Current Events > Thinking of listening to King Crimson - In the Halls of the Crimson King

(+) Yeah! (+)

for the first time.

I've always had this jokey idea that the first time I ever have weed brownies I would eat like five or six of them in 5 minutes and then listen to In the Halls of the Crimson King for the first time. I hear it's a really challenging listen, really heavy and nightmarish and shit. Of course, I know how fucked up 6 edibles at once would make me, and even at the height of my substance abuse (alcohol, for the mods' information) I knew it was a stupid idea to ever really gun for.

The question then becomes - when?

Do I listen to the entire King Crimson discography up to this point and view the album as a record of their progress? Do I wait until I have enough music "cred" to tackle what feels like a music snob's sacred cow? Do I forget about it and follow my own musical path?

I'm at the point where I'm secure enough in my music tastes to take on a challenge. I've listened to a lot of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, and even when the music isn't for me, I still give it a listen with an open mind. I'm branching into folk with James Taylor and Gordon Lightfoot. I recently revisited Bowie's first four albums, and I found folk-rock leanings that I never realised were there.

And I'm binge-playing Borderlands 1. It's a bit silly, but it's also bloody and intense and frenetic. Much like my music preferences, Borderlands is a game I feel comfortable and secure in - I've played it like six times.

Now feels like the right time.

I'm making this topic to post my initial reaction, but I also want to get some insight. Is there a preferred way to listen to the album? Do the songs flow into each other? Is the remastered version - if there is a remastered version - a good way to listen, or is there a preferred printing or something that fans subscribe to as the ideal listening experience?

Like I get that I'm speaking like a hipster douchebag, but come on. The reputation of this album precedes it - idk if it's a meme or something, but I feel like now is the time for me to listen to it.

The first two albums are great and sound very similar.

Then I would check out Larks' Tongues in Aspic so you can hear the Bruford era.

Never got into 80s KC, but that lineup has it's fans.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/5/3/AAc53qAADSx5.jpg

don't do it, you're not ready

Dont worry about substances.

Just listen to eet

Ahhhh. Good times. Have fun tc!

I listened to it for the first time a few months ago, and now can't remember anything about it.

You don't need to eat or ingest anything to listen King Crismon. Never really got where that came from people think the same thing about Pink Floyd albums, perfectly enjoyable while not under the influence of anything.

feels like im the only person whose music experience isnt enhanced by getting high. it always makes music seem more discordant to me somehow

CrackerJacker07 posted...

You don't need to eat or ingest anything to listen King Crismon. Never really got where that came from people think the same thing about Pink Floyd albums, perfectly enjoyable while not under the influence of anything.

I just thought the idea of having the worst trip of your life the first time you ever did significantly mind-altering drugs would be really funny. Like holy shit I'm a blank state, here's In The Halls of the Crimson King.

It should be noted that I have zero idea about what I'm getting into. Maybe it's really intricate and proggy and cool and not the sonic nightmare it's been described as.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

Yeah, King Crimson. Even drinking the way I do fucks with my brain more than I'd like nowadays, the boat sailed on edibles long ago.

Anyway, had a peanut butter sandwich and some Sprite and I just opened a YouTube playlist of the album.

Jesus, not a single song shorter than four minutes, huh? This is gonna be interesting.

ectually, for someone just getting into them, their early 80s incarnation, with tony levin, adrian belew et al may be the most accessible to modern ears. discipline and three of a perfect pair are the best exemplars of this era

Court is great, but it is a little meandering - and not just on moonchild either

It's the only album I like by them

MrMallard posted...

Anyway, had a peanut butter sandwich and some Sprite and I just opened a YouTube playlist of the album.

Jesus, not a single song shorter than four minutes, huh? This is gonna be interesting.

This is my favorite band

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/7/0/AAb6zeAADSyK.jpg

21st Century Schitzoid Man was okay. Very jazzy, I wasn't expecting that. Though that may be because this playlist folds a bunch of the songs together into one long, cohesive listening package without breaking the flow of the album.

I Talk to the Wind was a complete and utter surprise though. This is 100% the shit I'm here for. And how there was that little fake-out near the end where the instrumental kept going for another minute or two, I loved that. I hope there's more music like this coming up.

Yeah, this is NOT music to play Borderlands to, lmao.

Red and Discipline are my jams.

Okay, that album was pretty good. I feel like I've heard The Court of the Crimson King before, it's probably been in a bunch of stuff or inspired music I've heard before or something.

I had a look at the comment section for Moonchild - you weren't wrong, that song drags - and I pinpointed where my expectations were led astray. Someone was high-mindedly talking about how it's like falling asleep so the song tickles you with these sparse feelgood sounds and then devolves into this creeping, awful nightmare - and it hit me.

It's a generational thing.

The difference between what I got and what I wanted is like the difference between the Bela Legosi Dracula movie and the Rob Zombie song Dragula. I was expecting like screaming and eardrum-shattering guitar wails, some real ground-breaking noise rock shit. But the music has more of a slow-burn quality to it, more of an eerieness or existentialism. I found a few of the lyrics in Epitaph to be extremely prescient, and it made me feel a bit moved.

This album was probably a massive ground-breaker when it came out, and it probably did rattle people to the core. But shit that's come out since then has basically poured bleach and kerosene on my brain and lit it up with a match. I'm desensitized, at least to some degree.

Like you have to understand, I started playing Doom Eternal the other week. I've been binge-playing Borderlands like I said. I thought this was gonna rattle me to the core and complement that kind of carnage. But if there's any death in In The Halls of the Crimson King, it's more of an emotional or spiritual death.

To which I say, this album was a genuine surprise. Outside of Moonchild, I can see why this album has GOAT status. I Speak to the Wind is still my favorite song, followed by Court of the Crimson King, followed by Epitaph, followed by 21st Century Schizoid Man, followed by Moonchild. I know there are instrumental tracks, but they were folded into those five songs on this playlist and their standing ties into those five songs.

Overall? Net win. This was a good album.

One last bump. Might actually give the rest of their music a listen.

it's good

just listen to it

Wake of Poseidon is more of the same as Court of the Crimson King. Both are great albums and sound like they could of came out of the same recording sessions.

Now, start looking into Hawkwind.