Red-King Crimson (Island)

Reviewed by David Maclennan

A sad event this, for 'Red' is the final studio album we shall see from King Crimson, in my opinion the finest group ever to tread the boards. Side one opens with the title track, uncompromisingly heavy, with strong chord work from Fripp underpinned by John Wetton's powerful bass lines. Bruford thrashes about on percussives as if he were possessed. Next up is a song, 'Fallen Angel', which opens quietly in the 'Exiles'/'Lament' tradition, but develops into something approaching the heaviness of the title track. Side one closes with 'One More Red Nightmare; another heavy metal workout featuring further use of Fripp power chords, and to and behold, the return to the fold of Mk No. 1 Crimsiod Ian McDonald.

Actually, he isn't the only former member or guest player to crop up on 'Red'. There's the recently-departed David Cross (violin), ace blower Mel Collins (soprano sax), Robin Miller (oboe), and Marc Charig (cornet), who had added so much to 'Lizard'.

Side two opens with 'Providence', probably one of the five best tracks laid down in the whole history of King Crimson. All members are shown to their fullest advantage, particularly Cross and Bruford. To adequately describe this track is nigh on impossible. 'Bloody incredible' approximates. My suggestion is that you go into a record shop and give it a listen. Then the final cut, 'Starless', fittingly an amalgam of the old Crimson (lush, mellotron, fluid guitar, etc.) with the new, heavy, or whatever, Crimson, (they have always been a band that defies labelling or categorization.)

This track begins with the afore-mentioned lush mellotron, overlaid with a beautiful, fluid guitar melody from Fripp. Wetton comes in next with some slow, almost reverent vocals, and all this goes on for a few minutes. Then — all change! The new Crimson comes to the fore as the piece really gets going, with Fripp moving up the fret-board a semitone or a tone at a time. The rest of the group form a solid backdrop for this until the tempo changes abruptly, and it becomes a free-for-all, with McDonald taking up Fripp's guitar tune on the sax. And thus ends the last studio album from King Crimson.

In England, a live album called 'USA' has just been released. It contains numbers from 'Lark's Tongues' and 'Starless', a new one called 'Asbury Park" (and verily I say unto thee, it is second only to 'Fracture' as the finest thing King Crimson have ever done!), plus the perennial 'Schizoid Man'. From 1969 to 1974, King Crimson gave us nine magnificent albums, each one totally different from the proceeding one. Of all the so-called avant-garde artrack school, they were and always will be the best. Barring 'USA' (and that will come), all their LP's are again available here in NZ. Buy them while you can.

King Crimson 1969-1974. R.I.P.