Which King Crimson surround album should I get?

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ergalthema

Active Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2017
Messages
63
I'd like to get one of the 5.1 mixes (to start with, anyway). I'm guessing either Court of the Crimson King, Larks Tongue, or Wake of Poseidon. Most of the threads are old. And, for example, the poll threads were done before all the albums were released. Now that most of them have been released, what would you recommend?

Should I choose solely based on the music itself? Or does any particular album shine best in 5.1?

I have the latest live Blu-ray, but I don't recall it benefiting much from 5.1.
 
I'd like to get one of the 5.1 mixes (to start with, anyway). I'm guessing either Court of the Crimson King, Larks Tongue, or Wake of Poseidon. Most of the threads are old. And, for example, the poll threads were done before all the albums were released. Now that most of them have been released, what would you recommend?

Should I choose solely based on the music itself? Or does any particular album shine best in 5.1?

I have the latest live Blu-ray, but I don't recall it benefiting much from 5.1.

IMHO, "Larks' Tongues in Aspic" is the best, so I would start with that one, but you also would not do wrong by starting with either "In the Court of the Crimson King" or "Red".

Choose wisely! ;)
 
Oh boy - you just asked the magical question, which will get many different answers. I love Starless and Bible Black. Love them all really and can't imagine picking one over the other...
 
I second what rtbluray said. Larks' Tongues is my favorite KC album, which may be skewing my judgment, but I also think the music shows off Wilson's 5.1 mix brilliantly. But ITCOTCK and Red are good, too. I'm still catching up with the rest of the catalog, but as long as it's all still in print (and often on sale at ImportCDs.com), I'm willing to spend the money.

IMHO, "Larks' Tongues in Aspic" is the best, so I would start with that one, but you also would not do wrong by starting with either "In the Court of the Crimson King" or "Red".

Choose wisely! ;)
 
I'd like to get one of the 5.1 mixes (to start with, anyway). I'm guessing either Court of the Crimson King, Larks Tongue, or Wake of Poseidon. Most of the threads are old. And, for example, the poll threads were done before all the albums were released. Now that most of them have been released, what would you recommend?...

All of them!
 
I'm probably an odd-ball KC fan. I spent the last two days trying to get in to Starless & Bible Black and couldn't.
For me, the sound quality just isn't there for ItCotCK.
Larks' is just all right, but a bit too random, for my taste.
I couldn't get in to Poseidon that much.
I love Red, Thrak & Discipline. Probably in that order.
Good luck and happy listening! Eventually, just get them all! :phones
 
Should I choose solely based on the music itself? Or does any particular album shine best in 5.1?

Welcome to the forum.

I advise choosing based on the music.
In my experience (3 so far) the mixes are all exemplary.

If you have a favorite and are curious what a 5.1 mix might reveal, you might start with that.
Equally fun to take a chance on something unfamiliar or long unheard.

One note:
"We'll Let You Know" on Starless and Bible Black is the first (only?) time I've heard Steven Wilson (or much of anybody) mix bass guitar into the center channel.
(Possibly because it's live?)
 
"In the Court of the Crimson King" is essential because it is a seminal prog album and showcases the Greg Lake era, if you will.......switch to John Wetton and I'm a fan of "Red". The 5.1 works brilliantly on all of them...my tastes run counter to Baggie's though.;)
 
"In the Court of the Crimson King" is essential because it is a seminal prog album and showcases the Greg Lake era, if you will.......switch to John Wetton and I'm a fan of "Red". The 5.1 works brilliantly on all of them...my tastes run counter to Baggie's though.;)

Agree on this, however I agree with rtbluray when it comes to the surround itself, Larks' Tounges in Aspic is a monster!
 
"In the Court of the Crimson King" is essential because it is a seminal prog album and showcases the Greg Lake era, if you will.......switch to John Wetton and I'm a fan of "Red". The 5.1 works brilliantly on all of them...my tastes run counter to Baggie's though.;)

In the Court of the Crimson King is my favorite album musically of their by a country mile, but it's also not the top one to get for a surround mix - I found the surround mix of Red and Discipline much more active and engaging.
 
I'm getting the idea that there is no real consensus that any one album is better than any other. I'll probably start with ITCOTCK and maybe try to get them all eventually.

Is there basically only one 5.1 mix for each album? And are they all DVD-Video? I don't have a SACD or DVD-Audio player (that I'm aware of - I use XBOX One S).
 
I'm getting the idea that there is no real consensus that any one album is better than any other. I'll probably start with ITCOTCK and maybe try to get them all eventually.

Is there basically only one 5.1 mix for each album? And are they all DVD-Video? I don't have a SACD or DVD-Audio player (that I'm aware of - I use XBOX One S).

I think it is the sign of an interesting and solid band that there is no consensus, but each album has it's fans. For me, I'm in my 30's and have ZERO nostalgia for any KC album. I tend to favor songs over improv or noodling.

If you go in for the box sets, you will find some Bluray-Audio albums. Otherwise the CD/DVD releases are DVD-A.
I think they all feature some kind of 5.1 mix accessible to normal DVD players though. Like DTS.

If you want an affordable SACD/DVD-A player, check out older OPPO DVD players. I just got one for my mom for around $60 to augment her normal bluray player. Between the two she can play the vast majority of discs.
 
I'd like to get one of the 5.1 mixes (to start with, anyway). I'm guessing either Court of the Crimson King, Larks Tongue, or Wake of Poseidon. Most of the threads are old. And, for example, the poll threads were done before all the albums were released. Now that most of them have been released, what would you recommend?

Should I choose solely based on the music itself? Or does any particular album shine best in 5.1?

I have the latest live Blu-ray, but I don't recall it benefiting much from 5.1.

What music do you like or dislike? Name some bands and albums.
 
What music do you like or dislike? Name some bands and albums.

Favorite bands are CHEER-ACCIDENT (lots of KC influence) and Secret Chiefs 3. I like complex arrangments more than improvised jazz. I'm loosely familiar with most KC albums. I tend to like about half of each album for one reason or another.

I like Flaming Lips surround mixes because of how crazy they are, but I'm rarely in the mood to be that dizzy! I like Beck's Sea Change in surround.

A few days ago, I heard Secret Chiefs 3 music mixed for 150 speakers in "The Cube" at Virginia Tech. It was incredible. I hope it is released for home theaters. Actually, I think I'll make a post about that on this forum...
 
The Lizard says .... you guessed it .... Lizard.

Although it can be an acquired taste. :rolleyes:

If you are a 70s fan go for Aspic, if you are heavier leaning go for Red, if you dig the 80s go for Discipline.
 
Favorite bands are CHEER-ACCIDENT (lots of KC influence) and Secret Chiefs 3. I like complex arrangments more than improvised jazz. I'm loosely familiar with most KC albums. I tend to like about half of each album for one reason or another.

Based on what Secret Chiefs 3 sound like in the youtube clips I auditioned, I think you'd like the second half of 'Three of a Perfect Pair' a lot, starting from 'Nuages' , to the end.
 
Based on what Secret Chiefs 3 sound like in the youtube clips I auditioned, I think you'd like the second half of 'Three of a Perfect Pair' a lot, starting from 'Nuages' , to the end.

The second half of Perfect Pair is pretty random and thin-sounding. Secret Chiefs 3 is full of dense, highly-orchestrated compositions. Not sure what samples you checked out... I appreciate the thought though.

I'm fairly familiar with KC's output. From each album, I like about half the music. I was mainly asking about the surround mixes and whether any album benefits more than others.

I appreciate everyone's feedback. After more thought, I'm probably gonna go with LTiA. I'd really like to hear the title track from CoTKC though...
 
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