King Crimson - In the Wake of Poseidon (1970) (@256)

King Crimson - In the Wake of Poseidon (1970) (@256)

(Review from vintageprog.com, wikipedia)

No matter how successful their debut was, King Crimson was a band close to a full break up in 1970. Ian McDonald and Michael Giles left to pursue a solo career. Greg Lake stayed long enough to complete the vocal-tracks for most of the songs of the new album before he went to join Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

Among the new members of the band were keyboardist Keith Tippett and the well-known saxophonist/flutist Mel Collins. Fripp's another childhood friend, Gordon Haskell joined in to fill the void of Greg Lake -- though he only sang on one track on their new album.

King Crimson's second album is structurally and musically very similar to the debut, but that album was so good that we surely can take it a second time too! "Pictures of a City" is this album's "21st Century Schizoid Man", but with a funkier sax-riff and more float in the vocal-parts. The title-track is a really beautiful, mellotron-driven symphonic progressive rock track, and sounds like a cross of "Epitaph" and the title-track from the previous record. "Cadence and Cascade" is much in the same vein as "I Talk to the Wind" but the voice of new singer Gordon Haskell made it at least sound a little bit different.

The cheerful and jazzy "Cat Food" and the very sinister instrumental "The Devil's Triangle" (based on "Mars" from Gustav Holt's "The Planets") are the only tracks where the band managed to do something that they already hadn't done on the debut, and should be admired for just that.

Although the original of course is better, "In the Wake of Poseidon" is never the less among King Crimson's best albums.

Line-up :
- Robert Fripp / guitar, mellotron, devices
- Greg Lake / vocals
- Michael Giles / drums
- Peter Giles / bass
- Keith Tippett / piano
- Mel Collins / saxes, flute
- Gordon Haskell / vocals (3)
- Peter Sinfield / words

Track List :
01. Peace - A Beginning - 0:50
02. Pictures Of A City - 8:02
03. Cadence And Cascade - 4:38
04. In The Wake Of Poseidon - 7:58
05. Peace - A Theme - 1:15
06. Cat Food - 4:54
07. The Devil's Triangle (i. Merday Morn- ii. Hand Of Sceiron- iii. Garden Of Worm) - 11:36
08. Peace - An End - 1:53