Search - King Crimson :: In the Court of the Crimson King (Mlps)

The best issue of this classic I have heard!!!!

Nats | MD USA | 07/06/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First, a brief history. I first heard this record when it came out in 1969 and it completely blew me away with its originality and craftsmanship. I still have the first Atlantic vinyl pressing, so, needless to say, I KNOW every nuance of this recording.

Court of The Crimson King was without question a very daring and innovative work in 1969. No one had ever heard anything quite like them. To this day, I consider it a masterpiece of modern art.

If you love this recording as much as I do, you owe it to yourself to buy the JVC Japan re-issue. Yes, I know it costs 40 something bucks, but take my word for it; this version sounds much better then the HDCD "Original Master Edition" or the Caroline "30th Anniversary Edition".

With all that said, keep in mind that this is a 1969 pop music recording. It has (like most records of the day) a limited dynamic frequency range compared to state of the art recordings of today. The JVC edition of King Crimson's first album is THE very best you will hear. Dim the lights, put yourself in a good pair of headphones, and take a wonderful ride. This is as good as it gets.

"

The Best Version of the Album that's Out There!

Frederick Baptist | Singapore | 03/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This extremely well digitally remastered version of Court in a beautifully designed mini-lp sleeve replica package is a real treat for Crimson fans. Not only has the sound been remastered to perfection but the liner notes are also very well designed with lyrics and paper clippings harking to the old days included to boot. I thought the 30th Anniversary version was great but if you can believe it, this version is much better. The sound quality is excellent and makes the 30th Anniversary version sound mediocre in comparison. For want of a better definition and to satisfy those that absolutely have to categorise everything that they hear, this would be the godfather of the progressive rock genre. To call it the progenitor of progressive rock would be misleading and incorrect as depending upon how you think about it, even Sgt Pepper's, Velvet Underground's first album and Pink Floyd's Sid Barrett days could all be called progressive rock but still this album is a work of art on it's own and is deserving of all the accolades that it has received to date and continues to receive today. Great opening powerhouse track followed by more mellow Moody Blues-like stuff and ending on a powerful note. Essential listening for music hobbyists and a recording that is seminal and really grows on you. Recommended.

"

Classic KC album remastered from the original mastertapes fo

Wayne Klein | My Little Blue Window, USA | 11/02/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Normally I would hesitate to recommend an album that has been reissued on CD as often as King Crimson's seminal first album "In the Court of the Crimson King". However, this is the first time that the album has been reissued using the long missing original mastertapes from side one of the album.



First the positives--there's increased depth and detail that make this a stand out. "I Talk to the Wind" benefits particularly because it is one of the quieter tracks on the album. The album is presented in a miniature replica gatefold sleeve with a booklet that includes news clippings from the time about the band.



The bad is pretty minor but needs to be made note of for honesty sake; it appears that the midrange of the album has been boosted a tad. Purists that want a "flat" transfer of the album with no futzing will probably be disappointed with this. However, listening to the album convinced me that this actually benefited the vocals of the album in a good way.



This is a classic album well worth picking up and the fact that the original mastertapes have finally been located for the first side of the album (tracks 1-3)is a big plus. There aren't any notes here as to who remastered this (I can only assume that it was Fripp and Simon Heyworth again from Chop 'Em Out who remastered all the other albums)but they do a terrific job overall."