LP Review: King Crimson - Starless and Bible Black

After gorging myself on Lizard and Larks' Tongues in Aspic recently, King Crimson's Starless and Bible Black is a teeny bit of a letdown. Sure, this album is still an essential for fans of the band, but it lacks a bit of the same energy and originality of the preceding albums.

There's still plenty to love: "The Great Deceiver" is as good an album opener as you'll find, and "The Night Watch" is an incredibly beautiful song and is in fact my favorite John Wetton vocal performance. (Call me crazy, but I'm not a big fan of his vocals in general. I don't know what it is, but there's something slightly off-putting about the tone of his voice...) Side 2 features two lengthy songs that, to be blunt, just aren't as good as the instrumentals/longer numbers on Lizard, Red or Larks'.

Overall, I'd say this is the weakest King Crimson album of the '70s. It's still a pleasure to hear, but it falls shy of the mark set by Larks' Tongues the previous year.

King Crimson personnel:
Bill Bruford - drums
David Cross - violin, viola, keys
Robert Fripp - guitars
John Wetton - bass, vocals

Track - Time (Composers)
Side 1
1. The Great Deceiver - 4:02 (Wetton, Fripp, Palmer-James)
2. Lament - 4:00 (Fripp, Wetton, Palmer-James)
3. We'll Let You Know - 3:46 (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford)
4. The Night Watch - 4:37 (Fripp, Wetton, Palmer-James)
5. Trio - 5:41 (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford)
6. The Mincer - 4:10 (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford, Palmer-James)

Side 2
1. Starless and Bible Black - 9:11 (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford)
2. Frature - 11:14 (Fripp)

Purchased at Schoolkids Records in Athens, GA
Condition: G

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LP Review: King Crimson - Lizard

"When you want to hear where music is going in the future, you put on a King Crimson album." - Bill Bruford

I love this quote, and I'm not even sure it's true, for few bands in music today sound like King Crimson do on Lizard. It's an album that pushes the boundaries of even such an ill-defined genre as progressive rock - which, ironically, makes it a definitive progressive rock album. Esoteric, playful, technical, haunting, and even downright silly at times, Lizard is a masterpiece, and it's quickly becoming my favorite King Crimson album.

It doesn't hurt that the record looks as impressive at it sounds. The chaos, intricacy and beauty of the album's cover is a fair representation of the music to be found within. The band's name is spelled over the front and back of the cover, and the gatefold design opens to reveal lyrics that are, in a word, confusing (pics below). Of all the records I own, this one has probably my second-favorite artwork, behind another King Crimson album, the legendary In the Court of the Crimson King.

Musically, the star of the show is the title track, which spans all of Side 2. That isn't to say that Side 1 should be ignored - quite the contrary. In the opening track, "Cirkus," Gordon Haskell's languid vocals are counterbalanced by the nimble runs and solos of guitarist Robert Fripp, who with his razor-sharp precision seems to be in a different frame of mind from the rest of the band. The result is a song with dueling personalities, so to speak, yet is still sublime in its cohesiveness. "Indoor Games" and "Happy Family" are delightfully strange songs - in the 10 minutes occupied by these two numbers, you'll hear meandering horn sections, a flute and trombone duet, deranged laughter, and lyrics that are bizarre even by King Crimson's standards. "Lady of the Water" closes out Side 1 with stunning grace and serenity, an almost jarring departure from the insanity of the previous tracks.

Side 2 is comprised entirely of "Lizard," a 22-minute opus in three parts that encapsulates everything I love about this band. Melodic and moving, weird and abstract, "Lizard" is a masterwork that is too often overshadowed by more 'traditional' prog rock epics ("Close to the Edge," "Thick as a Brick," etc.). Sure, it's not easy to get into, but it's simply beautiful once you do.

Fans of King Crimson probably already own this album; if not, then they need to get it immediately. For everyone else, Lizard is a challenging album that may not be appealing at first listen. Stick with it, absorb the complexities, and you'll be rewarded handsomely.

Purchased at Wuxtry Records in Athens, GA
Condition: VG+

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