01	Peace - A Beginning						00:50
	02	Pictures Of A City Including 42nd At Treadmill						08:01
	03	Cadence And Cascade						04:37
	04	In The Wake Of Poseidon Including Libra's Theme						07:56
	05	Peace - A Theme						01:15
	06	Cat Food						04:55
	07	The Devil's Triangle (I) Merday Morn (Ii) Hand Of Sceiron (Iii) Garden Of Worm						11:34
	08	Peace - An End						01:52

King Crimson: In the Wake of Poseidon
EG Records (EGCD 2)
UK 1970

Robert Fripp, guitar, mellotron, and devices;
Greg Lake, vocals;
Michael Giles, drums;
Peter Giles, bass;
Keith Tippett, piano;
Mel Collins, saxes and flute;
Gordon Haskell, vocal on "Cadence and Cascade";
Peter Sinfield, words

Tracklist:
1. Peace - A Beginning - 6:25
2. Pictures of a City - 5:40
3. Cadence and Cascade - 8:30
4. In the Wake of Poseidon - 12:09
5. Peace - A Theme - 8:48
6. Cat Food - 8:30
7. The Devil's Triangle - 12:09
a. Merday Morn
b. Hand of Sceiron
c. Garden of Worm
8. Peace - An End - 1:53


Bob Eichler:
For a band that is known for having various incarnations that are so different from each other that they don't even sound like the same band, it's odd that their first two albums are practically carbon copies of each other. For the most part, this album is overshadowed by its more successful predecessor. Still, there are things to like here - as the other reviewers have mentioned, "Cat Food" is a wonderful, jazzy, unpredictable little song. I also like the way they open with the "Peace" theme, then restate it in the middle of the disc and again to close the album. Downsides are Sinfield's goofy fantasy lyrics and the lengthy version of "Mars" (nice of Fripp to give himself songwriting credit on a track where he basically quotes the orchestral piece note-for-note). Overall though, anyone who liked the first album and doesn't mind some repetition of style should enjoy this one.

Sean McFee:
This album stands as a fairly unsuccessful attempt by King Crimson to duplicate the successes of their previous album. Unfortunately, they chose to do this by cloning it. Thus, you have "Pictures of a City", which is the poor cousin of "21st Century Schizoid Man", "Cadence and Cascade", which is this album's attempt at hippie balladry, and finally the title track, which is fairly reminiscent of the title track from the last album.
There is some material here which has no counterpart on the previous album, however. One example, "Cat Food", is a fairly silly and humorous rock song. On the other end of the spectrum there is the very tedious reworking of Holst's "Mars" entitled "The Devil's Triangle". While the original is a powerful and commanding triumph, the only thing triumphant about this version is making it through without falling asleep.
There isn't much more to say about this album, except to perhaps wax philosophical for a moment. King Crimson made a rather large misstep here, but were still able to get it together and give us some very memorable music later that decade. So, kids, you can make mistakes but they won't scar you for life! Then again, maybe I'm just reaching for something positive here.

Joe McGlinchey:
King Crimson's second release is basically a not so remarkable attempt at reproducing a remarkable debut. I actually quite like "Pictures of a City." But I liked it even more when it was called "21st Century Schizoid Man." "Cadence and Cascade" and "In the Wake of Poseidon" (oops: 'including Libra's Theme,' of course, how can we forget that?) handle the sensitive "Moonchild" and wistful "Epitaph" angles, respectively. I've never been able to enjoy the band's plodding adaptation of Gustav Holst's "Mars" (here it opens "The Devil's Triangle") and find it wholly bland and uninteresting. The album's highlight for me is "Cat Food," which again echoes aspects of "21st Century Schizoid Man," but also shows the way towards the edgy, jazzier Canterbury approach to be found on Lizard. Everyone from the previous album is on board here (barely) save for Ian McDonald, who had already jumped ship but picks up some writing credits nonetheless. But by this point all except Fripp and Sinfield were just hanging on, and In the Wake of Poseidon is pretty clearly a transitional album in the KC canon, with all the strengths and weaknesses thereof.

Eric Porter:
King Crimson's 2nd release was in a difficult spot having to follow up the classic In The Court Of The Crimson King. The magic of Court is missing here. At some points this sounds similiar to, and at other times it is jazzier and more improvisational than Court. Fripp was trying to keep a band together so understandably it is a more disjointed effort. "Cat Food" is a great offbeat song with some crazy eclectic piano and it helps to lighten up the mood. "The Devil's Triangle" is broken into 3 sections using mellotron, marching drum beat and a sinister horn section. This is a good record, but does not compare to Crimson's best works.

Brandon Wu:
Although it's pretty clear that this is more or less a clone of King Crimson's auspicious debut, I think In the Wake has its merits. The jazzy "Pictures of a City" is a favorite of mine, especially in concert recordings which feature the blazing sax lines of Mel Collins. The version on this studio album is much tamer, with a much less interesting middle instrumental section, but it's still a step forward for the band. "Cadence and Cascade" is a ballad (a la "I Talk to the Wind"), but a nice one; and while the title track is an obvious comparison to "Epitaph" or "The Court", and is equally pretentious and mellotron-soaked, I think it's a very nice piece overall (I particularly like the drumming) and I find it easy to forgive it its weaknesses. In fact, I think "In the Wake" has a grandeur missing from either of the mellotron epics on the debut. "Cat Food" is an obvious winner, a crazy tune accentuated by Keith Tippett's bizarre piano runs. "The Devil's Triangle" is something I feel I might really like had I patience to wade through it, but most of the time I don't. The dementia and noise present on this track is a complete change from the melodic niceness of the rest of the album, and though it's refreshing, it's also very grating. Overall, then, In the Wake is an uneven but still enjoyable transitional release, and I don't hesitate much in recommending it.




Cadence and Cascade


AMG REVIEW: This tune - originally featured on King Crimson's second long player In The Wake Of Poseidon (1970) - is notable as the only song on the album not to feature Greg Lake(bass/vocals), who split to form Emerson, Lake & Palmer prior to the completion of the disc. Robert Fripp (guitar/mellotron) enlisted Gordon Haskell (bass/vocals) - from the pre-Krim combo the League Of Gentlemen - to handle the delicate and highly melodic vocals. Lyrically, Peter Sinfield weaves a tender tale of a pair of groupies [AKA Cadence and Cascade] and ruminates about their special brand of attention. However, in true Sinfield style, he unveils the unglamorous reality of the situation with lines such as "sad paper courtesan, they found him just a man" and "purred, whispered, 'spend us too, we only serve for you'". Instrumentally, the intimate track features one of Mel Collins' most poignant flute solos, and also includes sizable contributions from Fripp on acoustic guitar and mellotron, as well as Keith Tippet on piano.
The melody - which had actually been a work-in-progress between Krim alumni Ian McDonald and Sinfield prior to the dissolution of the original King Crimson line-up - turned up as "Flight Of The Ibis" on the McDonald and Michael Giles self-titled LP, complete with alternate lyrics from one-time Krim PR man, B.P. Fallon.

In July of 1991, Fripp revived the track for inclusion on the King Crimson box set compilation Frame By Frame. He likewise asked current Krim vocalist Adrian Belew to replace Haskell's vocal track with one of his own. While some purist cried foul at this bit of revisionist remixing, Belew was able to thoroughly make the song his own. Unfortunately, it wasn't resurrected by the '90s Krim as a live performance selection. - Lindsay Planer





King Crimson - In the Wake of Poseidon

Member: Prog Owl

The 2nd album in the KC canon, In The Wake of Poseideon causes no small amount of debate among King Crimson fans, the contention being, was this an insecure duplication of their debut, In The Court of The Crimson King?

This writer puts forth that no, it wasn't. Rather, it was a largely successful attempt to bravely move forward in spite of great odds. Of course, those great odds were a steadily disintegrating band lineup. At this point in time (1970), Ian MacDonald and Michael Giles officially bowed out of Crimson, (though oddly, he did consent to record this album until a new drummer was found) and Greg Lake was on his way out to form ELP. Fripp, even though hurt and dismayed by the original lineup's dissolution, decided to carry on, and recruited Mel Collins to handle woodwinds, Peter Giles to do bass and this allowed the departing Greg Lake to concentrate just on singing. Jazz pianist Keith Tippett was also pulled in to great effect as well.

From the opening distant vocals on "Peace/A Beginning" you know you're in for a wild ride through many emotional states, from the optimistic and hopeful strains of the 3 "Peace" songs, to the emotional extremis of "Pictures of a City". On "Pictures", Fripp leads the charge with his angry distorted Les Paul and fiendishly tight ensemble playing that was to be KC's trademark. Some might say that this song was a remake of "21st Century Schizoid Man". I strongly disagree, as it has plenty to differentiate it. "Cadence and Cascade" is a folky little ditty about two groupies, with a merely serviceable vocal from Gordon Haskell. Not one of the standouts in the KC repertoire for certain, but at least it wasn't obnoxiously sexist and lowbrow as "Ladies of the Road" was on Islands with the same subject matter. The album's epic title cut "In The Wake of Poseideon" by stark contrast offers up one of Greg Lake's best ever vocal performances (before he slid into mere barking with ELP). Here, Fripp puts the mellotron through its paces, while opting to provide tasteful, understated acoustic guitar ornamentation. For anyone who loves the haunting sound of this tape-driven beast, this is your song!! I especially love those rousing brass choruses towards the end as the two Giles brothers just tear it up! "Cat Food" is a wonderful little slice of black comedy, sort of "The Beatles meets Cecil Taylor", featuring demented laughing piano figures from Keith Tippett, starkly contrasted by Fripp's cerebral jazz chording, and Greg Lake's machine gun delivery of some of Pete Sinfield's most twisted and humorous lyrics. "The Devil's Triangle" began life as a stage improv based on the Mars segment of Gustav Holst's "The Planets" orchestral suite. Here, it comes to full menacing life with massed mellotrons and other unexpected sonic assaults, including a bizarre clip of the chorus from "In The Court of The Crimson King" towards the end, easily the most scary thing that KC has ever committed to tape. Without words, it takes the listener on a terrifying journey to a watery unknown, and abruptly ends with an echoing cascade of flutes. "Peace/An End" closes it all out on a hopeful note with uncharacteristically restrained vocals from Greg Lake and Fripp's crisp acoustic guitar colorings.

No doubt, this effort shows that KC was far more than the sum of its individual parts, and that external circumstances largely had no bearing on the brilliance of its output (save for Islands, but that's another review).

Enjoy!!!!