In the Wake of Poseidon

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2009-02-20 rating:
In the wake of the Crimson King
I always thought that this was little brother to the staggering "In the court of the Crimson King'. I hadn't played it for a while so thought I would try it again. Conclusion: It's still the little brother. I want to love it as I do its predecessor but...while it is at times a more experimental work it still lacks "Courts" depth and its greatest, darkest attribute, that of ATMOSPHERE. It would be easy to simply dismiss this album as a weaker attempt at reproducing a winning formula. But it does seem to mimic "Court" and as such, necessitates comparison. br / I mentioned atmosphere. During the dramatic mellotron charged closing bars of "Epitaph" from "Court" one can feel the despair of staring into the darkness of the man-made abyss, so powerful is the performance and production.....ITWOP by comparison sounds as if it were hurriedly overproduced and lacks the emotional charge. br / Having said that, the albums more spontaneous moments are the best ones. Take "Cat Food" which is a bit of fun with some delightfully cacophonous piano from Keith Tippet. Fripp's "Peace - A Theme" piece is also a colourful acoustic sketch. br / Holst's "Mars" had prior to this album become a regular part of the Crimson live set. Here it is eerily reproduced on "The Devil's Triangle". Again, I just feel that the production lets the whole thing down, it could have been that much more powerful. Michael Giles is a fine and highly influential drummer (ask Neil Peart of Rush), but it sounds as though he is tapping on Granny's biscuit tins here. This particular Crimson line-up was on its last legs by now and even though ITWOP has its moments, I think it shows. br / Better was to come though. Check out "Islands" and the monumental "RED".

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review by: date: 2008-06-26 rating:
`In the Court of the Crimson King' - reworked.
`In the Court of the Crimson King' (1969), arguably one of the greatest records ever made, was certainly going to be very difficult to follow, especially with a change in line-up. Unfortunately, it shows. It is certainly not up to the majestic criterion of `In the Court'. However, that is not to say it is not a great record. It is. br / br /Greg Lake's haunting vocals of the opening hurtle into the explosion that is the magnificent riff of `Pictures of a City'. This honestly is a fantastic track, although structurally it is merely an extended copycat of `21st Century Schizoid Man'. The melodic and acoustic feel of `Cadence and Cascade' is wonderfully carried by Lake's smooth vocal timbre, and is a awe-inspiring calm after `Pictures' (again, much in the same way that `I Talk to the Wind' was the calm after `Schizoid Man'). `In the Wake of Poseidon' has the orchestral backdrop of the mellotron that is more than a little reminiscent of `Epitaph', as is its general soundscape, melody and harmony. From here, the album does depart somewhat from `In the Court', with an acoustic guitar solo from Fripp followed by the well-known `Cat-food' rock `n' roll meets jazz with modern jazz improviser pianist Keith Tippett. Unfortunately, the `Mars' march from Holst's `The Planets Suite' in `The Devil's Triangle' is beyond dull and is a real letdown with a sub-standard climax and concludes with ostensibly haphazardous improvisation that recalls `Moonchild'. The album, unpredictably unlike `In the Court', ends tranquilly, bringing the listener down from the pandemonium of `The Devil's Triangle'. br / br /All in all, the album is a great one, as would naturally be expected from King Crimson. If you are expecting anything different from `In the Court' you may be disappointed, but if you are a fan it is, of course, essential listening! br /

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review by: date: 2008-04-28 rating:
Their best? I say 'Yea!'.
Regarding the title's positivity, I must admit this was the first KC album I bought (for 40p, from a schoolmate, complete with cover that felt just like the oily original!); if I'd heard the first album before this one, who knows what would've been the outcome? But, even 30 years later, one can still hear a very pronounced link between the first two Crim albums. However, history suggests that the band - or Fripp - set out to make an even more advanced album for ...Poseidon. The opening Peace - A Beginning has Lake seemingly progressing from a cave, chanting the enigmatic lyrics. Studio echo, of course, meant that no cave was needed, but let's not spoil the imagery, ok? Pictures of a City crashes in, like thinking man's metal, but has medieval modes and jazz structures to contend with... and it contends just fine! This is exciting stuff, so heavy at times that it becomes amusing. The middle section here works better (to me) than within the earlier live takes. The piece DOES bear strong relation to ...Schizoid Man, but a clone? No way. Nothing as complex and 'demanding' as this could be seen as part of a formula. Cadence Cascade - I Talk to the Wind 2? Again, nearly, but not quite. This is a very adult ballad, a summery-yet-melancholy love-song. Beautiful. Your mum would like it, but in a good way. The title track has echoes of Epitaph AND the previous title track, but its lyrical cleverness again lends it credibility. And the rest of the album holds its own: Peace (A Theme) shows just how good Fripp is as an acoustic minstrel; the hilarious and jazzy Cat Food is very different from Moonchild, although the Mars collage possibly fulfils the same role as the latter's free-jazz escapades; and Peace (An End) wraps things up in very emotive style. "Peace is the end, like death of the war" - lump in throat time. Sorry for the length of this review, but it IS an involved album. Fripp himself probably disowns it, but that's his business. My advice - buy this and the first Crimson album together!

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review by: jnbp date: 2007-11-15 rating:
Overlooked
When naming the best King Crimson album or top ten prog albums, somehow its very rare that someone says 'In The Wake Of Poseidon.' br /Maybe they should; this is a great album, its got everything going for it that 'In The Court...,' does. br /Greg Lakes Voice is wonderful here: rich, commanding and mysterious. Gordon Haskell's vocals on the memorable 'Cadence and Cascade,' are pretty great as well. br /Some of the songs here are epic; the energetic 'Pictures of a City,' and the grand and lush Title Track are some of Crimson's best work. br /Even the weird and uncharacteristic 'Cat Food,' grows on you, especially the drumming, its very fun. br /Overall, a fantastic album that deserves more recognition. Buy it Now!


review by: date: 2007-06-02 rating:
Rather than just a 'rehash' of ITCOTKC...
...this is probably the album that Fripp really had wanted to make in the first place, but was at first unfamiliar with studio techniques for this type of album, and then the pompose doom and gloom had to be toned out a bit. I does sound smoother than Court. br /I appreciate it, no matter that some degrade is as Court #2 (Which I also love) br / br /Now if only to complete the LP paper cover reissues by adding 'A young persons guied to King Crimson (1975)

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