinda cheesy.

Ominous, foreboding, with a real plot line. I’m just not putting this on to listen to music

21st Century Schizoid Man was great. In the Court of the Crimson King was good. Everything else sounded like they were just rehearsing and tuning and forgot the recorder was on.

I will be honest and say I have always thought King Crimson was a band from like 2002. I had no idea they were around in 1969. This was really different, but wow! You can really hear many of the bands that came after this. The fantastical stuff was pretty good, not a fan of the dissonant jazz stuff. But I can see how this is considered a very influential group, some of the sounds you can almost hear other groups listening too and working into their own sound. Really makes me wish I was more fluent with that for examples. I would give it two stars, but I can hear what comes next and that bumps it up to 3.

Another group that I've heard of, but never listened to. This is a heavy dose of prog rock. Overall I enjoyed it until I got to Moonchild where it wanders to almost Spın̈al Tap Jazz Odyssey levels of jazz or whatever they were trying to do there. The artwork for the cover and inside the gatefold is pretty amazing and it makes the album instantly recognizable. I think I can see his brain.

Impressive but perhaps a bit self-congratulatory in the cleverness of the musicianship

No private session used for Spotify. I have certainly have heard 21st Century Schizoid Man and The Court of the Crimson King before, but haven't listened to a complete King Crimson album.

Álbum de menos a más, hay fragmentos interesantes pero otros muy estridentes. 6/10

i like red

Liked this a lot more than I was expecting. Big, sweeping songs with interesting lyrics.

Súper súper rock experimental y me parece que chulo que lo sea porque es de 1969!!! Vamos, canciones de 12 minutazos de las cuales solo 1 minuto tiene letra y que te pondrías de fondo pero no cantar (hay dos frases). Pero se nota que es rock en cuanto cantan y eso me gana, Epitaph FAV. Por cierto increíble que se marquen un jazz rock por la cara.

I'd never heard the originals of court of the crimson king or schizoid man before. It's an interesting album - bit too jazzy for me. It's a proper album though - not meant to be separated. I like that and I feel it would grow on me

Me gustó PERO me aburre al mismo tiempo, tengo un tema con los artistas que hacen esto de meter 2 minutos al final de la canción puramente de instrumental e improvisación, siento que en vivo estaría re copado pero escucharlo así me la baja un montón y quiero ya cambiar de tema.

Alto stand. Buen álbum, por momentos se me hace aburrido pero cuando arranca se pone.

I love me some prog, and this is one of those early examples that would end up defining the genre. But I'm glad it didn't stop here: too much "experimental" in Moonchild, too much repetition in The Court of the Crimson King.

Kanye sampled "21st Century Schizoid Man" in "Power". Long long long album for a lot of repeat songs. 6.3/10

7/10

so hectic.

Surprisingly not familiar with this album, despite having listened to some prog rock throughout the years. Immediately, I recognized the sample from "21st Century Schizoid Man", later included in Kanye West's "Power". A pretty strong 1st track, politically charged with equals parts of eeriness and powerfully rocking guitars/drums. Also lengthy, a prog rock specialty. The rest of the album unfortunately strays from all of that and opts to fill the space with some disjointed ambience. The closing track is a bit of a return to the aforementioned sound, but the whole album makes for an uneven listening experience. That's pretty much the point of progressive rock, though, and this album in particular is usually labeled as the first "true" progressive rock album from what I've read. Those are about the only flowers I can give this album in my honest opinion.

Sehr durchwachsen Anfang bisschen anstrengend aber spannend, dann wurde es besser. Der experimentelle Mittelteil war nicht so meins, es klang irgendwie mehr wie ein Xylophon das die Treppe runterfällt als wie ein Lied, was ich mir gerne in meiner Freizeit anhöre Der Titelsong hat mich dann wieder richtig abgeholt Favs: Epitaph, The Court of the Crimson King

mochte die langen Instrumentalteile und ruhigeren Lieder, aber muss ich im mood für sein

Die ersten Lieder etwas gewöhnungsbedürftig, wird dann aber besser. Viel spannend experimentelles dabei!

Prog rock is new for me and not my favorite newly discovered genre. This was actually pretty good though. Almost a 4.

I absolutely see why this album is influential and on this list, but I just can't get into prog rock.

21st Century Schizoid Man is a 5, the rest of the album is just ok

This would be a 4 if they cut out the non-song portions. The actual songs are great.

It’s ok. I don’t mind prog but prog fans can be insufferable and talk about this band like they are the greatest thing ever. They are ok. I wouldn’t listen again but didn’t hate it. 3

Første låt: å, det er her Kanye har sampla fra Gold Digger. Godt og variert, mellom god gammeldags rock og jazz, prog og alt egentlig. Plutselig er det tverrfløyte på låt nr. 2. Bra album - bærer preg av eksperimentell progressiv rock. Det er gøy. Lange tracks, merging av tracks. Ganske chill album, fint, men litt mye til tider på enkelte låter og partier, men bra med variasjon. Alt i alt, et trestjerners album - ikke helt min type musikk, men fint å ha på i bakgrunnen når du jobber.

Was fine. Single good. Others meh

Interesting Prog Rock Album, a bit high concept for my taste but it wasnt bad

Some really good prog Rock. But I wasn't really in the vibe for it. It's a solid listen but I won't come back to it.

Great musicianship & production-wise, but just not my thing at all really. 3/5

I’ve tried twice. It’s just not for me.

liked songs: 21st Century Schizoid Man, Epitaph, The Court Of The Crimson King Moon child gets too noodly, but otherwise this is a pretty good album. 3.5

Historically a very important album and helped define progressive rock. With that said, it has never blown me away and this listen was no different.

Maybe the guy on the cover is listening to this? Bit twiddly at times for my liking.

Interesting enough but I won't be revisiting

Uhh it was ok I liked like 3 songs on it

Impressive for the time. I would’ve loved this, but these days it’s just a bit too meandering and weird to make it a super easy listening album.

I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it. Was reminiscent of what I’d imagine a tolerable Pink Floyd would sound like.

Random thoughts: * Very proggy and fantastical * This falls somewhere between Emerson Lake and Palmer and Jethro Tull. * I feel like I should have liked this better. Maybe I need to re-listen with headphones to get the full effect. * I think had I discovered this organically I would have liked it better. * Definitely need to give this one another shot.

it's almost something I would enjoy. almost. it just needs a little more polishing.

Two good songs, epitath and the title Song, but the rest are mediocre, moonchild in particular. 3.5 stars

good album güzel bir albümdü oda toplarken veya ders çalışıtken güzel bir şekilde dineniyor

I can see why it's a big deal but prog just feels a bit wanky to me

Good

The first song - 21st Century Schizoiod Man, is actually a song that I didn't expect to know but it is something that I've heard in the past. I shouldn't have judged "the book by its cover" but I thought that the album would be very disappointing, based on the artwork. Overall, I am happy with the experience, it was very nice - pretty chill from the second song onward, but it was a bit intense during that first song.

This was a good album, way ahead of its time. It didn’t blow my mind, but it was very good and I enjoyed it. Lots of varied styles and influences. I can definitely see how it was a forefather of the progressive genre.

The actual songs are great, but the gratuitous ethereal wankery between them drops this down a star.

I didn't mind it.

21st Century Schizoid Man and In the Court of the Crimson King were alright. Other three songs I didn't love.

One of those "you gotta hear/own/worship it!" seminal prog albums that I just could never get into. Sure Greg Lake has the voice that immediately takes me back to childhood listening to dad's albums (ELP) - not sure I like the chaotic ones here but a few of the more "boring" ones (e.g. "Epitaph") really suit Lake well. But maybe - just maybe - Lake's milquetoast voice *is* a big part of the problem? He doesn't have the mysterious prancey camp of Peter Gabriel or the aggressive attack of 1970s Geddy Lee - instead he's just...there. Sounding pretty and polite. ehh. It's fine - I know it's a great influence on a lot of my favourite bands and for that it's worthy enough to occasionally put on. I guess I'm not as into prog as I thought I was as a teenager. I have to imagine this coming out when it did was a game changer tho, not sure people had heard anything like it before so that definitely counts for a lot. Having said that, gimme 2112 or Supper's Ready all day every day. In fact .... "...walking across the sitting room, I turn the television off...." 5/10 3 stars.

What a trip. Some beautiful stuff in here. Also some very weird stuff. Would be 3.5 if there were half stars

Homework music. Moments of brilliance. Not really my cup of tea.

The influence this album had on the prog giants that followed is clear. On the whole, not quite my thing, but 21st Century Schizoid Man is pretty cool.

Pretty cool! It's clearly distinct from other music of that age.

Progressive. Before it’s time. Powerful, poetic lyrics. Some unusual instrumentals. Sonically intriguing.

Some hits, probably won’t come back to it

Psilocybin Anyone?

A surprise. Want to listen again

Again, an album I listened to on a drive, and it fitted better than United States of America. This one has been floating around since I was a kid but this is the first time I've listened to it, and I actually quite liked it. Bit too much noodling on some tracks though.

Experimentellt, låter som att bandet står och testar olika ljud i studion. Lite jazzigt.

Eclectic, missed cohesion and would've liked the album to have sounded more like the last song

The one that started Prog…I could name one song off this album and that’s about it. This band was a bit too early for me. I can appreciate this album for it’s historical meaning.

Psychedelic rock. I like the king crimson court song. It builds really well. But not my jams.

Nope

Interesting, but not something I'd routinely listen to.

While I understand why it’s considered so highly, it’s far too prog for my ears. It’s not doing anything for me. I do like the artwork though so 3 stars.

I don't think I've ever said "What the fuck am I listening to?" more during an album. In both good ways and bad. I Talk To The Wind is beautiful but Moonchild was like 12 minutes of ASMR. A lot of songs were so drawn out and at times felt like just random noises. It's a mixed bag but I think the chaos makes sense given that they were pioneering a new genre with this. It is very cool to listen to from a historical perspective and has some great moments but I won't be listening in my free time.

I love this LARP shit, but no one can love Moonlight. Strong 3/5 would’ve been a 4 if not for that 5 minutes of garbage. Seriously it’s like they just wanted to waste some studio hours

Complete

Good, but ive gotten kind of sick it because ive listened to it many times. MIddle tracks are a little boring based on my mood. 4 stars objectively. On this listen 3 stars.

It was fine.

3 stars

Teilweise interessant. Teilweise nervig. Werde es mir aber ein zweites Mal anhören.

I'm probably not alone in having the first thought of 'ooh, Kanye West sample'. But this album has a lot more to offer than that. Floyd-esque freaky beauty throughout.

Some of the greatest album art of all time. Musically, I think it’s cool, but it’s never drawn me in. Technical mastery has never impressed me much, historically. The opener will forever be great.

Weird but also interesting, enjoyed this one!

There's only 5 songs on this album so let's go. 21st Century Schizoid: I like it. It's edgy, rock'n, and I especially like how the horns get tangled up. Talk to the Wind: it's pretty in it's melancholy way. nice flute'n. Epitaph: a slowly plodding dirge with sweeping swells of violins and bassoon-like droning. kinda depressing as fuck but it's not bad & the poetry works. Moonchild: a creeping mystery. mythic poetry. I like the percussion. It's a good song for the first 2.5 minutes. Then 10 minutes of wankery that sounds like they forgot they were still recording. Coulda had a decent song if you just stopped at 2.5 minutes. The Court of the Crimson King: it's kind of an odd song but it's not bad. That chorus where the organ rises and the drums are pounding is good. Nice little Callipe organ intermission at 7:25. I also like the bass and flute parts that kick in around 4:30. The songs are long which annoyed me at first but I have to switch gears and give the songs more patience which isn't necessarily a bad thing and there's some interesting songwriting & playing happening.

I was jiving with Side 1, but then Moonchild happened. It was just a really long song with barely anything going on. What even was that? And it takes up more than one-fifth of the album. Kick that track outta here, and this album is overall kinda cool and groovy. The songs were long and felt a little unpolished, but I liked where they took them for the most part. Epitaph was the standout for me on here. Reminded me of the Moody Blues. I was also gettin' down with 21st Century Schizoid Man and The Court of the Crimson King.

Honestly made me feel a little weird but it was the good kind of weird.

I find King Crimson a bit challenging. I like prog rock, but this is difficult. Album started off strong with “21st Century Schizoid Man”, but quickly drifted and I didn’t get it until it picked up again with “The Court Of The Crimson King”. But that was it.

It took me years to figure out why I don't enjoy this album, and it finally hit me today: the drummer sucks. Granted, when you make a drummer sit through 12 minute tracks, he's bound to get bored and start playing some stupid shit. Every fill he plays is somehow worse than the last, none of them serving the music or making sense stylistically. My favorite tracks are the ones where he does not play or is not featured. Also, please adjust the mic for the snare or tell him to tune it. It sounds like a wet fish being slapped against a table. If they got a different drummer for this album, I'd give it another shot. Everything on top of the drums is entertaining and sometimes enjoyable, but hard to truly appreciate when I am constantly being distracted every four bars.

Ok

Þokkalega gott stufd

Very inconsistent.

Not bad.

Good album with one milestone song, worth it for this alone

lord, every song goes on for too long and makes me feel like i need more drugs

Really love 21st century schizoid man, part of it sounds like speed runners. Really like the prog rock of the songs, but the parts where it's just silence or birds or whatever are a bit too long. I've also heard this album before and listening to it again confirms my thoughts, overall I'd love to rate this higher but as a whole album I'd probably give it a 3.

kinda good, kinda bullshit

I liked parts of songs. As a whole the songs seemed too long for me. Large sections of instrumentals that dragged on too long.

ahhh, the iconic album cover. Certainly a landmark progressive rock album that blends a variety of styles into a weirdly chaotic mixture. While often hailed as a masterpiece, it's not without it's flaws. It meanders a bit too much for my taste, like an overly indulgent jam session that overstays it's welcome. That being said, it dared to push rock music into new territory, influencing countless artists along the way. It remains a fascinating and essential listen for anyone at all interested in the evolution of progressive rock.

First time hearing this fabled album. I like this style a lot more than the country rock dominant in this era. I enjoyed the heavy rocking prog and jazz influences, hearing some really good musicians go on journeys. I’m glad I heard it, but I wasn’t compelled by the subject matter so don’t feel called to listen again necessarily.

3 sterne

I'm still a Prince, so...

This is a really interesting album! I don't know that I've ever heard anything like this and can totally understand why this has been considered such an important album in terms of progressive rock. I'm not sure I would want to listen to this all the time, but I really enjoyed the lesson and would recommend it to others.

Cool ! Aussi en theme

influential to many pro rock bands but not THE starter. I only enjoyed what I have heard of r50 years. Maybe with a blunt or some mesc...

I enjoyed it, some songs go on too long but the music is really good

I can see how it could be influential, sounds similar to a lot of famous bands who came before and after (beatles, even reminds me of pretty odd by Panic!, etc). Not something I will probably come back to though. I saved I talk to the wind to my playlist, that was by far my fav one.

good for homework doing

🎧Laid the foundation for prog rock, I’m told. 21st Century Schizoid Man is pretty sick. Some boring musical detours on tracks like Moonchild. Cool album, a little overrated though.

Unlucky that I just had their other album 4 days ago. It seems that the parts where they’re playing “traditional” rock are much better and tighter. Their progressive digressions seem to have become more indulgent and boringer.

It starts and ends on the highest notes. I guess I can see the genius, but the melodies and instrumentation weren’t as strong and memorable as I hoped for. Moonchild in particular dragged on. 6/10

Jazzy Rock or Rock Jazz, glad I heard it once, but not going to be something I remember listening to tomorrow.

For the most part I liked it, but what the fuck was going on in the middle of Moonchild? It almost makes me want to sink this rating to a two. But I enjoyed the rest of the album enough to send it down the middle of the road.

So I’ve always used King Crimson as a joking example of the sort of stuff I hate. “Oh, it’s okay, at least it’s not bloody King Crimson or some shit! Music for wankers!” Which means I really have shocked myself by…not hating this? What does this mean? Am I the wanker now? I’m not saying I love it. 10 minutes a song way outstrips my attention span if I’m honest, some of the twiddlier bits and I prefer my lyrics to make some kind of sense, but I can’t deny that it’s epic, and I can even…maybe…see myself putting it on again, in a certain sort of mood. I guess if there’s a moral to this story it’s that I should have embraced my inner wanker years ago.

Meh, not bad but it didn’t really leave an impact on me

Decent

Some of the tracks are amazing and complex, and some of them are awful. Tricky to rate . 3?

Good album, aware that it was popular and famous but only ever really listened to 21st century schizoid man before, would give it a 3.5 stars really. Kinda crazy that this is from the sixties Fav song: 21st Century Schizoid man

- hat mir sehr gut gefallen (und das trotz einiger sehr langer Songs) - The Court Of The Crimson King war mit dem Refrain schon sehr ohrwurmig 3,25/5

I'm a big prog rock fan (Rush and Yes) so am aware of and respect King Crimson. Have never given this the listen it deserves as it's on countless lists. Definitely appreciating it more.

I can appreciate this. I know it’s important but it isn’t my thing. I’ll go 3/5 due to the importance and the musicality. It’s lush. It’s well put together. I just wouldn’t need to listen all the time.

After listening to Larks' Tongues In Aspic by King Crimson, I thought for sure I was going to hate this album. But this one actually had legit music and not noises. It's not my favorite, but I never really disliked anything that was going on while listening. Average. Really all I have to say.

Oh, we were all familiar with The Court Of The Crimson King. But it was because of the cover art, not the music. The songs were all too long to get any radio play back then. They’re still too dramatic and jazz like for me. The album made for a nice meadow walk, overall a good experience. (2.7*s)

I did enjoy this album. Loved the first track. Loved the flute incorporated in other tracks (I hope, it was the flute :D ). Yeah, overall nice album.

Dunno if I need to listen again

Altogether, a good, solid album. Too self-indulgent by times, but the rest is good listening. Would listen again.

I understand this album's significance, but just doesn't really do it for me after 21st century schizoid man.

Good album.

I think there’s some kind of spiritual blockage in my brain that makes me incapable of truly enjoying prog

Like it 👍 3/5

I recognize why this is significant, but there's just so much that it becomes a blur without any real landmarks

Fourteen year old me probably would have loved it, but I did not hear it then. Still, not too bad.

This was way better than a lot of the prog rock I've been subjected to on this experience. I would revisit this album sometime, in fact.

Weirdly engaging…

Some classics, and a great final piece that sounds more experimental/jazzy. Can see why this is influential.

Unhinged Beatles psychedelic rock 5/10

Very long songs, some were just noise. I still liked it though.

Strange sound - interesting but at times felt like a beginner playing random notes for the heck of it. Some songs were impressive and thought out though, just not the entire album.

Un álbum para hacer más cosas. Siento que tiende a ser repetitivo en las canciones más extensas, sin embargo se siente homogéneo, y necesaria cada canción. El principio y final del mismo se sienten unidos, la parte central demasiado emocional. Pero, no lo escucharía completo nuevamente.

3.5/5

Some pretty cool parts. Great production and atmosphere. Too nerdy for me.

This album was an interesting trip between "wow this sounds pretty good" to "what am I listening to?". Sometimes this would happen between songs, sometimes in would happen over the course of a singular song. However, that's the spirit of prog rock I suppose, with this album being instrumental to the rise of prog rock, and to my shock, an influence on even Kanye West.

There is certainly some good stuff here, I can see the appeal, but it's a bit too much for an hour with the insanely long songs. The whole album didn't grab me that much, but 21st Century Schizoid Man is a certified banger though, so much so that it single-handedly carries the album to a 3 star rating.

J’ai aimé une seule chanson. Le reste est sympa mais trop long

I mean, it wasn’t bad. And I appreciate what it means. But prog rock isn’t really my thing.

Lots of great musicianship going on here, but to my ear sometimes it's ponderous and monotonous. 21st Century Schoizoid Man is a rocker, truly great song. I Talk to the Wind, Epitath and Moonchild all seem to run together until we get to the Court of the Crimson King. Interesting moment in prog, but it's a little dated in 2024.

As pretentious as it comes but yeah it's still decent

Top notch first song, but the rest are all low energy snoozers. Incredibly disappointing.

Great start that fell off quickly.

I've listened to this multiple times in the past in an attempt to enjoy King Crimson. This attempt proved no different to me; I still don't really like it. It's too disjointed or something for me. I'm sure, just like most jazz, it's me, not the band. Clearly talented musicians. Again, I'm disappointed in my level of prog.

Exceeded expectations

Interesting album. Never heard of the band or the album before. I can see why it has such a cult following for the Prog Rock scene. But I'll probably never listen to this one again.

I was somewhat familiar with King Crimson but had never listened to an entire album. Enjoyable enough and you can hear a lot of their contemporaries in the songs. Probably not an album I will listen to again.

It’s fine, I just don’t like progressive rock

Definitely an interesting album. Some parts were good, but the noodling was a bit too aimless at times. 2.5/5 Might listen again

Banger opening tune, great use of woodwinds on the following track, and then it just kind of meanders from there.

It was fine. Some of the songs felt like they took themselves too seriously, which dragged down the bits of the album that were fun.

I loved how the fisrts song was sampled by Kanye West. I will relisten thou. It is not my thing but I hope i get to like it.

Surprised to find I didn't like the opening track all that much... Too jazzy and wanky. Really liked the next few tracks though.

Funky jazz swing with a dash of metal.

Honestly I really enjoyed this. First song is great - really enjoyable when you want good music but not an incredibly active listen.

Lots of instrumental breaks, rly liked I talk to the wind

Well, it's better than "Larks' Tongues in Aspic", that's for sure.

I liked this much more than the other King Crimson album. Was pleasantly surprised to hear the album kick off with a song that was sampled in MBDTF.

Strange and interesting album. Had to give it two listens which definitely helped. With the first listen I would have rated this as 2 but the second go bumped it to 3. Favorite track was 21st Centuruy Schizoid Man.

I gave this albulm a second listen. I never thought that this albulm was able to live up to its reputation, and I still don’t. It’s definitely influential, but I feel like most bands since have figured out what needed to stay and what needed to go. Favorite song: I talk to the wind Least Favorite: Moonchild

This I find quite difficult. I think King Crimson is a very interesting band, which plays really interesting music. The problem is, I have never really liked their music. I have over the time listened quite a lot to some of their albums but I always find something missing. Composing and playing more complex music than most bands is something I like but the result has also to be likable ... and here the problem starts for me.

Enjoyable listen

Evaluating an album like this presents certain difficulties. It’s been over 50 years since this record’s release. Countless artists and records have been influenced by King Crimson. So, trying to listen to this in a vacuum is impossible. All those subsequent offerings color my perception of this record. So, I don’t want to be too harsh in my evaluation. But I found much of this album to be dull. https://open.substack.com/pub/richcain/p/project-1001-in-the-court-of-the?r=4ztyq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

Not bad

The first 3 tracks are just about as good as prog rock gets. The last 2 tracks are everything that’s utterly terrible about prog rock. Why do they always have to ruin it? 3.2

3/5

I never know what to expect with prog rock, and this was no exception. It was weird, and flirted with a lot of different influences and styles. I thought parts of it were great, but it also got a bit too indulgent for my taste. It has a "jam band" feel at times, and I think they didn't really care if I was actually listening for long stretches. Ultimately, I respect it more than I like it. It plays around with new tools and styles available, and I could almost place some more mainstream works that this inspired. One more note, I'm glad this popped up before that Kanye album did. I really like that this list is randomized, because it keeps genres and eras unpredictable and fresh, but I think a minor tweak so that albums that are heavily sampling or riffing from another are biased to come after would be helpful, at least for people like me who are using this to explore music history.

This started really really well. After track 1 I was ready to give this album 5 full stars. By the end, after I'd been dragged through Moonchild and back, my opinion shifted significantly.

Prog rock for the win! Where would we be without King Crimson and, around the same time, Can?

Too diverse in one album.

is this a jojo reference????

Loved the opening track, but it's pretty average 60s jam band stuff after that. You can hear how this was an influence on bands that came later, so an interesting listen overall.

Definitely the forerunner to Rush.

It was ok. It definitely had some fun moments, and maybe if it was 1970s, and I was sitting on a beanbag chair and listening to it on vinyl with friends, and mild hallucinegics, I would enjoy it more.

Good parts and parts I didn't like as much

I kinda liked the jam band vibe of it

MBDTF reference.

Weird, but in a good way. First song was sampled by kanye on power so its goated. Overall thought it was cool, not too sure its my style tho

I had never heard of the band but I have heard of it's first track, 21st Century Schizoid Man, which was sampled by Kanye West's record; Power. The guitar, drums, and wind instruments add layers that work well together. There were very tranquil, almost therapeutic, moments in the album that were quite refreshing. The Court Of The Crimson King was one of my favorite tracks. Overall this is a good album.

21st Century Schizoid Man is cool, but the rest of the album doesn't do much for me. 3 stars.

The good parts are really good but there are a lot of snoozeworthy parts as well. I like King Crimson a lot but this is not the album I find myself reaching for often. Favorite Track: 21st Century Peepee Man

Notes Father of prog rock Repeatable Ish Influence Kanye

Very cool stuff. My high level take on this is they aren't great song writers, but everything else is top notch. As many epic moments as there are confounding moments. I don't understand the purpose of the diddling on Moonchild that lasts 10 minutes. It does make the intro to "The Court of the Crimson King" pop, but 10 minutes of random sounds feels excessive. At moments I’m definitely engaged and enjoying parts, but there are also moments where it sounds like Spinal Tap with a music degree.

I liked this. Very proggy and over the top, so not my usual thing. But I liked it for what it was

I enjoyed parts of this. If I'd heard it with no context, I'd have said the Court of the Crimson King was by David Bowie (in a good way – the Ziggy Stardust kind of way). Some interesting folk tracks too – I enjoyed the harmonies. Some parts felt intentionally discordant and challenging (21st Century Schizoid Man), but overall it pleased my ear more than it grated. Fascinated that Kanye dug this deep on a sample.

At times beautiful the first two songs and then overbearing the last 2 songs.

Has its moments but overall not good enough to hold attention for the space of a full prog hour.

я была настолько уверена что уже его слушала... в общем довольно приятный, только разный и глуховатый. можно продолжить)

Sounds a bit too experimental for my liking, but not bad overall

Interesting. Some good songs that I’d listen to again.

I can see why this is an important album. Progressive rock is always hit or miss for me. And while this isn’t a miss…it’s not really. Hit either.

It was interesting. It felt different and really enjoyed some of it, but it was not an album I would listen to the whole thing again.

Yeah not bad some odd songs though

Enjoyed some songs but others not so much. The songs were really long which was a bummer during songs like "Moonchild" that was basically 12 minutes of elevator music. Conflicted on the rating since the songs I liked I really liked. Favorite songs were: 2. I Talk To The Wind 3. Epitaph 6/10

Nice mix of rock n jazz a bit of prog. A bit dated but still passes a bit of time.

Second listen through. Solid album, parts that are experimental and drag, but overall great and exciting album. 3/5

Despite knowing this is a stone cold classic I had quite low expectations. 5+ minute songs scare me and I thought it was one of those albums that was a bit too experimental to actually be enjoyable. Actually listening to the album showed me at least partially wrong. The songs did sometime overstay their welcome, but they were fun/pleasant listens. Maybe with some relistens this would rise to the 4 or 5 stars it may actually deserve. I Talk to The Wind was a my personal favorite song and will probably get the most reslistens for now.

Just wasn't feeling this one much. 3/5

Really good really influential sounds like they were a HUGE influence on the moody blues. But hard to listen straight through.

Very cool jazzy bits, very instrumental vs lyrical, solid album. Weird experimental moments sometimes but can see it's ahead of time as it's a 1969 album.

Not too bad, but it sounds a bit too much like mythological rock for me. If you are into the concept, I'm sure it's more fun to listen to.

I may seem to have a bit of a beef with King Crimson. At time of writing, my review for Larks' Tongues in Aspic is the top rated one, where I essentially rip into prog, call the whole thing shit and accuse them of just mucking about. I was CORRECT. However, I'm delighted to say that this album is much better! Not the first track, which is all a bit weird and frantic, but the rest demonstrates some actual musical skill and even nuance, which was crucially missing from that other album. Parts of it are very listenable, varying from softer ballad tracks, and balancing those with bigger, more vibrant moments. Over the course of this project I've come to soften on prog as a whole, understanding that it's only certain parts of it that really grate with me. There's still elements of them pissing about and making random noises here, and I'd point to that as evidence that they still think they're more clever than they are (hello most of 'Moonchild'). But you can hear the more expansive bits coming in, and clearly laying some kind of template and influence for bands to come. A mixed bag. I actually enjoyed bits of this, and King Crimson can now come (a little way) out of musical jail.

It has some good points

1st 3 tracks are brilliant then it loses its way badly. High 3*

Good album, but not great, not much to say about it. However I did particularly like Epitaph and I Talk To The Wind, they were good song.

Okay okay. Let’s get the good stuff out of the way first. This album is held in such high regard for good reason. It’s the world’s introduction to prog rock and 21st Century Schizoid Man pretty much earns it that reputation. But boy oh boy is this album just not very consistent. We hit 100 fucking miles per hour in the opening track, pulling off insane rhythms and technical skill no one had ever done in rock music before…then a screeching halt to I Talk to the Wind, a 6 minute keyboard flute ballad that (I guess) is attempting to bring us into a real king’s court of medieval times. Talk about taking the momentum out of the record. Then we ssssort of get back to speed on Epitaph, which genuinely has a great sound but is too long and just a bit too corny. From here on out it’s tough to get back on board to really any greatness being offered. I like this record. I really do. But I don’t love it. It’s too boring and dated to be considered among its all-time great peers.

Nice

01) 21st Century Schizoid Man (including Mirrors) - 6,5 02) I Talk to the Wind - 7,0 03) Epitaph (including March for No Reason and Tomorrow and Tomorrow) - 5,5 04) Moonchild (including The Dream and The Illusion) - 5,0 05) The Court of the Crimson King (including The Return of the Fire Witch and The Dance of the Puppets) - 6,5 TOTAL: 6,10 (61/100) Current ranking: 225/281

Niukasti kolmonen. Hämmentävän sekava levy jolla on hetkensä.

Huomattava parannus edelliseen listan levyyn. Hetkellisesti turhaa kilkuttelua, mut muuten jees

I know the opening and closing tracks on this album pretty well, but wasn't familiar with the rest. I had higher hopes for it, honestly, and it's alright, but nothing that really blew me away.

It's a solid album but I don't quite buy all of the hype. I think it has some less than stellar moments. I'd personally give it a 3.5, rounding down to a 3 for over-hype.

Good

Less heavy, more medieval than expected. Solid album and likely the invention of progressive rock. 7.7/10

Prog rock is really hit or miss for me. It loses me when the noodling begins, but I do enjoy the songs when they can keep their focus. This is no exception.

Albumi #4, 31.08.2024 King Crimsonia en ole kuuntelemalla kuunnellut koskaan. Tämänkin debyyttialbumin kansi on tuttu, vaan kokonaisuutena kuuntelematta on jäänyt tähän päivään mennessä. Levyn avaus on progeilun legendaarisia kulmakiviä, mutta levyn loput biisit ovat selkeästi hidastempoisempaa fiilistelyä. Taitavia muusikoita ja monimutkaisia sävellyksiä. Tämäkin albumi menee silti itselläni sarjaan "ei mikään erikoinen mutta pitää tietää".

3/5. It would have been 4, but the score was removed for too (painfully) long tracks for 12 minutes each and somehow delayed. It was possible to cut out the excess.

I ain’t avant-garde enough for this.

Pretty good, memorable, but for some reason that I can't put my finger on, I don't want to give 4 stars. Really need to figure out why...

Reminded me of Pink Floyd, which is a plus. I recognized one song and my favorite was the only instrumental.

Starts off decent, drops off at epitaph and moonchild then picks up a bit again at the end

Decent all around album, but no one track stands out.

Enjoy prog rock but this gets weird

Not usually a fan of prog rock and this one certainly had all the things I find a little too over-the-top about the genre. But that said, I enjoyed this one for whatever reason -- maybe more earnest, less self-aware?

I really like 2 of the songs, and the album is undoubtedly a huge achievement musically. But there is literally a 12 minute song where nothing happens for half the time. There is too much 'filler' on an album of only 5 tracks. I appreciate its importance and innovation in the prog field, but that's just not enjoyable listening for me. The opening and closing tracks are absolutely killer though.

For me, like most prog rock, it veered between great beauty and self-indulgent twaddle. Thankfully there were more of the former than the latter, but the cover still makes me wince every time I see it.

This face was in many a record collection when I was younger but I’d never listened to the album. I really loved some of it and some of it was a bit skippable.

Dit kon ook niet uitblijven. Na een orkaan aan progrock geweld was het tijd voor de Godmother van de scene. Laten we beginnen met die hoes, waar je niet omheen kan. Unsettling en ontzettend iconisch. Verder doet het album waar progressive rock goed in is, alles duurt te lang. Zelfs de gave stukken emmeren iets te lang door. Maar dat neemt niet weg dat er wel echt episch werk opstaat. Vooral de afsluiter met z'n waanzinnige drums, en de smerige riff in de opener blijven me bij. Zat er bij vlagen wel redelijk lekker in, maar het is dan wel weer jammer dat je halverwege een minuut of 10 aan het luisteren bent naar een opstartende I Mac computer. 7/10 Highlights: 21st Century Schizoid Man The Court of the Crimson King

Guilty. Ik wist niet dat POWER een King Crimson sample was. Maar wat een goeie sterke riff is dat. Het begin verrast me positief en de progrock is niet zo gitaarsolo-ig als ik dacht. Het middenstuk is wel echt saai gepingel. Dat duurt te lang. Het slotstuk is wel weer goud en ook het vette wat progrock te bieden heeft. Een epische afsluiter. 7/10 Highlights 21st Century Schizoid Man The Court of the Crimson King

Went into this cautiously, given past experiences with prog on this list. But mostly enjoyed it (Moonchild, though?). 3.5 🌟 I'll have to add King Crimson to the bottom of my list of favourite musical kings: 1. King Creosote 2. BB King 3. Carole King 4. The King (Northern Irish Elvis impersonator, see Gravelands) 5. The King (Elvis) 6. Ben E King 7. King Crimson

Starts with a banger! Swinging! But then goes... boring. 3/5

Pretty cool album, and nice cover! '21st Centuary Schizoid Man' had a pretty sick guitar riff. I enjoyed it in general, 3 stars.

I actually liked this more than I should've. Very high quality musicianship and enjoyable songs despite not being my kind of music

It’s alright. KANYE SAMPLE SPOTTED

This was a fun album to listen to, but didn't have much of a wow factor for me. The scary artwork on my big screen TV kind of scared me every time I walked through the living room.

ok ich kenn de erst song afoch vom kanye leider. aber isch jo huuuuuere geil mitsax und klarinette was au immer. wird langsam chli noodly aber d teil mit blöser und gitarre sind geeeeil. fühls. ich redibedi mit windibaffi. schön? lieb d klarinette immerno, und d bass flageolett. und s klarinettesolo isch gad craaazy geil. find de song allgemein chli lame aber s solo. hets usegholt. epitaph au wieder soft aber huere geili snare? moonchild findi etz au wieder sehr lamsam. aber sehr schöni textures und so. super. ok jetz wird genoodelt steve reich time atonali musig jo voll. oke ich checks langsam. aso nöd im guete sinn. court of the crimson king cooler sie singed wieder s het mega e melodie und cooli orgle. schluss cool. aha goht nomel 3 minute. booooah und jetz hemmer afoch no 30 sekunde stilli? nai am schluss nochli grüsch. glaub ich möst das album 15 mol lose zums checke.

okee bin sehr gspannt, das album wird ja in himmel ufeglobt d blöser aind schomal sehr cool, de gsang chli weird hahaha d drums au ener weird aber cool aso d drums gönd dumm und alles andere rundume au, es isch fast scho goofy aber s hetmi jz nanig mega catched? s passiert mega vill und das findi geil aber joa oke I talk to the wind scho um ener mis ding, sehr geil epitaph huuere schön moomchild kenni? oder nöd? i weiss nöd d bridge findi sehr geil, ich glaub me het d sticks vom drummer ghört hahahah ahh oder er haut ufs kit selber oke jz ab 6:10 ca. ischs ener chli "lol machemer chli grüsch", vorher ischs na um einiges zemmehängender gsi hanis gfühl court of the crimson king findi jz no sehr cute zum abschlüsse jaa ich verstahs glaub scho und es het paar sehr cooli moment gha aber schlussendlich

I don’t get the buzz about this band. A lot of noise.

It’s all nice enough and seems to be very important to prog rock, but it doesn’t excite me or compel me to return to it.

Good

This album alternates between absolute rubbish on one track and then absolute gold on the next. I guess that means they average out to smack-dab in the middle, which seems like a great disservice no matter which way you look at it.

I largely feel the same about this as the other King Crimson album on here: props for doing weird prog rock shit in 1969, I liked some of it but not all of it, and I'm glad it's on this list. 3.3

It was okay but I probably won’t even think about it ever again.

Epitaph fucks. Not listen to before u die material.

get to the point already, maybe 3.5

Mixed bag, a few really great songs with memorable melodies, in between a bunch of soundtrack like jam sessions... Would give 5 stars for 2 songs, but the rest drags it down...

Some interesting melodies and riffs.

Too noodly for me but appreciate the artistry.

If you listen really close, you can hear the Kanye sample.

El disco progresivo por excelencia. Diría que me encantó, pero no disfruto del género progresivo. Las ideas de esta pieza son muy buenas y están ejecutadas a la perfección, pero no puedo evitar sentirme aburrido y un poco decepcionado cuando a la mitad de LP se amplía el espacio entre instrumentos y al final se repite la misma idea que al principio (sé que es parte del concepto). De todas formas, sumamente recomendable a quien quiera entrar en este género.

I like this album but it’s not as epic as everyone makes it out to be

Day157 - buckle up this is a long album. i have met my flute quota for the rest of the list.

I had high expectations and while it’s a good album I didn’t quite understand why it’s so highly rated. Some good moments and an overall well written and complete-feeling LP. But it misses in places and didn’t jump out for me as often as I had hoped.

Guess I never realized how much late 60s and 70s rockers loved the flute 🤷‍♂️ I found some of this being quite accessible for prog. Lost me 6 minutes into Moonchild. Didn’t really understand that. Court of the crimson king is quite epic. But again, prob should have just ended 7 minutes in. Deserves higher than a 3 but not quite a 4 for me.

5/10 Yes, Mr. Crimson please sit down. We noticed you are taking really long lunches. and while it isn't any of our business, there doesn't seem to be any meat on your sandwiches. We're going to have to let you go, 'cause you're weird and you sometimes just drift off into 10 minute long jams. 6-7-2024

I dug this one.

A solid album I think! Not necessarily something id seek out but I found it to be a good moody vibe to listen to

Good

I almost stopped at track one with that terible modulated singing this album kicked off with. Thankfully that was the only time, but what a terrible beginning. In the end I found the album enjoyable. I'm giving it a 3 only because of that 1st track, otherwise I would have probably given this album a 4.

There’s definitely a lot to like here, including some very inventive sounds and melodies. However, some songs tend to bore me and go on for longer than I’d prefer. Still a solid record though.

An album to be listened from beginning to end at once, but also would require more repeats for more stars

No clear favorite. Least favorite: Moonchild Though I can hear influences of this in other bands (e.g. Roxy Music), the is nothing that sticks in my mind, it all blends together. I like Greg Lake's vocals and find ELP more to my liking.

another reason why I love this list, discovering where samples have come from, in this instance Kanye borrowing from 21st Century Schizoid Man

Important, not enjoyable.

I don't think the drummer ever stopped playing that first fill he started on the first song.

Whilst I liked some of the riffs and motifs of this album I do find prog rock a little draining at times. Just relentless isn't it. This was fine! Not my favourite

A classic album. I liked it and it had some great bits but also some really long drawn out boring parts.

meh gostei mais ou menos, sinceramente preferia estar a ouvir outra coisa. 6/10

Good old weird 60s music. Some good, some bad, but mostly alright really.

Some of the songs I absolutely did not like. Some I liked. Very good musicians. Progressive for 1969

The guy who owns one of the record stores in my town is a little like Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons. He always has this record in stock and prominently displayed, so I have seen this album cover many times, though I have never listened to it. It was better than I expected. But still the kind of music that “Record Store Guy” would play in his store.

Great rock

A bit peculiar but still quite good music.