The birth of progressive rock 1969
Bourbeau | Ann Arbor, MI United States | 04/21/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is a powerful debut by a powerful group. The brutal opening tears your head off and as you listen to the frenetic solos and distorted vocals on "21st Century Schizoid Man," you might think to yourself, "What year was this recorded?" Suddenly, the album shifts gears into "I Talk To The Wind," a folky, wistful but cynical reminder that you are in late-sixties counter-culture London. "Epitaph" is well done but a bit H-E-A-V-Y for a man of my tastes (I prefer the Moody Blues when I seek mellotron melodrama), but "Moonchild" makes a nice transition into surreal flowery hippiedom (for those who tire of the extened improv at the end, the "Frame By Frame" box set has an abridged version that may be the one featured in the film "Buffalo 66"). The album's closer, "In The Court Of The Crimson King," is pure artrock - daddy to Genesis. The audio production and musical arrangements are superb. Great album."