King Crimson- Red

Time for an album by King Crimson, the godfathers of prog. Or, in this case, father. By 1974, Crimson had been through numerous lineup changes, with guitarist Robert Fripp the only common thread between them. Red, the 7th studio album and 3rd in the heavy period, consisted of a three member lineup. Fripp had assembled a 5 piece consisting of himself, John Wetton (ex-Family, bass, vocals), Bill Bruford (ex- Yes, drums), David Cross (violin), and Jamie Muir (drums), although after 1973’s Lark’s Tongues in Aspic, Muir left, and Cross followed suit after Starless and Bible Black (1974). Red, released later that year, continued the hard rock/ prog rock mix of the other two, with the heaviest results. All songs are 6-12 minutes.

To start off, we have the instrumental title track. “Red” uses a reoccurring riff over and over, and has little variation. However, the song is not minimalistic, with occasional devotions from the main riff, which also cycle. On the whole, it’s not a very engaging song, despite rocking hard. Next up comes “Fallen Angel”. This song contains the only acoustic guitar on Red, having been a staple of the Crimson sound early in their career. Wetton sings on this track, and his voice suits it well, as it carries over the sparser instrumentation. “Fallen Angel” is the most typical song for King Crimson on Red, which is welcome after the hard rock drone of “Red”. Next up, “One more Red Nightmare” comes on to finish side A. Like “Red”, it repeats a riff, but with the use of vocals and more prominent drums, the guitar repetition annoys less. The song’s melody is fantastic, as well as all the instrumentation and singing. Former member Ian McDonald also guests to add sax.

Unfortunately, after this high comes the live improvisation “Providence” (named after the town where it was recorded.) Preformed while Cross was still a member, violin features prominently. While I respect the difficulty of improvisation, here it just goes on without really engaging. This is countered by the final track, “Starless”. Written by Wetton, this one has it all: interesting guitar/bass, lyrics, drums, more McDonald guest sax. It all comes together to create a creepy, somber mood in the beginning before all turning into a metal noisiest in the last 3 minutes. The clash is absolutely wondrous.

After completeing Red, Fripp disbanded King Crimson until 1981. When they returned, Wetton was gone, replaced by Tiny Levin, and second guitarist Adrian Belew also joined. They would be the first lineup to record two albums with no changes.

Many prog fans consider this one of the greatest albums of all time. I can’t say I agree. While “Starless” is one of the greatest songs of all time, and “Fallen Angel” and “One more Red Nightmare” does not slouch off either, “Red” and “Providence” sound too boring to me. I can ignore a misplaced note and give an album an A, but they take up 15 minutes of a 40 minute album.

Red is a good album, a worthwhile addition to a prog collection, but not essential.

Grade: C+