Red - King Crimson

I recently watched the BBC 4 documentary 'Prog Britannia' and it inspired me to dig out some of my prog cds. In case anyone doesn't know, 'prog' is short for 'progressive rock', a style of music popular in the late 60s through to the mid 70s. King Crimson is one of several bands which are put under the banner of progressive rock, but that isn't necessarily the way to look at them. When I think of 'prog rock' I think of the ridiculous excesses of Emerson, Lake and Palmer or the hugely self indulgent 'Tales Of Topographic Oceans' by Yes. Robert Fripp, leader of King Crimson, does appear to have a good deal of integrity and ended King Crimson in 1974 ...  Read the complete review

King Crimson's final album for the best part of a decade, 'Red' would have been a fitting swan song as the finest album in the band's erratic discography since their classic 1969 debut. Similar to that earlier album, there are five tracks beginning with comparatively straightforward prog rock songs (I'm using 'comparatively straightforward' in the loosest possible sense) before letting loose some instrumental indulgence in the longer final couple. Fortunately, each song is excellent, from the back-to-basics rock instrumental 'Red' to the grand finale 'Starless.' This was the tightest incarnation of the band, here cut down to a three-piece (with several guest ...  Read the complete review

Red is the Colour of Noise! From the many line-up changes and 'musical differences' that weave through King Crimson's long history - Red emerges as one of the peaks of their constantly progressive and eclectic output. Following on from the 'mostly quiet with frequent noisy bits' jumble of Lark's Tongues In Aspic and the more coherent but somewhat mixed Starless & Bible Black, Red took a darker, heavier and more powerful turn. The line up for this 1974 release comprises the omnipresent Robert Fripp - whose guitar playing has been described as somewhere between Bartok and a Typewriter, the sometimes in, sometimes out Drummer from Yes, Bill ...  Read the complete review