Vagabond Synth Nerd’s Journal Vol. 150 - The Continuation of the Legendary Band King Crimson Part I

This is a story from when I was still in elementary school. My friend H's older brother was a music fanatic and he used to let me listen to various kinds of music. Among the music I listened to, there are two British progressive rock bands whose melodies and record jackets I remember well.
The first is Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon with its impressive prism cover. The heartbeat at the beginning of the song completely took me off-guard.
The sound of the other band had an even greater impact on me as a sixth grader. That band was King Crimson. In addition to the striking visuals on the cover, the melody of the first song on the A-side stuck with me and remained deeply in my memory forever.

There are three works in my life that have made me say, “What the heck is this?!” One of them was the aforementioned King Crimson, which I think had a special something that stirred something in me as a child. This mysterious band added sound to the image on the album jacket, and it kept settling in my mind like the lees of wine.

I ended up buying this strange music!

At the time, I was listening to the music of Simon & Garfunkel, Deep Purple, followed by Yes. I came across that King Crimson album jacket that I will never forget and I bought it.

Little did I know that King Crimson was a great musical group and that The Palace of the Crimson King was the album of the century....

The members of King Crimson, the Young British band that made history

Members of King Crimson were Ian McDonald (Sax, Key), Robert Phillip (G), Greg Lake (B, Vo), Michael Giles (Dr), and Pete Sinfield (Words). Although some may say that this was not a remarkable lineup for at the time, the music produced by this group would change the course of history. Originally, King Crimson was previously a band called Giles, Giles & Philip, that consisted of Robert Philip, Michael Giles, and bassist Peter Giles. The addition of Ian McDonald and Pete Sinfield, two powerful brains, would create a spectacular album.

■ Recommended album: King Crimson's The Palace of the Crimson King (1969)

The album that kicked the Beatles' classic Abbey Road off the charts is King Crimson's The Palace of the Crimson King. This album is King Crimson’s masterpiece and is the strongest and, dare I say, best album in rock history!

The album cover, the great songs with no throw-away tracks. This album, which has classical undertones and even has that European elegance, is the gold standard of all rock albums of all time. It is not hard to understand why someone described this cool-headed music as “absolute 0-degree” music.

The album cover has neither the band's name nor the album title, but rather a close-up of a wailing figure, a visual that is both challenging and impactful. This visual is the face of the “Skizoid Man of the 21st Century,” as the first song on the A-side is titled.

This album caused a stir in the hard rock music scene of the time, and was categorized as progressive rock. Leader and guitarist Robert Phillippe clearly stated that their music was European music, in contrast to the progressive rock label. It was a rebellion against the easy line and confidence in their own music.

King Crimson has been a rarity since the release of their first album in 1969 and continues to this day. The reason why King Crimson has continued to exist while changing the band's form and music like an amoeba after this album is because King Crimson had some universality. I believe that the first album The Palace of the Crimson King was the element that determined that universality.

Recommended song: “21st Century Skizzoid Man”

The first song on the A-side was not titled “21st Century Skizzoid Man” at the time of the album release, but it was labeled as “21st Century Spirit Zeros”. Although not a banned term, the word “Skizoid Man” was used in the middle of the album as an inappropriate expression.

The title “21st Century” is amazing, but the impact of the song as a piece of music was far greater than that. It can be considered to be a heavy song, but I think the lightness of Michael Giles' drumming (not in a negative way) is a factor that enhances the quality of this song.

The song at the beginning of the album is still covered by many musicians today.
Beautiful vocalist Greg Lake's voice is intentionally distorted and sung in sync with the title of the song, confusing the listener from the beginning.
In addition to the first theme, the two impressive riffs provided after the vocal part are just as catchy. The excellent melody in this area gives the song universality, and it is no wonder why the song has inspired many covers.
The decisive moment of the song is the closing phrase at the end of the song. The difficult yet catchy phrase is one of the most memorable phrases in rock history. As Robert Phillippe commented, “I practice it to the point of madness,” it has become a synonym with the difficult phrase that many musicians have tried.”

Musicians, Albums, and Recommended songs

• Artists: Robert Phillip, Ian McDonald, Greg Lake, Pete Sinfield, Michael Giles, etc.
• Album: The Crimson King's Palace
• Song title: “The 21st Century Skitzoid Man”

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