King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King

October 10th, 1969.

Island/Atlantic

King Crimson's debut incorporated the radical spontaneity of Jazz, the robust nature of Rock and the lucid visions of a poets nightmare. The artwork alone is enough to conjure up a thousand thoughts. Said thoughts meet their maker along the Crimson King's gaze of cast-iron judgement. He surveys the land. He sees, everything. He hears, everything. 

In the Court of the Crimson King set the standards for Progressive Rock - a standard which stands to this day. Imagine starting your discography here. Where do you go? What do you do? Climbing the mountain begins with the first step, but if your first step is at the summit, what the fuck? 

Fripp's ingenuity and jazz-like irreverence, Lake's airy croons and mournful cadence, Giles' gentle rhythms and quietly confident gusto, Sinfield's eye-catching words and McDonald's viciously windswept breath - King Crimson's coming together birthed a mind-bending and soul-shaping moment in time. A moment trapped - held? harnessed? - within a warm yet unforgiving embrace. That which came before was of use, but it's rulebook abandoned. Ditched in the dirt, a new dawn was upon us. A dawn which saw through the utopian ideal. It saw the need for misery as a means of growth; pain as a conduit for progress. Left to their own devices, things only get worse. Nothing good has ever come from nowhere. The discipline to get the job done, to beat down all barriers, is more than necessary. Why be late to your own party?

'Said the straight man to the late man, where have you been?'