10 Of My Favorite King Crimson Songs

[AusterWaltz]

Good Choice! My own top ten: 1. ConstruKction of Light Pt I, 2. Fracture, 3. Starless, 4. Discipline, 5. FraKctured, 6. One More Red Nightmare, 7. Level Five, 8. Easy Money, 9. Lark's Tongue Pt I, 10. Red. Songs like Starless, Fracture and Easy Money represent the purest and finest form of rock progressive music. The 2000 albums are heavier than those of many puerile and cheesy so-called metal bands, and I like to see older musicians sound that heavy. Long live - we want new albums!

[shadowknight1230]

HEY wheres herp by derp?

[boyODD]

I am the driver of an underground train

Climb aboard, just climb aboard, your loss is my eternal gain.....

[robgroy]

As a long term (read OLD) fan of I have 5 favorite versions of "Indiscipline" alone but I still enjoyed your picks. Yes hearing the CotCK alblum the first time was like being struck un-deaf and then they kept running ahead of everyone else while we all tried to keep up, a joyful and thought provoking ride that I hope hasn't ended yet

[Tamgeopose1988]

This is a great song, which kind of reminds me of a band I've heard a few days ago, Aperco. Hear the similarity at their channel apercoband

[catholicgirlmustache]

so many to choose from...starless, larks' tongues, indiscipline, one more red nightmare...so many good ones.

[juresaiyan]

We, King Crimson fans have such different tastes regarding King Crimson. :D It's sooo funny, my top 10 list is completely different.

[hippygarden]

I've looked at a couple of these list. This is right on. I would put easy money top but that was before i saw your number 1 but maybe islands is my favorite record. Always my favorite band

[TheGorgorothSpire]

DrGonzoOBoogie, those are 10 amazing King Crimson songs yu picked there. Honestly, if you picked almost ANY ten... I would still think your 10 favorite were great lol. King Crimson is that kind of music and is that good! Thanks for the vid/songs

[TheGorgorothSpire]

Troll Justin Beiber videos? Why would King Crimson want fans like you? Personally, I wouldn't want King Crimson in mainstream radio... songs in mainstream radio sound... mainstream for a reason. King Crimson never sold out and they remain legends. If you're a fan, you're a lucky listener and should simply appreciate the music. Music like this being on everyday radio? That's lame... people wouldn't appreciate it anyway.

[TheArabassist]

I've been listening to King Crimson for the past few months and I've never listened to any prog rock before (only prog metal by Tool and other bands alike). I've listened to the first 2 albums and I love them, but I find it very difficult to get into any of their other stuff. Does anybody feel the same? Maybe I just love Lake's singing.

[TheFakeChannel]

I really like Frame by Frame.

[yoochoobb]

Great choice, and so many to choose from!

I liked Lark's Tongues In Aspic when I first heard it in the '70's.

[DrGonzoOBoogie]

@yoochoobb must have been awesome when the album first came out. I always felt that when that album came out it was like a punch in the face to people who thought they new Crimson and prog. It was just real heavy and raw. Its one of my favorite albums ever made.

[DavidKinner]

@jeffbeckgeek1 they came out in the 1973, around the time all these artists, and these bands sold shit compared to him. The truth is most people like simple music. The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and Tull luckily could sell a lot! Look are Captain Beefheart, and Frank Zappa they sold even less than most of these progressive bands making true art. People don't seem to acknowledge true art until many years after the people are dead, it's fucked up, but true sadly.

[DavidKinner]

@jeffbeckgeek1 I really wish people would shut up about Justin Bieber already. Trolling his videos will give him more views, and also who cares if other people like him? I don't, but I love King Crimson I know what good music is, and I don't really give a shit what other people listen to. There have always been pop artists that sold great, and a select few people who new what the real artists are, that is how it has always been. I mean ABBA is the fourth greatest selling band in the world

[mcarman150]

Nice fucking job!

[xOnimpulsex]

matte kudasai!

[FrankieSmileShow]

One song I love is one particularly aggressive live version of The Talking Drum, the one you can find in the "Night watch" album. Its one of my favourite live performances of KC that I've heard so far.

[TheBestInterest]

@jeffbeckgeek1 Do we really want this to be popular?

Part of why it is so sweet is its exclusivity.

Plus, the general public will likely taint this music.

Its simply not for everybody. Let us musicians enjoy King Crimson.

Allow the herd to fund and produce their muzak.

[Zolrak666]

@TheBestInterest "Exclusivity"? This is not some kind of club where only the privileged are allowed to listen this music. Let it spread around the world, and let people enjoy it as they want.

[TheBestInterest]

@Zolrak666 I don't advocate any kind of club.

The fact of the matter is that people can listen to this music, they just don't. Its beyond their attention spans, and its just too complex for them. If it wasn't then they would be listening to it, or at least something remotely similar. Instead, as you know, they listen to Lil Wayne and Justin Bieber.

They would likely taint this stuff anyway, if it did become popular. I do suspect Fripp would try to shy away from such popularity anyway.

[Zolrak666]

@TheBestInterest Well, it's the people who decide what they want to listen to. Maybe they never heard about KC, or simply it's not their kind of music. I know it's not easy to digest most of their songs (someone who listens to Moonchild for the first time may think this band is crap), but getting it popular won't do any harm... or will you dislike 21st Century Schizoid Man just because your neighbor plays it in the radio?

[TheBestInterest]

@Zolrak666 No, my like of King Crimson wouldn't change due to its popularity. It would simply disappoint me.

[Bobtheclamm]

The drums in the beginning to Indiscipline are amazing.

[BenBistro004]

Where's 21st Century Schizoid Man??

[hermess89]

my personal number first is "Starless". though, good collection here

[Vaan618]

hell yeaah!! Lark's tongues in Aspic is my favorite I believe :P I agree with most of the songs in here. Three of a perfect pair (song) is also good, but not one of the best. Good top 10, mine would differ very little.

[pigsfood27]

PEOPLE NEED TO HEAR THEIR LATER SHIT LIKE "THE CONSTRUKCTION OF LIGHT" AND "THE POWER TO BELIEVE"!!!!

[pigsfood27]

@jeffbeckgeek1 every kid that is reading this, post the best king crimson songs you can find on facebook, myspace, and hopefully other kids will start catching on to what good music should sound like!

[pedropo1000]

@pigsfood27 I had already done it

[KingCrimsonIV]

i really love picture a city and their work when they used a jazz overlay with the bluesy saxophone sound so good to me and thier vocal are amazing this band is no doubt ahead of their time

[thezook33per]

Great list. I would've squeezed in Epitaph and Fracture in mine.

[Solvinden]

Well, some songs is fine on the list, but you also missed some Great songs..

My own top-3..

1. In the court of the cimson king

2. Epitath

3. Cirus

Yes, this is my top-3 and if you respect my list, I respect your.. All the best! Lottie

[HakitaSasaki]

Fuck yeah Pictures Of A City. A very underrated band and song.

[Metamorphosis33]

Bruford is so ridiculous...Fripp is so ridiculous...Belew is so riduclous...Levin is so ridiculous...together they are an advanced lifeform destroying mediocrity in a blinding flash

[xneilp]

yeah good choices

[danielibertine]

indeed, hard to pick 10, look what you're missing!

moonchild, epitaph, i talk to the wind, cat food, groon and a looooooooooooooong etc...

[DarthHater100]

Great list, if only they were the full songs. What a tease!

[birchofacookie]

I have to put it to you, you have incredible taste. I would definately put "Pictures of a City" and "Cirkus" on any list, suc underrated tracks.

[hithatrollz]

@birchofacookie Yes! Pictures of a City has one of the sickest baritone grooves I've ever heard.

[sirlovemehard]

@birchofacookie I agree, "Pictures Of A City" and "Cirkus" definetly belong in here !!! Good list...

[BrandMan211]

I wish your choice for number 1 was broken up into a few more parts so that it could be more easily digestible by casual listeners, but then again, I'm pretty sure King Crimson never wanted to market to that group. Nice list.

[icecreamscuseme]

Fine choice for Number 1 there.

[Yony42]

Thanks!

[islandtraction]

You've got pretty good taste dude!

[tsushima91]

I'm pretty sure no two rankings of King Crimson tracks would be the same. Every album has a different focus and every track means something different to different people. One of the truly timeless groups, despite the poorer production of the first few albums =) I do think it was a bit cruel to only include 10 tracks here though ^^

[mixolidianmode]

¡Magnífico!

[mobyboy]

where are my no 1 & 2 ? I talk to the wind and Epitaph

[kalyfest]

in the court ... i was 16 it's upset my life and i say tank you to my cousin .

[ACrackInTheWall2006]

Good 10. King Crimson is my favorite band.

[andywells2]

Thanks! I won't agree that these are the top ten of all time, but none of them are losers, and I appreciate that they are an expression of who you are.

Cool.

[blotchy67]

@jeffbeckgeek1 First order of business would be getting their music on itunes or emusic.

[eddybamyasi]

Nice list. Totally original music. Love the one note solo in Starless and the bass playing!

[cariocachioggia]

e 21st century schizoid man no

n ti piace??

[chruhl]

@jeffbeckgeek1 Right on man.

[ourorboros2]

i wonder if im the only 16 year old who likes these guys....great deceiver, best song ever made by them.

[tommybertsen]

@ourorboros2 you are not the only one! i was 12 when i first tasted pink floyd and king crimson , and everytime i listen to them i have the same feelings...AWESOME!!! btw i am 26 now :)) nice compilation though :))

[ourorboros2]

@tommybertsen

haha, ok so i know there's 2, feeling a bit less lonely:P just need to ween the rest of the world of auto-tuned carbon copy music!

[crescentfreshbret]

@ourorboros2 Dude, I was into them when I was 13! There's a lot of teenagers out there into that music. They're just not that common, so you have to search to find them. Back in junior high, when stuff like this was all I listened to, I was pretty much the odd man out at my school. Everyone else was into Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots and the other "grunge" bands that were big back then. And if they liked stuff from the 60's or 70's, it was usually just what you'd hear on classic rock radio.

[wassermeister]

@jeffbeckgeek1 leave justin bieber fans alone, retards dont want to be cured, they want to be accepted

[vhdof]

Can't argue much with this list...

[PippoBlues93]

I like how you extracted my favourite parte in easy money!

[DrGonzoOBoogie]

@PippoBlues93 lol, nice thats my favorite part of the song to.

[happyface4444]

@DrGonzoOBoogie too*

[synth77]

the great deciever has a great polyrythm between the drums bass and singing

[MissCregg]

Hard to choose just 10!. Let's try: Book of Saturday, Lizard, Formentera Lady, The Talking Drum, Devils Triangle, Moon Child, Ladies of the Road, In The Court of the Crimson King, Starless, Fallen Angel, Cirkus, Islands

[alessandro180577]

thank you very much!!

excellent choice, it's very hard to exclude songs from a top ten.

i personally would have also put formentera lady, moonchild, i talk to the wind and lizard.

thank you!!

[AdamJones514]

Look at Led Zeppelin. They were an amazing band but even Plant said that kids today will never see them for what they were worth. They'll be able to listen to music yeah, but they will never feel that energy that made it what it was.

[AdamJones514]

It is true not many will respect King Crimson the way King Crimson deserves, but I believe it's better that way. As a young man I discovered King Crimson: it wasn't fed to me by a spoon. I had the blessing of discovering it. It's a powerful experience discovering something such as this. If everybody seen the greatness of this band, no one would have the experience of understanding what makes them beyond normal.

[Lightmane321]

@jeffbeckgeek1 You really believe that? I'm constantly posting King Crimson videos on facebook & most people either hate them or don't understand them. That's just the way it is. People think Justin Bieber is great. Why? I have no idea. I think he's average at best (I'm judging his talent. Not whether I like him or not)

[AdamJones514]

@Lightmane321 People enjoy Justin Bieber because he is simple and it reflects the superficiality of their lives; just like all the other mainstream performers.

[Lightmane321]

@AdamJones514  I think it also has something to do with the fact that he's cute & so, the girls love him. If only the internet was available when I was his age.

DARN IT! ; )

[DrGonzoOBoogie]

@jeffbeckgeek1 CRIMSON ARMY

[kfsfkakf]

@DrGonzoOBoogie OH can i join

[lughlongarm76]

@DrGonzoOBoogie Haha check out my Youtube profile picture. I made it. ALL HAIL THE CRIMSON CROWN.

By the way I never would have known how awesome Vrooom was if it weren't for this video. THANKS for that.

[riodragon]

@DrGonzoOBoogie KCrimson Army rather?

[DrGonzoOBoogie]

@jeffbeckgeek1

[SupperOfTheMightyOne]

When under stress, I repeat myself, when under stress, I repeat myself, when under stress, I repeat myself, when under stress, I repeat myself, when under stress, I repeat myself....

[outmill]

21century schizoid man?

[glebvic]

I wouldn't be able to pick ten! There are too many great ones.

[sunilbdave]

Wishing these were the complete recording, not minute long snippets of each song :)

[DrGonzoOBoogie]

@sunilbdave lol this is true crimsons recordings are to great to fit in a minute, but it does make for one enjoyable ass minute

[ahitler1000]

@sunilbdave there on you tube , Ive got 98 per cent of them , the other 2 percent is the era I dont like with too much horns , the island album , . . . but I like the line up with belew / fripp , well the duo triple series as well the projecKt series

[pilesovinyl]

Really interesting, good set, almost completely different than mine. I would have Elephant Talk, Cat Food, 21st Century Schizoid Man, I Talk To The Wind, Epitaph, The Great Deceiver, Cirkus, Indiscipline and too many to pick the last two.

[juanchoathos]

Very nice list but I would have put Exiles, The Talking Drum, Matte Kudasai and Epitaph instead of Indiscipline, VROOOM, Easy Money and maybe Cirkus...

Just an opinion. (IT IS very hard to choose just 10)

[JBigjake]

Fracture

[guyglowmore1]

it took place at a large castle out in the woods near charleston west virginia and there were about 25 "crafty guitarists" living there. only lasted 2 or 3 weeks from what i remember. fripp would lecture us and his lectures were exactly an hour...

and there was no watch or clock in the room. he'd talk and instruct for an hour and then ask someone what time it was and everyone would laugh in amazen ment. good homegrown organic food too. quite an experience actually

[DrGonzoOBoogie]

@guyglowmore1 sounds pretty cool bro

[guyglowmore1]

i studied and played with fripp and the crafty guitarists in 86. the guy's really well disciplined but the music is often quite mechanical, a straydom from the pop rock bluesish stuff that came from court of the king and discipline, two great albums he was involved with. his techniques helped me with guitar but his arrogance was sometimes a turnoff. guess it goes with the territory. many of the other "crafty guitarists" were quite accomplished, near genius. all in all a good experience.

[DrGonzoOBoogie]

@guyglowmore1 very awesome story man, I would love to hear more about how it is working with Fripp, hes the man so diffrent to.

[SLASHdaROCKER]

@guyglowmore1 I didn't know Fripp was arrogant. What kind of things did he do?

[CluttProductions]

It's hard to choose 10 when everyone of them are so good.

[theyellowjesters]

hmm i disagree with a couple of your selections, i thought fallen angle, was better than one more red nightmare, onetime instead of easy money, and epitaph instead of larks toungs. but that is just my opinion. :)

great vid regardless. :)

[evilpacman1742]

Great list. Some of my favorites include Indiscipline, Waiting Man, 21st Century Schizoid Man, I Talk to the Wind, Cat Food, Islands, Cirkus, Level Five, Starless, and The Devil's Triangle. Of course, every one of their songs is amazing in its own right.

[ImSpiFF]

nice top 10 man..its really hard to decide which king crimson song is best for me tho D: haha

[westpalmscott]

King Crimson is progressive that actually kept progressing into new sounds. ELP and many others just kept rehashing that same formula of rock/classical synthesis. King Crimson,Gentle Giant and Focus had much more to offer stylisticly

[DrGonzoOBoogie]

nicely said man, i think Crimson should be the definition of prog rock lol

[westpalmscott]

@DrGonzoOBoogie I've had the good fortune to see KC Live in 3 of it's incarnations. Islands. Discipline and The Construktion Of Light. I had to pass during the Larks Tongues tour due to being very sick. Heard it was a great show and they were not even headlining. How's this for a weird triple bill? Slade, KC and The Strawbs. I can see KC and Strawbs playing together,'but Slade? Good God! LOL

[DrGonzoOBoogie]

@westpalmscott u had a great life man, Fripp live would be to much to handle. Im still wanting real bad to one day see Fripp or a Crimson line-up live. Oh and which did u like best, I would have loved to have seen Disipline great band and music.

[westpalmscott]

@DrGonzoOBoogie The Discipline and Construcktion show had better sound . I'm more partial to the Discipline line up. The Islands set was brief due to limited time and they were opening for Procol Harum who were also great. It was very intense and they destroyed some of their equipment like The Who.Fripp didn't smash anything himself. I'm also a big mellotron fan and they have rarely used them after the 70's, The later lines ups were tighter but Islands is one of my favorite KC albums.

[westpalmscott]

@westpalmscott Not enough credit was ever given to Procol Harum either. They hit #5 in 72 with Live With The Edmonton Symphony. Can't think of another band that sounded as good with an orchestra and they were much better songwriters than most prog acts. KC and PH remain my favorites from the early 70's. Hardly anything those bands did sounds stuck in that era

[shoro12]

As for your #1 being Larks' Tongues in Aspic Part One, you can't go wrong with that choice. That song really makes me question why there aren't a variety of percussion in modern music. Muir was the best addition to the King Crimson sound, in my opinion.

[DrGonzoOBoogie]

Bruford and Muir are great, the percussions and rhythm in Larks Tongues make it my favorite album, Easy Money and Both parts of Larks Tongues just have kick ass groooves.

[elephanta2]

10 favorite songs...too difficult to choose. My favorite 5 albums are "Earthbound", "Gildford 1972", "Red", "In The Court Of The Crimson King, and "Laks' Tongues In Aspic".

[reptil89]

starless live in 1974 are the best ever please post it please

[Lightmane321]

you got it

their music expands decades & they don't repeat themselves when under stress

well, they do sometimes, but at least they don't play the same stuff over & over again, like we hear today (Daltry, anyone)

[Lightmane321]

thanks worldcitizenforever

[Lightmane321]

I post King Crimson music on my facebook page. I think some of my friends think I'm a 'looney' lol

But that's okay. I like being a looney. Makes me feel like I'm one of the Monty Python boys.

'you're a looney'

Yes... I know... : )

[DrGonzoOBoogie]

lol if u like Crimson and being a loony def take a listen to Giles Giles and Fripp, they do some funny ass awesome suff, reminds me of monty python at some points.

[genesisrock43]

by the way, 'Dr.GonzoOBoogie' I've often thought that king crimson are to music as Hunter Thompson is to literature- loved by the fans, misunderstood by their critics :)

[DrGonzoOBoogie]

yeah I love things that get missed by the general public, not just for that reason but there are so many people with great ideas and just because its not iy pop culture they get lost in history. I feel like its a job for me get get people to listen to crimson.

[DrGonzoOBoogie]

dont get me wrong I love Genesis and Yes, Yes is another one of my favorite bands I love all their work. But Pink Floyds album Animals is one of the main reasons I love them so much. Its such a good album and gives u a dark feeling about what we think is the civilized world and how shitty a place it really is and we are blind and brainwashed just to forget it and respect what we have. Animals changed my life just as much as when I read Animals Farm for the 1st times. And the music is great too!

[nakaufo]

I will complete king crimson's aibums!!!!

[tantissimacacca]

starless is the best!

[esclavolodon]

it's greaaaaaaaaatttttttttttttttt!!­!!!!!!!

I can choose best10 of kc becase too mucho

thanks for you from japan

[Hessterica]

book of saturday????

inthe wake of poseiden???

where they at!??!

[Lightmane321]

For me, Epitaph has to be in there, but I like your list. How you narrowed it down to 10 is beyond me. I could make my top 20 favorite KC songs, but even then I'd have a hard time picking which ones to put in & which ones to keep out, so 30, yeah my top 30 favorite KC songs. That would do it. That would include all of them. Well, almost all of them. There'd still be some that I'd have a hard time leaving out, so perhaps 40. I'm pretty sure I could list my top 40 favorite KC songs, well...

[DrGonzoOBoogie]

it was a very hard list to make, I probally rewrote it 10 times before I could settle on my top 10. But they have so many great songs that I might make a part 2 with 10 or 15 more of my favorite songs!

[Lightmane321]

Yeah. Too bad the rest of the world doesn't agree with us. Too bad commercial radio stations don't have the balls to play them.

[DrGonzoOBoogie]

right!

[MacRocks713]

@Lightmane321 Hopefully 21CSM being in Guitar Hero 5 will help the rest of the world understand the epicness of Crimson.

[crazyedd123]

@MacRocks713 ye i think that's what got me into KC, not really ashamed to admit it, although i should XD

but then my teacher started playing it and it was like a sign to me XD

[Lightmane321]

@MacRocks713  let's hope

[crazyedd123]

@Lightmane321 it's not cos they're afraid to play it.

it's cos KC is on another wavelength

get it? XD

[Lightmane321]

@crazyedd123 nice : )

[PinkFloydAreGods]

Great band. Easily one of the three greatest of all time.

[DrGonzoOBoogie]

Crimson-Floyd-Tull

[04116404]

indiscipline is king crimson best song

[AsteriskRocks]

King Crimson is awesome!

[DrGonzoOBoogie]

word to that

[astronorm111]

Way cool...somehow old is still fresh...