(Please be advised that this is a reissue of the 30th Anniversary Edition. It contains no bonus tracks and comes in a jewel case.)
After the transitional ISLANDS, LARK'S TONGUES began the third Crimson phase that ended with RED. The quartet of David Cross, John Wetton, Robert Fripp and Bill Bruford (augmented on LARK'S TONGUES by madman percussionist Jamie Muir) is regarded as the most innovative of Crimson's many lineups, offering hard-edged improvisations on an unprecedented level. With founding member/lyricist Pete Sinfield departed, Robert Palmer-James stepped in with a more cutting, concise lyrical approach that matched the group's uncompromising instrumental precision.
The album opens with part one of the title track and closes with part two, and it's a tour de force that would become a KC milestone. Indicative of the band's mid-'70s sound it features Fripp's laser-like art-metal guitar crunch bobbing and weaving around Wetton's thick, Jack Bruce-like bass lines, Bruford's confounding polyrhythms and Cross' ethereal violin. Each member challenges the others as the band is collectively driven into uncharted, often surprising terrain. As always, there are a couple of beautiful ballads. "Book of Saturday" and "Exiles" benefit from elegant, soaring melodies and Wetton's emotive Greg-Lake-after-50-cigarettes vocal style. LARK'S TONGUES marked a new direction for the band and is easily among their finest efforts.
Track Listing:
Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Part One
Book Of Saturday
Exiles
Easy Money
Talking Drum, The
Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Part Two
King Crimson: John Wetton (vocals, bass); Robert Fripp (guitar, Mellotron, percussion); David Cross (violin, viola, Mellotron); Bill Bruford (drums); Jamie Muir (percussion).
Digitally remastered by Robert Fripp.
Average Rating: (From 6 Reviews):
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Beautiful
From Francisco Torres of Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil on .
Amazing album!! I'm totally happy for purchasing it.
Great Sex Album!!
From Matthew Stull of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on .
I agree with the vinyl comment on the previous review. that was my first listening experience. and it was all scratchy. this album radically changed my life. I found it at my neighbors' house. He was a real deadhead!!! he was moving out of the house that he rented from my parents' next door and he had already mostly entirely moved out. But he left some records behind. I was picking through them and found Larks' and like the packaging and the fact that 4 of the names all had double letters: Bill, Fripp, Cross, Wetton......I gave it a try, on my incredibly challenged record player. none of the tracks would play, due to the lightness of the player arm and the scratchified canyons of the lp, except The Talking Drum.. but that was enough!!! I finally connected with the exotic "eastern" sound that I must have needed. and I was initiated. how many times have i played that thing. The sheer power of larks' pt 1 is a revelation best experienced on vinyl......What if KCCC released on vinyl?
I know, it's too expensive,oh well. and it's a great sex album
NOT ENOUGH
From Larry Pittis of NEW YORK, New York on .
Hi, This CD does not really cover the sound of this band. The recording and performance is too tame. The limited live CDs cover the brillance of this KC LINE-UP better. The compsitions are unique but under played. Buy a record player and then buy an UK Island first issue Lp of this session to hear better sound and musical intensity. One can hear the buzz of Fripp's quitar, the rattle of the drums, nad the overtones of the bass on the LP. None the less give this CD a try.
Brilliant!
From Ryan Hall of Reno, Nevada on .
This record changed my life and changed the way I hear music.
The Best
From John of Barnard Castle, England on .
I bought it back in '73. It blew me away then and still does. One of the best albums ever made. Would be the best but for John Wettons "singing".
A King Crimson Masterpiece!!!
From Louie Bourland of Garden Grove, California on .
"Larks' Tongues In Aspic" is King Crimson's aspiring masterwork from 1973. By this time, the band had gone through nearly half a dozen line-up changes in less than four years with guitarist Robert Fripp being the only mainstay through it all. In late 1972, Fripp hit upon something special when he assembled a fresh new line up to record this album. The line-up of Fripp, bassist/vocalist John Wetton, violinist David Cross, drummer Bill Bruford (who had recently left Yes) and percussionist Jaime Muir (who would leave King Crimson shortly after this album was made) became the band's second classic configuration and would create what many would consider the best material under the King Crimson band name.
"Larks' Tongues In Aspic" is bookended by its lengthy instrumental title track. The first part which opens the album is a nearly 14-minute tour-de-force which combines free-form experimentalism with jazz-fusion, classical and even heavy metal influences. It's quite extraordinary that the band can combine these many genres into one piece of music and still sound coherent.
"Book Of Saturday" is a simple 3-minute ballad which is quite the opposite of the previous track. Although King Crimson has never been a singles band, this track would have worked out great as one. It's melodic guitar parts and soaring vocal work from Wetton suit this songs contemplative mood.
The 8-minute "Exiles" sounds as if were an outtake from the first King Crimson album "In The Court Of The Crimson King". John Wetton's vocals have a sound reminiscent of Greg Lake while Fripp's guitar and mellotron work are straight out of "Epitaph" from the aforementioned album. Cross adds a definite Classical influence with his violin playing and also plays flute on this track although it's uncredited, as is John Wetton on piano.
The latter half of this album is considered by many to be its most memorable as it includes the timeless Crimson classics "Easy Money", "The Talking Drum" and the second part of "Larks'" title track.
"Easy Money" has a slight blues influence and deep groove which leads into a solid group improvisation. Fripp gives a wrenching guitar lead here while Muir litters the track with various percussion abstractions and noises.
"Easy Money" leads into "The Talking Drum" which is a giant 7-minute crescendo beginning at an extremely low volume but builds until the track is literally screaming from the speakers. This track is a solid demonstration of the band's tight musicianship. Bruford, Muir and Wetton lock into a repeated rhythm pattern which Cross and Fripp improvise over. As the track reaches its peak, it cuts into a brief snatch of violin and guitar screeching which leads directly into the next and final track, "Larks' Tongues Part 2".
"Larks' Tongues Part 2" has remained an active part of King Crimson's live repertoire since it was initially released on this album. Like the previous track, "Larks' Part 2" shows of the bands high-class musicianship and their ability to stick together through radical dynamics and time signatures. Everyone in the band is in top musical form here. And you just gotta love that `trash-can' ending to this track.
With all due respect, "Larks' Tongues In Aspic" is King Crimson's second magnum-opus (the first being "In The Court Of The Crimson King") and is an essential classic for fans and musicians alike. The powerful musicianship and experimentation of this band is unparalleled. King Crimson continues to make inspiring music today with its current line-up. However, as mention at the beginning of this review, Robert Fripp did something special when he assembled the "Larks' Tongues In Aspic" line-up in 1972. That special something is forever preserved on this album.
A Progressive Rock Classic and an essential King Crimson title.
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