Customer Reviews

Lizard (CD + DVD Audio)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Robert Fripp provides some skeptical and cynical notes about this album. In 2009, he wrote of "Lizard": "Labour and laboring, mostly joyous, strive effortfully to present appearance of cohesion". He also reminds us that "Lizard" was both not as commercially successful as other King Crimson albums and that he doesn't feel it is the most critically accomplished of his albums. That's a lot to say about your work. All the more amazing that Steven Wilson was able to convince Fripp to release this 5.1 surround sound version. This is even more surprising when you realize that "In The Wake Of Poseidon" was skipped temporarily.

Always an amazing mix of progressive rock and jazz, "Lizard" arguably stands out among the best King Crimson accomplishments. Noted for a variety of distortions/effects of different vocals, Wilson manages to extract them and balance them so they stand out clearly and crisply. In fact, all the instrumentals on every track are separated or enhanced to truly bring attention to every detail. These are things that are often missed on the stereo mixes.

"Cirkus" flat out rattles your senses with its mix of rock and freeform blasts. Fripp's mellotron is so powerful, it's stunning. Andy McCulloch on drums is dizzying and emphatic. These tracks (along with others here) take Pete Sinfield's lyrics and elevate the entire song to a nearly psychedelic level. "Happy Family", allegedly a comment on the Beatles break-up is one of the few songs that get muddied in the new mix, but not for great effort from Wilson. The original tracks and "scraps and fragments of stuff" were meticulously remixed. As Sid Smith notes: "For me `Lizard' has always been an album that was too big for stereo to contain." In terms of fusing free-jazz with progressive rock for me, there's almost no parallel." "Lady of the Dancing Water" contains some of the prettiest flute work available anywhere, in fact, all the horns and woodwinds are clearly pronounced. The immense song, "Lizard" with its bridges, alterations and variations is one of the most interesting and strongest songs on the album. With virtually eight songs connected with a barrage of ingenious methods, it becomes an easy favorite. Jon Anderson's vocals on the section, `Prince Rupert Awakes' is alive with strength and beauty complimented by Fripp's stinging mellotron. The album closes with `Big Top', an amusing and somewhat demented climax.

This package contains the CD with a new 2009 stereo mix and three bonus tracks, (an alternate take of "Lady of the Dancing Water", another remix of "Bolero" and a `studio run through with guide vocal from original session' of "Cirkus". These tracks are great to have, but only "Bolero" stands out as something truly worthy, although this version of "Cirkus" is interesting to hear if only for the improvisation of the vocals.

The DVD contains the album in 5.1 surround sound, the new 2009 stereo mix, the original album (1999 remastered version) and the three bonus tracks. Robert Fripp and Sid Smith's notes make for a very interesting contrast in perspective of "Lizard". If not for the persuasion of Steven Wilson, we might not have ever heard this album in its purest form, that is, every instrument clearly marked out and placed and a sensory experience that you could only hope from any band. "Lizard" ranks up there with "In The Court of the Crimson King".

The two latest 5.1 surround sound CD/DVD King Crimson packages, In the Court of the Crimson King (Deluxe) and Red are available now.

Marty posted a great review, and I would like to add some points. I'm one of those King Crimson fans that was a huge fan years ago (even before CD's), and I'm getting back to them again. What I remember of this album is that it was my least played Crimson album (and I had all of them), with the possible execption of Earthbound, which just sounded crappy - and even Fripp will admit that!

My used copy of the Lizard LP was bought around 1987. It has a lovely shiny cover with a horribly scratched record - So scratched I had to add a gram of weight to the needle to overcome a skip in the title track. I made a point to play this old record before I listened to this 5.1 DTS version that arrived in the mail last night. What a huge, huge contrast. On this new DVD you can pick up every instrument's tiny little nuance. And every instument has it's place in the 3D space of your listening room - and sometimes they move about in a natural manor consistant with the orignal stereo recording. Just like DVD-A of "In the Court of the Crimson King", the recording is clear, crisp, and detailed, with no pops, hiss, hum, wow or flutter. Amazing since the tapes used were 40 years old. I have to add that I'm having a hard time believing what I'm hearing - I'm hearing detail and instruments that were completely lost in that old scratchy record of mine. Just for fun, pull down the levels on all but one rear speaker and you will see what I mean.

I certantly have a new appreciation for this underdog Crimson album. It really is a great disk - it's like I've discovered it for the first time. I'm seriously impressed with everthing about this re-issue. The sound, especially, but the packaging, booklet, and bonus tracks on the disks are great. The only thing missing is a concert video like Red 5.1 has - of course there may not be one available since this lineup broke up soon after the recording was made.

A really top-notch product here. I highly recommend it!

I owned this album back in the 70's and bought the 1989 remaster in hopes that the sound would be better. As with Court of the Crimson King, the soft parts were too low in volume and the dynamic parts were too loud. Jon Andersons voice on Prince Rupert's Lament were entirely too low in volume and muddy. It was dissappointing because these two albums are just brilliant! Finally! I can't say enough about the new mix and especially the Digital 5.1 Surround. This new release is the way I always knew it should sound. Balanced, brillant and clear. I highly recommend it.

Being a King Crimson fan from the very start, Lizard has always been my favorite... always an album too big for stereo, it can finally breathe as it should have. The detail and complexity come through nicely with DTS 5.1 and I'm very satisfied with the results. I had it on preorder since October '09 and after several delays it finally arrived in Jan '10, I understand there were a few quality issues initially which might be the cause of my wait, but my copy sounds fine.

Having this in 5.1 is a sort of religious experience for me... I know there might be small few out there who understand.

When I bought "Lizard" and listened to it for the 1st time, I thought, "What the *#!!*# is this crap?" Upon subsequent listens, I felt the same way. This is a tough album to acquire a taste for. Keep trying because, once it clicks-oh man, what an album!! I read somewhere that Fripp thought it would take around 24 listens to truly appreciate this album. I still find little nuances when I listen to it that all-of-a-sudden make sense. I dare you not to laugh along with Gordon at the end of "Indoor Games"! The boys slowly bring along Track 5 (the title track) to a crescendo at around 15 minutes into the song and lasting about 3 minutes. IMHO, this is one of the the greatest jam moments in recorded history. The way all the layers of instrumentation work together, well, it makes waiting the 13+ minutes worth while. And by the way, you'll learn to like the build up as well. The anticipation of what's ahead is delicious!
A really brilliant album. The highlight to me is Andy McCullouch's incredible drumming. A lot of character-filled vocals by Gordon Haskell. Surprisingly, NOT that much guitar from Fripp as on other KC albums, he's on Mellotron as much as guitar here. What gutar he does play, however, is tasty. His one-take solo near the end of track 5 is hauntigly brilliant.
This package features the traditional(although wonderfully remastered)CD, PLUS a DVD-Audio disc featuring 5.1 surround that thrillingly separates each instrument and brings out stuff buried in the original mix.
A thoroughly entertaining sonic thrillride. Enjoy something that most people never will appreciate!!

I don't understand the review by Syd because my versions of In the Court of the Crimson King and Islands have 5.1 and stereo versions of the whole original album. I am very satisfied with the audio quality for what it is, compressed digital. Also, if you want an original version that's not compressed, buy the vinyl. It has a wider dynamic range when you play it or you can record it to digital using a good quality turntable, a preamp and software. Actually the sound quality of originals is always different dependent on your equipment you play it on and the sonic properties of the room you play it in.

Lizard is quite possibly the most ambitious, complex, and challenging album ever produced under the "rock" banner. Forty years out, it remains extraordinary. It flaunts countless ideas--classical grandeur, jazzical meanderings, cinematic soundscapes, precious melodies, soaring arpeggios, along with a good dose of the ominous mellotron and frenzied drumming that characterized the first two Crimson records. It was never popular, and the principals felt it missed its mark. But what a mark! Casual listeners may be baffled or put off, but for the musical adventurer who is drawn to the highest peaks in the history of the genre, Lizard is a must.

I love this collection. The original is excellent, and now these other mixes/versions just add to the joy.

not much to say - if you like king Crimson - thats about it - just get it its excellent

Even if you don't have a 5.1 surround-sound setup to hear the DVD mix, the stereo remix done by Wilson and Fripp is a huge improvement over the original. Instruments that were inexplicably "up-front" have been descretely pushed back, stereo placement has been refined, and one can now hear the whole ensemble playing in the more convoluted moments. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given that he had a hand on the board for the remix, Fripp's guitar can finally be heard distinctly in the middle passages of the Lizard suite. I own a number of "remixes" of "classic" albums from the 1970s, but this is the first one where I can honestly say that there is a major improvement over the original. This is absolutely worth buying, even if you already have an intact copy of the original Lizard on CD (as I do). I hope that Wilson and Fripp continue in this vein with other "difficult" Crimson albums like Islands and Larks Tongues in Aspic, as opposed to the recent 40th anniversary "Red", which is good but hardly transformational.