01	Red						06:16
	02	Fallen Angel						06:03
	03	One More Red Nightmare						07:10
	04	Providence						08:10
	05	Starless						12:16

King Crimson
Red
EG Records (EGCD 15)
UK 1974

Robert Fripp, guitar, mellotron;
John Wetton, bass, voice;
Bill Bruford, percussion;
with
David Cross, violin;
Mel Collins, soprano saxophone;
Ian McDonald, alto saxophone;
Robin Miller, oboe;
Marc Charig, cornet

Bob Eichler:
As readers can tell from my reviews of the other mid-70s Crimson albums, I like this one a little more than Larks' Tongues in Aspic, but not quite as much as Starless and Bible Black. If the second side of this album were as good as the first, it would probably be my favorite from this incarnation of the band. But the improv "Providence" just seems to ramble on without going anywhere, and the one-note-solo section of "Starless" kind of bugs me (yes, I understand the tension building aspect, but I'm surprised Fripp couldn't come up with something more interesting than just repeating the same damn note over and over and over). Besides which, the live versions of "Starless" on the Great Deceiver boxed set blow this one out of the water.
The first half of the album is classic though. The title track has become a staple for the band, being played as recently as the B'BOOM live album. "Fallen Angel" and "One More Red Nightmare" are about as close as 70s Crimson got to writing straight rock music, but this is rock with an attitude and hair on it. I love the unusual cymbal sound Bruford uses on the latter track - I seem to remember reading somewhere that he got that sound by using a mangled cymbal he found in a studio trash can. The building, screaming guitar sound that abruptly ends the track is the perfect ending for an album side of intense music.
This disc, along with both the others from this version of Crimson, belongs in every prog fan's collection.
Dominique Leone:
Last release from the mid-70s version of the band, and Fripp's first "retirement." Pared down to a trio (with guests), the band was freed from its obligation to adhere to "symphonic" dynamics. In other words, they get their rocks out here, and for anyone new to KC, or progressive rock in general, this album is a great place to start. Although the odd time signatures and penchant for dissonance is still in abundance, the band sounds tougher and more cohesive than it had up to that point. Except for "Providence" (a compact group improv piece), the music is fairly aggressive, and if ever the term power trio applied, this is it.
The title track, a raging instrumental, sets the tone for the rest of the album. Whereas previous albums featured an eclectic mix of timbres and movements, much of the music here is no-nonsense avant-rock. Simple guitar riff (born of the evil tritone, of course), cutting, distorted bass, and restless, insistent drumming.
"Starless" is arguably the last great KC epic. Quoting the band's past, it begins with a mournful mellotron, and some serious balladeering from John Wetton. The band drops out for the middle section, with just a repeating (grating?) guitar figure. The band comes in, and it all starts to build, and then just as you think they'll implode, they kick it into overdrive. After much commotion, the song (similarly to "Fracture") ends with a bang. Rock critics usually give 12-minute prog songs the Arctic shoulder, but if you only give one a chance, you could do worse than this.

Heather MacKenzie:
Red is definitely one of my five desert island discs, and has been for years. The creativity in the music here is astounding.
It's hard to pick the best aspects. I love the heavy, odd-metered and sinister guitar crunching of "Red" and "One More Red Nightmare" - Mephistophelian, as some people have described it, due to the use of tritones. "Fallen Angel" and "Starless", on the other hand, are quite moody and balance out the aggression with some melancholy.
Although it's all good, I think "Starless" puts it over the top with 12 of the greatest minutes in all of prog-rock. The first five minutes: the lyric "Ice blue silver sky, fades into gray" perfectly describes the emotion of this balladic section, with Fripp's melancholic, minor mellotron chords and weeping, violin-like guitar lines, a steady rhythm section, some very moody saxophone lines, and some great emotional vocals from Wetton. The next section evokes "starless and bible black" as it drops off into an abstract space that builds tension using harsh repetitive guitar and bass. This leads into the last section with an intense and jazzy part, and a finale that returns to the mellotron melody of the first section, only as a loud, intense variation that adds saxophone to the melody. This is probably the most climactic ending to any song that I've heard.

Sean McFee:
The swansong of the 70s incarnation of Crimson is notable for some stylistic changes that took place around this time. Violinist David Cross left (or was excused from) the band, and the sound got stripped down and heavier. In addition, three of the five tracks, comprising all of side one, are studio tracks exclusively. Of these, the title track is perhaps the most interesting, with a crunchy riff occasionally breaking briefly into 7/8 (gotta love those odd meters). "Fallen Angel" continues the ponderous heaviness, with saxophone adding some color to Fripp's dire portents.
Side two hearkens back to days of yore; "Providence" is an improvisation taken from the live setting (much as some tracks from Starless and Bible Black were; a better document for these is the 4-CD set The Great Deceiver). Unfortunately, it does not tend to be their most inspired performance, and meanders a little too much for my liking. The album closer, "Starless" is considered the band's defining moment by many. While it seems Crimson often separated the balladry from the screaming instrumental prowess, this is one of the few tracks from the period combining these elements. Whether it's the heavy dose of Mellotron at the start, or the wild one-note solo later, Crimson fans seem to have put this song on a pedestal. It's hard not to agree with them.
And so it ended for this incarnation of the band, with an album that didn't really capture their essence as a live act, but still stands as a strong statement in its own right.

Joe McGlinchey:
With David Cross' exit from the band, King Crimson forged ahead as a trio, and produced this, the last album Crimson would make in the 70s. Red is often cited as the strongest of the three Larks'-era albums, and sometimes of King Crimson's entire discography. Generally, here the band is consistently heavier in force and tighter in focus than ever before, with the departure of any remaining possibility for that wispy violin line of abandon from Cross. The first side is a juggernaut of solid musicianship and probably represents the most accessible (too accessible, would say those who reject this as the best Larks'-era album) and distilled album side for this era of the band. The masterpiece of Red, however, is doubtlessly the album's closer "Starless." I am hard-pressed to think of a more emotional, down-to-earth moment in Crimson's repertoire than Wetton's weary voice clutching for a ray of hope as it enters past the melancholic, mellotron-drenched opening: "Sundown, dazzling day..." The thunderous climax (in 13/8) and sweepingly powerful ending of the song closes the chapter on 70s Crimson like an unstoppable (and unforgettable) deluge. As I intimated previously, there are some that think Red is the most conventional and hence least great of the Fripp/Wetton/Bruford line-up's albums. That may be a fair enough assessment, as mileage will vary. Still, I've never ever met any prog fan that flat out rejected this as anything less than a great album.

Eric Porter:
Mmm mmm good! A delicious slice from the King Crimson pie. The heavy metal like guitar that runs through the title cut is just great. Ian McDonald returns for a guest appearance as well along with Mel Collins. Even though the sounds are intense, you could call it a back to basics record as the trio really stands as a trio throughout. All 5 tracks offer something, and outside of "Providence" which is an improv piece that gets a bit boring for me, the rest of the tracks are really something special. The wonderful mellotron in "Starless" makes it one of my all time fav Crimson tracks. Wetton is in fine voice throughout and for a band that according to all accounts was falling apart at this time, they made a truly astounding recording.

Brandon Wu:
This is the album that got me to really explore King Crimson in-depth. Intricate yet easily accessible, this bone-crunching album is probably the heaviest-hitting music that King Crimson has ever made. John Wetton's bass pounds merciless at the listener, reaching titanic proportions in the riffs to "Red" and especially "One More Red Nightmare". The title track is perhaps slightly too long, but the band rides a killer riff for all it's worth and leaves the listener utterly drained by the end; a great piece overall. "Fallen Angel" is a more accessible piece, almost like a heavy Crimsonish pop song or something; featuring some great guitar work and surprisingly good vocals from Wetton. "One More Red Nightmare" features the aforementioned killer bass riff and some great percussion from Bruford, but its resolution leaves me wanting a bit. "Providence" is a much-downplayed improv that I happen to like a lot - I always thought it was one of the better improvs on The Great Deceiver box set. Finally, there's "Starless". This is far and away my favorite King Crimson piece from all their vast body of work. Opening with gorgeous mellotron and understated guitar (previously played in concert by David Cross on violin), the first few minutes are great ballad material with a distinctly dark tinge. Then, Fripp puts us through a tortuous tension-and-release, playing a single note on his guitar and moving incessantly stepwise. Turns off a lot of people, this harsh sound; but I love it, especially with Wetton and Bruford helping to build the song to a tremendous release. And what a climax follows! Frantic horn work and utterly crushing bass work round out the piece and the album - and a landmark era of King Crimson's existence. Highly recommended, and this isn't even my favorite KC album from this period!




Анатолий Суханов :

1. Red. Все просто, как дважды два и кроме скуки, отчуждения вызвать не в состоянии. Расцвела малиновым цветом бесконечная однообразность гитарных проигрышей. Знамение грядущих времен расцвета махрового минимализма (Thrak). Набор жестких, стальных аккордов на протяжении всей композиции, за исключением серединного оазиса, где царствует другой столь же невразумительный набор.

2. Fallen angel. Из руин небытия, оставшихся после предыдущей композиции, возникает резковатая тема, которая постепенно теплеет, пропитываясь слезой. В сопровождении акустической гитары, нежного гобоя, баса, тонко найденных аккордов электрогитары и устойчивых ударных Уэттон рассказывает трогательную историю человека, чей младший брат выросший в Нью-Йоркском болоте, встал на путь криминальных манипуляций. Фрипп начинает другую тему, добавляются крепкие ударные и пронзительно - надрывный корнет, Уэттон заунывно вытягивает: "Faaaaaallen aaaaaangel...". Вещь обретает трагический пафос, суть которого в том, что младший брат погибает в уличной драке. В ткань последнего эпизода умело вкрапляется гитарная морзянка.

3. One more red nightmare. Начинается с гитарно-бас-ударной разминки. Диалог Фриппа-Уэттона с Брафордом: на простой мотив барабанщик отвечает пестрой ритмической серией. Так повторяется несколько раз. Бруфорд демонстрирует весь набор фирменных звучаний своей установки. Разминки перемежаются с фанковыми запевами и частями, где главная роль отведена альт-саксофону Макдональда. Бодро, энергично и задиристо. Структура композиции представлена следующим списком:

разминка #1
запев #1
разминка #2
запев #2
заливистое соло на альт-саксофоне с оригинальной причмокивающей гитарой #1
разминка #3
запев #3
заливистое соло на альт-саксофоне с оригинальной причмокивающей гитарой #2
4. Providence. Обычно, когда подвергается критической ревизии новое, существуют две поведенческих стратегии, два начальных подхода по отношению к изучаемому материалу: мгновенное неприятие, внутреннее отторжение или нарастающее влечение, стихийно возникающие очаги симпатии. Слушая Providence в первый раз, неискушенный индивид испытывает полнейший раздрай чувств, легкая дрожь амбивалентности волнообразными приступами охватывает сокровенные уголки его души, он впадает в оцепенение и, открыв настежь рот, начинает мучительно впитывать звуковую палитру. В дальнейшем, руководствуясь позывами эстетического естества, он может относиться к ней негативно или позитивно, но в первые моменты ему невозможно побороть неспособность рассудка прийти к компромиссу с внутренними стереотипами, с характерными для массового сознания идеально-прямыми тропами мозгохождения. В композиции налицо все признаки музыкального экспрессионизма: атональность построений и усложненные диссонансы, деформация рутинного восприятия действительности, отказ от ясной гармонической формы, повышенная, обостренная и очень нервная экспрессия. Преобладает мрачный колорит и пессимистические настроения, полные мрачных, томительных предчувствий. Providence начинается с постепенно разрастающегося пианиссимо Кросса на скрипке. Мелодия изысканно грустна и тревожна одновременно. Появляется нечто похожее на звуки флейты, за гитару принимается Мистер Спок, Кросс извлекает странные диковинные конструкции, господствует вольный тон, единый центр отсутствует, шумовой вал медленно накатывается и отступает, чтобы вновь воскреснуть и поразить очередным диссонансом. Для вящей радости и полного комплекта Кросс играет пиццикато. Новому крещендо предшествует негромкое, но весьма энергичное постукивание Брафорда, что знаменует начало гитарно-бас-ударной импровизации, где безраздельно властвуют Фрипп и Уэттон. Завывания ревуще-клокочущей, улюлюкающей электро-гитары, звучные, сочные, плотные басы, мягкая, но настойчивая игра ударных. Темп убыстряется. Брафорд изящно побивает хай-хэт. Ощущение рыскания в потемках сменяется радостью диспергирования эмоциональной обнаженности. В конце темп замедляется, возникает скрипка Кросса, его пассаж ставит точку в великолепном предложении. Безусловно заслуживает упоминания тот факт, что это концертная запись. Да-да, вы не ослышались, именно запись с концерта в городе Providence, RI, USA. Конечно, то, что имеется на альбоме, получилось только после студийной "чистки", но все равно, результат поразительный - полное отсутствие присутствия на пленке зрителей! Сильнейшая вещь на альбоме, настоящее пиршество для ушей.

5. Starless. Открывает композицию меллотрон. Какое-то время звучат оркестровые тона, а затем появляется гитара и мерно "шагающие" ударные. Меллотрон не исчезает до конца первой части, символизируя настойчивый, неотступный рок, злую волю судьбы, неизбежный фатальный исход. Несколько раз проводится хрупкий возвышенно-нежный печальный лейтмотив. Душевная опустошенность, серые унылое существование; библейская тьма как архетипический символ надвигающейся аннигиляции; медленное угасание всяческий порывов и трепетаний. Это не сытное загнивание в лоне роскоши, а пролонгированная агония на острие нерва. Элегическая автоэпитафия. Финальное реминисцирование. В словесное живописание вокалиста трассирующем контрапунктом впаивается минорное звучание сопрано-саксофона Коллинза. Третьей куплет сопровождает электро-скрипка Кросса, впрочем, до боли напоминающая виолончель. Полной противоположностью началу является вторая часть, где в течении кажущихся невообразимо долгими 4-х минут происходит ужасающе-однообразная манипуляция несколькими гитарными и басовыми нотами. Звук медленно нарастает, образуя марафонское крещендо. Крайне настырное размеренное остинато. Раскручиваемый Фриппом сотоварищи стальной маховик грозит измельчить основание черепного свода слушателя, погружая его в бездну безнадежного ожидания избавления. И оно приходит в лице главного мучителя - Фриппа! Маэстроо гитарно-заплечных дел решает прекратить слуховые истязания и начинает новую мелодию. Всем выжившим после гитарно-бас-ударной мясорубки предлагается насладиться импульсивными саксофонными перезвонами на фоне закадрового громыхания. Коллинз ведет мелодию до очередного диминуэндо. Тут в дело вступает корнет, сопровождаемый "палочками-по-тарелочкам" Бруфорда. После чего начинается беспорядочное, хаотическое наслоение звуков - фирменное блюдо КС - систематизируемое сверх мощной бас-гитарой. В эти моменты только она одна и является той последней гайкой, болтом, кирпичом, цементирующей основой, которая не позволяет с окончательной решимостью дистанцироваться составляющим неумолимо разъезжающегося музыкального полотна. В кашеобразном месиве слышатся медные духовые, при чем совершенно непонятно, какие именно. Вероятно используется весь арсенал. По слухам, здесь отметился альт-саксофон Макдональда.[В этой связи уместно будет сказать, что Автор проводит изыскания на предмет участия различных духовых в композициях КС. Если у кого-то на сей счет имеется какая-нибудь корректирующая информация - милостиво прошу обращаться ко мне лично . Буду весьма признателен!] В концовке выделяется шквальное звучание меллотрона и пронзительно повторяемый Черигом главный мотив. Очень солидное завершение в целом удачного в интеллектуальном плане произведения. Финал альбома, финал совместного творчества, лебединая песнь прогрессивного рока, тоска по канувшим в небытие удачным временам.


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Red
Date of Release Nov 1974

King Crimson falls apart once more, seemingly for the last time, as David Cross walks away during the making of this album. It became Robert Fripp's last thoughts on this version of the band, a bit noiser overall but with some surprising sounds featured, mostly out of the group's past - Mel Collins' and Ian McDonald's saxes, Marc Charig's cornet, and Robin Miller's oboe, thus providing a glimpse of what the 1972-era King Crimson might've sounded like handling the later group's repertory (which nearly happened). Indeed, Charig's cornet gets just about the best showcase it ever had on a King Crimson album, and the truth is that few intact groups could have gotten an album as good as Red together. The fact that it was put together by a band in its death throes makes it all the more impressive an achievement. Indeed, Red does improve in some respects on certain aspects of the previous album - including "Starless," a cousin to the prior album's title track - and only the lower quality of the vocal compositions keeps this from being as strongly recommended as its two predecessors. Red was reissued on CD in the summer of 2000 in a remastered edition that features killer sound and an excellent booklet, containing a good account of the circumstances surrounding the recording of this album. - Bruce Eder






Red


AMG REVIEW: The instrumental Robert Fripp composition "Red" has lived a somewhat schizophrenic existence. As a studio recording, it was first featured as the title cut from King Crimson's eighth long player in 1974. As a live performance, the song would have to wait six years until the band reformed - initially under the guise of Discipline - before being debuted at the Moles Club in Bath, England in late April, 1981 [Note: This show is available on the Discipline: Live at Moles Club, 1981 edition of the King Crimson Collectors' Club]. Since then, it has become a performance staple in all subsequent incarnations of the band as well.
The original studio version features Fripp (guitar/mellotron), John Wetton (bass/vocals) and Bill Bruford (percussion). The portentous tone and heavy vibe is an all out aural attack - rivalling that of "21st Century Schizoid Man" from the band's 1969 debut. The songs two main components are the heavy thrashing 'verses' and the contrasting, yet no less ominous, middle section or 'break'. According to Sid Smith's band bio, In The Court Of King Crimson, there was an additional musician - that contributed the riveting cello accompaniment during the 'break' between the instrumental 'verses'- who remains undocumented and alas uncredited. Seminal versions of "Red" highlighting the various incarnations of King Crimson can be found on: Absent Lovers: Live in Montreal 1984, On Broadway: Live in NYC, 1995 and even from the Y2K quartet on the Collectors' Club title Live in Nashville, TN. - Lindsay Planer






KING CRIMSON - RED

Over the last three weeks we reviewed some of the many musical highlights of 1973. All in all, 1973 was a very special year in which many bands achieved their definite breakthrough and others reached their top. The year after, 1974, was a bit different. Although some bands continued to deliver their best albums, some cracks in the scenery of progressive rock became visible. Some bands explored their musical boundaries even beyond imagination, others lost one or more important band-members. 1974 saw Rick Wakeman leaving Yes, Peter Gabriel leaving Genesis and King Crimson coming to an end.

The latter band, King Crimson, delivered one of their finest works, Red, just before falling apart. After 5 years of experimental music, from their stunning debut in 1969, onwards along several line-up changes, King Crimson died a sudden death. The pivotal father-figure of the band, guitarist Robert Fripp decided to call it a day.

A lot happened prior to this decision. At the end of 1972 Yes-drummer Bill Bruford was asked to join a new version of King Crimson, after the first line-up had lost its spirit. In two years time the new Crimson quintet developed very rapidly, as a result of which three albums were made, many concerts were played and two members, percussionist Jamie Muir and violinist David Cross left the group. Although Cross had a part in the creation of Red, the album was officially released by the trio Fripp/Bruford/Wetton, as the album-cover shows.

What was King Crimson in 1973 and 1974 about? In the booklet of the box-set The Great Deceiver, Robert Fripp describes the group as follows: "Between 1973/4 KC had an increasingly loud bass-player of staggering strength and imagination, arguably the finest young English player in his field at the time. The drummer has the temperament of a classical musician who wanted to be a jazzer and worked in rock groups. I'm not sure Bruford/Wetton were a good rhythm-section but they were amazing, busy, exiting, mobile, agile, inventive and terrible to play over. The violinist was placed in an increasingly impossible situation. A musical and personal distance began to open between him and the rest of the group. After the departure of Jamie Muir, (who left to start a new life in a monastery, JJdH) the balance, constructed in the original quintet was lost. David Cross added delicacy, and wood. But the front line couldn't match the power of the rhythm section, or their volume, and the guitar was stronger than the violin.

The King Crimson in 1973/4 was not a balanced group, or perhaps it was balanced in disarray. It was sometimes frightening and not a comfortable place to be. Increasingly it needed improvisation to stay alive. But that didn't show much in studio-albums. In concerts, it stepped sideways and jumped. This team looked into the darker spaces of the psyche and reported back on what it found. The 1969 Crimscapes were bleak and written, the 1973/4 Crimscapes were darker, and mainly improvised. After 16 month as a quartet it became a trio for three months, whereupon King Crimson ceased to exist. Inherently unstable, sharing different aims and going in different directions, finally it went there...."

I couldn't say it better. King Crimson wasn't a group, it was a creative process. And in creating things, it lost itself.

Nevertheless, Red has become a very interesting album. It's a bit heavier than previous albums (especially the title track), but at the same time it's a bit more structured. The title-track Red, is a perfect example of this. It features heavy guitars and an incredible bass. People who claim that Queensryche and Dream Theater introduced a new aspect to progressive music with their hard-rock influences, are dead-wrong. The middle of the song has an atmospheric, heavy bass part with many effects. No keyboards necessary! Wetton is a threat to your speakers and hence Red is an apt name. Your amplifier indeed turns red! This instrumental is still one of my KC-favourites and also one of the very few old songs that is still played live by the '90-s incarnation of the band.

Fallen Angel is a slower song, that starts off as a melodic ballad, with lyrics by Crimson-poet Richard Palmer-James. Wetton's raspy voice is accompanied by an ongoing melody-line, which builds to a climax, including a brass section featuring Mel Collins and Ian McDonald on saxophone. After a break, this strategy is repeated.

After this, One More Red Nightmare sort of continues where Red ended. Drums are featured even more prominent. After a few bars, there's a break that leads to a "chorus" (if there's ever any in Crimson-music), in order to return to the guitar-riff again. A great instrumental part follows. Bruford's jazz-influence is very obvious here, especially since a saxophone is present here again. The ongoing rhythm is great and leads to a sudden break again, after which the heavier guitar-part, the chorus and the sax-part follow again. In fact, it's a nightmare in three parts, completely different, but each very interesting.

Providence starts with a violin creating mystical sounds. Bass and guitar join after a minute or two. A jam follows of the kind that can also be found on Lark's Tongues in Aspic. It's just improvisation of the kind that has made King Crimson both famous and hated, depending on your personal preference. After 4-and-a-half minute Bruford starts a beat and Providence builds from mystical to hectic. Heavy bass, complex drums and sweeping guitars, it's all there. I don't know if I like it, but it's very.... err ... Crimson.

The fifth and last song on the album is another classic one. Starless (not to be confused with Starless and Bible Black) may be considered a Crimson epic, but I hesitate to use this label for this 12 minute long track. It starts very melodic, combining romantic mellotron with Wettons powerful vocals. The chorus is just one sentence: "starless and bible black", to make it even more confusing. After 4 minutes the ballad-part comes to an end and a darker part with a threatening atmosphere starts off with a inter-play between bass and guitar. This part starts slow and low and becomes increasingly heavier and higher during the next minutes. Bruford comes in and Fripp plays higher and higher. A few minutes before the end, the saxophone joins the three and takes over the melody of the first part of the song. The rhythm changes once again and a fast-part follows, before the track comes to a definite end including sax and mellotron. A majestic song indeed and I am glad that it returned on John Wetton's setlist last year in full version.

Maybe Red is not the best album of 1974 and maybe it isn't even the best album made by King Crimson. But it certainly marks the end of this influential band that showed that progressive music can be mystical, strange, intense and improvised. This album is worth buying for Red and Starless alone, although some of the other songs are also very interesting if you have the patience and nerves to give it a bit time to grow on you. After Red, Crimson was dead. For a while, at least.

Wetton went his own way, playing with Roxy Music, Uriah Heep, UK and Asia. Bruford started his own project called Bruford, joined Wetton again in UK and rejoined Fripp in the early '80-s to start a new version of King Crimson. Because music never dies. The King is dead, long live the King...!

review by: Jan-Jaap de Haan.







King Crimson - Red

Member: (!rKu$

Personnel:
Robert Fripp - Guitar, Mellotron
William Bruford - Percussion
John Wetton - Bass & Voice
- with thanks to:
David Cross - Violin
Mel Collins - Soprano Sax
Ian McDonald - Alto Sax
Robin Miller - Oboe
Marc Charig - Cornet

..."I insert the bright pink CD into the player, throw my headphones on and adjust them to fit my noggin. I proceed over to the couch, sprawl out across its length and relish in its size and comfort. Picking up the remote control, I adjust the volume to a generous level then hit the play button and wait for that first chord to kick in:SPLOOORCH!!, my head spontaneously explodes in a bloody mess before the first 2 measures of "Red" are even completed! The wife is definitely NOT going to like the mess I've made in here"...

Ok, I was exaggerating just a bit back there, but not much. I can't help it. Whenever I hear those familiar escalating opening chords that kick off this blistering title track, I tend to get a bit overzealous. Unfortunately, King Crimson's Red was to be the last we would see of this amazing and perfected incarnation of the band.

By this point, KC had actually managed to release a series of albums without suffering any devastating changes in personnel. By only dropping one member per album over the span of the two albums that preceded Red, they had slowly dwindled from a quintet in 1972 to a trio by 1974. But their direction was still steadfast and true despite those departures. This was still quite an accomplishment given KC's revolving door of personnel and directional fluctuations that were associated with the group much earlier on. Now that the fans were just getting used this new killer power trio version of the band, Fripp ups and pulls the plug on it all and walks away. One can only speculate what other amazing things might have become if they had continued for another album. After Red, King Crimson would not be heard from again until 7 years later in 1981 (see Discipline).

King Crimson's Red is 40+ minutes of sonic beauty & melodic terror that would make most modern hard-edged groups go hide their heads in shame. The back cover image says a lot about the music you would find within too. It is a dark picture of a well-worn gauge of some type (a V.U. meter maybe?) with the needle on the gauge pegged into the red zone.

The album starts off with the diabolical title track, "Red". An instrumental, guitar, bass & drum powered piece that can almost be classified as heavy metal, but it is obviously sprinkled with jazz and classical flavorings as well. Built around a clustered pattern of ominous tritones, it is perfect for use as a soundtrack to your nightmares.

"Fallen Angel" is a haunting and eerie ballad which is complimented by Robin Miller's lilting oboe sections which meander in between Fripp's blistering Les Paul powered arpeggios. In the finale of the song, the disturbing melody is backed up even further by Marc Charig's random, yet precise trumpet blasts.

On "One More Red Nightmare", the opening bass sound from Wetton has such a flanged quality to it that it almost sounds like his bass is slurring the word "wow" with each swooping blast. This, along with Bruford's liberal abuse of a innocent piece of hanging sheet metal gives this ripping track a one of a kind sound. The song thunders along into a soprano sax solo played by KC alumnus, Mel Collins. The song's lyrics are based on somebody's (Wetton?) dream about their fear of flying.

My only complaint with Red (and it's a small one) is track four, "Providence". I believe that the first three minutes of this track could easily have been lopped off and it wouldn't have been missed. It just seems to break up the continuity of the album a bit because of it's slowly building volume during the first four minutes. The track was culled from a live group improv (most likely recorded in Providence, R.I.) and when it does finally begin to cohere, it really rips. It ends haphazardly with the sound of David Cross's strangled and reverberating violin.

The last track is one of most epic proportions, in many respects. Coming in at a lofty 12:18, "Starless" is the longest track on the album. It would be the last King Crimson song to feature the aging mellotron, yet it is also one of the most beautiful songs to feature the mellotron. This beast of an instrument is actually the song's very backbone if you will. The song starts off with a melancholy exchange between guitar, mellotron and eventually oboe. This transports you along into Wetton's moody and desperation tinged vocal section. This intro & lyrical section runs a little over 4 minutes. Then the song begins its metamorphosis from the slow, melodic and melancholy to the sinister, thrashing and bloody explosive right through to the song's end. The amazing thing is how it builds from the simplicity of a couple simple chord patterns played by Fripp. This song's finale also features another KC alumnus, Ian Mcdonald. who proceeds to wail liberally on his sax during the song's megaton explosion closing section.

With all due respect, it is really almost an insult to try and describe "Starless" with simple words. A literal novel could be written about this song. You really must hear it for yourself to know what I mean. I warn you, it will leave your mind spinning, your heart rattled and a slight chill travelling down your spine.

Happy listening,
(!rKu$