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Red is the seventh studio album by English progressive rock band King Crimson, released in October 1974 on Island Records in the United Kingdom and Atlantic Records in North America and Japan.[6] The album was recorded at Olympic Studios in London in July and August 1974, and produced by the band themselves.
Red is a progressive rock album with a noticeably heavier sound than their previous albums; it was later called one of the 50 "heaviest albums of all time" by Q. This was achieved with the performances of just three band members: guitarist and keyboardist Robert Fripp, bassist and vocalist John Wetton and drummer Bill Bruford. The dense sound of the album was created through multiple guitar and keyboard overdubs and guest appearances by musicians including former King Crimson members Ian McDonald and Mel Collins on saxophones, classical oboist Robin Miller and English jazz trumpeter Mark Charig. Many of the album's motifs were conceived during the band's live improvisations. The track "Providence" was edited down from an improvisation recorded by the previous lineup of the band, with violinist and keyboardist David Cross in addition to Fripp, Wetton and Bruford, at a live performance in Providence, Rhode Island; Cross had been fired from the band by the time the album sessions began. "Starless" was written for their previous album, Starless and Bible Black (1974), but was considered too primitive to be released at the time; the lengthy version included on Red was refined and performed during concerts throughout 1974. The lyrics describe anxiety, tension, violence, entrapment and existential dread, reflecting the band's internal turmoil and impending breakup.
Fripp disbanded King Crimson roughly two weeks before the release of the album. Red became their lowest-charting album at that time, spending only one week in the UK Albums Chart at No. 45 and in the US Billboard 200 at No. 66. However, it was well received among fans and critics. It has received further praise retrospectively, being recognised as one of the band's best works, and has been reissued many times.
On Red, King Crimson followed in the direction established by its predecessors Larks' Tongues in Aspic (1973) and Starless and Bible Black (1974). However, in contrast to those albums, Red features a more "layered" production, characterized by guitar and keyboard overdubs and the use of McDonald and Collins as session musicians. The rhythm section of Wetton and Bruford, whom Fripp referred to as "a flying brick wall", led the album's style towards heavy metal. Fripp, increasingly unsure of the group's direction, took a "backseat" when making large decisions during the sessions, leaving them to Wetton and Bruford;[10] the two believed Fripp was merely "pulling another moody", but in the week prior to recording Red, Fripp had discovered the works of mystic John G. Bennett and decided to take "a year's sabbatical ... at Bennett's Institute" afterwards.[11][8] He offered the idea of McDonald rejoining the band in his absence to EG; in light of the label's lack of interest in this idea, Fripp abruptly disbanded King Crimson on 24 September. Red was released two weeks later.[12]
credits
FreeForm Radio thanks Raffaele Pezzella for a promo copy of this release.
Published by ZeroK.
Music by Vyormouth.
Cat. Num. ZK13.
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