Search - King Crimson :: In the Wake of Poseidon

ITCOTCK's Sequel?

Samhot | Star Land | 12/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"King Crimson's second album, 1970's _In The Wake of Poseidon_, has often been accused of being a weak, carbon-copy of King Crimson's monumental 1969 debut _In The Court Of The Crimson King_. To be honest, one can hear many similarities between these two albums: the blending of fiery, jazz-rock numbers counterbalanced by smooth, lush orchestral numbers, as well as the first half of the album exhibiting parallels to many tracks from the debut. However, on the whole, this album seems to carry a bit more diversity than the debut does.



It starts with the trippy, vocal experimentation of "Peace (A Beginning)," which is followed by the manic, fiery jazz-rock of "Pictures Of A City." This has been compared to "21st Century Schizoid Man." It features the processed vocals found on that infamous track, as well as the scorching proto-metal blasts, not to mention those screaming guitar and saxophone lines playing the melodic lines in unison. "Cadence And Cascade" is an ethereal r&b/rock tune that's been compared to "I Talk To The Wind." This features some of Robert Fripp's most melodic and tasteful guitar playing. The vocals done by Gordon Haskell are very beautiful as well.



The title track (often compared to "Epitath") is probably my personal favorite on here. An ingratiating mix of r&b, psychedelia and lush symphonic rock, combined with impassioned vocals makes this arguably the standout amongst many greats. "Peace (A Theme)" is a melodic guitar instrumental that prepares you for the manic, jazz-rock musings of "Cat Food." It is in this track, in which you will find foreshadowings of what would largely comprise their next album, 1970's _Lizard_. "The Devil's Triangle" is a darkly symphonic piece based on (if not entirely derivative of) the 'Mars: Bringer of War' movement from Holst's epic, The Planets. Listen for a section from "The Court Of The Crimson King" (title track from debut) at the very end of this song. The album closes with "Peace (An End)," which features sad vocal delivery from Greg Lake. Sad, as in this was Greg's very last vocal performance with Crimson, as he would join the mighty ELP.



This is a worthy addition to your King Crimson collection, even though the many parallelisms between this and their debut may be a bit disappointing to many."