973 King Crimson - Islands (1971)

 973 King Crimson - Islands (1971)

Studio Album - Progressive Rock


About the Act:

King Crimson were/are a Progressive Rock band from England. They started ahead of the curve in 1968, and many people claim they actually kicked the whole thing off with their first album, "In The Court of the Crimson King." To say they have been influential in the genre is a bit of an understatement. They have been active in short bursts over the years, and with various line-ups, but guitarist Robert Fripp has been the central driving force throughout. They have constantly reinvented themselves over the years, and pushed the boundaries of music in interesting and challenging ways, also challenging the concept of what it means to be a band. For a while they were a loose collaboration of sub-groups (called ProjeKcts) and they currently have a three-drumkit frontline

.While you can definitely hear the influence of other bands and of particular genres and musical styles in their music, then have always been leaders rather than followers. They are one of the most progressive of Progressive Rock bands. All hail to the King.


About the Album:

This was the fourth studio album by King Crimson, and the last to feature the lyrics and vocals of founding member Peter Sinfield. After this album Robert Fripp almost completely remakes the band and takes them in a different direction.


My History with this Album:

I am a long-time listener of King Crimson, and have a copy of this album, but I have hardly ever listened to it. I am really unfamiliar with it.


Review: 

This is an odd album. I mean it is King Crimson, and so that goes with the territory, but it is not what I think of as King Crimson oddness.  The music is by Robert Fripp, but the words are by Peter Sinfield. Both are unusual.  

Musically, it uses space and classical instruments a lot, and sounds quite empty.  It has odd rhythms and times, and is also harmonically interesting at times.  In some ways it reminds of later stuff by "post rock" bands, but even then, not really. It's more like contemporary classical weirdness than progressive rock weirdness.

Lyrically, it is also weird, there is a tendency towards strongly poetical and fantasy, and some bits are fairly opaque. The track "Ladies of the Road" is somewhat more direct and as such not safe for work or children. 

So, did I like it? Yes I did. It is not my favourite King Crimson album, but it is a nice bag of bonkers that will float your boat if you like the bonkers side of prog.

7.5/10

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5SHta5TtyI85Vb9pUBMYuG

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjPIe5KlzbfUUTOPcL_VqLIZXmCoy1EbP

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islands_(King_Crimson_album)



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

724 Queen - A Day at the Races (1976)

Image
 724 Queen - A Day at the Races (1976) Studio Album - Art Rock About the Act: Queen were and kind of still are, a mega-rock band from England. Their classic line-up was Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon. They were formed in 1970 and took the world by storm, but especially the UK and Japan. Freddie famously died from HIV-related issues in 1991, but before he died they had been working on a last album with him, and their 15th studio album. After that, they continued after a fashion, with first Paul Rodgers, then Adam Lambert taking over vocals, I think officially as guests. John Deacon left in 1998, so Queen are now effectively Brian and Roger. About the Album: This was their fifth studio album, the first without long-term production partner Roy Thomas Baker, and the first after they had smashed the world with Bohemian Rhapsody. My History with this Album: I first heard this album aged about 13 or 14, with my schoolfriend Tim. We started a pact, savin...
Read more

785 Jackson Browne - The Pretender (1976)

Image
 785 Jackson Browne - The Pretender (1976) Studio Album - Rock About the Act: Jackson Browne is an American Singer/Songwriter. He wrote some songs, and did some singing, and played guitar and piano, and seemingly still does all of those things, but maybe not right now. He started in the late 60s in the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, then writing songs for other people, and finally recording them himself. He has won awards, sold lots of records, been an activist and done charity stuff. In 2015 Rolling Stone ranked him as 37th in the list of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.  About the Album: This was his fourth studio album. There are 32 different musicians credited over the 8 tracks. My History with this Album: None Review: In 1976, if you were doing singer/songwriter rock then it was popular, but that also meant there was a lot of competition. I don't know this album, and Jackson Browne has not been particularly on my radar. On this album I cannot help but be reminded o...
Read more

661 LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening (2010)

Image
 661 LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening (2010) Studio Album - Electronica About the Act: LCD Soundsystem are an American Dance-Punk band from Brooklyn, who have existed from 2002, with a gap between 2011-2015. They are led by James Murphy, who is also the co-founder of the DFA Records label. About the Album: This was their third studio album My History with this Album: None Review: I'm not going to be able to describe them without referencing other bands, sorry. They are kind of a mix of electronic dancy stuff with 80s retro dance electronic, and a bit of indie and more modern sounds. When he sings, Mr Murphy can sound like a turn-of-the-80s robotic kind of person, like David Bowie, Gary Numan or The Human League. A lot of the backing sounds are kind of 80s too, with some drum machines and analog-style synths. When he talks, it sounds more like Talking Heads. One song really reminds me of Eurythmics.  Musically, it's pretty simple, using a lot of repetition. Why use 50 notes ...
Read more