Customer Reviews

Islands

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4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When I first listened to 'Letters', back in 1971, I found myself shaking afterwards! When I listen to this song today, it has the same effect on me as back then! Nothing has changed, because this incredible album was eons ahead of its time, to begin with. It's no wonder that many Crimson fans do not place this gem where it belongs: It's too personal, too esoteric, perhaps fully accessible only to the "initiates" (let us not forget that Robert Fripp is a very spiritual person and a serious student/teacher of meditation. In fact, in his guitar school, meditation is an integral part of the student's training). This album certainly contains the best elements of King Crimson's music. The heavy (Sailor's Tale), the lyrical (Formentera Lady, Islands), the classical (Prelude..), the jazzy (Letters, Sailor's Tale), and the pop/humorous (Ladies of the Road). But most important, behind the real beauty of the music, comes a message of despair and agony: The cry of the contemporary man who tries to escape the crashing loneliness of this age. The need of us humans to escape our plightful, lonely "island" state of existence and merge into a collective consciousness (..Islands join hands 'neath heaven sea). Together with 'Red', this is not only my favourite Crimson album, but one of my five favourite albums ever!

1971's _Islands_ is quite the subject of mixed opinions among King Crimson fans. Many probably were not ready for something on the more subdued side (at least for King Crimson.)

'Boz', lead vocalist and bassist for this album only, admitted in an interview from a Bad Company profile (the band he would join after leaving Crimson) that he disliked the material he helped to create on this album. I couldn't disagree more. While I do enjoy this album, I must admit that I do not pull it out very often.

The music found on Islands is not as aggressive as on albums like Red or the debut. Instead, it's more reflective, subtle, ambient, esoteric, celestial, absorbing and meditative. It starts with Formentera Lady, which reminds me of early Moody Blues. It's mostly ambient-driven featuring flute, bass, sax and assorted percussion. Sailor's Tale seems to pick up where the previous track left off (the sax hints at the latter in the last few minutes of Formentera Lady) which is a spellbindingly atmospheric and inventive jazz rock tune. The Letters spews forth dark and ambient soft guitar passages, followed by ominous and fiery jazz rock. Ladies Of The Road sounds _Beatle-esque_, especially the vocal harmonies. However, the subject matter (sexual) is more Rolling Stones (not designated). Song Of The Gulls is an instrumental bridging new age and classical forms. Very heavenly instrumental. Islands (title track) is no different. Ethereal and soothing instrumentation combined with ethereal and soothing vocals makes this a perfect track to unwind to.

Islands is far too subtle and esoteric to be appreciated by everyone, including King Crimson fans. To take it a step further, it's not an album that will reveal it's strengths upon first listening. If subtle, atmospheric-ambient jazz, new age or classical (with rock added) is your cup of tea, this may be a wonderful pick. Give this album time and you may be rewarded with the transcendent and magical breeze of a wonderful _Island_.

The last record by King Crimson Ver 1.0, `Islands' is stately, beautiful, sophisticated, and moving, notwithstanding the cracking and totally untypical 'priapic prog' track, Ladies Of The Road, which comes replete with fabulous Beatlesque harmony vocals. It will make you laugh out loud.

Relaxing like no other KC LP, `Islands' finds Robert Fripp apparently, for once, fully at ease in the company of his bandmates. In such a context special things happen. During The Sailor, the setting, instead of providing a gladiatorial arena for Fripp to survive - as per other KC records - drops back and becomes schematic. Fripp, suddenly given space, takes the opportunity to produce a spellbindingly original solo. Anyone who thinks progrock guitar solos are pyrotechnic wibbling needs to hear this. Move over Robert Smith; this is chordally more advanced. Bernard Sumner, take note of the simplicity. Hendrix, listen well to the anticipation. Belew, bow down in front of the early elephantosity. Here, Fripp enters a hallowed zone of non-idiomatic phrasing and emotional expression shared only by one other guitarist in rock: Fred Frith. It's electrifying. Robert has not allowed himself this sort of freedom before or since, and it's our loss.

The other key track is `Islands', which is just gorgeous. With its nostalgia and yearning, you will be running the phrase `Beneath the wind-turned wave' through your head for days after hearing this for the first time. Boz, a supposed amateur, brings an unaffected vocal purity to this most emotional of pieces, and he perfectly expresses Sinfield/Fripp's attempt to crystallise existential solitude. If Boz is an `amateur', I am Robert Fripp (and I assure you I'm not. I just scratch away like a clueless Derek Bailey, with the odd harmonic chucked in).

`Islands' is an astonishingly mature record. It synthesizes a unique classically-tinged progressive jazz-rock which melts and breathes with emotion. It's magisterial. If you are a KC fan with reservations, drop those reservations now, and stick it in yer shopping basket this minute.

Music is suposed to be the 'language of the soul,' right? This album is the proof. Unlike modern Crimson, this isn't background music; the musicians leave far too much space to fill in the space. The only way to fully appreciate it is to sit right up there with your head wedged in between the speakers. The music and lyrics compliment each other exceptionally well, and will take you for an emotional journey. Never after will Crimson lyrics be as powerful as they were in the Sinfield era, and never after will Fripp's writing pay so much attention to them. Just listen to the discords that creep up in 'The Letters' just as Boz is singing, "As if a leper's face / That tainted letter graced" and then the explosion of fury that colapses into depression after, "The wife with choke-stone throat / Ran to the day with tear blind eyes." Outstanding. The only other Crimson album to give the same (only opposite) emotional battering as 'Islands' is 'Lark's Tongues in Aspic.'

'Formentera Lady' begins as a free-time piece, which evolves into a jazzy jam, and builds, through guitar and soprano, to climax with 'Sailor's Tale'. The guitar work in the second track is fantastic, and forshadows, appropriately, the sorrow to come.

'The Letters' is a beautiful piece which fills you with depression. Fripp does some nice lyrical work behind boz's unnacompanied vocals. After its painfully depressing conclusion, the transition to 'Ladies of the Road' is a little hasty. Four of five more seconds of silence would have been nice. I assume 'The Letters' concluded the first side of the original LP, which would have been more powerful.

However, 'Ladies of the Road' is an excellent Beatles-esque tune that also tears you apart emotionally. The humour in the music is a relief after 'The Letters', but the ever-present sexual suggestions, such as, "Stone-headed Frisco spacer / Ate all the meat I gave her / Said would I like to taste hers / And even craved the flavour," leaves you with a feeling of pleasant disgust. The sax makes a great entrance after, "I smiled and just unzipped her." Very appropriate.

'Prelude: Song of the Gulls' is a classical string piece brings you back to the peace of 'Formentera Lady'. As the title suggests, it is serves, merely, as an introduction to 'Islands'. The closing number is the climax of Sinfield's concept, which I will let you examine yourself (excellent and thorough interpretations are available on the internet). It builds slowly through a nice cornet solo and leaves you with a wonderful feeling of peace.

To summarize, "Islands" is one of the best Crimson albums: the guitar work is outstanding, dynamic contrast is present and appropriately used, the music is confident and has plenty of space, and is written with close attention to Sinfield's powerful lyrics.

So get off your chair, run down to your record store, and buy this album now! By the way, for those new to prog-rock or jazz, this album will require several listenings and undevided attention (again, wedge your head in between the speakers).

Early in King Crimson's career, there is relatively unheralded couple of albums in between the first pair of symphonic/jazzy prog rock (_In the Court of the Crimson King_, _In the Wake of Poseidon_) and the heavily praised Fripp-Wetton-Bruford years. These two albums are _Lizard_ and _Islands_. They never received the warm critical reception of other favorites, and truthfully they are kind of like freak cousins to the rest of Crimson's library.

The first of these was _Lizard_, which even to this day is the jazziest of Crimson's output. A year later, _Islands_ followed, mixing up that jazzy element with some chamber music. It is dark and mellow, but it can be roiling and tempestuous at times as well. There is a certain "prettiness" to this album - from the florid classical style of "Song of the Gulls" to the limpid vocals of Boz Burrell peeping throughout, _Islands_ is ear-pleasing symphonic jazz/rock -- minus most of the rock.

Except for the "Ladies of the Road", that is. It reminds me of the Beatles, and has aged about as well (i.e. not so good). Lyrically it is kinda foul (dealing with groupies and such), plus Peter Singfield's fustian poetry doesn't really work with the subject. Still...it's kind of irresistible with that darn flaring saxophone. Broo-raow!

Band leader Robert Fripp stretches his compositional side here rather than his guitar playing. Still, the success of _Islands_ is not attributable solely to the grace of the mighty Fripp. Mel Collins' flutes and saxes are key fixtures in the music, and Ian Wallace's jazzy rhythms lay down a quiet dynamic where the other instruments have space to play in. Extending the credence of _Islands_' unique sound is the addition of a few other important instruments, including piano, strings, and woodwinds.

Side 1 of _Islands_ is excellent, although such a distinction is irrelevant on the CD. The epic "Formentera Lady" is a deep, serene piece -- very very good. "The Letters" is breezy and poetic with disconcerting bursts, and the jazzy instrumental "Sailor's Tale" is ominous and tense with some very nice drum work.

Side 2 is likewise a treat. The classical flavored piece "Prelude: Song of the Gulls" is an oceanic beauty, segueing comfortably into the closing title track, a gentle epic with some gorgeous instrumental themes, especially the jubilant sax ending. And "Ladies of the Road"...well, other people probably like it more than I do. It's an O.K. song.

_Islands_ is a great album, I think. If you have maybe been turned off by some negative responses to it from other King Crimson fans, I think you should give it a try yourself. Draw your own conclusions.

The name King Crimson has been used by Robert Fripp for a number of fairly different-sounding groups over the past thirty years. I started with the first album ("In The Court...") and bought all the releases from the first two incarnations (1969-1971 and 1973-1975).

The first two albums were very good ("Court" and "Poseidon") but I found "Lizard" a bit of a mess. Not expecting much from the fourth, "Islands", I was very pleasantly surprised to find that it was magnificent! My friends all loved it too. Even though I later lost interest in Crimson and have not got much out of the later releases that I have heard, this album has always been high on my list and it is the only Crimson album I have bought on CD.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I started reading articles in recent years calling "Islands" their nadir. I couldn't believe it! Is it that the fans who liked the heavier material found it too lightweight? It's good to see so many reviewing it here who love it like I do!

I can't really compare it to other Crimson releases - there's virtually none of those "stop/start/heart attack" tempo changes or herds of stampeding elephants. Some of it, like the title track, just flows and is really beautiful. `Sailor's Tale', on the other hand, vies with `Starless' as their most exciting piece. The only CD I've ever heard that sounded even remotely like "Islands" was "Spirit Of Eden" by Talk Talk (which, interestingly, is hailed as a masterpiece by many who probably should also listen to this gem!)

I have just finished playing the new, 30th anniversary edition of "Islands". The fantastic HDCD remastering job makes it sound even better! If you can find it, get the limited edition with the miniature LP sleeve (UK). Even if you miss that, the new remaster is available in a standard jewel case and is the one I strongly recommend tracking down as the sound is far superior to the 1989 version.

I already posted a review of this album (a masterpiece), urging you to buy it.

This is just a brief message urging you to do nothing of the sort.

That is: get this album by all means, but make sure that you buy the re-remastered 24-bit version, not the "ordinary" remastered 16-bit (I believe) edition. The ordinary version is plagued by bad sound (and, frankly, lacklustre mastering). The new version is very much better, and features the "lost" orchestral sound-check at the very end to boot.

The new version is currently available in a mini gatefold edition (with a slim booklet featuring unfortunately truncated news clippings). It should be available in a regular jewel case edition also, now or at least soon.

Music fans can argue endlessly about the BEST KING CRIMSON ALBUM...It is a pity they often overlook this ingenious masterpiece. I've never heard any saxophone player in rock who can repeat what Mel Collins doeson this album. Yes, it is difficult to percept ISLANDS from the first attempt, but guys - this music is so wonderful, this lyrics is so rich !

In contrast the synth-infused, electric ambience of their progrock peers, King Crimson created a distinctly organic sound on 1971's Islands. Founding members and general KC conceptualizers, Robert Fripp (guitar) and Pete Sinfield (lyrics) lead newcomers Boz Burrell (bass, vocals), Mel Collins (flute) and Ian Wallace (spectacular percussion) through a lush, hypnotic, dreary, classical-infused wash of sound. Throughout the easy-flowing arrangements, the band melts together splendidly. From Mr. Sinfield's pagan-inspired lyrics to Mr. Burrell's sensual vocals to Mr. Collin's gentle flute and so on, each member seems to compliment the other. Specifically on the jangley "Formentera Lady" and the dreamy "Ladies of the Road," they sound like one beast with many hands. It is surprising and unfortunate that they were a one-time-only fixture. Together they produced a finely crafted, gently invigorating work that stands as Crimson's must subtle albums and also one of their best. There was no need for a sonic assault here. Islands contains the kind of musical power that is gently inhaled by the listener then intoxicates him or her.

...and you just might trick yourself into liking this album.

For a band that reinvented itself four times for four albums, it must seem perverse to say that "Islands" is not like the rest of their output, but the charge still seems just. Even so, it is hardly the unmitigated disaster many feel it to be, and personally, of their first four albums, I'd rather listen to (a section of) it than "In the Court of the Crimson King".

"Formentera Lady" opens rather inauspiciously with some cello sawing, and then gives way to a very long "trip" of atmosphere, mellotron, saxophone and most of all some very falsetto falsetto. One wants to call it all space rock, but space jazz would seem more accurate, though it is far more composed and accomplished than the gratuitous noodling from "Moonchild" previously. The song seems to be music best listened to while already in an altered state of mind, as opposed to music that alters your state of mind, and aims primarily at some kind of mood. It's as if in a weird, not always consistent way, it manages to succeed despite itself, though certainly the lyrics are intrusively silly in spots.

"Sailor's Tale" that follows is one of those instrumentals on the album that contradicts the opinion that the whole thing's a waste of time. After an energetic, if straightforward, bass, guitar and sax jam, the music slows abruptly and becomes an interesting study in advanced and strange chord progression by Fripp. The ending, with its mellotrons and ominous-edgy guitar, packs no small amount of wallop, even as it resembles a shorter version of "Devil's Triangle" from "In the Wake of Poseidon" (or Holst's "Mars" if you prefer). The jangly guitar tone alone is almost interesting enough in itself to justify the song, and the sullen, low melody at the end caps the whole thing off marvelously.

With "The Letters", the mood changes yet again. For one, we have a rather Baroque set of lyrics (with "Epitaph", some of Sinfield's best, without succumbing to his tendency for kitsch) about marital infidelity and suicide. Musically, the composition alternates between "Cadence & Cascade" delicacy and more than "21st Century Schizoid Man" heaviness. Form fits function here very nicely--even the improvisational-seeming sax, guitar and drum section, with its nervous energy, goes well with the main theme of the song, that culminates in tragedy. One also has to mention the melody here, which is especially haunting. All the more so when eerily sung a cappella to end the song.

"Ladies of the Road" is an art-rock take on the sleazy side of groupies. The song itself is on the slow, driving side and has a saxophone line that totally makes the song--each time it hits, I imagine on top of it that other raunchy line, "I know what guys want, I know what guys like." It fits in perfectly, both musically and thematically. It's just a nasty, down and dirty song, with ham-handed drums, mule-headed bass, lascivious saxophone, a charmingly disingenuous chorus, and some very raw guitar and vocals. The deliberately crass lyrics are definitely post-Moonchild, and quite nastily apt.

"Prelude: Song of the Gulls" is literally a chamber music piece, pizzicato violins and all. The melody is very nice, the string arrangement is plausible enough. I am, however, too familiar with classical chamber music to be charmed by the pleasant triteness of this piece. It's intellectually interesting that it's included on a King Crimson album, but I'd rather listen to and think about music, than just think about it. It comes on quite nicely right after the nastiness of "Ladies of the Road", actually, but shouldn't go on for more than a minute, maybe. As it is, and for the sake of filling up side 2 it seems, it goes on for five minutes.

"Islands" closes the album, with its very long, slow, mellow lounge-jazz development. Once again, it is interesting to find this kind of piano-based quasi-ballad on a King Crimson album, but as an experiment in mood there are countless others who've done it better. Sinfield's lyrics here are sometimes difficult to take, and they sound like he had difficulty writing them too. The vocalist certainly sounds like he's having a difficult time getting them to not sound contrived.

Like "Prelude" before it, it's difficult to shake the sense that the song "Islands" is largely just filler for the original side two. Making this seem an even more plausible is the inclusion of 4 minutes of orchestral outtakes, tuning up, babble and musical directing by Fripp. It ends finally with Fripp starting to conduct, saying, "One two three, two two three..." then cuts off. As if to demonstrate that the music never started at all, which is rather how side two, and hence the whole album, feels.

In the old days, I could just never turn the album over and "Islands" was a more passable listen than "In the Court of the Crimson King" for me. Fripp gets credit for trying new things, but "Islands" demonstrates that the lyrical hippie-rock, which was half of the soul of the original Crimson (and which finds its fullest expression here on side two) had give way to the cerebral logic-rock he was exploring on side 1, most of all in "A Sailor's Tail", and much more fully on the next three albums to come.