Name: Lizard
Brand: King Crimson

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

kcsp3

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

CD & DVD

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Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2009-10-26

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Little Amber Fish

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

Total Cap

1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

King Crimson

Genre GB

Prog Rock

Label GB

King Crimson is one of the pioneers of the progressive rock genre. Formed in 1969, their first line-up included guitarist Robert Fripp, lyricist and lighting man Peter Sinfield, composer and multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald, bassist and vocalist Greg Lake, and drummer Michael Giles. They released the seminal album "In the Court of the Crimson King" in 1969 before undergoing several personnel changes. The band evolved over the years, experimenting with fusion and improvisation in their live performances. In 1981, they changed their name to King Crimson and released three studio albums with a new line-up. After a hiatus, they reformed again in 1994 as a double trio and continued to release music through various spin-off groups. Their extensive back catalogue makes them one of the most influential rock bands ever.

In 2000, King Crimson underwent another transformation with a new line-up that excluded Bill Bruford and Tony Levin. They released "The ConstruKction of Light" in 2000 before Tony Levin rejoined the group. In 2008, they embarked on a 40th Anniversary Tour with Gavin Harrison joining as a new member. Despite Robert Fripp's retirement announcement in 2012, King Crimson returned in 2014 with yet another line-up for touring purposes.

The current incarnation of King Crimson features Robert Fripp (guitar), Mel Collins (saxophones, flute), Tony Levin

'lizard' - king crimson's third studio album and second recording of 1970, was, like its predecessor 'in the wake of poseidon', the product of a studio band. it was also the first crimson album for which robert fripp provided all of the music. remarkably self-contained and sounding somewhat atypical for a king crimson album - even by the standards of a band that rarely sounded similar from album to album, 'lizard' is an often overlooked and under-appreciated gem from their early years. certainly at the time of release, anyone expecting an extension of the soundscapes introduced and explored on the band's earlier two albums was in for a surprise. 'lizard' featured a lighter, more delicate sound than the earlier albums - an approach perhaps necessitated by an extended instrumental lineup. the expanded range of instruments allowed for intricately interwoven instrumental passages - with fripp's guitar and tippett's piano pleasingly to the fore - and this combination, along with the prominence afforded to mel collins and the guest players on the album's main title 'suite', led some to believe that fripp was guiding crimson towards the world of jazz and away from rock altogether. but such claims were misguided. crimson was, as ever, seeking to expand the vocabulary of rock music and 'lizard' was, in some ways, the band's most ambitious album to date. as this lineup never toured, very little of the material was performed live and 'lizard' remained a product of the studio environment and the musicians who performed on it. 'lizard' standalone nature makes it difficult even to compile in context next to crimson's other material - with only 'bolero' featuring on the box sets covering crimson's extensive history. 'lizard' remains a fascinating, intriguing album - an album only a band called king crimson could make - even if it was a very different king crimson to that which had gone before or would come after. now completely remixed from the original multitrack recording tapes by steven wilson for 5.1 surround sound and featuring a new stereo mix from the same source tapes by robert fripp and steven wilson, 'lizard' finally reveals its true beauty.

Lizard

Music GB