King Crimson - "Islands" (1971)

In the last post I took a look at a record from the Swedish, political, progressive scene. In this post I change the focus to one of the giants in the international progressive scene - King Crimson. I bought this album in 1990 during a visit to New York, I had never heard of King Crimson, but thought the cover was promising. A record with the universe as a cover design must contain music that was deep, mysterious and generally druggy. I liked this kind of music at the time. At the same occasion, I bought Dark Side of the Moon (see a previous post), the combination may have gotten the store owner to think that I was a real prog geek. But as I said, the truth was that I had no idea of who or what King Crimson was.

King Crimson was founded in 1969 and has over the years had a variety of different members, where the constant member has been Robert Fripp. At the time of recording of Islands the band consisted of Robert Fripp, Peter Sinfield, Boz Burrell, Mel Collins and Ian Wallace.

A young Robert Fripp

An older Robert Fripp

The music on the album was not quite what I had hoped for. Expectations of large, floating arrangements where the listener was taken on a cosmic journey was quickly shattered. There are three songs on each side, four with vocals, two without. I have always experienced the atmosphere of the record as quite dark, almost a little neurotic. There is something in the mix that creates relatively muddled inner images. I don't know if this has to do with the production or my record player, but sometimes it seems to me as the band sit in a dark tin can and play.

The opening track Formentera Lady is over ten minutes long, maybe a little too long. The song is so-so but the chorus is quite uplifting and nice. At the end of the song Paulina Lucas sings in the background and this part of the song gives me some spontaneous Piper At the Gates Of Dawn-vibes. The subsequent song Sailor's Tale is a creation of Robert Fripp that I haven't previously enjoyed, but which I now appreciate more. A mellotron and Fripp's guitar is a fun combination. In many ways, a highlight on the album. Another song worth mentioning is Ladies Of the Road, where again the chorus breaks off and almost sounds a little like the Beatles. Apparently this song is the only one that all members of the band liked.

The title track was previously my favorite, an 11-minute song which is perhaps a little too long. It's a more delicate song and quite beautiful, even if the neurotic feeling is lurking somewhere. I still think it's an OK song even if it's a bit uneventful and could gain in being somewhat shorter. I've gotten the idea that I hear a mistake on the piano in this song, and maybe also on the trumpet. At the same time, I wonder if the fantastically talented musicians of King Crimson would play wrong in a relatively simple piece like this, and if they really would have kept a possible error on the album. Do I dare trust my feelings and say that these giants make a mistake?
Apparently, someone in the band said that the more delicate and softer parts of the album mostly was "airy-fairy shit." I guess the title song belongs to this category.

Besides the classic rock intruments you hear trumpet, oboe, different string instruments, flute, sax, etc. on the record. Compared to many other creations King Crimson did in the 70s, I think Islands is a relatively accessible album. Sailor's Tale is probably the song that's most similar to the more difficult music King Crimson did during this time. On the other hand, I am no great connoisseur of King Crimson, so I let this be a little unsaid.

The cover is available in a few different versions, the original European version had only the cosmos on the front, with no band name or title. The North American version was a painting by Peter Sinfield. The album I have with the cosmos + band name and title is a re-release of EG.

In summary, no need to have your record collection, in my opinion.

Tracklist

Side A
1. Formentera Lady 10:14
2. Sailor's Tale 7:21
3. The Letters 4:26

Side B
1. Ladies of the Road 5:28
2. Prelude: Song of the Gulls 4:14
3. Islands 11:51