★Panegyric
Larks' Tongues In Aspic
Larks' Tongues In Aspic is the fifth in a series of audiophile King Crimson vinyl reissues. Newly cut from masters approved by Robert Fripp, this super-heavyweight 200gm vinyl re-issue is housed in a reprint of the original sleeve. With its raw tone, inspired improvisations and hard hitting odd-metered rhythms, the album marked a radical departure for this most forward thinking of groups and was the first to include Bill Bruford and John Wetton as band members. King Crimson reborn yet again -- t…
McDonald And Giles
Following the meltdown of the original King Crimson lineup, Ian McDonald and Michael Giles brought brother Peter Giles back, which helps to account, in some ways, for the resemblance of this album to the 1968 Giles, Giles & Fripp recordings -- though the songs here tend to go on at some length, combining prog rock's traits of length and multiple sections with some of the lighter feel of the GG&F days. The 20-minute "Birdman" tends toward self-indulgence, while "Tomorrow's People - The Children o…
Red
* This release comes in a 2×digipack format in a slipcase with new sleeve notes by Robert Fripp & King Crimson biographer Sid Smith along with rare photos and archive material. * One of the most powerful and influential albums in the band's remarkable career. King Crimson fell apart once more, seemingly for the last time, as David Cross walked 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 so…
USA
USA was recorded towards the end of King Crimson's final US tour of the 70's in June 1974. It was issued as an epitaph for the band in Spring 1975 as a single album – at a time when doubles or even triple live albums were more considered the norm for live releases. The reputation of the 1972/1974 King Crimson line-up is now revered by critics and fans alike with the material very sought after.
In common with much of Crimson's output, it was not well received at the time by critics, thoug…
In the Court of King Crimson
** Hardback book, 632 pages, 624 + 8 pages of photos ** Sid Smith’s In The Court Of King Crimson: An Observation Over 50 Years traces King Crimson’s career from the 1960s underground scene to the present day, featuring interviews with all the principal musicians and people associated with the band, a track by track analysis of studio output and an extensive annotated gigography. A significantly expanded follow-up to the acclaimed In The Court Of King Crimson from 2002, Smith’s book is an essenti…
In the Court of the Crimson King
50th anniversary edition. 200 gram super-heavyweight vinyl reissue, newly cut at Loud Mastering from tapes approved by Robert Fripp. The group's definitive album, and one of the most daring debut albums ever recorded by anybody. At the time, it blew all of the progressive/psychedelic competition (the Moody Blues, the Nice, etc.) out of the running, although it was almost too good for the band's own good -- it took King Crimson nearly four years to come up with a record as strong or concise. Ian …
Exposure
**Double 200gm vinyl LP pressing.**After an absence of over 40 years, the first edition of Exposure - Robert Fripp’s startling 1979 solo debut - is available on vinyl again. The term ‘Classic album’ has been devalued somewhat through overuse, but if ever an album has proved worthy of the term it’s Exposure. An invitation from David Bowie and Brian Eno in July 1977 resulted in his appearance as lead guitarist on Heroes, David Bowie’s 2nd 1977 album from his own golden year and marked Fripp’s ret…
Starless and Bible Black
"Starless and Bible Black is the eighth in a series of audiophile King Crimson vinyl reissues and completes the availability of the band's studio output from 1969/74 on 200g vinyl editions. Newly cut from masters approved by Robert Fripp, this super-heavyweight vinyl re-issue is housed in a reprint of the original gatefold sleeve. Starless and Bible Black is even more powerful and daring than its predecessor, Larks' Tongues in Aspic, with jarring tempo shifts, explosive guitar riffs, and soaring…
Islands
Islands is the sixth in a series of audiophile King Crimson vinyl reissues. The album's return to the 12" vinyl format is newly cut from masters approved by Robert Fripp. Manufactured on 200g super-heavyweight vinyl, housed in a reprint of the original sleeve with lyrics insert. The album is a hodge podge of ideas and there is no flow or continuity. Each track could exist separately. This is one of the Crims least beloved lineups even tho they were capable of more free-jazz improv than any previ…
Lizard
Released in December 1970, King Crimson's third studio album, Lizard, is often viewed as an outlier in the pioneering British prog outfit's nearly half-century discography. It's not easily grouped with 1969's stunning In the Court of the Crimson King debut and 1970 follow-up In the Wake of Poseidon, and along with 1971's Islands it's considered a transitional release on the band's path toward the relative stability of the Larks' Tongues in Aspic (1973), Starless and Bible Black (1974), and Red (…
In The Wake Of Poseidon
**classic prog-rock masterpiece gets the reissue on 200 gram vinyl** King Crimson opened 1970 scarcely in existence as a band, having lost two key members (Ian McDonald and Michael Giles), with a third (Greg Lake) about to leave. Their second album -- largely composed of Robert Fripp's songwriting and material salvaged from their stage repertory ("Pictures of a City" and "The Devil's Triangle") -- is actually better produced and better sounding than their first. Surprisingly, Fripp's guitar is n…