NEW LP
New sealed copy. 2021 reissue on 200 gram vinyl.
King Crimson's debut studio album, In the Court of the Crimson King, was released on October 10, 1969, through Island Records. Often regarded as the first true progressive rock album, it combined rock with elements of jazz, classical, and symphonic music while exploring themes of war, societal alienation, and corrupt authority. The album was recorded at Wessex Sound Studios in London after initial sessions with producer Tony Clarke failed, with the band producing it themselves. Ian McDonald spent hours overdubbing layers of Mellotron and woodwind instruments, sometimes going through five tape generations to achieve deeply layered tracks.
The album gained attention after King Crimson opened for the Rolling Stones in Hyde Park before an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 people in July 1969. Tracks like "21st Century Schizoid Man" have been called "perhaps the first alternative anthem," while "Epitaph" is described as a ballad exploring dark visions of societal collapse. The album cover, painted by computer programmer Barry Godber using his own face as the model, was his only painting before his death in February 1970 at age 24.
In the Court of the Crimson King became King Crimson's most commercially successful album, reaching number 5 on the UK Albums Chart and number 28 on the US Billboard 200, earning gold certification. Critics praised it as a "surreal work of force and originality," and it is widely considered one of the greatest progressive rock albums ever released, ranking number 2 on Rolling Stone's 2015 list of the 50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time.
TRACKLIST:
A1 21st Century Schizoid Man (Including "Mirrors")
A2 I Talk To The Wind
A3 Epitaph (Including "March For No Reason" And "Tomorrow And Tomorrow")
B1 Moonchild (Including "The Dream" And "The Illusion")
B2 The Court Of The Crimson King (Including "The Return Of The Fire Witch" And "The Dance Of The Puppets")
