| King Crimson Albums Ranked |
| 13 |  | King Crimson
The ConstruKction of Light
The good news going into this ranking was that there was very little chance I was going to run into anything that was outright bad. Thankfully that chance didn’t come up, but this is certainly the record that comes closest to that categorization. The instrumental jams being as superior as they are to the more straightforward material on here already spell a bad omen in terms of replayability. The attempted electronic and vocal experimentation end up working against several tracks here and a lot of the songwriting amounts to some of KC’s weakest. I appreciate the attempt for a mathy, back-to-basics approach that would have otherwise fit wonderfully in the KC discography, but it’s just too inconsistent and awkward of a tracklist. |
| 12 |  | King Crimson
Three of a Perfect Pair
I’ll admit that this is an impressively ambitious direction to take the 80’s new wave-infused KC, but unfortunately I found its execution questionable at best. It’s a two-faced project with a more atmospheric, almost ambient back half that often can’t escape a trudging pace, which is exaggerated by the poppier, more flavorful cuts surrounding those pieces like “Dig Me” or “Man With an Open Heart”. While this attempt at a proggy new wave sound would have otherwise been better than what was on Beat, its experimental side more often set it back than ahead. |
| 11 |  | King Crimson
In the Wake of Poseidon
This album was pretty much doomed from conception. It’s essentially an alternate take on one of the greatest albums of all time, but not a single track is better than its counterpart on their debut. It does have plenty of interesting moments like the bluesy “Cat Food” that acts as a departure from the “mirror” concept and “The Devils Triangle”, which approaches the debut’s closer with a more ominous approach than otherwise expected. This record really isn’t that bad for a glorified B-sides collection, but it can’t seem to get over the hump of it being just that and not much else. |
| 10 |  | King Crimson
The Power to Believe
Well, if KC had enough of studio recordings, I suppose this is a better ending than what they had. The Y2K industrial instrumentation hinted at on the previous album is more embraced on this project, making for intriguing crossovers throughout the jammier cuts. This an ambitious record with mixed results and some filler tracks and I think the four-part title track could’ve been compacted or rearranged in a way to where its placements feel more appropriate. |
| 9 |  | King Crimson
Beat
The shift from Discipline to something trendier like Beat must have been frustratingly jarring for fans at the time of Beat’s release, but this was really a decent, if flawed, start at a poppier King Crimson. The band were able to mix instrumental prowess with the production and tonal theme on this album more than most of what KC would follow this up with. The first few songs of the record contain some of the most consistent post-Discipline KC material, but after “Neurotica” the album flames out pretty harshly. The great moments on this record make me wish that somewhere between Three of a Perfect Pair and THRAK that they did more with the new wave-infused stuff. |
| 8 |  | King Crimson
THRAK
90’s King Crimson followed the 80’s move of morphing the sonic trend of rock into something of KC’s own creation. The unapologetic harshness of many 90’s rock classics can be credited to THRAK’s own raw power. While THRAK is not unlike many KC albums with cuts that are thought of more for live potential, these jammy, “for live shows” tracks work themselves better onto this project than what else King Crimson would do at this time. KC also delivers a diverse serving of great “complete” tracks like “Dinosaur”, “Walking on Air”, and “Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream”. This album’s replayability value is also quite good as it only went up this ranking on further listens. |
| 7 |  | King Crimson
Starless and Bible Black
Sitting uncomfortably in between lauded classics like Larks’ Tongues in Aspic and Red is Starless and Bible Black, a great album in its own right that’s unfortunately plagued with imposter syndrome by the public eye. The bookends on this record are fantastic and “The Night Watch” is high-tier “soft” King Crimson. The pacing on this set it back more than anything; some more instrumentally inclined tracks take too long to get going while others don’t have enough time to fully develop. This is still a highly recommended listen for prog fans as is pretty much all of pre-80’s KC. |
| 6 |  | King Crimson
Islands
Some of King Crimson’s most classical compositions help produce yet another excellent record in their 70’s stash. Once again, the bookends are album highlights with “Sailor’s Tale” acting as the album’s instrumental tour-de-force. The middle of the album is a mishmash of various King Crimson movements that probably could’ve been retooled into something a bit more consistent. Even if this is no ITCOTCK or even LTIA, this is hardly a weak point in KC’s discography and can even present some cuts that compete with some of KC’s best work. |
| 5 |  | King Crimson
Lizard
King Crimson’s hardest shift into the 70’s symphonic prog sound would result in one of their best works and an album that provided the band with a much needed creative reset. This album improved its standing on here more than any other project, which can be attributed to how layered its instrumentation is and how long it can take to get used to how Peter Sinfield wrote the album’s narratives. Despite the vastly different lineup from what preceded and followed this, this album proved that Robert Fripp and the King Crimson faithful were not going to be limited to the style and success of ITCOTCK. |
| 4 |  | King Crimson
Larks' Tongues in Aspic
Just as Lizard was a crucial creative reset from KC’s first two records, this was the album that moved King Crimson’s sound past their symphonic roots into the modern progressive rock trailblazers they would go on to be. It’s a somewhat ironic influence reference as this is probably KC’s most angular and dizzying record full of various exciting percussion passages and guitar work that finds new ways to impress me upon every listen. It’s a record that shows progressive rock as abrasive in new and exciting ways like in the two-part title track without losing the melancholic beauty of tracks like “Exiles”. Even if it’s not their most consistent record, this was a statement album from Fripp and the gang. |
| 3 |  | King Crimson
Red
King Crimson capped off their 70’s run with an album that doesn’t need many more words than what others have said about it. It’s an album that acts as a crowning achievement of everything King Crimson were working on in the five years prior. Nearly every track is a relentless banger from the instrumental crush grip of “Red” to the legendary “Starless”. It’s hard to even believe King Crimson sounded like they did here in 1974. |
| 2 |  | King Crimson
Discipline
Discipline is an album so good it seems impossible from its position. Not only is it one of the best progressive rock comeback records ever, but it’s a remarkable feat of a songwriting identity shift gone right. King Crimson opt for a more tongue-in-cheek entry into the 80’s new wave sound, immediately letting you know of such with “Elephant Talk” as the opener. From then on, the album just can’t seem to miss. The “Indiscipline”/”Discipline” duet makes for two of King Crimson’s best band jams while fully surrounded by one amazing track after another. |
| 1 |  | King Crimson
In the Court of the Crimson King
54 years later, In the Court of the Crimson King still retains its progressive rock crown. I guess it goes to show how coveted King Crimson was for this album where in the band’s debut they’d release a near-perfect tracklist. The bookends and “Epitaph” are no-brainers for three of the best progressive rock songs of all time. Even the other two tracks are somehow underrated, a word I don’t dare use lightly on this record. Down to the cover, this is an album that will never really age as long as I’m alive. |
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