Post Description

The release of King Crimson's seminal 1974 album Red continues the overhaul of the progressive rock band's catalog that also — so far anyway — includes their debut album In The Court Of The Crimson King and Lizard. As was the case with those two albums, the remastering of this album was overseen by Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson, along with founding member Robert Fripp.

Wilson was a great choice for this task for a couple of reasons. He's a longtime fan, and with Porcupine Tree and his other many projects, he also definitely has the necessary prog-rock credentials. 

But beyond that, Wilson understands the possibilities of recording in the lossless surround sound format better than just about anybody. His remastering job here literally places you in the center of the room, particularly on the surround mixes for the DVD. This is as close to actually being there as it gets, folks.

By the time King Crimson originally released Red, they were essentially reduced down to the power-trio of Fripp on guitar and mellotron, John Wetton on bass and vocals, and Bill Bruford — who left the then-mega successful Yes to join up — on drums. Guest musicians like Mel Collins on soprano saxophone, Ian MacDonald on alto, and David Cross also make appearances.

What makes Red really stand out from previous King Crimson albums like In The Court Of The Crimson King though, is the way that the three core members create such a big noise. The fantasy inspired lyrics and symphonic sweep of their previous work had by this time been largely replaced by a more frenetic type of playing. On Red, King Crimson draw as much from heavy metal and a sort of pre-punk-rock racket as they do from prog and fusion-based jazz. 

It's as though the smaller lineup — and the deceptively smaller (but no less intricate) arrangements of the songs — had finally freed these guys up to stretch themselves that much further musically. The result is music that is often difficult and occasionally even cacophonous listening — especially given the time it was recorded. 

But for tech-purists and musician types, Red was, and is still now something of a wet dream. You can still hear its influence today in bands as diverse as Primus, Tool, and Wilson's own Porcupine Tree. If there is such an animal as jazz-punk-metal, King Crimson pretty much invented it on this album.

Poster: MrB

Tracklist:

1.“Red” (Robert Fripp) – 6:16
2.“Fallen Angel” (Fripp, Richard Palmer-James, John Wetton) – 6:03
3.“One More Red Nightmare” (Fripp, Wetton) – 7:10
4.“Providence” (Bill Bruford, David Cross, Fripp, Wetton) – 8:10
5.“Starless” (Bruford, Cross, Fripp, Palmer-James, Wetton) – 12:16
6.“Red” (pre-overdub trio version)
7.“Fallen Angel” (pre-overdub trio version)
8.“Providence” (unedited live version)