King Crimson Lyrics
Other Songs
21 St Century Schizoid Man
21st Century Schizoid Man
21st Century Schizoid Man Including Mirrors
A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square
Asbury Park
Book Of Saturday
Book of Saturday (Daily Games)
Book of Saturdays
Cadance And Cascade
Cadence and Cascade
Cage
Caldonia
Cat Food
Choo Choo Ch'Boogie
Cirkus
Cirkus (Including Entry of the Chameleons)
Coda: I Have a Dream
Coda: Marine 475
ConstruKction of Light
Darling Je Vous Aime Beaucoup
Dig Me
Dinosaur
Doctor Diamond
Drop In [Early Rehearsal]
Easy Money
Elephant Talk
Epitaph
Epitaph/March for No Reason/Tomorrow and Tomorrow
Exiles
Eyes Wide Open
Facts of Life
Fallen Angel
Formentera Lady
FraKctured
Frame By Frame
Get Thy Bearings
Great Deceiver
Groon
Happy Family
Happy With What You Have to Be Happy With
Heartbeat
I Talk To The Wind
In The Court Of The Crimson King
In The Wake Of Poseidon
In the Wake of Poseidon/Libra's Theme
Indiscipline
Indoor Games
Industry
Inner Garden
Inner Garden I
Inner Garden II
Into the Frying Pan
Is You Is, Or Is You Ain't (My Baby)
Islands
It's Only A Paper Moon
Key To The Highway
Knock Me A Kiss
Ladies Of The Road
Lady of The Dancing Water
Lament
Larks Tongues in Aspic Pt. 1
Larks Tongues in Aspic Pt 3
Larks Tongues in Aspic PtIV
Light ConstruKction
LIZARD
Lizard. I. Prince Rupert Awakes
Lizard. III. The Battle Of Glass Tears
Lizard. IV. The Big Top
Man With An Open Heart
Matte Kudasai
Model Man
Moonchild
Moonchild/The Dream/The Illusion
Neal And Jack And Me
Neurotica
Nuyages (That Which Passes Passes Like Clouds)
One More Red Nightmare
One Time
Peace - an End
Peace-A Beginning
Peace-An End
People
Pictures Of A City
Potato Pie
Power to Believe, Pt. 4: Coda [Live]
Prelude: Song of the Gulls
Prince Rupert Awakes
ProzaKc Blues
Radio II
Radio Pt. 1
Red
REQUIEM
SARTORI IN TANGIER
Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream
Sleepless
Starless
The ConstruKction of Light
The ConstruKction Of Light I
The ConstruKction Of Light II
The Court Of The Crimson
The Court of The Crimson King
The Court of the Crimson King/The Return of the Fire Witch/The Dance of the Puppets
The Great Deceiver
The Howler
The Letters
The Mincer
The Night Watch
The Peacocks Tale
The Power to Believe I: (A Cappella)
The Power to Believe II (Power Circle)
The Power to Believe III
The Power to Believe IV
The Power to Believe, Pt. 2
The Power to Believe, Pt. 3
The Talking Drum
The Worlds My Oyster Soup Kitchen Floor Wax Museum
Thela Hun Ginjeet
Three Of A Perfect Pair
Two Hands
VROOOM
Waiting Man
Walking On Air
Worlds My Oyster Soup Kitchen Floor Wax Museum
King Crimson were an English-based progressive rock band formed in London in 1968. Led by guitarist Robert Fripp, they drew inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, blues, industrial, electronic, experimental music and new wave. They exerted a strong influence on the early 1970s progressive rock movement, including on contemporaries such as Yes and Genesis, and continue to inspire subsequent generations of artists across multiple genres. The band has earned a large cult following, especially in the 21st century.
Founded by Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield, the band initially focused on a dramatic sound layered with Mellotron, McDonald's saxophone and flute, Giles' complex and polyrhythmic drumming, Fripp's atmospheric guitar sound, and Lake's bass and powerful lead vocals, with gothic lyricism by Sinfield and creative directions by all members of the band. Their debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King (1969), remains their most commercially successful and influential release, with a potent mixture of jazz, classical and experimental music. Following the sudden simultaneous departures of McDonald and Giles (with Lake leaving very shortly afterwards), the next two albums, In the Wake of Poseidon and Lizard (both 1970), were recorded during a period of instability in the band's line-up. A settled band of Fripp, Sinfield, Mel Collins, Boz Burrell and Ian Wallace recorded Islands in 1971, though in mid-1972, Fripp let go of this line-up and changed the group's instrumentation and approach, drawing from European free improvisation and developing ever more complex compositions. With Bill Bruford (formerly of Yes), John Wetton, David Cross, and briefly Jamie Muir, they reached what some saw as a creative peak on Larks' Tongues in Aspic (1973), Starless and Bible Black (1974), and Red (1974). King Crimson disbanded at the end of 1974.
After seven years of inactivity, King Crimson was recreated in 1981 with another change in musical direction. The new band comprised Fripp, Bruford and two new American members: Adrian Belew, who previously worked with David Bowie, Frank Zappa and Talking Heads, and Tony Levin, a prolific session musician who was noted for his studio and live work with Peter Gabriel. They drew influence from African music, gamelan, post-punk and New York minimalism. This band lasted three years, resulting in the trio of albums Discipline (1981), Beat (1982) and Three of a Perfect Pair (1984). Following a decade-long hiatus, they reformed in 1994, adding Pat Mastelotto, formerly of Mr. Mister, and Trey Gunn for a sextet line-up Fripp called "The Double Trio". The double trio participated in another three-year cycle of activity that included the release of Thrak (1995), and multiple concert recordings. There was a hiatus between 1997 and 2000. Fripp, Belew, Mastelotto and Gunn reunited in 2000 as a more industrial-oriented King Crimson, called "The Double Duo", releasing The Construkction of Light (2000) and The Power to Believe (2003). After a five-year hiatus, the band added Gavin Harrison of Porcupine Tree as a second drummer, with Levin returning in place of Gunn, for a 2008 tour celebrating the 40th anniversary of their 1968 formation.
Following another hiatus (2009-2012), during which Fripp was thought to be retired, King Crimson came together again in 2013; this time as a septet (and, later, octet) with an unusual three-drumkit frontline, and new second guitarist and singer Jakko Jakszyk. This version of King Crimson continued to tour from 2014 to 2021, and released multiple live albums. After the band's final show in 2021, Fripp commented that King Crimson had "moved from sound to silence."
Members:
Founded by Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield, the band initially focused on a dramatic sound layered with Mellotron, McDonald's saxophone and flute, Giles' complex and polyrhythmic drumming, Fripp's atmospheric guitar sound, and Lake's bass and powerful lead vocals, with gothic lyricism by Sinfield and creative directions by all members of the band. Their debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King (1969), remains their most commercially successful and influential release, with a potent mixture of jazz, classical and experimental music. Following the sudden simultaneous departures of McDonald and Giles (with Lake leaving very shortly afterwards), the next two albums, In the Wake of Poseidon and Lizard (both 1970), were recorded during a period of instability in the band's line-up. A settled band of Fripp, Sinfield, Mel Collins, Boz Burrell and Ian Wallace recorded Islands in 1971, though in mid-1972, Fripp let go of this line-up and changed the group's instrumentation and approach, drawing from European free improvisation and developing ever more complex compositions. With Bill Bruford (formerly of Yes), John Wetton, David Cross, and briefly Jamie Muir, they reached what some saw as a creative peak on Larks' Tongues in Aspic (1973), Starless and Bible Black (1974), and Red (1974). King Crimson disbanded at the end of 1974.
After seven years of inactivity, King Crimson was recreated in 1981 with another change in musical direction. The new band comprised Fripp, Bruford and two new American members: Adrian Belew, who previously worked with David Bowie, Frank Zappa and Talking Heads, and Tony Levin, a prolific session musician who was noted for his studio and live work with Peter Gabriel. They drew influence from African music, gamelan, post-punk and New York minimalism. This band lasted three years, resulting in the trio of albums Discipline (1981), Beat (1982) and Three of a Perfect Pair (1984). Following a decade-long hiatus, they reformed in 1994, adding Pat Mastelotto, formerly of Mr. Mister, and Trey Gunn for a sextet line-up Fripp called "The Double Trio". The double trio participated in another three-year cycle of activity that included the release of Thrak (1995), and multiple concert recordings. There was a hiatus between 1997 and 2000. Fripp, Belew, Mastelotto and Gunn reunited in 2000 as a more industrial-oriented King Crimson, called "The Double Duo", releasing The Construkction of Light (2000) and The Power to Believe (2003). After a five-year hiatus, the band added Gavin Harrison of Porcupine Tree as a second drummer, with Levin returning in place of Gunn, for a 2008 tour celebrating the 40th anniversary of their 1968 formation.
Following another hiatus (2009-2012), during which Fripp was thought to be retired, King Crimson came together again in 2013; this time as a septet (and, later, octet) with an unusual three-drumkit frontline, and new second guitarist and singer Jakko Jakszyk. This version of King Crimson continued to tour from 2014 to 2021, and released multiple live albums. After the band's final show in 2021, Fripp commented that King Crimson had "moved from sound to silence."
Robert Fripp - guitar, keyboards, Mellotron, electronics (1968-1974, 1981-1984, 1994-2008, 2013-2021)
Mel Collins - saxophones, flute, bass flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, Mellotron, backing vocals (1970-1972, 2013-2021) (studio guest in 1974)
Tony Levin - bass guitar, Chapman Stick, upright bass, synthesisers, backing vocals (1981-1984, 1994-1999, 2003-2008, 2013-2021)
Pat Mastelotto - drums, percussion, programming (1994-2008, 2013-2021)
Gavin Harrison - drums, percussion (2007-2008, 2013-2021)
Jakko Jakszyk - lead vocals, guitar, flute, keyboards (2013-2021)
Jeremy Stacey - drums, keyboards, backing vocals (2016-2021)
Former members:
Peter Sinfield - lyrics, lighting, synthesizer (1968-1972) (died 2024)
Michael Giles - drums, percussion, backing vocals (1968-1970)
Greg Lake - bass guitar, lead vocals (1968-1970) (died 2016)
Ian McDonald - saxophone, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, keyboards, Mellotron, vibraphone, backing vocals (1968-1970) (studio guest in 1974) (died 2022)
Peter Giles - bass guitar (1970)
Gordon Haskell - lead vocals, bass guitar (1970) (studio guest earlier in 1970) (died 2020)
Andy McCulloch - drums (1970)
Ian Wallace - drums, percussion, backing vocals (1970-1972) (died 2007)
Boz Burrell - bass guitar, lead vocals (1971-1972) (died 2006)
Bill Bruford - drums, percussion (1972-1974, 1981-1984, 1994-1999)
John Wetton - bass guitar, lead vocals (1972-1974) (died 2017)
David Cross - violin, viola, keyboards (1972-1974)
Jamie Muir - percussion (1972-1973)
Adrian Belew - guitar, guitar synthesizer, lead vocals, drums and percussion (1981-1984, 1994-2008)
Trey Gunn - Warr guitar, Chapman Stick, backing vocals, bass guitar (1994-2003)
Bill Rieflin - keyboards, synthesizer, Mellotron, drums, percussion (2013-2016, 2017-2019) (died 2020)
From: London, England
Genre(s): Progressive rock, art rock, experimental rock, post-progressive
Active From: 1968-1974, 1981-1984, 1994-2008, 2013-2021