DJ James
A coma stole my name.
Up From the Crypt, Ep. I - Manilla Road's Voyager
Up From the Crypt, Ep. II - Manilla Road's Mystification
Up From the Crypt, Ep. III - Manilla Road's Mysterium
What I've been digging as of August 3rd, 2014 (Up From the Crypt, Ep. IV)
Hey, uh... Sorry if the last Up From the Crypt was rather shitty. I was very tired when I wrote it. Also, I plan to make this series more active and make no mistake... Over the past three months I've listened to roughly 35 albums! So I'm not running out of material, I just have trouble finding albums that I have something insightful to say about.
Now it's my pleasure to present...
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In the Court of the Crimson King.
The Wikipedia Page
In the Court of the Crimson King is one of those "classic albums". The Number of the Beast, Moving Pictures, Ride the Lightning, Painkiller, Ace of Spades, Abigail... If you're not about to wet yourself, you should be. Because I hold In the Court of the Crimson King in the same regard as those albums. Albums like this one are ones that, even if you don't exactly like the music on them, you give a nod to them for the sheer power and impact they had back then and continue to have now.
After listening to this album for the first time, I had to check and see if this really was the debut by the band. Because the sound they produce on this album is so refined and pinpoint you could have sworn this was the 7th, maybe 8th album by these guys. The sound in question is very progressive. At times, it even ventures into symphonic territory (the kind of symphonic that the likes of Yes were crafting around this time) and some Jazz elements are also thrown into the mix. Speaking of the Jazz elements on this album, some of the songs here even have improvised sections. Which, I thought that the improv sections on the album would be some of my least favorite pieces; but as it turns out, they're awesome. The free-form, childish feel of the latter half of "Moonchild" is amazingly beautiful against the tight, progressive backdrop the band set up in the previous tracks.
This is one of those albums that just demands your full attention through and through. It was like I woke up from a trance the first time I finished the album. As I stated above, the sound here is very professional and it's really amazing that this level of music is occupying the band's debut. King Crimson takes every opportunity they can to impress on this album and create some of the greatest, most thoughtful and overall impressive music I have ever heard from a progressive rock band before. Never, throughout the course of this album, did I find King Crimson's sound dull or flat or unsatisfactory. Their sound constantly impressed and never falls below excellent. Honestly after hearing "21st Century Schizoid Man", I kinda knew the whole album at least has to be this great. I was not wrong, the entire 5-song tracklist is pure magic. It flows like butter and never creates an opportunity for the music to get boring.
Some of my favorite moments on the album have to be when the band ventures outside standard progressive rock and goes into more symphonic and Jazz territory. Just look at the opener, "21st Century Schizoid Man", and you'll see that the Jazz elements translate exceptionally well into King Crimson's already eclectic style. A lot of the symphonic aspects lie in the epics "Epitaph" and "The Court of the Crimson King" which utilize a lot of keyboard. While all of the band members that worked on this album deserve recognition, I especially have to give props to Ian McDonald on keyboards. The atmosphere that he creates on some of these tracks is second to none. I also find it important to note that each of the band members helped produce the album. Which, that's not really something I see often from a band.
In the Court of the Crimson King is something special. It constantly impressed and never lost my full attention. It's one of the best albums I have ever heard. I'm still kicking myself for waiting so long to hear it.
I give this album an 100/100.
Here is my recommended track "The Court of the Crimson King"
Up From the Crypt, Ep. II - Manilla Road's Mystification
Up From the Crypt, Ep. III - Manilla Road's Mysterium
What I've been digging as of August 3rd, 2014 (Up From the Crypt, Ep. IV)
Hey, uh... Sorry if the last Up From the Crypt was rather shitty. I was very tired when I wrote it. Also, I plan to make this series more active and make no mistake... Over the past three months I've listened to roughly 35 albums! So I'm not running out of material, I just have trouble finding albums that I have something insightful to say about.
Now it's my pleasure to present...
In the Court of the Crimson King.
The Wikipedia Page
In the Court of the Crimson King is one of those "classic albums". The Number of the Beast, Moving Pictures, Ride the Lightning, Painkiller, Ace of Spades, Abigail... If you're not about to wet yourself, you should be. Because I hold In the Court of the Crimson King in the same regard as those albums. Albums like this one are ones that, even if you don't exactly like the music on them, you give a nod to them for the sheer power and impact they had back then and continue to have now.
After listening to this album for the first time, I had to check and see if this really was the debut by the band. Because the sound they produce on this album is so refined and pinpoint you could have sworn this was the 7th, maybe 8th album by these guys. The sound in question is very progressive. At times, it even ventures into symphonic territory (the kind of symphonic that the likes of Yes were crafting around this time) and some Jazz elements are also thrown into the mix. Speaking of the Jazz elements on this album, some of the songs here even have improvised sections. Which, I thought that the improv sections on the album would be some of my least favorite pieces; but as it turns out, they're awesome. The free-form, childish feel of the latter half of "Moonchild" is amazingly beautiful against the tight, progressive backdrop the band set up in the previous tracks.
This is one of those albums that just demands your full attention through and through. It was like I woke up from a trance the first time I finished the album. As I stated above, the sound here is very professional and it's really amazing that this level of music is occupying the band's debut. King Crimson takes every opportunity they can to impress on this album and create some of the greatest, most thoughtful and overall impressive music I have ever heard from a progressive rock band before. Never, throughout the course of this album, did I find King Crimson's sound dull or flat or unsatisfactory. Their sound constantly impressed and never falls below excellent. Honestly after hearing "21st Century Schizoid Man", I kinda knew the whole album at least has to be this great. I was not wrong, the entire 5-song tracklist is pure magic. It flows like butter and never creates an opportunity for the music to get boring.
Some of my favorite moments on the album have to be when the band ventures outside standard progressive rock and goes into more symphonic and Jazz territory. Just look at the opener, "21st Century Schizoid Man", and you'll see that the Jazz elements translate exceptionally well into King Crimson's already eclectic style. A lot of the symphonic aspects lie in the epics "Epitaph" and "The Court of the Crimson King" which utilize a lot of keyboard. While all of the band members that worked on this album deserve recognition, I especially have to give props to Ian McDonald on keyboards. The atmosphere that he creates on some of these tracks is second to none. I also find it important to note that each of the band members helped produce the album. Which, that's not really something I see often from a band.
In the Court of the Crimson King is something special. It constantly impressed and never lost my full attention. It's one of the best albums I have ever heard. I'm still kicking myself for waiting so long to hear it.
I give this album an 100/100.
Here is my recommended track "The Court of the Crimson King"
King Crimson was slated to go next, could be fun to do a whole thread for them and I've been itching to have some good music discussions.
