| Red | |||||
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| Studio album by King Crimson | |||||
| Released | November 1974 | ||||
| Recorded | July-August 1974 | ||||
| Genre | Progressive rock | ||||
| Length | 39:55 | ||||
| Label | Atlantic Records (USA) | ||||
| Producer | King Crimson | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| King Crimson chronology | |||||
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Red is a 1974 album by progressive rock group King Crimson. It was their last recording of the 1970s and the last before the lead member Robert Fripp temporarily disbanded the group. Fripp and drummer Bill Bruford are the only personnel on this album to appear in later versions of King Crimson.
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Production
David Cross left King Crimson in 1974, reducing the group to the trio of Robert Fripp, John Wetton and Bill Bruford. The trio recorded Red with the help of Cross and former band-members Ian McDonald and Mel Collins. Fripp disbanded King Crimson on September 24, 1974, and the album was released later that year with no accompanying tour. While musically similar to its predecessor Starless and Bible Black, Red was produced very differently from previous King Crimson albums, resulting in what band-members felt was a better approximation of their aggressive live sound. For instance, while the acoustic guitar features prominently in previous releases, on Red it is heard only for a few bars in "Fallen Angel". Also, unlike previous King Crimson albums, Red features extensive use of guitar overdubs. Later albums lacked acoustic guitar entirely and reverted to a minimum of overdubs, though by that point the band featured multiple guitarists playing simultaneously.
Legacy
Due to the lack of a touring band, the record faltered on the British charts. In the United States, it reached #66 on the Billboard Top 200. However, it stood the test of time and remained a popular album with fans and critics. In 2001 Q magazine named Red as one of the "50 Heaviest Albums of All Time,"[1] and Kurt Cobain has cited the album as a major influence. [2][3] Musicologists Eric Tamm and Edward Macan both consider Red, and particularly the track "Starless", to be the highlight of King Crimson's recorded output.
Track listing
- "Red" (Robert Fripp) – 6:16
- "Fallen Angel" (Fripp, Richard Palmer-James, John Wetton) – 6:03
- "One More Red Nightmare" (Fripp, Wetton) – 7:10
- "Providence" (Bill Bruford, David Cross, Fripp, Wetton) – 8:10
- Recorded at Palace Theatre, Providence, USA, 30 June 1974
- "Starless" (Bruford, Cross, Fripp, Palmer-James, Wetton) – 12:16
Personnel
King Crimson
Additional musicians
- David Cross - violin
- Mel Collins - soprano saxophone
- Ian McDonald - alto saxophone
- Robin Miller - oboe
- Marc Charig - cornet
