In my initial dive into King Crimson’s work, two albums stood out to me – their debut (of course), and “Red”.
This excellent collection of five hard-hitting songs was apparently Curt Cobain’s favourite album, and it’s quickly climbing my ranks too. How would I rank every song?
You can check out some of my related blog posts below:
OK
5 – Providence
Much like “Moonchild” on their debut album, “Providence” is a bloated instrumental track that I don’t really care for.
It’s not as tedious as the former, and the live recording aspect gives it a nice edge, but I’m likely to skip it nonetheless.
Great
4 – Red
Again, like with “In the Court of the Crimson King”, there’s a big jump up in my enjoyment for the remaining four tracks.
“Red” serves as both a great title track and an impactful opener, so I only wish John Wetton’s vocals were on it.
3 – One More Red Nightmare
Two words – Bill Bruford!
The drumming on “One More Red Nightmare” is exceptional, and I love how the track turns into a literal Jazz nightmare by the end.
Amazing
2 – Fallen Angel
“Fallen Angel” is the first song with vocals on the album, and my goodness does John Wetton make his presence known.
The lyrics and vocals are fabulous, and I love the metre and tempo shifts towards the massive choruses.
All-Time Great
1 – Starless
For as good as the rest of “Red” is, the other songs on the album feel inconsequential once you reach the finale “Starless”.
It’s a 12-minute epic with jaw-dropping performances across the board, highlights of which include Fripp’s one-note guitar solo of death as well as the frantic final third. The last minute in particular will go down as one of music’s greatest swansongs.
Aaaand that’s my list! You can check out some of my latest blog posts below:
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