King Crimson Albums Ranked From Worst to Best

[@Sir_Eyeball]

The funniest and cleverest moment in their discography is the 'I repeat myself when under stress I repeat myself when under stress I repeat...' on 'Indiscipline'. Out of nowhere. It always gets me.

[@ericblair1245]

It's "I repeat myself when I'm distressed".

[@chuckcribbs3398]

One of their best songs. It’s so tongue in cheek. Belew really makes it so fantastic.

[@simpleman5688]

Just got me! 👍🏿

[@someoneno-one7672]

Adrian Belew is Roberto Benigni of rock music. “Father, I know these sins must be confessed, but they were just so wonderful!”

[@privateprivate1865]

​@@ericblair1245not'uh

[@br.johnrussoofmcap.6129]

I was fortunate enough to have a personal connection on Twitter with John Wetton during the few years before he died. Now and then, we would dialog about music. At one point, I asked him who was responsible for that Great Deceiver riff ... he said that was his. A very gentle, kind guy. May he rest in peace.

[@christopher9152]

You are spot-on about Islands, Jason. It is really underrated. Sailor's Tale, Ladies of the Road, Islands, Formentera Lady...all classics. Boz is a fine vocalist and Mel Collins' playing adds a lot to the arrangements. Fripp is in fine form throughout; his solo on Sailor's Tale is fantastic. I'd rank it as #3 or #4 for sure.

[@historicarchives4841]

King Crimson is very popular on the internet. Probably Yes is more popular but King Crimson has more hardcore fans.

[@andrewdyke5561]

I'm a die hard of both

[@mccarthyd6603]

And.....King Crimson is more talented than Yes 👍🤔

[@PepeLuguillo]

King Crimson was very popular in 1969. Imagine Jimi Hendrix knowing your band and calling it "the best band in the world". Yes, Hendrix told that to Fripp.

[@johnsmusicpassions9740]

Here's my review to Red 1974 kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYKYkJKHmtJmmZY Red KC

[@antoniogalianojerez9942]

​@@mccarthyd6603 i don't agree at all. I think both are equal in talent (very high). If jon anderson is a fantastic singer, chris squire a fantastic bassist, steve howe a fantastic guitarrist, rick wakeman a fantastic keyboardist, and bill bruford (and even alan white)a fantastic drummer, just tell me what the conclusion is.

[@johnwilliams4658]

No shame in loving Islands Jason. It's their most underrated record and grows a lot with repeated listens. The title track alone is a top 5 KC song. I came to the album late due to its reputation but love it now. I can't disagree with anyone's opinions on this video and think KC are quite puzzling which is part of their appeal. King Crimson are prog+ and much more interesting than Yes over time and I love Yes too. Yes may have a couple of five star albums - CTTE, Relayer or Going for the One. KC's inconsistency as discussed keeps them from a five star release but Red comes very close. Thanks

[@billclarke3773]

Used to be my favourite. Side 1 is superb.

[@Trunkfish]

Islands is my personal favorite definitely special

[@recoveringsam8675]

Islands will always be my favorite crimson album. Can’t believe so many dislike it

[@singasonga-m1d]

my second after debute album

[@ronniefarnsworth6465]

They are not "Real" Crimson fans, they don't get it !!! I've been a fan since their 1st album, I was 12' and my older Brother of 5 yrs older played them all !! We saw them 3 times from 1973-74' they were so great and later I saw the 80s, 90s and 7 headed Monster bands 2014-19' 👍🎼🎶

[@nakim55]

Squares.

[@Flibbybibby]

First four albums are the best imo!

[@billy4147]

Islands was my first KC album. Really loved Larks Tongues in Aspec, and there are many individual tunes I love. But after 50 years of listening to KC I find myself enjoying Islands more than many of my other favorite KC albums. These guys hardly qualify as KC experts, they started of the Vid saying they did understand why KC was many people favorite Prog Rock band. Go figure.

[@rupertx_x1613]

Would like to have seen a Billy Joel/King Crimson crossover - THRAK-AK-AK-AK-AK-AK-AK-AK!

[@jukeboxcowboy]

Thank you. That made my morning. It's actually not that far out of a notion, seeing how Elton John was being considered as a band member at one point!

[@Fatherjohn76]

Court of the Crimson King's gatefold cover art fueled my childhood nightmares. Thanks dad

[@jukeboxcowboy]

Yup. The first time I saw that album cover was indelibly etched into my warped little mind. Thanks dad

[@blairwheaton8905]

It's on my wall now and my granddaughter is scared of it. It may be the most famous cover ever.....

[@lionelraoul]

These are my favorite episodes. I only knew about 3 albums from the band and now I've got some great recommendations to explore the catalogue further. Great discussion.

[@EphemeralBalconist]

Bill Bruford likened leaving Yes for King Crimson to jumping over the Berlin Wall INTO East Germany. He said that in the studio "nothing was ever said, you were just supposed to know what to do."

[@179rich]

Wow that doesn't sound like a healthy environment. Amazing that it still produced great results. But there must be a reason why the band member turnover rate was so high.

[@ericarmstrong6540]

@@179rich Sometimes people make changes and decisions in life because they want to push themselves in directions to challenge themselves. Bill Bruford left Yes at a time when they were poised for international success and so to an outsider who might see staying put as the "safe" call, Bill was ready to move on after Yes had achieved what was to his mind, the absolute pinnacle. And so when King Crimson came calling, he was ready for the challenge and something entirely new. Bruford was in King Crimson from 1972 until 1997, which tells me that whatever it was to be in that band, he came back to it be cause of the challenges it provided to him as an artist. He called King Crimson his "spiritual home" and "bed of nails". While King Crimson was hard, he liked being challenged in the ways that King Crimson challenged him.

[@alexpaley4158]

@@179rich Yes; Robert Fripp, talented and forward-thinking though he may be, has been reported by many ex-Crims as not being easy to work with. nobody's perfect!

[@BroonParker]

@@alexpaley4158 Poor Toyah!

[@johnw706]

An excellent overview of their albums . The amazing thing about King Crimson ( for me ) is their ability to go from industrial strength powerful songs to moments of etherial beauty in other songs ( or sometimes in the same song ). This really comes across when you see them live . I saw them in 2019 with the 3 drummers , and when they were raging , on numbers like Red and Thrak , they literally pinned you to your seat . Then they turned around and hit you with the absolutely gorgeous Islands , which might have been my favourite song of the night . They also did everything from the debut , and it was a five star performance .The precision of their playing is literally jaw dropping . Anyway , I really enjoyed your rankings and the rationales that you gave . Many thanks !!

[@roxannewalsh]

In my personal Hall of Fame, the Crimson King resides at his round table since 50 years. This is one of my top 20 artists of all time - other than Yes etc, the band stayed relevant and progressing and never turned into their own tribute band like so many others. There is only one KC (studio) album that is not 4 star or better. In 1970 my father brought me home the first album from one of his business trips - I still think he bought it just for the cover and because it was in the rock bin. He is "guilty" to have made me a Crimson addict and I thank him for it like I thank him for so many other things.... My number one is also my number one progressive album of all times, even topping Soft Machine, Yes, Gentle Giant or Genesis. 13. The Konstruktion of Light (3,5) The only time that KC appeared like a band in a holding pattern looking for a new way to go. They still do that with brilliant variations of what are old themes, though. 12. Beat (4) As close as KC ever came to mainstream, of course that outer current of it that they helped to define, that Talking Head's edge. 11. Islands (4) No fooling, even at the eleventh spot this album is a unique gem. Chaos vs harmony, order vs beauty, you have no idea what the next minute in life or on this record may bring. Not for the faint hearted but for those who want to know where music can take you if you are willing to embark. 10. The Power to Believe (4) Around that time, many new bands were fumbling to revive progressive rock by recycling old sounds. The few artists however who managed to add something new were the old pioneers and KC was one of them. 9. Three of a Perfect Pair (4) A perfect album title for the other album that bookends the Discipline era. 8. In the Wake of Poseidon (4) Some people complain that KC took far too large steps between albums while others moan that their second album was too close to the debut. In truth, it is a logical step forward of the band's concept. 7. Discipline (4) The first 3 songs open the third period of KC with a clear statement that they are back and they are again different - and that you would not want to miss the new experience. 6. Lizard (4,5) While working on this album, Robert Fripp also produced Keith Tippett's experiment Centipede, a 50 musician orchestra of all the progressive forces in Britain at that time (That band released one double album in 1971, Septober Energy). Tippett and the woodwind players on Lizard were part of the project. The KC context reigns in Tippett's ideas into stricter compositions but the inspiration remains. 5. Red (4,5) Why is this not my #1 and 5 star like for most people? I do not like the strained vocal performance on One More Red Nightmare. The remaining album is another masterpiece. 4. Starless and Bible Black (4,5) The only reason that this is not a 5 star album is the existence of its predecessor and the fact that The Mincer is a weak track. 3. Thrak (5) My AOTY 1995 and one of the greatest comebacks in music. A force of sound and imagination. 2. In the Court of the Crimson King (5) no introduction needed 1. Larks Tongues in Aspic (5) My AOTY in 1973. The best progressive rock album ever recorded. 1973 was the strongest year in rock history topped by 15 albums at five stars and this one is the winner - means something, I would say.

[@roxannewalsh]

KC released a (live) album that would have been the winner of the Badness tournament - 1972s Earthbound, any bootleg album is better than this one.

[@AbbeyRoadkill1]

But Crimson cheated. It's easy to not become your own tribute band when you're constantly changing your lineup and bringing in new musical talent. It's hard for me to even think of King Crimson as a proper band because they almost never made 2 albums with the same lineup. To me, KC is more of a musical project centered around Fripp. As much as I love them I don't value them on the same level as bands that never changed their lineup. That said, KC's best music is pretty amazing, though I disagree that they never made any bad albums. Robert Fripp himself has skewered more than one of their albums.

[@roxannewalsh]

@@AbbeyRoadkill1 Fripp himself defined KC not as a band but as a "mindset". What all their albums have in common - and it is not Fripp because his solo albums or collaborations are quite different - is that Crimson-ness: new members inhale it and put it into their contributions to the band. All KC members always acted outside of their comfort zone, this is why so many left. Greg Lake could only stand it for an album and a bit before he went fat with ELP, who only were progressive for one album...Belew stayed longest because he survived Zappa first. Fripp is to rock what Miles Davis was to jazz.

[@AbbeyRoadkill1]

@@roxannewalsh All good. I pretty much agree with all that. I was just pointing out that comparing King Crimson to "real" bands that never changed their lineup is comparing apples to oranges. I really enjoyed listening to Crimson over the last couple weeks. Unfortunately I still couldn't get myself to love albums like Lizard and Islands. I tried.

[@markgatica12]

@@AbbeyRoadkill1 They made three in a row in the 80s with Fripp, Belew, Levin, and Bruford.

[@mariosandri4010]

King Crimson, absolutely. Besides being the godfathers of prog and having released some groundbreaking albums, they never rested on past glories and never sold out. King Crimson's artistic integrity is admirable, and I love and admire them. P.S.: to complete the early KC review, the three of you should also check McDonald & Giles (1970)

[@johnsmusicpassions9740]

Check out my review of Red 1974 kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYKYkJKHmtJmmZY Red KC

[@SuperNevile]

I regard TCOTCK, Mc Donald and Giles and ITWOP was being "a set", a triptych even. "Birdman" (the 2nd side of M&G) was originally touted for ITWOP, but McDonald had left whilst Giles drummed on ITWOP. All three albums were recorded within a year. I recently played one after the other and it was and interesting and varied. But after July 1970, it was time to change gear..........

[@kevindugayofficiel862]

1- Larks' tongues in aspic (10/10) 2- Red (10/10) 3- In the court of the crimson king (10/10) 4- starless and bible black (9.5/10) 5- Discipline (9.5/10) 6- Lizard (9/10) 7- In the wake of Poseidon (9/10) 8- Island (8.5/10) 9- THRAK (8.5/10) 10- Three of a perfect pair (8/10) 11- The power to believe (8/10) 12- Beat (8/10) 13- The constuKction of light (6.5/10)

[@lionstandingII]

"Larks's"....

[@ianp9086]

That was great and Discipline would win for me. Fripp is such an important figure in rock and work he has done with others such as Gabriel, Eno and David Sylvian (First Day) are amazing. And I hope you have seen his Sunday lunch videos that he has done with his wife Toyah to entertain us all during the pandemic!

[@stantonthezag1109]

I absolutely love King Crimson and think they put out less embarrassing music overall than YES did during their respective long careers...but YES has more and higher peaks *and* they made 90125, an great ‘80s pop-rock album that served as a really cool reinvention.

[@mck7646]

Tough to beat Close to the edge.

[@ТанжихоловМуродулло]

Unless you mean popularity Yes never achieved higher peak than KC. And they have only 2 truly great albums Fragile and Close to the Edge and none of those are close to In the Court, Larks and Red. And even at their worst KC were pretty damn good.

[@benderrodriguez5934]

Amazing and unique band: 1. In The Court of the Crimson King(10/10) 2. Larks´ Tongues In Aspic (10/10) 3. Lizard (9,5/10) 4. Red (9,5/10) 5. Discipline (9/10) 6. The Power to Belief (9/10) 7. In The Wake of Poseidon (9/10) 8. Islands (8,5/10) 9. Starless and Bible Back (8/10) 10. Beat (7,5/10) 11. Thrack (7,5/10) 12. Three Of a Perfect Pair (7/10) 13. The Construkction of Light (6,5/10) Greetings from Canary Islands

[@pinkfloydmeddle6692]

Hey bender

[@timknight9093]

Interesting that Crimson beat out Yes. Yes is one of my favorite bands, prog or otherwise, but I do believe that from beginning to end, Crimson's later work is much stronger than Yes. As always, an interesting show. 1. In the Court of the Crimson King 2. Discipline 3. Red 4. Larks Tongues is Aspic 5. In the Wake of Posiedon 6. Starless and Bible Black 7. Beat 8. THRAK 9. Three of a Perfect Pair 10. Lizard 11. Islands 12. The Power to Believe 13. The Construction of Light.

[@179rich]

13) Beat (3.5 stars) 12) THRAK (3.75 stars) 11) Islands (3.75 stars) 10) The Construkction of Light (4 stars) 09) In the Wake of Poseidon (4 stars) 08) Larks' Tongues in Aspic (4 stars) 07) The Power to Believe (4.5 stars) 06) Discipline (4.5 stars) 05) Three of a Perfect Pair (4.5 stars) 04) Red (5 stars) 03) Starless and Bible Black (5 stars) 02) In the Court of the Crimson King (5 stars) 01) Lizard (5 stars)

[@threestringsomg]

Three of a PP🤘we ranked it identically....I've listened to that album so much last week or so. Love it

[@ТанжихоловМуродулло]

I actually think Larks is best album of all time

[@12spanku]

I was not surprised to see King Crimson winning as the debut and Red are among the highest rated albums ever on rateyourmusic. They have a very dedicated following. If you do the same poll on a channel with millions of subs I'd wager the mainstream appeal and name recognition of Yes would give them the win.

[@12spanku]

For the record I prefer King Crimson over Yes by a good bit.

[@tayloroquinn1976]

Much prefer YES.

[@markgatica12]

I'm a hard Yes vote. I think King Crimson was good for a longer period than Yes and adapted to changing times better than Yes, but peak Yes beats peak King Crimson by a comfortable margin.

[@tayloroquinn1976]

@@markgatica12 Yes!

[@ТанжихоловМуродулло]

​​@@markgatica12 Nope. Not even close. I really liked Close to the Edge when I first listened to it and listened to it pretty consistently after, but now I don't want to return to it at all. Unlike KC where I didn't like much of their albums at first but they've grown on me so much even their worst albums are low 8 for me. But with Yes even their best is mid 9 for me

[@CrimsonFan]

About Moonchild (on In the Court), the ballad section is lovely. I know some dislike the improvised noodling (I think it's pretty good), but SURELY the closing 2-3 minutes are among the most sublime music you'll ever hear.

[@ankeunruh7364]

When I ask my devices to create CK playlists by "most played" I get this ranking: 1 - red 2 - islands 3 - larks 4 - lizard 5 - discipline 6 - court 7 - beat 8 - three 9 - construcktion 10 - starless 11 - thrack 12 - power 13 - wake I do remember that day in summer of 1977 on the silent shore of the Baltic Sea. Me (15) and a friend were walking on the beach from one camping site to another, having a break and heard that "...life expiring in the snow white side streets..." out of the dunes from someones cassette player. Later I wrote a letter to a radio station because nobody in my school knew this line sung 'by a man with a warm powerful voice'... Over the decades I often felt something to go back to "Red", which seems the most clear, most straight forward work to me. The coda of "Starless", the voice of John Wetton, Providence in whole and in detail, Fallen Angel, Brufords overall sound, Fripps overall sound...

[@roxannewalsh]

The song will be on my honourable mentions on the best KC song list later on.

[@AlesPickar]

Thanks for sharing. I like the ranking. I guess my list would look only a little different. I see the dedication to intense playing and challenging song structure. Great stuff.

[@chriswilson8151]

King Crimson are a band to get lost in, for sure. Their varied discography and clear eras make it a consistently interesting body of work to listen to. Honestly out of all the prog bands that started in this era, they’re probably my favourite. Fripp is a genius and one of the true paragons for what prog stands for; consistently challenging one’s self to push one’s musical boundaries. Anyway, my list: 1. Larks Tongues in Aspic - 5 stars 2. Starless and Bible Black - 5 stars 3. In The Court of the Crimson King - 5 stars 4. Red - 4.5 stars 5. Lizard - 4 stars (the title track alone makes it worth listening to) 6. In The Wake of Poseidon - 4 stars 7. Discipline - 3.5 stars 8. THRAK - 3.5 stars 9. Beat - 3.5 stars 10. Islands - 3 stars 11. Three of a Perfect Pair - 3 stars 12. The Power to Believe - 3 stars 13. The Construkction of Light - 2 stars

[@jodymckane6690]

1. Red 2. In the Court of the Crimson King 3. Larks Tongue in Aspic 4. Discipline 5. Starless and Bible Black 6. Three of a Perfect Pair 😮 7. In the Wake of Poseidon 8. Lizard 9. Islands 10. The Power to Believe 11. Thrak 12. Beat 13. The Construktion of Light Rock over London Rock on Chicago

[@k-dogg711]

King Crimson > Yes by quite a lot. Yes has some great material, but a lot of it sounds dated today, whereas King Crimson feels timeless more often than not.

[@raymondduck6492]

I came into KC through distant/random hearings of Court of Crimson King and Larks' but DISCIPLINE is what blew my mind as a young adult experimenting with... stimulants. For the band, I think Belew was a bold new face, voice and guitar and I never knew/thought of them as a Talking Heads steal. Like many of my crowd, this album is in my top 10.

[@179rich]

Guys - if you haven't heard Can you should. They're good at improvising around a beat like Jason was talking about.

[@billkeon880]

The most amazing thing about the debut record is that it was released basically one month after Woodstock, and there’s nothing else like it released that year, and sounds like it was made in a different galaxy. Just amazing. Agree with Joe

[@danielphillips97]

Kramzer made an inaccurate remark about the "brass horns" on the song One More Red Nightmare. It is actually an alto saxophone, which belongs to the woodwind family, not the horn family or even the brass family despite being made of brass.

[@deanjonasson6776]

An engaging discussion of a worthy musical act. Crimson's discography is strange, twisting and always full of surprises. In that way, each of you has the correct ranking, based on your individual temperaments. With further listening, your rankings are bound to change. It's exciting to hear three people discover and compare notes of a great band that had previously evaded their exposure. I find it impossible to rank their catalogue. I love their first, classic incarnation and really appreciate their three '80s albums. I've yet to find my way into the aggressive, third phase. That may come. This morning (only), my Top 5 might include RED, the debut, BEAT, LARKSIS, and probably STARLESS & BIBLE BLACK or the live USA. Who knows what tomorrow brings? My first taste was through the 1976 compilation, A YOUNG PERSON'S GUIDE TO KING CRIMSON. Loved the title and the Fergus Hall artwork. If you're a vinyl collector, it's worth tracking down as Fripp did an interesting job of choosing tracks (despite skipping "21 Century Schizoid Man" and, oddly, leaving out LIZARD entirely). Disparate tracks flow together well, creating a sense of consistency in a band noted for their eclectic, changing line-ups. Unlike later compilations, Fripp provides the full 12:17 "Starless", displaying the immense improvisational power of the band. Added bonuses include a pre-album version of "I Talk to the Wind" with lead vocals from ex-Fairport singer Judy Dyble. Her singing is less cloying than those later by Greg Lake. At the time, the comp also featured another rarity, "Groon" (brief, crazy improvising) only available as b-side to the "Cat Food" single). This comp was meant as a career capper, since the band had split and reunion was not yet in the wind. Fripp includes a generous booklet listing the band's gigging history plus excerpts from his tour diary. brick-likemercenary tendencies. His reputation is saved by his otherworldly approach to the guitar, stunning guest spots (Bowie, Gabriel), generous producing credits (check out the first and third albums from the wonderful Roches) and, importantly, a sense of humour. The KZbin covers with wife Toyah are both hilarious and very, very odd. (Like watching your parents rapping at a wedding reception!) Thanks so much for doing this discography. Yes can wait. I'd nominate Family, a band with a deep, challenging catalogue (and one Wetton spent a bit of time in) or Gentle Giant (prog rock on the same ambitious scale as Crimson). Cheers!

[@chrissirhc7337]

taken as entire discography i do think king crimson is better than yes although yes may have been better on some individual albums and at a certain time span in their career (early 70's) . on some records , several actually, yes falls flat on their face and whereas king crimson also has low points they are less and their fails are more interesting and less cringey , typically .

[@neiltheblaze]

Interesting choice. I was lucky enough to see the original lineup at the Boston Tea Party on Halloween night 1969. I believe it was one of their first gigs in America. They blew the roof off the place.

[@bernardocipriano9853]

1 - In the Court of the Crimson King 2 - Red 3 - Lizard 4 - Islands 5 - In the Wake of Poseidon 6 - Larks' Tongues in Aspic 7 - Starless and Bible Back

[@179rich]

respect for your high placement of Lizard.

[@pechondelgado]

This is pretty much it. The only K.C. run that mattered.

[@prockrog5219]

Amazing stuff guys! One massive discography to tackle in two weeks. KC was the last of the classic prog bands I really got into, but they've grown to become one of my favorites though. I hate their copyright policing though. They even hunted down sites hosting their album covers. But, I can be a dick too, so I bought all their remastered CDs and reissued LPs second hand just so they wouldn't make a dime form me. I haven't done any serious attempts at ranking their discography. It's too much of a job, but Lizard, Larks', Red and Power To Believe are the ones I go back to most often. Keep on keeping on guys - You rock!

[@ThePhysicalillusion]

That copyright policy seems particularly odd now that Fripp is becoming a viral sensation covering songs with his wife. 🤔

[@stantonthezag1109]

If you’re a fan of King Crimson’s debut, a must-own is 1971’s McDonald & Giles, by original KC members Ian McDonald (multi-instrumentalist) and Michael Giles (drums). Separated from Fripp, you realize how much these two shaped the sound of that first album. The tracks “Flight of the Ibis” (basically an alternate version of “Cadence & Cascade” but with a different melody and lyrics) and “Tomorrow’s People-The Children of Today” (which has one of my all-time favorite solo drum breaks) being the standout tracks. Joe in particular should seek this one out, it’s very awesome.

[@sabe11a39]

13. ConstruKtion of Light 12. Islands 11. The Power to Believe 10. Three of a Perfect Pair 9. THRAK 8. In the Wake of Poseidon 7. Lizard 6. Beat 5. Starless and Bible Black 4. Lark's Tongues in Aspic 3. Discipline 2. ITCHYCOCK 1. Red

[@keithheitner1020]

I've been listening to KC since the late 70's when I found Red in a cut out Bin. Loved them ever since. I urge you guys to listen to the many live albums of the current lineup. It rivals the Wetton era in exceptional performances. They also perform tunes from all eras. I've seen them twice since they reformed. Saw the Thrak tour. I also saw the early 80's lineup. Unfortunately I was too young to see earlier lineups; but have a ton of live recordings.

[@hexmonkey369]

These 3 guys' rankings are solid, cant quibble with much with one exception: Thrak is top 5 for me for sure! Cant quite place why, but its got quiet and creepy, melodic, to goofy, to hard core 'metal' and everything in between. Love it!

[@179rich]

Very well done as usual mates! Some very articulate descriptions from all three of you. Cheers!

[@roxannewalsh]

I always had to laugh when Joe made his comparisons stating that KC sound like this or that...it is like saying that The Byrds sound like Tom Petty.

[@lightningstrikes7314]

@@roxannewalsh Comparisons are valid if the 1st band is still making albums at the same time at the 2nd ie Crimson and Dream Theatre. Obviously this doesn't apply to Petty/Byrds as they didn't make records at the same time

[@scottanthonyweidner8692]

So glad you did this. King Crimson is a band with many iterations/line-ups but with three distinct lifespans - the original run, the '80s, and the more recent. At one time I owned not only the first seven albums but about five-six "official bootlegs" of that period of the band. I have Discipline, but only gave the other two '80s albums a cursory run-through, and never felt inclined to explore the more contemporary albums (as such - PTB is actually quite old now). I will deep-dive the '80s albums after watching this, and perhaps even check out at least THRAK and PTB. Not sure how you get through a run-through of this band's discography without mentioning the primacy of tri-tones to their approach, nor how, in spite of praising the album Red, no mention of "Starless" - not even by anyone else in the comment section calling you out on it! - which many, many people regard as the absolute high-point of King Crimson. While the song "In the Court of the Crimson King" basically invented symphonic prog - no Yes, Genesis, Jethro Tull, nor ELP as we know them without that song, which Fripp had come to hate as early as '71 for its very influence - "21st Century Schizoid Man" is the foundation of all hard-rock/jazz-influenced "challenging" prog. If nothing else, those unison sax/guitar runs... Anyway, "for me," '70-'76 Genesis, '71-"80 Yes (I like their first two albums quite a bit, but they aren't prog per se), and '69-'74 KC are absolutely the Big Three of prog. All among my top 20 artists, and Genesis and Yes are top 10. 8. Islands (but it's still quite good! its "Providence" for me is "Ladies of the Road," for sure) 7. Discipline 6. Starless and Bible Black 5. In the Wake of Poseidon 4. Red 3. Lizard 2. Larks' Tongues in Aspic (I'm one of those freaks whose favorite song on this album, by a huge margin, is the first title track - love it, love it, love it) 1. In the Court of the Crimson King (Its high point is the cinematic gloriousness of "Epitaph," but it's all fantastic outside of the free jazz noodling in "Moonchild") Islands is four star, 4-7 are 4.5, 1-3 are five star. BTW, In the Wake of Poseidon, Lizard, Islands, and Larks' Tongues in Aspic is probably the best four-album run of absolutely gloriously fantastic album covers in rock history. I don't dig the ITCOTCKAOBKC album cover, though, and SABB and Red are lame.

[@TastesLikeMusic]

You don’t like ITCOTCK cover? That’s probably in my top 10 all time. - Joe

[@scottanthonyweidner8692]

@@TastesLikeMusic Just don't care for the design aesthetic. Although I find it disquieting how much the painting of the "Crimson King" on the inside *very* strongly resembles a current global figure. Mix that in with the artist's mysterious death... Hmmmm....

[@threestringsomg]

Nice thoughts sir...I used to rank Lizard as my no.1...glad you rate it highly too....please do give Three of PP a go....I've been playing it all week...I'm still in shock I actually love an 80s Crimson album....🤘🤠

[@tayloroquinn1976]

Enjoyed their first two albums, but never ventured deep into their repatroire. I patiently wait for a Yes discography ranking....

[@kopptue9622]

I think it is easy to get the song Islands on the mind. I love dreamy music. Nothing better than floating away on a song. Epitaph is also a favorite, very haunting music. Another song often on my mind is Lizard, can't go wrong with Jon Anderson on vocals. Some albums can be more demanding or take time to get into. It's not given that everyone should love the same. We all like what we like and should be happy with that. Not really necessary to like or dislike something just because everyone else seem to. Either it grabs or it don't.

[@kardozzer69]

Great job guys. Might want to alsoc heck out Robert Fripp - Exposure. Pretty much a prequel to what was going to eventually be the 80's lineup of KC. Even has appearances from Daryl Hall from Hall & Oates and Peter Gabriel. Keep the surprises going with the lists 👍

[@planetbarrett6055]

My Top 9 Favorite King Crimson Albums. (These Are The Albums I Like From This Band) 9. Beat 8. Discipline 7. Starless And Bible Black 6. Larks' Tongues In Aspic 5. Lizard 4. In The Wake Of Poseidon (This Album Has My Favorite Crimson Song) 3. Red 2. Islands 1. In The Court Of The Crimson King I'm Glad Jason Likes Islands, The Lyrics Kinda Doesn't Make Sense, But The Music is Really Good.

[@ComeOnIsSuchAJoy]

Do _any_ Sinfield lyrics make sense? 🤷‍♂️

[@johnjackson3735]

For now, these are by far my five favorite King Crimson albums but I have only really begun the exploration and can't decide on the order: Larks Tongue in Aspic, In the Wake of Poseidon, The Court of the Crimson King, Lizard and Islands.

[@fourseasons4105]

1. Larks' tongues in aspic 2. Red 3. In the court of the Crimson king 4. Starless and Bible black 5. Lizard 6. Thrak 7. Islands 8. In the wake of Poseidon 9. Discipline 10. Beat 11. The power to believe 12. Three of a perfect pair 13. The construkction of light

[@roberthardin2133]

Joe-if you like Red, and you like Wetton's work with Asia, I recommend listening to UK. Wetton's bass paired with Allan Holdsworth's guitar is like Red in overdrive! and of course there's Bruford on drums and Eddie Jobson on keyboards/violin. the 2nd album, Danger Money is still good, but Holdsworth and Bruford are gone. Terry Bozzio takes over the drum spot and they don't have any guitar on the 2nd (and last) studio album.

[@kenzoby8300]

I love that album by UK.

[@AbbeyRoadkill1]

1. In The Court Of The Crimson King (1969) 5/5 2. Larks' Tongues In Aspic (1973) 5/5 3. Red (1974) 4.5/5 4. Discipline (1981) 4/5 5. THRAK (1995) 4/5 6. Starless & Bible Black (1974) 3.5/5 7. In The Wake Of Poseidon (1970) 3/5 8. Three Of A Perfect Pair (1984) 3/5 9. Beat (1982) 3/5 10. The Power To Believe (2003) 3/5 11. The ConstruKction Of Light (2000) 2.5/5 12. Lizard (1970) 2.5/5 13. Islands (1971) 2/5 I love the go-for-broke adventurousness in Crimson's music. I'm not in love with every album but when they were good they were great.

[@179rich]

Ha ha you put my number 1 at 12! It looks like you don't like the jazzier stuff - ?

[@AbbeyRoadkill1]

@@179rich A little too aimless for me. You should know that Robert Fripp has said that people who like Lizard are weird. Heh-heh.

[@179rich]

@@AbbeyRoadkill1 I read that when he heard the 5.1 surround version of it his appreciation for it greatly improved.

[@179rich]

@@AbbeyRoadkill1 How do you feel about jazz?

[@AbbeyRoadkill1]

@@179rich Jazz is such a deep and varied form of music that it's hard to give a single definitive answer. I'm absolutely in love with most jazz from the "classic" period (1920s through the early 1940s.) I'm not as in love with the jazz that was made after that, although there is some of it that I like a lot. As the decades passed I think jazz got a little too avant garde and lost some of its timelessness.

[@daniellebowitz2752]

really enjoying the channel fellas

[@DerkekJW]

1. Islands 2. Wake of Poseidon 3. Red 4. Discipline 5. In the court I was wowed by Larks at one point and now it doesn’t do it for me, funny how tastes change over time. Court kind of annoys me these days too, I do really love “I talk to the wind” though , one of their greatest works.

[@baphometfathom5348]

1. In The Court Of The Crimson King 2. Red 3. Larks Tongue In Aspic 4. Discipline 5. Starless and Bible Black 6. Islands 7. Lizard 8. In The Wake Of Poseidon 9. The Power To Believe 10. THRAK 11. Three Of A Perfect Pair 12. Beat 13. The ConstrucKtion Of Light

[@Rumham7291]

This is one of the few times I agree with Kramzer! I love Discipline, it epitome of early 80s prog rock and I love this album. I get lost in it, especially Monte kudasai. Agree on Larks' too! I dont understand how Jason could look Islands better than Larks'.

[@kattenbroekcom]

My Ranking: 1.Larks tongues in aspic 10/10 2.starless and bible black 10/10 3.Islands 9,75/10 4.In The Wake Of Poseidon 9,5/10 5.Red 9,25/10 6.In The Court Of The Crimson King 9/10 7.Lizard 8,5/10 8.Discipline 8,25/10 9.Beat 8/10 10.The Power To Believe 7/10 11.Three Of A Perfect Pair 6,5/10 12.THRAK 5/10 13.The ConstrucKtion Of Light 4/10

[@rhonda8900]

My journey with King Crimson is kind of a strange one. I bought Discipline my Freshman year in college when it came out in the fall of 1981 and I have no idea why. I had never heard the music and knew no one that listened to them. Maybe I read about the band in Creem Magazine or a record store clerk suggested them. I fell in love with the guitar sound. I bought Beat when it came out in 82 and also bought "I Advanced Masked" that year by Robert Fripp and Andy Summers. The last King Crimson album I bought was 3 of Perfect Pair in 84. I played those albums over and over and really loved them but never bought another related album until I bought "The Essential Fripp & Eno" compilation CD in 94. I never even listened to any of the older King Crimson albums until about three years ago! So for a long time, Adrian Belew was the voice of King Crimson to me. Also, there was no issue with comparing them to the Talking Heads. You have to keep in mind that the Talking Heads were really not well known until MTV launched and I did get it until 82. Actually, Speaking in Tongues in 83 was my first album I bought by them, although I did go back and get Remain in Light soon after. So in a sense, sounded like David Byrne was trying to sound like Adrian to me - lol.

[@roxannewalsh]

Joe confuses the roots and branches sometimes - Kramzer got it right, if you listen to KC you realize where all the others got it from. It is like listening to Can, early Eno or some 70s Krautrock to see where so many bands from the 80s and beyond took their influence from - many later artists may not even know it because they copied the ones who copied those origins...but music/art has always evolved in that manner, it just shows how strong those bands like KC were, nobody copies from mediocre roots (unless to produce more crap).

[@179rich]

@@roxannewalsh You're not saying the Talking Heads got their sound from King Crimson, right? Surely it's the other way around regarding their 80's Belew albums.

[@TastesLikeMusic]

Yes, I’d also like to hear more about this. - Joe

[@roxannewalsh]

@@179rich Neither nor. The glue between those two bands is Brian Eno who shifted TH's sound when he started producing them and was a lifetime on and off collaborator with Robert Fripp. And Belew is just himself in whatever band he is in.

[@TastesLikeMusic]

I’m pretty sure I just said Belew was ripping off Byrne, which I completely stand by. - Joe

[@markgatica12]

I voted for Yes. I was also surprised that King Crimson won the poll. It's official. At the 11:41 mark Joe is crossed off my Christmas list. Don't get the Belew appeal? No worries. Frank Zappa, David Bowie, Robert Fripp and Talking Heads all got it. I do find myself agreeing with Kramz -- Greg Lake was the best vocalist. Overall, I kind of fall in with Kramzer's dad. I was a huge prog fan in the 70s. Yes, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Rush, ELP -- but not King Crimson. I found their early albums ponderous. They put me to sleep. It wasn't until they reformed in the 80s that I revisited the early albums and revised my original opinion. Instead of "ponderous", I would call them "deliberate." I saw them on their 1982 tour. Great show. Fripp was sitting off on the side of the stage like he was in time out. Bruford, Levin and Belew were jamming like maniacs. Good times.

[@threestringsomg]

I'm that way with Yes.....up to recently never was too bothered by what I'd heard from Yes...Crimson have a darker side that appeals to metal orientated people is probably why....I wouldn't be surprised if metal heads mostly first venture into Crimson land before stepping into Yes world....but whatever case both clearly great bands

[@fordid42]

I'm happy with all of your choices for your top KC album picks, since all of them are in my top of the KC album list. My top King Crimson album is Red, followed by In The Court Of The Crimson King, then Larks' Tongues In Aspic, then Discipline, and Starless And Bible Black rounding out my top five. I could probably mix and match the rest of their stuff up through the 80s after that, with the stuff from the 90s on at the bottom. I tried giving the latest stuff a hard listen, but it didn't have any of the same feeling I got from the rest.

[@hazydavo]

Nice one guys. Knew next to nothing about KC. Will definitely check out a few of these albums now 👍

[@threestringsomg]

Just started a Yes-athon! Will be difficult for me to overturn my adoration of the KC but made good start with Fragile and Close To The Edge this week...🤠

[@Liam123-r8o]

Yes-athon. 😂Nice Word creation but it would be a No- athon for me😂

[@alexshort8055]

Great video, guys! I must confess: going into this viewing, I knew little of King Crimson, other than that they opened for the Stones’ legendary Hyde Park concert in ‘69 and Robert Fripp’s slightly bonkers lockdown video’s with his wife, Toyah Wilcox.

[@jukeboxcowboy]

Much appreciated episode. Surprisingly, I agree with Joe on almost every count. Except one: I'm starting to see a pattern on this channel, suggesting that Listography does not typically embrace abstraction in music. For me, exploring abstract visual art helped to better appreciate musical abstraction. In the years preceding World War I, artists including Delaunay, Kandinsky, Wassily, Malevich, and Yatlon turned to fundamentally abstract art. Matisse, Klee and Mondrian's abstractions were directly influenced by music. Later, artists like Fripp, Eno, Coltrane, Sun Ra, Zappa, etc brought it back full circle. Abstraction is key to some of the best Crimson albums. Being able to deconstruct the "songs" all the way down to their non-representational nuts and bolts expands their musical horizons all the more. Overall, your reviews were impressive, especially considering you've only heard most of the albums a couple of times! That said, a Listography reaction video to the entire Nurse With Wound catalog would be a hoot!

[@Sir_Eyeball]

Nurse with Wound can be pretty epic at times. But mostly frightening.

[@TastesLikeMusic]

I think if I had more time to listen to these artists and albums I’d like abstraction more, or at least not hate it. - Joe

[@jukeboxcowboy]

@@Sir_Eyeball Totally, Sir Eyeball! I think that may also be why King Crimson gets the edge over Yes for me. King Crimson can scare the living hell out of you. It would seem that around the time of the early King Crimson stuff especially, that music and visual + conceptual art were heavily informing each other, especially in England. So many of those guys were art students.

[@jukeboxcowboy]

@@TastesLikeMusic Haha! Fair enough. Thankfully, "Life's a long song".

[@someoneno-one7672]

I would dare to compare Yes pieces to the palace of Versailles while King Crimson’s to Sagrada Familia basilica. They both can overwhelm and carry you away into the worlds of their own. But Gaudi’s genius also makes you wonder how this all is actually working 😉 That’s why, with all respect to Yes, King Crimson seems to be the only rock band that today classical musicians sometimes quote as their influence. It could be the most creatively provoking band in history, and even their misses could be remarkable (especially on the 70-s albums).

[@pulsar861]

Thanks for doing this one guys! An absolutely amazing and challenging band. I was fortunate to have bought and experienced each album as it was released. There are no bad albums but here is my ranking: 1. In The Court Of The Crimson King 2. Larks’ Tongues In Aspic 3. Red 4. Discipline 5. Islands 6. In The Wake Of Poseidon 7. Starless And Bible Back 8. The Power To Belief 9. Lizard 10. Thrak 11. Beat 12. Three Of A Perfect Pair 13. The Construkction Of Light

[@walterevans5837]

Well gentlemen, first I commend you for tackling the King Crimson discography. It is challenging, but SO rewarding. These records will only grow on you and reveal more and more if you keep returning to them. I probably spent most of a year listening to a TON of Crimson when I first got into them, they reward you when you do the deep dive. Also, there are many fantastic live records out there. If you love the 80's Crimson like I do, the live album 'Absent Lovers' is a must. Plenty of amazing instrumental interplay with my favorite line-up, which is Fripp, Belew, Levin and Bruford. And for me, the top three KC records: 1. Discipline; 2. Larks' Tongues in Aspic; 3. Red. Those are the five star records. And I agree, "Moonchild" holds the debut back. If they had replaced that song with "Pictures of a City" from In the Wake of Poseidon (which was in their repertoire at the time), it would be the perfect album. But because of "Moonchild," I put it at four stars too. Still amazing overall, though. Good job, guys.

[@johnsmusicpassions9740]

My review of Red 1974 kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYKYkJKHmtJmmZY Red KC

[@keithwolfe2707]

I personally like Yes more but seeing King Crimson on here this week is STELLAR! Well done!

[@andrewdyke5561]

I agree but man crimson is amazing

[@cecil1100]

great episode!, one of the first times i could agree with all of your points. very tough list to rank

[@marthaworc7873]

The trouble with "rating" King Crimson is that it's a bit like trying to rate Pink Floyd. There is the Barrett era Pink Floyd, the non-Barrett era with everyone writing songs, the Waters Pink Floyd -- with Waters writing all the lyrics and the Gilmour Pink Floyd, where Gilmour's girlfriend writing the lyrics. With King Crimson there is a similar problem. There is the Sinfield/Lake era, with front man Greg Lake, the Wetton era with singer/bass player and writer John Wetton and, of course, the Belew era King Crimson, with Belew on guitar as well as Fripp. Aside from Robert Fripp, there are very talented people in each era. Different people came up with the songs in each era.

[@kathyratino962]

Only it's about 10 times worse with KC. They are literally different bands with only one common denominator.

[@marthaworc7873]

@@kathyratino962 True.

[@marthaworc7873]

@@kathyratino962 True.

[@dagreatstoney.5869]

Tks, lads, a new band to check out. How did I miss them 😟

[@danielphillips97]

Their live albums ought to be listened to as well, since they're so different that they're like albums in their own right. The best example of this is Ladies of the Road (Live 1971/72), which features a fair bit of material from Islands, but is jazzier again.

[@edgustafson]

I've never been a huge King Crimson fan. My dad, who's in his 70s, is a huge fan and I believe his favorite is Lark's Tongues in Aspic. I always thought I'd like the Adrian Belew era (I like a lot of his work with other artists), but I don't really. The John Wetton era kind of seems like the most accessible. I'd probably go with Starless and Bible Black as my favorite.

[@jupitermadcat]

Yes King Crimson is an acquired taste I think, I love them. I was fortunate to have seen them last month live. I think you may want to check out their live albums.

[@nicholaspayne5162]

I only own the first seven albums and tended to lean towards the first four. I've only heard a selection of tracks from the Adrian Belew era mostly from the Elements box sets or live interpretations from the Jakko Jakszyk line up. The improvisations from the current line up are also pretty cool and hopefully will lead towards a new album. The King Crimson Project's A Scarcity Of Miracles is pretty good however. 1. In The Wake Of Poseidon I think Robert Fripp starts to take charge here and it's part of a sort of trilogy with Van Der Graaf Generator's HTo He, Who Am The Only One and Pawn Hearts on which Fripp played guitar. 2. Larks Tongues In Aspic The title track is similar to ELO's The Battle Of Marston Moor but also reminiscent of the music from Peter Greenaway films. 3. In The Court Of The Crimson King I heard the three main tracks on a radio show and it really impressed me as all I knew of the album was a painting in our sixth form common room. 4. Lizard A bizarre curio setting the scene for the Prog of the future akin to ELP's Tarkus in terms of its epic title track. I love the whole album 5. Red I think it's a well thought out series of songs and performances and of a maturity the other bands lacked. 6. Islands I think with this album they went back to basics somewhat. Somewhere between Nursery Cryme and A Saucerful Of Secrets. 7. Starless and Bible Black In my view the least of their albums.

[@afermata949]

After diving into their discography I have to say that if you haven't listened to their live stuff like The Night Watch, The Great Deceivers, or Absent Lovers you're really missing out. As far as rankings my top five would be... 5. Starless and Bible Black 4. Red 3. ITCOTK 2. Discipline 1. Larks' Tongues in Aspic

[@TastesLikeMusic]

We see pretty much eye to eye on those five and suspiria rules - kram

[@TastesLikeMusic]

Well top three

[@Liam123-r8o]

​@@TastesLikeMusic suspiria was a little to creepy for me 😳

[@aweekback1]

Great video guys

[@asmallwhitedog0479]

USA was my first lp by KC, around 1975. I had heard the first few lps earlier. Starless and Bible Black was my second lp and is my favorite. I own more KC audio than any other band. I only have 5 pieces by Yes in my collection.

[@danny1959]

Listen to the two U.K. albums from the late 1970s if you want to hear Wetton do proto-Asia.

[@Injuredjoakim]

1. Red (10/10) 2. In the Court of the Crimson King: An Observation by King Crimson (10/10) 3. In the Wake of Poseidon (10/10) 4. Lark's Tongues in Aspic (10/10) 5. Beat (strong 9/10) 6. Starless and Bible Black (strong 8/10) 7. Discipline (8/10) 8. Three of a Perfect Pair (8/10) 9. The Power to Believe (weak 8/10) 10. Islands (weak 7/10) 11. the construKction of light (strong 6/10) 12. THRAK (strong 5/10) 13. Lizard (weak 3/10)

[@johnsmusicpassions9740]

My review of Red - 1974 kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYKYkJKHmtJmmZY Red KC

[@edwardsighamony]

I think Islands needs a critical reevaluation. I picked it up on a whim when I was getting into Crimson and was unaware of the bad reputation it had. I loved it from the first listen. Looking back, it's surprising that I was able to get into so easily considering I had very little experience with anything so experimental at the time (I was 18). I would rank it probably 3rd with Red and In the Court of the Crimson King constantly switching between the 1st and 2nd slots.

[@mnpv7812]

Completely agree with Jason, Belew is the man. Saw him with his band The Bears at The Blue Note in Columbia, MO in 1988. Top 5 shows of all time for me

[@kevtruth]

Saw the same tour (1988) in Bloomington, Indiana. Fabulous show. Got to talk to Adrian before the show - a very nice guy

[@lightningstrikes7314]

I completely agree with Joe-can't take Belew's 'quirky' stylings for longer than 5 secs: all of the worst elements of Zappa and David Byrne rolled into one irritating goofball

[@balthazarspencer704]

Outside of the Wetton era, I have always loved The Construkction Of Light, an innovative album, with its intricate arrangements for 2 guitars, futuristic sound, electronic drums, an album that looks forward. My ranking is : 1. Larks' Tongues in Aspic 2. Red 3. Starless and Bible Black 4. The Construkction of Light 5. In the Court of the Crimson King 6. Discipline 7. The Power to Believe 8. Lizard 9. Beat 10. In the Wake of Poseidon 11. Thrak 12. Islands 13. Three of a Perfect Pair

[@juzek1958]

You had me at King Crimson and I stayed because you guys really aren't fans or that familiar with the music. From a pro bassist and fan POV: 1. Red is aging very well and is often mentioned as maybe the best over In the Court. 2. Greg Lake and John Wetton are gods as bassists and vocalists. 3. Check out live recordings from the Wetton era and before for a deeper appreciation of their music. USA is particularly good and ranks with the studio albums.

[@fmbro872]

13 The Construkction Of Light 12 The Power To Believe 11 Three Of A Perfect Pair 10 Beat 9 Discipline 8 Starless And Bible Black 7 Islands 6 In The Wake Of Poseidon 5 Lark's Tongue In Aspic 4 Thrak 3 In The Court Of The Crimson King 2 Red 1 Lizard

[@roberthardin2133]

my thoughts on the Yes < Crimson vote. there are a TON of Yes album rankings out there. I like both bands a lot, but I would definitely say KC has the more diverse catalogue of the 2.

[@3bwana]

Being as Joe loves Mellotrons so much you guys should really do a Moody Blues ranking

[@ComeOnIsSuchAJoy]

Also makes you wonder why he didn't participate in their album rankings of Genesis... 🤔

[@TastesLikeMusic]

They hadn’t invited me to the channel yet! It’s too bad because Genesis is top 10 all-time for me. - Joe

[@ComeOnIsSuchAJoy]

@@TastesLikeMusic What a shame. 😕

[@thirdcoast5755]

I like the hiccups, especially on itcotck, Red and Starless, when it sort of goes into left field three-fourths of the way into the album, then finishes with a strong closer.

[@rhonda8900]

Trying to rank these albums was agonizing to me. I had to first rank the Adrian Belew ones, since to my ears those are the "real" King Crimson albums. I then treated the earlier ones differently and made a list of them. Finally, I tried to integrate the two lists. Discipline was head and shoulders my#1 and to me that iconic guitar sound on that album will always be the King Crimson sound. 2 - 13: Red, Island, Larks' Tongue, In the Wake of Posidon, In Court of Crimson King, Thrak (7th), Starless & Bible Black, Beat (pained me to put it so low given my history with it), Power to Believe (drop 3 songs and would have made #3!), 3 of Perfect Pair (still love it but held up the least), Lizard (too renaissance fair / high fantasy for me) and ContrucKction of Light in last. I agree that Island and Larks' are like one album and so are Posidon and In the Court so Ijust ranked first the one I slightly like above the other but consider them to reallybe numbers 3 and 4 respectively with Thrak then really being #5.

[@CrimsonFan]

The panel wasn't familiar with most of Kc's work before now, and it shows. Much of it won't dawn on the listener till after many repeated listenings - maybe over years. (That goes for me, too - and I'm a hard-core fan.) A cut above Yes -whom I also adore.

[@kenm.3512]

Being that you are not too familiar with their music I am really looking forward to your opinions. I have no opinion on who is 'better'. I preferred 70's Yes more back in the day. That is based on personal taste. I'll chime in later with my two cents. Cheers!

[@bradbridges8733]

King Crimson is definitely better than Yes in my humble opinion! Gotta listen to live stuff... the best live is from the 70s with John Wetton. Unreal band! Thanks for the lists!

[@painless465]

King Crimson were always the prog band that the "rock intelligentsia" respected. They never achieved the popularity that Yes,ELP,Jethro Tull or even Genesis in their Gabriel phase did,although KC practically invented the genre. Fripp's ideas about music were always a touch avant garde. Listen to some of the stuff he recorded with Eno and Bowie,real great! His guitar solo on "baby's on fire" from Eno's masterpiece Here Come the Warm Jets,might be my favorite solo ever. I came to love King Crimson in college,but as a teenager in the late 70's,the only KC you would hear on the radio was "in the court of the crimson king" and occasionally Schizoid Man. They actually got a decent amount of airplay in the early 80's with the Discipline album. Elephant Talk was played on rock radio (WPLJ,WNEW NYC and WPLR New Haven Conn) fairly frequently. I can only give a KC top 5 album ranking,all of these are real good. 5.Starless and Bible Black 4.Discipline 3.Lark's Tongue's in Aspic 2.In the Court of the Crimson King 1.Red

[@ComeOnIsSuchAJoy]

When you *do* rank Yes' albums, I hope you'll consider the _Keys to Ascension_ studio tracks as one entity rather than skipping both on grounds of being live albums, as most people do.

[@guillembg9535]

Best controvertial moments: 11:34 21:14 29:37 54:29 Anyway my fav Crimson albums are The court and Islands.

[@12spanku]

Jason putting the debut at 4 with four stars counts as controversial to me.

[@TheGenreman]

Sorry to pedantic Joe but it is actually Ian McDonald who sings I Talk To The Wind.

[@TastesLikeMusic]

I’ve seen both listed as vocals for that song but I couldn’t find anything on who actually sung lead. - Joe

[@roxannewalsh]

@@TastesLikeMusic Almost all of that track was done by McDonald with loads of overdubs. He sings the verses and one of the voices in the chorus with Lake doing the other. Their voices are quite distinct and easy to tell apart.

[@matma84]

Thank you for the long video about this groundbreaking band! I voted for Yes but I love Crimson as well. I think I can tell you why Yes are not as popular today as King Crimson. King Crimson gained a lot of credibility for not selling out, always being experimental and had lots of different lineups with the only constant being the cult figure Robert Fripp so people were used to line-up changes. Yes had a lot of different line-ups since the 80s, they made the mistake of dumping the integral figure of Jon Anderson in the 2000s. After the death of Chis Squire they are now seen in the eyes of many people as a tribute band without integral key members like Anderson or Wakeman. And they did far more albums from the 90s onwards than Crimson and a lot of them with not much quality. Therefore they unfortunately managed to damage their reputation. That being said I am really looking forward to the new album of theirs and I am always hoping for good Yes music and an awesome Roger Dean cover.

[@westong6215]

You guys really need to check out the new Live King Crimson album that just came out, 1982 live in Frejus. A lot of the versions of the Adrian Belew songs are better live, and easier to get over the David Burn comparisons for Joe. Also probably the best version of Larks Tongue in Aspic part 2

[@TheLocalZeroChannel]

It's funny, i can see why people would think that Belew was copying Byrne's vocal style, but i never thought of that until you said it. i knew Belew from Bowie's "Lodger" and then saw him playing with the Talking Heads on the Remain In Light Tour. And later with Laurie Anderson too. (i didn't notice he was on Zappa's Sheik Yerbouti at the time. i heard that record a lot without ever buying it). BUT, when a new KC showed up on... Friday's(?) one night, doing Elephant Talk with Levin on the Chapman stick and Belew bouncing around... it was so fresh and fun, and musically challenging at the same time. i think i didn't feel like Belew was copping Byrne's vocal style cuz there was so much of that vibe around at the time; post-modern art-pop with lyrics that fractured the narrative structure and played in a kind of detached way with language. check out Laurie Anderson for that kind of New York performance art stuff. Bowie was doing it, Television was doing it. but where Byrne has a kind of talk/sing monotone thing going on and his lyrics are intentionally detached, Belew's melodies were more musicianly, almost things you'd play on a horn. And his lyrics are full of feeling. It's a warmer and more expressive thing. And then they put that on top of this new KC style, these interlocking polyrhythmic guitar parts. And.... someone mentioned the presence of keyboards on one of those 80s records, but KC was using guitar synthesizers, those strange Roland beasts from the time. They might be the only group that ever came up with an interesting and pleasing way to use the damn things. you gotta check out some of the live stuff from that time to see and hear the combination of guitar feedback and synth washes. It was a thing.

[@TastesLikeMusic]

Maybe I overreacted. If elephant talk wasn’t the first track I’d probably like Discipline more. - Joe

[@TheLocalZeroChannel]

@@TastesLikeMusic No worries. Context is everything. i came at those records from a different place.

[@benjamintinker8028]

David Thomas of Pere Ubu was the one who kind of started that vocal style I think, Devo had it a bit too... Pere Ubu might be a discography to go through 👀

[@Vanessa.P]

I've not really listened to a lot of prog rock compared to other genres but I voted King Crimson because they were the most intriguing to me. I was only aware of In The Court of the Crimson King before this but I am interested to check out some of their other albums. I'm definitely going to listen to Red and Larks' Tongues in Aspic, those albums sound like they are really interesting - I always love to hear the roots of styles that come later.

[@sharktroubles]

Fripp brought Belew in to "add a pop element to the band.." (Belew quote) since Fripp's not really a song writer as much as he is a guitar part/riff composer and arranger. The '80s incarnation wouldn't have been as commercially viable without Adrian Belew and Robert Fripp knew that. It was really Belew's band during that era.

[@shyshift]

No keys on Discipline,Beat or Three Of A Perfect Pair. Done on guitar synthesizer.

[@TastesLikeMusic]

Really? Even cooler - kram

[@shyshift]

@@TastesLikeMusic yep. I wish you guys could rate the box sets.

[@kevtruth]

Joe to Jason: "who are you?" Made me laugh. I think Kram said it best and sums up why I am not a huge prog rock guy. He said if there's a section in a song that you don't care for, its more than likely long and you are sort of stuck listening to it.

[@threestringsomg]

Yes it's called subjectivity... Someone out there will like it...maybe someone with a bit more patience or different perspective...lol

[@kevtruth]

@@threestringsomg Fair point

[@kenzoby8300]

Great show! I guess I like Yes more than King Crimson. However, I voted KC because I thought you guys would have a great show and experience. And I gotta tell you this was one of my favorite shows by you guys.