Classic Roundabout: King Crimson – In the Court of the Crimson King

In lieu of the sad news of Greg Lake’s passing weeks back, our second Classic Roundabout could only suitably be In the Court of the Crimson King – Greg Lake’s debut album with progressive godfathers King Crimson. Like our previous Classic Roundabout, Yes’ Close to the Edge, this album is one of classic progressive rock’s most iconic records, and is widely regarded as the epitome of the genre. Released on October 10^th 1969, it’s argued that In the Court of the Crimson King was the definitive album that first formed the beginnings of progressive rock.

The original line up consisted of vocalist and bassist Greg Lake, drummer Michael Giles, Ian McDonald on woodwinds and keyboards, Peter Sinfield providing backing vocals and, of course, the sole remaining original member, Robert Fripp on guitars. King Crimson’s current incarnation, 47 years later, is miles apart from this, as the band now includes three drummers, Pat Mastelotto, Gavin Harrison and Jeremy Stacey, which makes for interesting live renditions of the band’s classic songs.

As ever, we’d like to remind you that our Roundabouts are a compilation of each Prog Talk admin’s individual views; there is no collusion or collective discussion of these albums between us during the time we write our respective reviews, so any similar comments are completely coincidental. What do you make of In the Court of the Crimson King? Do you agree with our comments? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below, and we hope you enjoy reading our thoughts. So without further ado, let’s talk classic prog:

Classic Roundabout: Yes – Close To The Edge

While we at Prog Talk love talking about all the new progressive acts hitting the music scene, sometimes it’s great to simply revisit the classics. As such we’re starting a new segment dedicated to precisely that; where all interested admins will discuss the albums and artists who have shaped prog history.

To kick it off with a bang, we have an album which many would argue to be the most iconic prog rock album of all time. It’s time to dive into Yes and their magnum-opus, Close To The Edge.

Let’s face it; this album needs little introduction. Originally released on 13 Sept. 1972, this was Yes’ fifth studio release and quickly became one of the defining works of the progressive rock genre. In this Roundabout, we will be tackling only the three tracks found on the original version of the album.

As per usual, all reviews are written independently to avoid influencing each other. Prog Talk as a collective never has an official view on any album, but the admins each have their own. So if your opinions differ from ours, let us know! So without further ado, let’s talk prog.