In the Court of the Crimson King

In the Court of the Crimson King
Studio album by King Crimson
Released	10 October 1969
Recorded	21 July – 21 August 1969, Wessex Sound Studios, London
Genre	Progressive rock
Length	43:53
Label	E.G./Island (original UK release) Atlantic (original US release)
Producer	King Crimson
King Crimson chronology
In the Court of the Crimson King (1969) In the Wake of Poseidon (1970)
Singles from In the Court of the Crimson King
"The Court of the Crimson King" Released: 1969

In the Court of the Crimson King is the 1969 debut album by the British progressive rock group King Crimson. The album reached number five on the British charts, and is certified gold in the United States.

The album is generally viewed as one of the strongest of the progressive rock genre, where King Crimson largely stripped away the blues-based foundations of rock music and mixed together jazz and classical symphonic elements. In his 1997 book Rocking the Classics, critic and musicologist Edward Macan notes that In the Court of the Crimson King "may be the most influential progressive rock album ever released". The Who's Pete Townshend was quoted as calling the album "an uncanny masterpiece". In the Q & Mojo Classic Special Edition Pink Floyd & The Story of Prog Rock, the album came fourth in its list of "40 Cosmic Rock Albums". The album was named as one of Classic Rock magazine's "50 Albums That Built Prog Rock".

The album was remastered and re-released on vinyl and CD several times during the 1980s and 1990s. All of these versions were based on tape copies that were several generations removed from the originals. The original first-generation stereo master tapes were thought to be lost, but were finally located in a storage vault in 2003. This led to a much improved remastered CD version (see below) in time for the album's 40th anniversary.

Once again, in November 2010 the album was re-released both on vinyl and CD with newly cut masters approved by Robert Fripp. Remastering was executed by Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree.

Album cover

Barry Godber (1946–1970), a computer programmer, painted the album cover. Godber died in February 1970 of a heart attack, shortly after the album's release. It would be his only painting, and is now owned by Robert Fripp. Fripp had this to say about Godber:

"Peter brought this painting in and the band loved it. I recently recovered the original from EG's offices because they kept it exposed to bright light, at the risk of ruining it, so I ended up removing it. The face on the outside is the Schizoid Man, and on the inside it's the Crimson King. If you cover the smiling face, the eyes reveal an incredible sadness. What can one add? It reflects the music."

Production details

Initial sessions for the album were held in early 1969 with producer Tony Clarke, most famous for his work with The Moody Blues. After those sessions failed to work out the group were allowed to produce themselves. The album was recorded on an 8-channel master tape recorder at Wessex Sound Studios in London, engineered by Robin Thompson. It took many hours of overdubbing to build up the orchestral sound of multiple layers of Mellotron and woodwinds played by Ian McDonald.

Soon after the recording sessions were completed in 1969 it was discovered that a stereo tape recorder used to mix the album had recording heads that were mis-aligned. A loss of high-frequencies and undesired distortion affected some parts of the album, most apparently on "21st Century Schizoid Man". The first-generation stereo master tapes were filed away and forgotten for many years. While preparing the first American release on Atlantic Records a stereo sub-master tape copy was created that attempted to correct some of the sound problems.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Robert Christgau	D+
Mojo
Rolling Stone	(favourable)

Initial reception of In the Court of the Crimson King ran the gamut from bad to good. Robert Christgau hated it, calling it "ersatz shit". Rolling Stone was more favourable, writing, "[t]hey have combined aspects of many musical forms to create a surreal work of force and originality."

The album has since attained a classic status with Allmusic praising it "[a]s if somehow prophetic, King Crimson projected a darker and edgier brand of post-psychedelic rock" in its original review by Lindsay Planer but also calling it "definitive" and "daring" in its current review.

CD editions

LP and CD re-issues during the 1980s and 1990s by Polydor and EG Records were taken from tape copies several generations removed from the corrected stereo sub-master tape. This resulted in a lack of clarity and excessive tape hiss. Several different remastered CD versions were released in this period while attempting to make the best use of the tape recordings that were available.

Virgin Records released a 30th Anniversary Edition in 1999. 24 bit remaster by Simon Heyworth, Robert Fripp and David Singleton at Chop 'Em Out, 3 August 1999. Scrapbook design: Hugh O'Donnell

The first generation stereo master tapes for the album were finally rediscovered in a storage vault. A 2004 HDCD version (described as the "Original Master Edition", DGM0501) was released on Robert Fripp's Discipline Global Mobile label. This release has greatly improved sound over previous CD editions. Modern digital technology was used to repair high frequency problems caused during the original mixing sessions. 24 bit mastering was also utilised to enhance the sound. This edition also has a twelve-page booklet that includes pictures and press clippings from the period.

With Fripp's collaboration Steven Wilson remixed the original 8-channel master tapes into 5.1 Surround Sound, and a 40th Anniversary edition was released on 12 October 2009. There are three different versions: a two-CD set, a CD+DVD set and a six-disc (5CD/1DVD) box.

Track listing

Original album

Side one

1. "21st Century Schizoid Man" (Fripp, McDonald, Lake, Giles, Sinfield) – 7:21

   including "Mirrors"

2. "I Talk to the Wind" (McDonald, Sinfield) – 6:05
3. "Epitaph" (Fripp, McDonald, Lake, Giles, Sinfield) – 8:47

   including "March for No Reason" and "Tomorrow and Tomorrow"

Side two

4. "Moonchild" (Fripp, McDonald, Lake, Giles, Sinfield) – 12:13
   1. "The Dream"
   2. "The Illusion"
5. "The Court of the Crimson King" (McDonald, Sinfield) – 9:25

   including "The Return of the Fire Witch" and "The Dance of the Puppets"

40th Anniversary re-issue

The 40th Anniversary re-issue comes in 3 different formats:

• The 2CD version (catalogue number DGM5009) comprising CD1 and CD2.
• The CD/DVD version (catalogue number KCSP1) comprising CD1 and DVD.
• The 5CD/DVD version (catalogue number KCCBX1) comprising all CDs and DVD.

CD1

1. "21st Century Schizoid Man" – 7:24
2. "I Talk to the Wind" – 6:00
3. "Epitaph" – 8:52
4. "Moonchild" – 9:02
5. "The Court of the Crimson King" – 9:31
6. "Moonchild" – 12:15 (full version)
7. "I Talk to the Wind" – 4:55 (duo version)
8. "I Talk to the Wind" – 6:36 (alternative mix)
9. "Epitaph" – 9:05 (backing track)
10. "Wind Session" – 4:31 (extracts from the session that produced the intro to "21st Century Schizoid Man")

• tracks 1–6: 2009 Robert Fripp & Steven Wilson remix from the original multitrack master tapes.
• tracks 7–10: Alternative takes from the original studio session. Mixed & produced by Steven Wilson.

CD2

1. "21st Century Schizoid Man" – 7:24
2. "I Talk to the Wind" – 6:04
3. "Epitaph" – 8:49
4. "Moonchild" – 12:13
5. "The Court of the Crimson King" – 9:26
6. "21st Century Schizoid Man" – 6:47 (early instrumental recording)
7. "I Talk to the Wind" – 4:40 (BBC session, from bootleg source)
8. "21st Century Schizoid Man" – 7:11 (BBC session, from a BBC transcription disc)
9. "The Court of the Crimson King (Part 1)" – 3:22
10. "The Court of the Crimson King (Part 2)" – 4:31

• tracks 1–5: 2004 re-master, transferred of the original 1969 vinyl mix
• tracks 7–8: BBC Radio 1 session
• tracks 9–10: A-side and B-side from the original vinyl single

CD3

1. "21st Century Schizoid Man" – 7:08 (trio version – instrumental)
2. "I Talk to the Wind" – 4:21 (studio run-through)
3. "Epitaph" – 9:27 (alternative version)
4. "Moonchild" – 2:21 (take 1)
5. "The Court of the Crimson King" – 7:15 (take 3)
6. "21st Century Schizoid Man" – 7:21
7. "I Talk to the Wind" – 6:03
8. "Epitaph" – 8:56
9. "Moonchild" – 12:12
10. "The Court of the Crimson King" – 9:22

• tracks 1–5: Alternative takes from the original studio session. Mixed & produced by Steven Wilson.
• tracks 6–10: De-clicked vinyl transfer of the first Island Records stereo UK pressing run.

CD4

1. "21st Century Schizoid Man" – 6:36
2. "The Court of the Crimson King" – 6:31
3. "Get Thy Bearings" – 9:41
4. "Epitaph" – 4:29
5. "Mantra" – 3:05
6. "Travel Weary Capricorn" – 5:38
7. "Mars" – 3:30
8. "The Court of the Crimson King" – 7:52
9. "A Man A City" – 12:19
10. "Epitaph" – 8:32
11. "21st Century Schizoid Man" – 7:57

• tracks 1–7: restored bootleg, recorded live at Hyde Park, London, 5 July 1969
• tracks 8–11: restored bootleg, recorded Live at Fillmore East, New York, November 1969

CD5

1. "21st Century Schizoid Man" – 7:22
2. "I Talk to the Wind" – 6:04
3. "Epitaph" – 8:52
4. "Moonchild" – 12:13
5. "The Court of the Crimson King" – 9:27
6. "The Court of the Crimson King" – 2:20

• tracks 1–5: mono album mix used for radio promotion only in the USA
• track 6: edited, mono single mix used for radio promotion only in the USA

DVD

1. 2009 remix, 5.1 surround, in DTS and MLP
2. 2009 remix, stereo, in 24/48 LPCM and 24/96 MLP
3. Alternative takes from the original studio recordings (CD3 tracks 1–5), stereo, in 24/48 LPCM and 24/96 MLP
4. 2004 remaster (CD2 tracks 1–5), stereo, in 24/48 LPCM and 24/96 MLP
5. "21st Century Schizoid Man" – film from Hyde Park concert 5 July 1969

Personnel

• Robert Fripp – guitar
• Ian McDonald – flute, clarinet, saxophone, vibes, keyboards, mellotron
• Greg Lake – bass, vocals
• Michael Giles – drums, percussion
• Peter Sinfield – lyrics, illumination

• Barry Godber – cover illustrations

Production

• The original album featured the following credit: Produced By King Crimson for E.G. Productions – ' David & John'. David Enthoven & John Gaydon were the founders of EG Records, both of whom left the company during the 1970s. CD reissues of the album dating from the 1980s removed any mention of 'David & John'; the original full credit was restored in 2003 at the insistence of Robert Fripp.
• Recorded & Engineered By Robin Thompson & Tony Page (also assistant engineer)

Cultural references

• Stephen King makes references to "Crimson King" and "The Court of the Crimson King" in his novel Insomnia, the Dark Tower series and his two novels written alongside Peter Straub: The Talisman and Black House.
• S.M. Stirling's 2008 SF novel In the Courts of the Crimson Kings, featuring a plot set in an alternative universe Mars resembling Golden Age pulp fiction.
• Howard Stern's band The Losers has covered the title track of this album live on the air.
• The popular MMORPG EverQuest II based all of the Non-Player Characters in the zone The Court of Al'Afaz on characters in this album.
• "The Court of the Crimson King" is featured in a scene of the 2006 movie Children of Men.
• "The Court of the Crimson King" LP album is featured in Katsuhiro Otomo's short story, Hair (1979).
• Ozzy Osbourne covered "21st Century Schizoid Man" on his 2005 compilation album Under Cover.
• "21st Century Schizoid Man" is a playable track in Guitar Hero 5.
• "21st Century Schizoid Man" was released in 2009 as a digital download by The Human Experimente, featuring performances by Jeff Fayman, Robert Fripp, and Maynard James Keenan, in a mix resembling a movie soundtrack.
• The Song "21st Century (Digital Boy)" by punk rock band Bad Religion includes a lyrical passage borrowed from "21st Century Schizoid Man".
• Author Alastair Reynolds has named characters and at least one alien race in his SF novels after lyrics from this album.
• Genesis former member Steve Hackett played "The Court Of The Crimson King" and "I Talk To The Wind" on his live solo album The Tokyo Tapes (which also featured Ian McDonald).
• "In The Court of Crimson King" track briefly featured in Red Riding Trilogy first movie around 20' mark
• In Lexington, Kentucky there is a street called Crimson King Court.
• Kanye West samples the song "21st Century Schizoid Man" in his song POWER from the album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.