Red

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-09-05 rating:
Red - King Crimson
Other favourable reviews have nailed why this is such an important album and why KC fans usually rate this highly.
It's a staggeringly powerful album yet with some wonderful light moments. Robert Fripp remains for me a guitar hero and while his playing here is generally restrained in combination with Wetton's bruising yet not overpowering bass and Bruford's excellent percussion work it all blends in one exceptional album. I find it hard not to love all the tracks but my favourites are, in reverse order, One more red nightmare, Red, Fallen angel and the piéce de resistance Starless

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review by: bert fegg date: 2008-05-29 rating:
An occult classic
Why do I love or even worship this album?The bass and voice are amazing,the
Combination of instrumental delicacy with the power of other sections of the
Pieces contrasted with same,this starkness-The metaphysical contrast of the
Lyrical content with the wonderful melodies that embodies them perfectly for
The piece,the wild and dynamic improvisations that are musically thrilling
Underpinned by that stunning bass and the frankly hymnal quality of some of
what I consider to be movements,as in classical music...It is flawless of its
Kind,to me,indefinitely enlightening and so thoroughly original as to
transcend its contextual genre,much as joy Division or Satie do their
respective genres as immediate examples of styles...For me,even the sleeve
matches the content,simple as it is...It is hardly Pop music and definitely a rock classic
you must at least hear with far less whimsy than early Crimson albums,in fact,virtually
none...It is almost the prophetic essence of one earlier song,21st Century
Schizoid Man in one album-Punktum.

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review by: jnbp date: 2007-11-16 rating:
One Hell of a King Crimson Album
There's just something about Red, something mysterious and powerful. The complexity and skill of the band is unparalleled; This particular line up struck gold with their other classic 'Larks Toungues In Aspic,' and still, they get better! Red is a monster of atmosphere and perfection.
Every track is great, especially 'Fallen Angel,' and 'Starless,' which are possibly two of the best prog songs ever (and the singing on this album is just the best).
The sounds and tones here are darker and heavier; a King Crimson album that flirts with metal as much as jazz... whats not to love?
Somehow the album is more crafted and less chaotic than 'Starless and Bible Black,' yet at the same time more creative and interesting.
Truly, this is a marvelous album. Buy it Now!

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review by: blackantlers date: 2007-10-21 rating:
HEAVY!
This is Crimson at their heaviest, from the opening bars of 'Red' it eclipses anything Crimson had done before. This album is probably the peak of their 70's output, and a damn shame the band never toured the album (breaking up after release). Starless in undoubtedly a masterpiece, from the seductive mellotron / guitar intro, Wettons plaintive melody, the full on jazz fusion of the middle of the piece to Wettons 'Heavier than thou' bass at the end, it is truly one of the most remarkable pieces they have ever done, let alone anyone else. This was my introduction to Crimson and still my favourite, they have never made a bad album, period. Long live the King!


review by: date: 2007-09-15 rating:
curious about crimson? start here
King crimson were and remain an incredibly frustrating band. i cant really think of another act that veers between breathtaking and mundane within the space of one or two songs. consequently their album output is something of a minefield where you never know quite what to expect. this should be commendable but unfortunately when these guys lose their way they do it big time and the end result is frequently plain boring. This album, however, of all their albums, is the one where it all comes together in a cohesive and dependable package. crimson were always better when they let rip and this is by far their heaviest album up until 2003's equally stunning 'power to believe'. the standout tracks for me are 'fallen angel' and 'starless' - two sonic nightmares that are really quite brilliant. the remainder of the album is not too far below those two tracks so overall this is a very, very strong peice of work indeed. exceptionally dark and sinister throughout, and ushering in a new type of heavy rock that, some 10 years later, would start surfacing as 'industrial' metal as pioneered by the likes of early swans and the butthole surfers, before being hijacked by nine inch nails, marilyn manson etc - this is where it all started. this album is as influencial to the heavy, industrial bands as sabbaths debut album is to generations of metal and thrash merchants, even if they dont realize it! this is the blueprint, and 30+ years later stills sounds as frighteningly powerful as it did first time around.
so, if you are curious about crimson - start here. and after that, get hold of 'the power to believe' which is like the sequel to this album but even heavier if thats possible! both albums are indispensible. be very careful, however, about the rest of crimsons stuff cos the majority of it is very dodgy. though still worth exploring cos amongst the doodling there are some classic tracks. you just have to be patient whilst trying to find them. this, however, has no such drawback. this is their 70's career peak. play loud!

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