King Crimson - In the Wake of Poseidon (1970)

Dan:

The immediate follow-up to King Crimson's In the Court of the Crimson King was In the Wake of Poseidon, released in May 1970. The line up had changed. Peter Giles was added to relieve Greg Lake of bass responsibilities, and Keith Tippett joined as pianist. Lake retained his role as chief vocalist. Saxophonist Mel Collins joined the band as well, adding a new acoustic dimension. Guitarist Robert Fripp added Mellotron and "devices" to his arsenal while overseeing every detail of the recording and production. 

The program is punctuated by three brief "Peace" sections: "Peace - A Beginning," "Peace - A Theme," and "Peace - An End." Following the first of these is the energetic "Pictures of a City." It's an unflattering picture to say the least. The cryptic vocals precede Fripp's guitar in the first half of the song, after which matters cool down as the percussion takes over but inevitably rebuilds to a climax before the last vocal stanza, and the song crashes to a chaotic conclusion. 

In true King Crimson fashion, the chaos is followed by the beautifully lyrical "Cadence and Cascade," which segues into the epic title track. With Mellotron blaring a simple minor figure, Greg Lake offers up a spellbinding story that transports us into a Medieval fantasy world - one which is "balanced on the scales." I regard this as "cinematic" rock of a high order. It's ridiculous if you approach it literally, but profound when you let your mind conjure the images that the words and music inspire. 

After the second "Peace" interlude, "Cat Food" is served. Tippett's piano sparkles under the quizzical, almost nonsensible, words. "The Devil's Triangle" follows - a 3-part suite that begins quietly but ominously builds in intensity, culminating in a cacophonous conclusion. We're rescued from devil's triangle by the closing "Peace - An End."

Steve:

Poseidon was Fripp's attempt to hold King Crimson together following the dissolution of the original lineup, less than a year after its first album (In the Court of the Crimson King) came out. As such, it suffers the fate of being compared unfavorably to that massively original first effort. Even the flow of the album seems at first to mirror that of the debut: a loud, chaotic opener ("Pictures of a City" vs "Schizoid Man") followed by a languid ballad ("Cadence and Cascade" vs "I Talk to the Wind"), concluding with a bombastically symphonic epic of doom ("In the Wake of Poseidon" vs "Epitaph"). However, on some days I actually prefer these "copies" to the originals. "In the Wake of Poseidon" in particular has a more introspective slant than its more heroic big brother, giving it a subtler sense of despair that has aged better for me.  

Once you get past the temptation to compare Poseidon with Court, however, it's clear that King Crimson is already moving in new directions. "Cat Food" is completely out of the blue -- Keith Tippett (recently of Centipede) plays a scattered piano part that sounds like a cat running across the keys. "The Devil's Triangle" had its origins in the band's early live repertoire, as a variation on Gustav Holst's "Mars", from his suite "The Planets".  

1970-1972 saw King Crimson as a band still searching for a stable lineup and musical approach. While that stable lineup arrived in late 1972 with John Wetton and Bill Bruford anchoring the instrumental attack, the band never settled into a stable musical approach. Fripp's presence proved to be the only common element the band ever had. But this was by design, as the band name became synonymous with restless creativity and a sustained push into new combinations of players, styles and ideas.