Ranking the Studio Albums: King Crimson

[@jeffaudrain5306]

Met Adrian Belew in a Mexican restaurant here in Nashville. Wonderful down to earth guy. Asked him if Fripp ever hangs at his place. Belew replied that he doesn't let him stay at his house cause he always rearranges the furniture.

[@michaelcross9557]

When I met Adie, I asked him if he secretly wished he'd been a Beatle. Without missing a beat, he gushed "No, I wanted to be a Wilbury!". At the time he'd just released Young Lions which had "Not Alone Anymore" on it, so I knew he was serious :)

[@thekeywitness]

I met Adrian at the Sylvian/Fripp concert in 1993/4 in Chicago, which was an amazing show. That was before KC regrouped for Thrak in '95. I asked him if Crim would ever get together again, and he said that Fripp had invited him to discuss it after the show. That was pretty cool.

[@Larimar270]

Met him in both Cincinnati and Las Vegas - ditto - very down to earth. Had photos with him - great guy!!

[@amalatesta]

What Mexican restaurant in Nashville? I live in Music City too.

[@siljeff2708]

@@amalatesta probably the one that Bruford got pissed off at Fripp at which caused the creation of the ProjeKcts

[@cstinedrum]

this band changed my life

[@jasonshort1437]

Mine too

[@manfredklinkert]

I was fifteen in 1971 and hearing the mellotron by Fripp and Ian McDonald it changed and influenced my music life till today. unforgetable

[@gregvincentbolinfarlow5813]

Totallity...

[@АлександрМалахов-п9э]

Chuckie Drums I’m thirteen and for now I’ve listened to three of Crimson’s albums: Beat, In the Court of the Crimson King and Red(in this exact order). It’s an infinite metamorphosis of form. I’m amazed, I’m scared, I’m admired. I love it

[@tylerstanley578]

Same

[@ursaminorjim]

_Red_ is an absolute masterpiece. Like a lot of their 1974 contemporaries (Eno, Bowie, Roxy Music, Can), it's adventurously ahead of its time but also resolutely _of_ its time. It's like a post-punk album made before punk!

[@KickflipGnasty]

Interesting take! I've always seen it as very metal sounding though! I see that album as the grassroots of math-metal.

[@resistor27]

Jazz metal i always thought.

[@tylerstanley578]

That album has this weird origins of math Rock thing going on so I can definitely see the Post Punk vibes

[@isiso.speenie5994]

Yes ! Red always makes me think of straight up Voodoo hypnotic visions. ( If that is what you are in the mood for LoL )

[@billjones8503]

So have heard. Have to give a try soon!

[@Bill-py1fn]

I was 14 years old when I begged my mom to buy me the Court of the Crimson King. I took it home and on the first song, 21st Century Schizoid Man, my mom came unglued.

[@SwisstedChef2018]

Thank you Pete, Epitath is by far and no doubt the best KC has done. Greg (God bless his Soul, may he rest in Peace) wonderful, magic, classic, and unforgetable.

[@bumpdunlop]

My one and only King Crimson story..... In the early 80's they were rehearsing in my home town, Champaign. I had a drum flight case listed for sale. Bill Bruford showed up at my door and bought the case!

[@rigovalenz]

wake up man, it's time to go LOL

[@dt1978]

Man, this one is pretty tough, as over the years, like you Pete, it essentially (and eventually) became a toss up between 4 albums for my top pick. Also, like you, those top 4 are almost interchangeable, depending on the day, or mood I'm in. But I pretty much have it nailed based on which albums I pull out the most often. Anyway, I love all the albums, but from least favorite to top favorite, here I go: 13. Thrak 12. The Power To Believe 11. The ConstruKction of Light 10. Three of a Perfect Pair 9. Islands 8. Beat 7. Discipline 6. Starless and Bible Black 5. In The Wake of Poseidon My top 4 (with notes): 4. In The Court of The Crimson King (The first KC album I ever bought. Blew my mind when I first heard it, and still does. I swore it would be my #1 favorite, forever. However, over the years, I realize that I don't find the urge to listen to this one *nearly* as much as the remaining three albums that rank above this one.) 3. Lizard (This album, with all it's flaws, and it does have them, somehow managed to sneak it's way to the upper echelon of my listening pleasure, after a few years of repeated listening, simply for it's magical, majestic, pandemonium-filled, circus-like (pun appropriate) atmosphere. No other album in their catalogue displays this particular ambience. This one only gets better with time.) 2. Red (A masterpiece. Devastating, heavy, searing, dark, gloomy and beautiful. Encapsulates everything the group did up to that point, and it closed out the classic period in succinct, punchy and razor-sharp fashion. Not much more I can really add.) 1. Larks' Tongues in Aspic (I can't even put this in words, but I'll try. KC bridged many different styles, from many different continents as well, on this one. I will say that both parts of the title track exhibit the NASTIEST amalgamation of scintillating metal, 20th century classical, African, funk, prog...whatever. The fact that Fripp would return to this theme on Three of a Perfect Pair, and later on TCoL says a lot. Book of Saturdays is gorgeous. Easy Money, etc. This has to be my #1. I even bought the LTiA T-shirt from the band's website a couple years ago. It's *so* friggin' cool, lol.) I wanted to leave notes on all 13 discs, but I figured it would have been *way* too long, as if this post isn't already long enough... I also wanted to say that Islands used to rank much higher. But, over the years, I've actually found it to be the weakest album, musically, from the '69-'74 period (notwithstanding the self-conscious attempt to have ITWoP, at least partially, mimic the style and layout of ITCotKC.) The ConstruKction of Light is my favorite of the last few they did. TPTB was probably a cleaner, more succinct version of it's predecessor, so I get why many favor that one a little more. I just love the messy, cluttered, slightly disorganized feel of TCoL a little more (for lack of better terminology.) Chronologically, Thrak was the very last album I bought from KC, which might, at least partially, explain why it ranks last. If anyone made it all the way to the bottom of this long post, it's greatly appreciated. I've been following this channel for some time, but this is the first time I've commented. Love these album ranking/song ranking videos, of all these amazing artists. Definitely gives us all a reason to talk about, and celebrate this stuff.

[@isiso.speenie5994]

I came to the same conclusions after 50 years but I'd flip your top 4 upside down in order ! LoL 🤣

[@DistantEarlyWarning]

The 80s lineup is my favorite. The chemistry was just perfect.

[@eliasmg9144]

It was possibly the most stable lineup too, so that helps

[@pinkfloydmeddle6692]

Agreed

[@matthewrush-kw4cg]

1. Lizard 2. Red 3. In The Court Of The Crimson King 4. Starless And Bible Black 5. Discipline

[@ronniefarnsworth6465]

Bible Black is so Great !!!!

[@mononoaware1960]

I see you are a man of taste! Mine would be: Poseidon, Larks Tongues, In the Court, Lizard, and Red.

[@gardenofeels6872]

Everyone knows Lizard sucks.

[@vorhangauf...]

Oh yeah, Lizard is like a fairy tale. Everytime I hear it, I forget the rest of the world.

[@Morn__]

Robert fripp thinks lizard is shit lmao

[@hansforsman1730]

Impeccable ranking of a great catalogue. Keep up the good work Pete! Your shows are highly appreciated. Greetings from northern Sweden.

[@benaguilar1261]

Thank you Pete for your videos. I enjoy them very much, lots of fun.

[@MrJermyWurmy]

Thank you for doing this. Really appreciate all the effort and time you put forth.

[@32ndBrother]

I can’t choose either, it’s like trying to pick your favorite child. You’ve got to love the way Crimson just lets the tape run out at the end of “the Mincer” on Starless. Brilliant!

[@NelsonMontana1234]

Like so many bands of that time, hearing them for the first time was so impactful that it's something that stays with you. So for me, the first one holds a special place because when it was released I never heard anything like it -- because there wasn't anything like it.

[@littlestevey4172]

Epitaph is my favorite song by them as well!! Unbelievable lyrics and music! So much atmosphere!

[@leifsiklossy6548]

Thanks for mentioning Cat Food. Red is also my favorite King Crimson! Red is one of the best albums of the 1970s. I think it’s their most accessible recording.

[@palacerevolution2000]

I have watched countless episodes by you Pete; always well thought out. You know what you are talking about. Thanks.

[@ganazby]

‘Islands’ is a wonderful album. Like Pete, it’s grown on me over the years, and I find myself going back to it more and more these days. That said, Crimson never released anything less than great albums. Love ‘em all.

[@j.resihead1835]

My favorite KC albums are Islands and In The Wake Of Poseidon. They are tied for my number 1 spot. I love all of their albums. They are very important to me

[@christophernaughton6629]

Having been a Crimson fan from virtually the beginning and having seen the various iterations of the band, I can only say- thank god for Jakko Jacszyk (and his earlier 21st Century Schizoid Band with Crimson alumni). For years watching Crimson I knew I would never hear the vocals from those seminal first 7 LPs (Lake through Wetton) except for Schizoid Man. Now with Jakko on board, having sung these amazing songs with 21stCSB, we get to hear Fripp and the rest of the amazing current Crimsons play vocal-based cuts from Islands, Lizard, ITCOTKC, all the Wetton/Bruford years, etc. Though I loved much of the Belew era, I can't really imagine him singing "Starless" or "Epitaph." The best thing Fripp did was bring Jakko on board, so now I can hear the likes of "Cirkus" and "Islands" in concert.

[@derekreinhardt7655]

My three favorite musical artist have always been King Crimson, Nirvana, and Miles Davis. Great album breakdown video!

[@jasonpp1973]

The top 3 are my faves too. Great prog band. Ever heard of Soft Machine?

[@MrJermyWurmy]

Check out some of his other videos. He talks about Soft Machine. There's very little he doesn't know about when it comes to prog/jazz fusion bands.

[@TheRealJanKafka]

Who hasn't heard of Soft Machine? The first two albums at least equal the best of Crimson.

[@jasonpp1973]

@@TheRealJanKafka I have the twofer cd with the first two.

[@robertwilliams4682]

@@TheRealJanKafka I dunno about that. You might be underrating Crimson

[@grok023]

@@TheRealJanKafka "Third " is my favorite Soft Machine album. absolute classic.

[@marciopainhas5828]

One of the pioneer bands of prog-rock. An original mix of virtuous and moody songs. I really dig "In The Court Of The Crimson King" and "Red".

[@blackcatcentralmusic]

My favorite lineup is the Wetton era. "Starless and Bible Black". Technically, not entirely a studio album. Much of it was recorded live with studio additions and audience noise removed.

[@peterichards3261]

Yea from the Night Watch live album recorded in Amsterdam. When I first heard that live album I couldn't believe how close those tracks were to the "originals" then I found out they were the originals

[@winterdasilvaferreira2329]

I am loving these videos! When's Supertramp?

[@1234tori]

my first 8: islands - 7: lizard - 6: poseidon - 5: starless - 4: crimson king - 3: red - 2: discipline - 1: aspic - thanks for your passion

[@williamgeorgefraser]

This is my top 5: 1) Red. "Starless" is my favourite song of all time. John Wetton was such an incredible singer and bassist. 2) In the Court. I discovered "21st Century Schizoid Man" on a sampler "Nice Enough to Eat" and just had to get this album. 3) In The Wake. I was looking to buy "Court' but could only find this. My 1st Crimson album. "The Devil's Triangle" is their take on "Mars" from "The Planets Suite" by Holst. 4) Lizard. "Cirkus", "Indoor Games" and "Happy Family" are great tracks. The mellotron in "Cirkus" is massive. 5) Lark's Tongues. The arpeggio guitar on "Part 2" is amazing, only bettered by Fripp's "Breathless". After these, I was less into KC and more into Zeuhl, so although all the KC albums are great, I know the others less well.

[@tomasan6802]

Epic band! I'm 18 yo and I discovered the band past year with a friend and had the opportunity to saw them here in Argentina

[@caryheuchert]

“Lizard” for me! Crimson never sounded so otherworldly and weird as on this LP. I’m also a big fan of Gordon Haskell. His solo album from 1971 featured none other than John Wetton on bass and vocals.

[@petesinfield8798]

I agree with you. I love so this album so much. Perhaps we need a facebook group dedicated to this album. The main reason I like it is because there's lots of notes. Probably more than any other KC album? The other thing was the possibility of Anderson joining King Crimson.

[@bobby666666]

I first heard Lizard late 77 and loved it. The album is complex in a way that RF plays so much that was hidden on the original release. There is lots to say about this album and not enough space here.

[@bobby666666]

@Slarti Bartfast Yea, I understand Pete went on Holiday before supplying the lyrics. Lyrically it may be great, but it is quite relaxed compared to their other albums. If people consider it is the best fine. Islands did come quite low for me, but recent live renditions by the current band has bumped it up a bit.

[@bobby666666]

@Slarti Bartfast Brilliant track. Always loved it since I first heard in the 4 disc compilation from the early 90s

[@bobby666666]

@Slarti Bartfast My fave band. Nothing else comes close. 72/74 fave period, but I love all the era's. Worst album is Earthbound. Great version of 21st, but the rest is awful. Groom is too long and has them awful drum effects and there are two funk workouts which don't really go anywhere. I have yet to hear the expanded version, so my opinion could change on that album.

[@isiso.speenie5994]

My final conclusion after 50 years is that the first album and Lizard are their most eclectic iconoclastic work and the most emotionally engaging and interesting !

[@timberwrightsvs480]

The first KC album I ever heard was In The Court of the Crimson King...and, having been a Greg Lake (GL) fan prior to ever hearing it, I instantly fell in love with it. The title song, for example, contains some of the finest lyrical phrasing I've ever heard...and, of course, Greg Lake's great vocals give the lyrics even more poignancy. The next album I got to spend some time with was, indeed, In the Wake of Poseidon. Apart from the usual great vocals by GL, I love the "depth" that these guys established with their previous album. Some may think of it as In The Court... part two, but I really think that it has its own place among the great KC originals. If anyone has any thoughts on their favorite KC albums, I'd love to read all about it.

[@delby66]

Court of the Crimson King was my favourite album by this great band. I think the reason is that album introduced me to their music. Like you Pete my favourite song is Epitaph. The musical arrangements are incredible, especially that mellotron, AMAZING!!!!. The brilliant Greg Lake....what a singer, to me the best in the rock world. I'm a bit bias there because ELP were and still are my favourite band. LOL. In all, a great album.

[@sarar2109]

Every time I want to dive into a new group I come here first and see where I should start! These rankings are insanely helpful

[@davidryan6441]

Before I ever listened to a King Crimson Album I saw them live at The Rolling Stones Free Concert in Hyde Park....A real WOW moment, there were awesome....bought "In The Court of the Crimson King on the way home.....and everything else since..I cannot rank their Albums as they never disappoint and always deliver......Brilliant Band, No matter What The Line-up is.

[@MisterLumpkin]

That would have been a real trick! The concert in Hyde Park was in July 1969 and Court wasn't released until October. But, nice try.

[@gdmatter2286]

I like to hear peoples histories but i hate it when people lie like you. 😡

[@johnhenfrey5936]

Another cracking show Pete, keep them coming.

[@patrickcrowther9195]

I’m not a great expert on King Crimson but in my opinion they are the band that truly defines progressive music as it was originally conceived and defined. Forward-looking, challenging, ever-evolving.

[@sapiano7]

I have heard of King Crimson but I never listened to their music 🎵. But thanks to you I started to listening to them & their music is mind-blowing 🎶

[@scociolopath]

My top three are Discipline, Three of a perfect pair and red. Love em all though.

[@cadflo]

I just bought lizard and Red. Oh boy Red is INCREDIBLE. Love it too! My fav now between court or Red...

[@domico5838]

King Crimson is such a magical sound that its like it draws me in and hypnotizes me like a moth to the flame or something like that. Larks Tounges is consistently my fav. but yes those top 4 are interchangeable on any given day. Great show Pete!!😉👍

[@barrystrickland174]

Agreed on Lizard. I like it more every time I listen to it. Very underrated.

[@mundoaseptico8785]

Great job PEte. My first listenings was in the 80, with Discipline, Beat and Three. Contemporanean like the Biritish New wave. I listened the League of the gentlement album and FRipp’s Exposure. I was young and that is the beat I was need. When I come inside in the old stuff, I was older and It seems a diferent band, like Genesis, ELP or Yes. King Crimson and the parallel staff is an universe of amazing music. Epitaph and Starless are my favourite songs.

[@bmardon2112]

Tomorrow this video is 1 years old. Happy birthday Album Ranking KC

[@brianharradine8130]

1. In The Court of The Crimson King 2. Red 3. Larks' Tongues in Aspic 4. In The Wake of Poseidon 5. Starless And Bible Black 6. Discipline 7. Lizard Really hard to separate the top 2, both absolute classics

[@timhollis3390]

I had to click on this one as soon as I saw it.I'm glad I'm one of those people that's just smart enough that their music isn't beyond my level of comprehension.I would be missing out on so much.

[@markrago7217]

First time I listened to Red I took two hits of strong blotter acid. It still is my favorite.

[@tonyanderton3521]

Great comments there, Pete, on how we all have our own favourites and not-so-favourites but it's all great, we're all music lovers and it's all very passionate to hear and debate these fantastic records after 40-50 years.

[@NSlok.]

Here is my top 10 list. 1. Larks Tongue in Aspect 2. In the Wake of Poseidon 3. Red 4. In the Court of the Crimson King 5. Starless and Bible Black 6. Three of a Perfect Pair 7. Thrank 8. Beat 9. Discipline 10. Islands

[@iiiprogundergroundandexper7120]

What a challenge to try and rank KC's works, so huge and different to each other they are! You did it perfectly, and as you say, "might change in a couple of days"... Thank you for sharing your love for them !

[@davidguy209]

I grew up with In the Court of the Crimson King. I agree with everything you said about Epitaph. So powerful and emotional. Gets me every time. I'm ashamed to say the only other I've got is Starless and Bible Black. I'm going to put that right, now... Thank you for the inspiration

[@stuartwexelbaum9070]

My favorite album by King Crimson is In the Court of the Crimson King..I was 13 when I first heard it when it came out in 1969..It was given to me as a present..I remember when I first heard it, I really couldn't understand what was going on.. I had never heard anything like it..But after a few listens I was hooked..Love everything about the album including the over the top cover..Years later I turned my son onto it and he loved it as well..Playing the album in the car one day as we drove around in upstate NY around West Kill area just really digging it..Great job Pete really enjoy your rankings..Looking forward to the Jethro Tull rankings..

[@NedAndrewSolomon]

This was wonderful. Larks Tongues was always my #1, with, surprisingly!, Islands at #2. Then Lizard and Red rounding out the top 4. Truly enjoyed your approach. Thank you.

[@mikeschrammel1790]

I feel your pain Pete !! I have been eagerly waiting for this ranking. I love the Wetton years as well such a brilliant set of albums.So my favorites are2- Larks tongues in aspic, 2- Red, 3- In the court of the crimson Kong 4- Starless and Bible Black 5- Discipline.Islands is s sleeper album that grows on you.Thanks Pete.

[@terenceboris851]

Peter Sinfield : great lyricist

[@DinsdalePiranha67]

Agreed. He also continued working with Greg Lake once he had joined ELP.

[@kw19193]

Indeed, let's add poet too. Truly remarkable. Cheers!

[@mikereiss4216]

I agree with John Wetton and Greg Lake being two of the best singers in prog. My personal fave has always been LTIA. Poseidon is very underrated and one of my favorites also. Great job.

[@AndE667]

Peter Gabriel? Fish? Steve Hogarth? Jon Anderson?

[@terryraines8257]

Would like to see a show, if you haven't already done so, on top album by bands that only released 1 album. and the band ended.Thanks,Pete,for your show. I'm a regular watcher.

[@attila7092]

I love the song Fracture. Just a masterpiece. There isn't enough good words to describe that climatic ending

[@ahtepacholiztli]

1. In The Court 2. Larks 3. In The Wake 4. Red 5. Discipline 6. Lizard 7. Islands 8. Starless 9. Beat 10. The Power 11. Thrak 12. Three of 13. The Contrukction

[@chrisv9419]

Great list, I was fortunate enough to see king crimson last september at NYC and fripp was a very nice, he even allowed to take a photo along with a Q&A. I was fortunate to meet him and the rest of the crew along with a photo.

[@anotherDnightmare]

Great vid. As always. I remember my Dad playing “Epitaph” on acoustic when I was little. But it was Discipline that grabbed me and never let go. And I’ve been along for the ride ever since.

[@williamjennings3806]

Red is my favorite as well and in the top of progressive rock albums ever recorded.

[@ТеренсМалик-ц7з]

Amazing!!!My favourite group!!!

[@ТеренсМалик-ц7з]

KING CRIMSON - моя самая любимая группа,она находится в центре рок-мироздания,ибо,по сути,это - академические музыканты,лишь волею случая взявшие в руки инструменты рок-музыки.Фрипп - выдающийся композитор,ибо,чтобы создать что-либо бессмертное,мало лишь отменно играть на гитаре!!!!Благодарю вас за обзор!!!!!!!

[@tatedavis2016]

That debut album is pretty special to me. Lizard, Poseidon, and Red follow closely behind.

[@stephenlegg262]

Hi from Wales. Another great video. Glad you like Islands and Lizard. Two underrated albums.

[@miltonsangrouber2125]

Great stuff. One of my favourite bands ever since I stumbled upon them in a second hand record store as a 15 year old back in 1974. I agree there isn't a bad effort amongst them. Love your shows, love the breadth of your taste. And ranking anyone's albums is always different for everyone. Keep up the good work. By the way I pretty much agree with the KC rankings. Picked up all the 40th reissues, blown away by the clean up job on Earthbound.

[@jeffaudrain5306]

Fave Five: 5. Islands/ Larks Tongue 4. In the wake / Starless 3. The power to believe 2. Red 1. In the Court HM : Lizard , Three of a perfect pair

[@wk4max]

Wow!!! Feels like I'm. the only person in the 🌎 who Hasn't met Adrian Belew!! Thanks for the stories .love em!! He's doing the tour of the Remain in Light album at the moment ,I bet that's great!! 😁

[@floriansievers6439]

My today's top 5: 1. Discipline 2. In The Court Of The Crimson King 3. Red 4. In The Wake Of Poseidon 5. Lizard

[@robertwilliams4682]

Pretty much mine exactly, though I'd switch Poseidon for Starless and Lizard for Islands

[@anthony.jdefeo6661]

.

[@KMAsKorner]

Starless is my favorite song. I remember showing that song to Aaron Lewis of StainD back in high school 86 - 87 time period and he thought that I was weird enjoying that song's second half. He thought differently when I showed him One More Red Nightmare.

[@dougmphilly]

the middle section where fripp climbs up the wall a note at a time ...chills

[@arunb3713]

I'm playing Starless on loop right now! What a band!

[@DpHsHd]

My top 5: 1. Red 2. In the Court of the Crimson King 3. Larks’ Tongues in Aspic 4. Discipline 5. Starless and Bible Black

[@jamesjordan139]

That’s the trendy guys list , Thrak was by far the best album , any real fan would agree with me

[@curlessmania4708]

Pete this is such a great ranking video. I love your passion for King Crimson and your channel is top notch.

[@seaoftranquilityprog]

Thank you so much 👍

[@enjois5464]

cant argue with red being no 1, starless live with the new band wow, when the lights go from blue to red, fantastic

[@colesondilbeck4582]

Sad to see ConstruKction at the bottom, my brain is so messed up that it happens to be my favorite from them!

[@thefacts5394]

I agree TCOL is a great album and a lot more listenable than a lot of the earlier ones. Personally I can't stand Wetton's vocals, they always sound really amateur to me.

[@thefacts5394]

@@trembling3674 And you are welcome to have that opinion. I like Belew's singing, but I do prefer the 80's onwards to the 70's stuff - I did see 'Islands' and 'Lark's Tongues' tours and no doubt it was a great band with Wetton.

[@wesleyjay629]

Incredible list! I could not have done it better myself and I think that KC fans out there will agree wholeheartedly with your picks. Great Job! thanks.

[@TheMightySynchromess]

1. Discipline. The band at the height of their power.

[@garymoraco3184]

I'm new to this band. Can you tell me how so?

[@Martwypłód2k12]

@@garymoraco3184 check court, larks and red

[@BlackWhirlies]

I agree, it is one of the most innovative of all rock albums and in a different league to Crimson King, Starless etc.

[@thekeywitness]

It's certainly the best of the '80s, and one of the best albums of that decade in general--very innovative.

[@BlackWhirlies]

@@garymoraco3184 Because it takes a totally different approach and the instrumentation is totally new.There are no acoustic instruments. Bass lines are played on the Chapman Stick, the drums are electronic and the guitars are doing the in phase/ out of phase Steve Reich thing a lot of the time. Lyrically it moves away from the hippie prog stuff and gets very new age.

[@isiso.speenie5994]

Red 🍒 always puts me into a Voodoo Hypnotic trance !

[@TheS0ftMachine]

I agree with you wholeheartedly on Epitaph and Starless being the most emotionally draining songs ever, and for me Wake Of Poseidon is up there too, anyway my 3 favourite albums would have to be: 1.Larks Tongue 2.ITCOTKC 3. Wake Of Poseidon

[@SG-gj6ko]

1. Island 2. In the Court 3. In the Wake 4. Lizard 5. Red 6. Larks' Tongues 7. Starless . . . 8. Discipline

[@kellyl6883]

Epitaph , my favourite KC track also, it brings me to tears each time, as it reminds me of someone very close to me who passed away a long time ago. Thank you for your list, this is essentially probably where I would've ranked them too.

[@grok023]

Red has always been my No.1.

[@jandecuyper4477]

Dear Mr. Pardo. It's all your fault. Having only been familiar with their first album, I ordered 80% of their discography plus some Dvd's, based solely on your ranking here. I am being floored by 'Level Five' as we speak. Thank you. Keep on spreading the gospel. Love this stuff.

[@cstinedrum]

depending on my mood they are all my faves

[@cromosoma-vector]

1-Lark's tongue in aspic 2-In the court of the crimson King 3-Red 4-Discipline 5-Islands

[@marguskiis7711]

Lizzard is very underrated.

[@MrWeisbrodt]

Agreed. That's probably my favorite King Crimson album. Very dark and massive sounding. There's so much going on everytime I listen to it I'll hear something I didn't notice before.

[@manfredklinkert]

Cirkus is unforgetable for me since 1971

[@mattw8332]

+ 1. Lizard is a delightful album.

[@gillaume]

AAAAAAAAAah ! Yes ! Thank you !

[@stoogefest16]

Steve Wilsons remix really does that record justice. It's my personal favorite.

[@MichaelZipler]

Man!! i am a metalhead....but you got me into prog rock........im a Huge Jethro Tull and King Crimson now...also Gentle Giant. it was for me that i was missing something in my life, i found it...thanks man

[@josercoha4389]

Pete is the best of the best among the best. The ranking is remarkable.

[@WarhawkBeyond2040]

Even though i wasn't born at the time King Crimson made it's debut, i have always had a lot of respect for them as a band and for always changing with the times even though i would still say that the 69 - 74 era was their greatest creative period. Whenever you have a conversation about some of the greatest bands, you have to start with King Crimson as they played a big part in the prog rock genre and have made some of the greatest music of all time. Court Of The Crimson King and Red are absolute masterpieces that really captured them at the peak of their creativity. The 70s lineup of Robert Fripp, John Wetton, David Cross and Bill Bruford is my all time favourite incarnation as they were a tight unit and had such a monster sound.

[@krzysztofzakrocki2210]

1.Islands 2. Lizard 3. Beat 4. Starless & BB 5. ITCOTCK 6. ITWOP 7. Discipline 8. TOAPP 9. LTIA 10. TCOL 11. PTB

[@hauskahirvi]

Indeed! I agree that they are all good to great albums.

[@scottbenkel5450]

Love your show! For me Beat really resonates with me...would rank in top 3!

[@gregoryvanderpas4176]

It would be very interesting to do a ranking of all the Fleetwood Mac studio albums, from Peter Green to Bob Welsh to the final line up.

[@bobthebear1246]

I need to start listening to more King Crimson. I've only ever listened to their debut, *In The Court Of The Crimson King.* Other than that amazing album, and the pair of songs they did on the ABC L.A.-based 1979-82 sketch show "Fridays" - including "Elephant Talk" - I don't know anything else by them. So, thanks for this show, Pete!! 👍🏻

[@dannypartridge6104]

Been waiting on this one gotta agree wth your top five .

[@michaelblower9051]

Strange that all the best bands in almost every genre of rock music are British?

[@jimmycampbell78]

As someone who is British, I don’t find that strange at all! 😉

[@jimmycampbell78]

In all seriousness I would say the USA had the best country/southern rock/swamp rock genre bands: Creedence, Allman Bros, ZZ Top, Lynyrd Sknyrd. And I prefer and really like the US psychedelic rock bands- Velvet Underground, Grateful Dead, The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane. Grunge was also largely an American thing while the UK had Britpop. But yeah- blues rock, hard rock, prog rock, punk, metal, new wave- we Brits killed it!

[@andrewdevine3920]

@@jimmycampbell78 Grunge is mostly terrible, but then so was a lot of Britpop.

Brain Stormer As an American, I don't find that strange at all either! No matter the genre, you guys know how to make great music over there!

[@michaelrushlander7696]

I think the quality of British elementary through high school education in Britain has a lot to do with it.

[@mononoaware1960]

Nice list! For me the 69-74 era is where it’s at, I love all of those albums equally. I love the whole contrast of dark and brooding to melancholic and tranquil. The overarching jazz influence on those records do it for me too. I never got the whole Poseidon is too similar to In the Court complaint, there’s nothing like Cat Food or Devil’s Triangle on In the Court. I never thought Cadence was a cheap version of I Talk to the Wind either, other than that there’s a flute. Agreed about Epitaph as well, I’ve been brought to tears many times especially the last 2 minutes. Robert Fripp is a huge influence on my playing, I love that he disregarded everything that was happening around him at the time. Instead of coming from a blues/pentatonic based background (nothing wrong with that of course) he drew from avant garde jazz and classical, that really connected with me. Peace.

[@ronniefarnsworth6465]

Some fifty years now and my Crimson list always moves around, it's just one of those great Prog bands with so many changes and sounds that move me differently over the years, and I must of not listened to Lizard & Islands for years then just saw the KC 50th tour in concert and they played a bunch of these older songs, it brought me back to these older records again. Always the Bruford/Wetton rea being my favorite !! For now .... 1, Starless and Bible Black (Love this mostly Live album !) 2, Red 3, In the Court of the Crimson King 4, Lizard 5, Larks' Tongues in Aspic 6, In the Wake of Poseidon ( Title track's Mellotron & Drums !!) 7, The Great Deceiver Box ( I know it's Live but I Love it !!) 8, Islands 9, Discipline 10, The Power to Believe

[@IAmisMaster]

Best band ever. I was hoping they would release one more non-Projekct album, but if they call it quits today, their legacy still speaks for itself. I saw them on the Radical Action tour and it was prog heaven.

[@aleksandarfrick2656]

1.Islands 2. Court of ... 3 . Aspic 4. Red 5.Beat 6 . Discipline