Customer Reviews

Lizard

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

 

 

Much of what did make Poseidon interesting was the use of characters and settings from mythology. This was most certainly Sinfield's concept, and the idea was extended even to the album cover artwork. The intent was to perhaps draw parallels between ancient and modern times, and to employ these ancient myths as context for a greater purpose that had never been previously attempted in popular music. This tendency to use themes of a grandiose nature would lump Crimson together with several other British bands of the time into what would be called "Art Rock" or "Progressive Rock". As work for "Lizard" progressed, lumping KC together with the likes of Yes, Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Genesis seemed more a matter of convenience to rock critics than anyone else. Fripp's interest in jazz became evident on this album, and his involvement in the "Centipede" project allowed a free outlet to this expression. Many players from this scene played on the third album: Andy McCulloch,
Robin Miller, Marc Charig and Nick Evans. Jon Anderson of Yes also provided guest vocals to side two's "Prince Rupert Awakes". The third album was unique in that, for the most part, Fripp tended to remain in the background, providing tasteful acoustic guitar playing while Robin Miller's oboe soared above the proceedings. What also made this album unique was the critics' reactions to it. No more wishy-washy critiques and "I sort of liked this song, but...". Most critics either loved Lizard or hated it. This tendency towards outright hostility on the part some elements of the Rock Press would hound King Crimson for the rest of its days.

I will try to describe this complicated album in a simplistic way.

»Lizard« is a piece of art. No doubt about that. Experimental jazz, tales, rock, orchestra, laughter. But even good art has not only got supporters. And this album is not my taste of art.

I bought »Lizard« because it's supposed to be King Crimson's best album - and because Jon Anderson sings on »Prince Ruperts Awakes« (the first part of the 23 minute title track) which is definitely the album's highlight, together with »Cirkus«. The rest is so much giggeling around and blowing horns to de-jazzability that it becomes kinda pretentious. It undoubtedly remains a piece of art, though.

If you can get hold of the paper sleeve instead of the jewelbox, then do so! This one is refreshingly provoking: it's simply the original vinyl album cover and inner covers reduced in size! Brilliant! And a needed provocation to all the drawbacks of the CD age!

I don't like Fripp as a personnality ; however, the composer is great, and "Lizard" remains to me the best proof of that fact. The sound of this album is colorful, with that wonderful brass and woodwinds ensemble ; Fripp's guitar sounds clear and is sharp. "Cirkus" is a good opening track, with a stunning burst of mellotron after its peculiarly slight beginning. "Indoor games" is a witty and strange song, full of mood changes : funny intro, aggressive voice and some still solo passages. "Happy family" is a little bit messy, but its child-song melody is pretty interesting. The two last songs of the album are fantastic gems, "Lizard" being a wonderfully brightly built suite. The big mistake in this album is the very bad voice of Haskell : too rough, dissonant in that kind of context. The drummer is a laugh : he's a very good one, but Mike Giles' departure is audible : I always think when I listen to this record : "Fripp asked that guy -- Hey ! please try and play like Mike Giles !" Off course Giles, being the best drummer of all time, is unique : you can't replace him. By the way, the album he recorded with McDonald while "Lizard" was recorded is a splendid one -- although it suffers from the lack of means the musicians had ; but they made it, and I love it too ! I highly recommend this limited-edition of "Lizard" because, apart from the beautiffuly restored cover art, one can have the satisfaction to hear a truly PERFECT sound.

I don't like Fripp as a personnality ; however, the composer is great, and "Lizard" remains to me the best proof of that fact. The sound of this album is colorful, with that wonderful brass and woodwinds ensemble ; Fripp's guitar sounds clear and is sharp. "Cirkus" is a good opening track, with a stunning burst of mellotron after its peculiarly slight beginning. "Indoor games" is a witty and strange song, full of mood changes : funny intro, aggressive voice and some still solo passages. "Happy family" is a little bit messy, but its child-song melody is pretty interesting. The two last songs of the album are fantastic gems, "Lizard" being a wonderfully brightly built suite. The big mistake in this album is the very bad voice of Haskell : too rough, dissonant in that kind of context. The drummer is a laugh : he's a very good one, but Mike Giles' departure is audible : I always think when I listen to this record : "Fripp asked that guy -- Hey ! please try and play like Mike Giles !" Off course Giles, being the best drummer of all time, is unique : you can't replace him. By the way, the album he recorded with McDonald while "Lizard" was recorded is a splendid one -- although it suffers from the lack of means the musicians had ; but they made it, and I love it too ! I highly recommend this limited-edition of "Lizard" because, apart from the beautiffuly restored cover art, one can have the satisfaction to hear a truly PERFECT sound.

This album, start to finish, is one of King Crimson's finest pieces of work. The songs stand alone just fine as individual pieces, but the album is greater than than sum of its parts. Highly recommended.

The "King Crimson" name applies, basically, to any band of Robert Fripp's which he feels qualifies for it. On this 1970 offering, the transition is completed from the big woodwind + mellotron sound of the 1st two albums to a more nimble, frilly, explicitly jazzy big horns + piano sound. Opener "Cirkus" alternates between icily pretty psychedelic verses and graunchingly heavy breaks. The inscrutability of Sinfield's lyrics is only surpassed by those of the next two surreal numbers. "Lady" is a return to the pretty balladry of "I Talk to the Wind". Then - side 2. A 20-minute epic in several sections, a few years before Genesis or Yes went for it. Borrowing Jon Anderson for vocals gives the first section an echo of Yes, except for the sharper, darker edge to the music. VERY pretty up to the relentless, repetitive horn-riffing of the "Battle of Glass Tears" which is overlong. After a return to coherence, the finale "Big Top" is a brief vision of a circus ring seen through a haze of very bad [stuff]. Odd finish, although it takes us back nicely to the metaphor of track 1, side 1...