Product Description

One of the most astonishing debuts in rock gets the royal treatment as we mark it's 40th anniversary! Both editions include a new Stephen Wilson/Robert Fripp stereo mix plus the Epitaph backing track; a flute/guitar duet of I Talk to the Wind, and more. The 2-CD edition adds the 2004 remaster of the LP; a BBC Peel session of 21st Century Schizoid Man, and more. The other edition has a 5.1 DTS mix and high-resolution stereo mixes on DVD-A plus alternate takes (Moonchild; The Court of the Crimson King); 1969 Hyde Park performance footage, and more!

Review

Initial pressings featured a limited edition, cardboard-stock gatefold sleeve and unpublished archive photos. King Crimson: Greg Lake (vocals, bass); Robert Fripp (guitar); Ian McDonald (flute, clarinet, saxophones, keyboards, background vocals); Michael Giles (drums); Peter Sinfield. KC's debut album introduced to the world a group that threw various '60s genres into a blender and set the results afire with a blowtorch. One of the pioneers of the progressive rock movement that began in the late '60s and flourished in the early '70s, King Crimson was arguably the most consistently creative band in the genre. On IN THE COURT they blend wispy, Donovan-ish folk-rock with Wagnerian grandeur, mind-bending heavy rock, and even a free- jazz sensibility. Greg Lake's vocals are effectively theatrical but more restrained than in his later ELP work. Robert Fripp was just learning how to make mincemeat of a chord progression, but he's alternately lyrical and frenetic as the moment requires. The extended jams on cuts like "Moonchild" are light-footed and inventive, never ponderous, thanks largely to the crisp, jazzy drumming of Michael Giles. "20th Century Schizoid Man"'s bone-crushing ensemble riffs and crazed solos were of a heft unprecedented in rock & roll. Most importantly, the trademark Crimson would stick to throughout their career is shown here--dynamic variations between soft/lyrical and raucous/experimental. This was seen not just between songs but in the drastic dynamic shifts between sections in a single composition. --Muze

"...this 1969 album's manic energy and compressed imagery captures the violent downside of the hippy years...better than almost any other recording from the time..." --Q Magazine

• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
• Language : English
• Product Dimensions : 5.55 x 4.92 x 0.47 inches; 4.02 ounces
• Manufacturer : Sony Music Canada Inc.
• Original Release Date : 2016
• Date First Available : August 22, 2009
• Label : Sony Music Canada Inc.
• Number of discs : 2