Track Listing

1. Red
2. Fallen Angel
3. One More Red Nightmare
4. Providence
5. Starless

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4267 in Music
• Released on: 2004-11-15
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

CD Description
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 (augmentedon 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 lyricalapproach that matched the group's uncompromising instrumental precision.
Cross was relegated to guest status on RED,but still makes his presence felt, as do returning Crimson vets Mel Collins and Ian McDonald on saxes. The ominous, hard-edged aspect of Crimson's sound has always been alleged asan influence on early heavy metal, and RED, their heaviest,makes it clear why. The Wagnerian tendencies of early Crimson are magnified here, but the airy-fairy "prog-rock" trappings are discarded in favour of a sound that melds hard rock,modern classical music and jazzy improvisation. The resultant fusion-oriented sound is like a darker, rockier cousin toTony Williams' Lifetime or the Mahavishnu Orchestra (or therepeating riff cycle that ends the Beatles' "She's So Heavy".

Customer Reviews

Powerful Stuff
This is King Crimson at it's best and also at it's darkest. John Wetton's voice and the lyrics are exceptional. Fallen Angel is my most favourite song on this sinister album. Providence is my least favourite, hence the 4 stars. It's works in parts, BUT in far greater bits doesn't in my humble opinion. It becomes noise and it's a case of spot the tune, is it still breathing?
This CD Red has the feel of Larks Tongue In Aspic about it, at one stage I was expecting Easy Money to be sung!! Less flies though....

Musically and lyrically the most moving track is Starless, spine tingling beauty. When the singing stops then you are taken on a dark at times almost nightmarish journey. But you survive to tell the tale

the beginnings of metal.....
This album, released in late 1974, was to be the last of the Fripp/Bruford/Wetton albums. It continues along the same lines as its predecessor Starless and Bible Black, but in a more concise manner. Bill Bruford is the star of the show here. His percussion is agressive and inventive, whilst retaining its trademark neatness and penchant for precision. Overall, it works well with Wetton's thunderously powerful bass work. At this point, KC must've had one of the most muscular, hard hitting rhythm sections in popular music. Fripp is known for his cerebral, fluid and detailed approach to guitar playing, so it's interesting to find his work here much less dominating and less complicated than usual. This isn't to say that it's uninteresting! He plays exactly the right parts for the songs and his tone is heavy without being fuzzy and too bassy. The weakest track on the album is Providence, a track recorded live during their Italian tour of that era. It takes repeated listenings to fully appreciate its value, yet it is somewhat overshadowed by the other tracks. The last track, Starless, is a fantastic song which builds up after the vocals stop into a tense, hectic instrumental in an odd time signature. Bruford is magnificent here and the woodwind and brass work very well. Fripp plays some quite emotional mellotron lines during the intro and outro. This album offered and aggrression and power quite unlike the other rock musicians of the day: It wasn't bluesy, it didn't have lots of guitar solos, it didn't feature a star frontman vocalist. It represents an intelligent, English approach to rock music. Kurt Cobain stated that Red was his favourite album. it's easy to see why.

dark genius
the last, and best album of the wetton/bruford/fripp crimson era. Mighty in sound and years ahead of its time, this is an album no rock or metal fan should be without - in short a masterpiece. Only criticsm would be the absence of david cross - who was sacked before the album was recorded. The live versions of starless with Cross' violin were amazing, missing sadly on the album... still though 5 stars.